Bobcat Attack - Ohio Football - Possible Coaching Candidates

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Topic: Possible Coaching Candidates

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M.D.W.S.T

12/11/2024 12:19 PM

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

Smith Interview after practice- https://youtu.be/CiWdlw2KSoE?si=zGkOjD4kyrxCrLtW

Well, Smith is about 50 times better speaking on the mic, although probably in front of three kids.

Said all the right things, even acknowledged how things went down wasn’t fair to the players.

"I love being in Athens. I love this team. To be able to stay here and lead a program like this it would be an honor."

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Doc Bobcat

12/11/2024 12:52 PM

M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

"I love being in Athens. I love this team. To be able to stay here and lead a program like this it would be an honor."

Come on Julie. Make it so.

If she doesn’t pick Smith then I may need to look at the fire Julie thread.

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Bobcat1996

12/11/2024 12:58 PM

Ben Stevens
@BenScottStevens
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Currently, ONLY five (5) FBS programs have won 10+ games in each of the last three seasons (since 2022):

• Georgia
• Ohio
• Ohio State
• Oregon
• Penn State

The Bobcats just won their 1st MAC 🏆 since 1968.

Tim Albin has done a MASTERFUL job at Ohio.

If only the Bobcat administration realized what was said above!!!

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cbarber357

12/11/2024 1:10 PM

Bobcat1996 wrote:expand_more

And yet there are also people calling for Ryan Day and James Franklin to be fired.

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OhioCatFan

12/11/2024 1:32 PM

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

Thanks for posting the interview. You are right that he is much better at the "talking game" than Albin was, but maybe not as good as Solich. He's obviously, given the results this year, an excellent OC. Will he make a good head coach. My gut says, "yes." But, my gut has often been wrong in the past. The best case in point would be the letter I wrote to the AD urging the hiring of Cleve Bryant. To his credit the AD did not listen to me and recommended hiring another candidate, but President Ping, who was otherwise an excellent president, overruled the AD and told him to hire Cleve. The rest as they say is history. In this case, I hope that the ones making the decisions are folks with a good understanding of football and what it takes to make a good head coach, not some folks who are just fans and know next to nothing about the inner workings of a football program. [Do I recall correctly that Cromer's husband was a football player in college?]

Last Edited: 12/11/2024 1:33:55 PM by OhioCatFan

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100%Cat

12/11/2024 2:44 PM

M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

"I love being in Athens. I love this team. To be able to stay here and lead a program like this it would be an honor."

He nailed it with that line.

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Deciduous Forest Cat

12/11/2024 3:04 PM

100%Cat wrote:expand_more

M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

"I love being in Athens. I love this team. To be able to stay here and lead a program like this it would be an honor."

He nailed it with that line.

You never know how someone will do as a head coach until they're a head coach. While I know D1 schools prefer someone with hc experience at some level, Brian seems like someone with the right amount of experience to step right in and do well. He's also been a journeyman and the stability of the Ohio job if he does well might be very appealing to him at this time. Even if not, a lot of assistants, probably underpaid, sure, might have had dollar signs in their eyes thinking about where Albin's (and his coattails) next stop would be... then reacted the same way we all did: "Charlotte?! M***er***king charlotte?" Maybe wishful thinking but I hope we have a good opportunity to keep multiple members of the staff here if Brian Smith is the guy.

Last Edited: 12/11/2024 3:05:16 PM by Deciduous Forest Cat

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Jeff McKinney

12/11/2024 3:51 PM

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

Coach Smith did a great job in this presser.

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mid70sbobcat

12/11/2024 5:18 PM

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

The part I complement him on was saying "unfortunately the guys didn't get to celebrate the win as they would have liked to with the change as soon as it happened". Classy way to word it without mentioning Albin.

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cc-cat

12/11/2024 5:57 PM

well. Belichick is off the table.

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Rufusbobcat94

12/11/2024 6:03 PM

The more I think on it, the more I hope we can keep pillars of our coaching staff and move forward. What i'm concerned with is preserving the culture Solich and Albin help build. If we get a brand-new HC and lose the coaches we have, that culture will depend upon some returning players and may be lost ultimately.

I wish Solich could have won one of those championships but whatever else you might say Solich started a culture that works at Ohio. If Smith is HC i hope he presses hard to keep as many defensive coaches as possible. Faanes, Hauser, Maddix, Scott and smith have been really good the past few years and are getting recruits. If he can keep offensive coaches too, great.

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L.C.

12/11/2024 6:05 PM

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

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greencat

12/11/2024 6:11 PM

Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

Coach Smith did a great job in this presser.

Great spokesman for the school and team.

100% make him the next h.c.

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Rufusbobcat94

12/11/2024 6:28 PM

L.C. wrote:expand_more

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

That is interesting-what leads you to believe that? It could very well be 2-3 years but long-term fit is also a concern for sure. I guess university folks might be able to gauge that better?

I wouldn't really have an issue with 2-3 years if we kept one of the great coaches we have like Faanes or Hauser and groom them to succeed smith.

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Clown Ohio Fan

12/11/2024 6:46 PM

I'm sold on Brian Smith at the moment. He's qualified for the job, is a solid communicator and would likely keep part of the culture in place.

You never know how it's going to work out but he's my leader in the clubhouse and hope he gets his shot.

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brucecuth

12/11/2024 7:08 PM

FormerMember wrote:expand_more

Right there with you.

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L.C.

12/11/2024 7:36 PM

Rufusbobcat94 wrote:expand_more

L.C. wrote:expand_more

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

The reason is that I'm impressed with him, and with the job he did. For example, in addition to his prior offensive tutors, he picked up the Albin-Solich concepts, and used them in his arsenal. His play calling totally destroyed Miami. What were they going to do when Ohio was scoring every time they got the ball, and taking 8-18 minutes to do so? I think he can pick up when Albin left off, and make Ohio even better. But, the problem with that is that it will quickly attract attention. As a lot younger coach than Albin, and as a better spokesman, the P4 will be all over him in no time, if he wins.

Note, also, that there are no players in the portal, and no assistants have left. That's proof that the program can continue just fine under Smith. Hire him.

Last Edited: 12/11/2024 7:42:28 PM by L.C.

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greencat

12/11/2024 9:55 PM

L.C. wrote:expand_more

Rufusbobcat94 wrote:expand_more

L.C. wrote:expand_more

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

He reminds me of Mark Byington, the basketball coach that won 32 games at JMU last season. Very similar personality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp_VADx1kbg

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bobcatgrad

12/11/2024 10:58 PM

L.C. wrote:expand_more

But, the problem with that is that it will quickly attract attention. As a lot younger coach than Albin, and as a better spokesman, the P4 will be all over him in no time, if he wins. [/QUOTE]I think this makes it important that we have the heir apparent in place as new Associate Head Coach whether we find that person inside our outside of the program. And naturally, if Brian is hired as head coach, he should have a lot of say in deciding on who would be the best candidate because they have to be able to have good working chemistry with the other coaches and work well within the current culture at OHIO as well.

I found Brian's profile on Wikipedia. He is 44. Fairly young, but I don't know how that compares to the median age of coaches in the MAC and other conferences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Smith_(long_snapper )
(The URL is a little broken for some reason, so click on "Brian Smith (long snapper)" again after clicking the link.)

This sentence in his Wikipedia profile caught my attention in particular.

"In his first season with the Bobcats Smith coached running back Sieh Bangura to Freshman All-American honors and MAC Freshman of the Year honors while improving the Ohio passing attack to 23rd nationally, up from 108th in previous season."

[QUOTE=L.C.]
Note, also, that there are no players in the portal, and no assistants have left. That's proof that the program can continue just fine under Smith. Hire him.

Also, Albin wants him back as the Associate HC/OC at Charlotte now. That's proof that the confidence in him from the coaching staff extends/extended all the way up to the head coach.

Looks like the man for the job barring some extraordinary candidate we don't know about yet.

Last Edited: 12/11/2024 11:38:10 PM by bobcatgrad

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GroverBall

12/12/2024 12:39 AM

OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

The target of you comment is not clear, but I assume you are aware that Charlie Ping both played and coached football.

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100%Cat

12/12/2024 7:09 AM

L.C. wrote:expand_more

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

I think it speaks volumes that we/some consider it a problem to have a young successful head coach that won't stay for an extended amount of time. Look, we all love Athens. But from a job standpoint, it's a historically low-level (and low budget) program in a low-level conference. The reality of the situation is that for young up-and-coming coaches, Ohio is likely to be viewed as a springboard to the next job. Me, I'm ok with that. Personally, I'd never view it as a problem to have a talented and ambitious young coach that we all know won't stay here for a decade. Keeping the program successful and relevant at the price of replacing the head coach every 3-5 years is an acceptable and positive "problem" to have, IMO. Having to replace a coach that jumped up to a higher level job tells me that good things have been happening here.

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Valley Cat

12/12/2024 10:53 AM

Do we think Kurtis makes his strides or is Offensive POY two years ago without the addition of Smith to the staff? The passing game looked different and so did 7. I think Smith should be the guy. I think he is ultra qualified. I assume if you pick Smith you lose Hauser which makes me nauseous. Fill in pieces of a staff with who you can keep and fill in who leaves for Charlotte.

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OhioCatFan

12/12/2024 10:56 AM

GroverBall wrote:expand_more

OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more

cbarber357 wrote:expand_more

The target of you comment is not clear, but I assume you are aware that Charlie Ping both played and coached football.

Yes, I know he played football and now that you remind me I remember he had some coaching gig, at the d3 level, I believe. However, he still made a bad choice in overriding the AD's choice of Glen Mason, who withdrew from consideration when it was clear that OHIO was "going in a different direction." Mason then became the head coach Kent State the following year. I didn't mean to include Ping in the "just fans" reference, but simply that I hope that the people making the decision this time are more astute then Ping was in his decision to hire Bryant. It was people like me, "mere fans" that shouldn't be listened to!

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GoCats105

12/12/2024 11:16 AM

L.C. wrote:expand_more

The problem with hiring Brian Smith is that he will only be a 2-3 year coach, and then he'll be gone to P4. The good news is that there will probably be another MACC in there.

With the way current trends have gone I wouldn't be so sure about this. Unless you're talking ANY coaching job and not just the head gig. The power conferences found another way to get these guys - promote them to to an assistant job first, see how they do, then maybe they take over as HC down the road. But as far as head coaches, there isn't much hiring going on from the MAC lately. The 2010s were a peak, maybe, but it has died down significantly.

Lance Leipold - Kansas, 2021
PJ Fleck - Minnesota, 2017
Matt Campbell - Iowa State, 2016
Dino Babers - Syracuse, 2016
Dave Clawson - Wake Forest, 2014
Dave Doeren - NC State, 2013
Darrell Hazell - Purdue, 2013
Tim Beckman - Illinois, 2012
Jerry Kill - Minnesota, 2011
Turner Gill - Kansas, 2010
Butch Jones - Cincinnati, 2010
Brian Kelly - Cincinnati, 2006
Terry Hoeppner - Indiana, 2005
Gary Pinkel - Missouri, 2001
Randy Walker - Northwestern, 1999

Non-power conferences (at the time):
Rod Carey - Temple, 2019
Brady Hoke - San Diego State, 2009
Urban Meyer - Utah, 2003

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Cats5

12/12/2024 2:20 PM

https://x.com/_agent49/status/1867276239431467468?s=46&t=...

Official contract for Timmy and Charlotte