New Western Illinois HC likely to be named tomorrow at 11 AM

[ST_Lawson]

Seems to strongly suggest promoting from within.

https://twitter.com/news3wiu/status/676508979619430400

[Twentysix]

Hopefully they can keep your program in an upswing.

[ST_Lawson]

Hopefully they can keep your program in an upswing.

I hope so. Hopefully it means consistency in the coaching staff, recruiting, player interaction, etc. (and hopefully that's a good thing). We were on an upswing, but there were definitely some problems with how things were going (lack of attention to special teams, limited offensive options, etc.).

It'll be interesting to see what changes and what stays the same (and what recruits for which we had verbals that we are able to hold on to)

[ST_Lawson]

Football Scoop reporting a strong possibility of current Co-DC Tyler Yelk being named new HC: http://goleathernecks.com/coaches.aspx?rc=869&path=football

https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/676782324286152705

[Libertine]

Then again...

https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/676860742482591744

"A national search" is forthcoming.

[UNIFanSince1983]

Oh man. This is a cluster in Macomb...

[clenz]

Welcome back to the abyss of the MVFC WIU....Was nice seeing some life from you for a couple seasons.

[Professor Chaos]

That's crummy, I hope they leave the NDSU assistant coaches (specifically DC Matt Entz) alone.

[clenz]

That's crummy, I hope they leave the NDSU assistant coaches (specifically DC Matt Entz) alone.
Why?

They didn't leave him alone when he was at UNI.

Did NDSU leave him alone when he was at WIU?

[ST_Lawson]

Me today...

https://i.imgur.com/QepoL9q.jpg

[Professor Chaos]

Why?

They didn't leave him alone when he was at UNI.

Did NDSU leave him alone when he was at WIU?
Exactly why I hope they leave him alone... because it makes a lot of sense for him.

[ST_Lawson]

Ok, now it's official....national search starts next week: http://goleathernecks.com/news/2015/12/15/FB_1215152911.aspx

I'm not opposed to going with that in the first place, but this whole thing has been completely mismanaged.

Ugh.

[PantherRob82]

W-E-S-T-E-R-N is a dumpster fire! xlolx

[JSUBison]

Good luck WIU fans, sounds like a situation out of your schools hands caused by a bunch of slimeballs in government. But who is going to take a job where you don't know if company can make payroll? I sent my resume to Radio Shack, hope to hear back from them real soon.

[goyotes]

FootballScoop Staff ‏@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) 2h2 hours ago (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/676860742482591744)
Whoa…just heard Western Illinois’ plans went sideways…hear they are cancelling the presser for today… http://FootballScoop.com/the-scoop (https://t.co/sNnVtycOD5)







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676870470243864577)
@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) what!?







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000182488294/e4bfb89a567cd049f6d335c4907412dd_bigger.jpegCoach Bessac ‏@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) 32m32 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/zbessac/status/676880707612884992)
@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) Did Yelk follow Nielson?








https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 13m13 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676885503438888960)
@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) pulled the plug on Yelk and staff 10 min before presser

[Drblankstare]

So who got cold feet I wonder?

[centennial]

FootballScoop Staff ‏@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) 2h2 hours ago (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/676860742482591744)
Whoa…just heard Western Illinois’ plans went sideways…hear they are cancelling the presser for today… http://FootballScoop.com/the-scoop (https://t.co/sNnVtycOD5)







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676870470243864577)
@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) what!?







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000182488294/e4bfb89a567cd049f6d335c4907412dd_bigger.jpegCoach Bessac ‏@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) 32m32 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/zbessac/status/676880707612884992)
@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) Did Yelk follow Nielson?








https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 13m13 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676885503438888960)
@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) pulled the plug on Yelk and staff 10 min before presser









Ridiculous

[mmiller_34]

FootballScoop Staff ‏@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) 2h2 hours ago (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop/status/676860742482591744)
Whoa…just heard Western Illinois’ plans went sideways…hear they are cancelling the presser for today… http://FootballScoop.com/the-scoop (https://t.co/sNnVtycOD5)







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676870470243864577)
@FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) what!?







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000182488294/e4bfb89a567cd049f6d335c4907412dd_bigger.jpegCoach Bessac ‏@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) 32m32 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/zbessac/status/676880707612884992)
@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) Did Yelk follow Nielson?








https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/597235794089287681/obFd0O42_bigger.jpgJustin Gumm ‏@CoachGumm87 (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87) 13m13 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/CoachGumm87/status/676885503438888960)
@zbessac (https://twitter.com/zbessac) @FootballScoop (https://twitter.com/FootballScoop) pulled the plug on Yelk and staff 10 min before presser










I wonder what happened?

I ran across a tweet to that said that Nielson had held a team meeting last Saturday to tell the players that he declined USD's offer. Then he accepted it 3 days later.

[JayJ79]

I wonder what happened?

I ran across a tweet to that said that Nielson had held a team meeting last Saturday to tell the players that he declined USD's offer. Then he accepted it 3 days later.

In American football (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football), a counter run is a running play (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football_plays) in which the running back (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_back) will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction.

[Sycamore62]

did they recently hire administrators from U of Illinois?

[clenz]

Well...

WIU has now lost their OL coach as well, A.J. Blazek to Rutgers....not that he would have been retained by the new staff potentially

[Lehigh'98]

How may coaches do they have on staff currently? What are they doing about recruiting?

[clenz]

How may coaches do they have on staff currently? What are they doing about recruiting?
Is recruiting in it's dead period? For having worked for Rivals for a few years and being all over the recruiting scene I'm the exact opposite now. I'll notice if someone commits to UNI because I'll see it on social media, but I don't follow it at all really anymore.

I would guess it depends on how the assistants contracts were worked. There are some places/coaches where the assistants are tied directly to the head coach. If the HC leaves/is fired than the entire staff is out of a job. If not tied to the HC that the assistants are still with the school until the HC decides if he wants to keep them or not.

I don't know the set up at WIU, though given how FBScoop worded it their post it sounds like the assistants are still on staff and thus would still be recruiting...though who knows how hard they'd be recruiting at this point.

[Bisonator]

Yep dead period for recruiting right now.

This is really not looking good for WIU though. The financial situation has to be a real detriment for them and all Illinois schools.

Any word on SIU's search?

[clenz]

Yep dead period for recruiting right now.

This is really not looking good for WIU though. The financial situation has to be a real detriment for them and all Illinois schools.

Any word on SIU's search?It's down to 4 and a decision is "imminent"

[BisonFan02]

It's down to 4 and a decision is "imminent"

Yeah...and looking at those 4 choices, there really only is 1 choice for the fans....and he better work.

[clenz]

Yeah...and looking at those 4 choices, there really only is 1 choice for the fans....and he better work.

Will he is the question.

It looks A LOT like the TTU hiring of their hero Kliff Kingsbury. He's had very "meh" results so far.

[ST_Lawson]

Well...

WIU has now lost their OL coach as well, A.J. Blazek to Rutgers....not that he would have been retained by the new staff potentially

I know that technically we "lost" him today, but really, the entire coaching staff was all but gone as of early last week when they announced they'd be doing a national search.
You'll likely see a large portion of our old coaching staff announced as coaches at South Dakota fairly soon.

We will likely be "promoting" the interim AD, Matt Tanney, to be full AD within the next few days.

Applications started rolling in last week after the announcement of the search and I'm aware of at least a few of the candidates. There's a couple that look pretty promising (and have a connection to the university, which I think we need right now...someone who's here at least partially because he likes it here), but we'll see how it all pans out.

I'm hoping that they're looking at applications and evaluating people this week, can maybe bring in the top 3-4 for interviews early to mid next week, and maybe be able to announce a new HC by the new year (maybe that's a bit optimistic though...we'll see).

[dewey]

Applications started rolling in last week after the announcement of the search and I'm aware of at least a few of the candidates. There's a couple that look pretty promising (and have a connection to the university, which I think we need right now...someone who's here at least partially because he likes it here), but we'll see how it all pans out.

Who are the applicants that you know of? The timing of finding a new coaching staff at this time really hurts. Plus how many recruits go with Nielsen to South Dakota?

Dewey

[Sycamore62]

Who are the applicants that you know of? The timing of finding a new coaching staff at this time really hurts. Plus how many recruits go with Nielsen to South Dakota?

Dewey

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be closer to the edge of nowhere.

[ST_Lawson]

Who are the applicants that you know of? The timing of finding a new coaching staff at this time really hurts. Plus how many recruits go with Nielsen to South Dakota?

Dewey

So far from what I've heard:
- a couple of MAII (top D2 Football conference) coaches
- Deion Melvin - currently D-Coordinator at D2 Lindenwood, but stops at Ball State, Bowling Green, Georgia Southern, Missouri State, and Western Illinois. From Chicago area originally and graduated from Western: http://www.lindenwoodlions.com/coaches.aspx?rc=927
- the one I'm most interested in at this point though is Bill O'Boyle - assistant HC/Co-Offensive Coordinator at SIU last year (and I think we can agree that SIU's problem last year was not on the offensive side of the ball), also HC experience at D2 Chadron State, O-line coach at Western before that, and played football at Western. Has a lot of ties to Southern and the MVFC also, and is familiar with the recruiting area mostly: http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bill_oboyle_844069.html
One big question mark about O'Boyle though is what happened when he left Chadron State: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/ncaa-coach-accused-funneling-funds-private-account-article-1.1508660
There's obviously two sides to every story (I've seen articles on both sides), but it's something we'd have to take into account if looking at him.

As for recruits, I don't know for sure yet. I do know that one who had verbally committed to us reopened his recruiting (William Bradley-King: https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-William-Bradley-King-179158) and has offers from SDSU, NDSU, UNI, and a few others.
We'll have to wait and see if anyone else decides to look around more once the current dead period is over.

[Yote 53]

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be closer to the edge of nowhere.

Really? Vermillion is right on the I-29 corridor smack in between the two metro areas of Sioux City, IA and Sioux Falls, SD. I guess your perception of "middle of nowhere" depends on where you are standing.

[Sycamore62]

Really? Vermillion is right on the I-29 corridor smack in between the two metro areas of Sioux City, IA and Sioux Falls, SD. I guess your perception of "middle of nowhere" depends on where you are standing.

Oh WOW! I did not know that. I apologize, I'll fix my post:

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be smack in between the middle of nowheres.

[ST_Lawson]

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be closer to the edge of nowhere.

Depends on what numbers you're looking at.
A while back, me and another guy were running some data on things like population within 20 miles of a school as compared with attendance, stadium size, enrollment, etc.

For a 20 mile population ring around the school, South Dakota was 2nd least populated with 28,690. Western is 6th with 43,629.
If you do a 60 mile population ring (or roughly a 60-90 minute drive), USD has ~515k people (includes Sioux City and Sioux Falls). Western has ~652k...includes Quincy, Burlington, about half of Peoria, etc.
So, we have a little bit higher population.

If you're talking about proximity to the nearest airport, we're 69 miles (1.5 hr drive) to the nearest one that actually has the ability to do flights large enough for a football team.
Vermillion has Sioux City, which is 45 miles (~45 minutes) or Sioux Falls at 66 miles (just over 1 hour drive).
So USD has better airport access.

Other transportation?
WIU has twice daily Amtrak service to and from Chicago's Union Station (as well as a couple of suburb stops). USD doesn't have Amtrak service, but someone more familiar with the town might be able to chime in with more info about what they do have.

So....it's kinda a toss-up, I'd say. Some advantages point towards Western, some point towards USD...but suffice it to say, we're both pretty remote.

In terms of importance to the state though, USD has a distinct advantage, being one of only two Div. I universities in the state. Western (along with Eastern) are pretty near the bottom of the list for most people behind U of I, Illinois State, Northern, and Southern.

[Bisonator]

Oh WOW! I did not know that. I apologize, I'll fix my post:

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be smack in between the middle of nowheres.

xlolx

[ursus arctos horribilis]

xlolx

Agreed. A well crafted retort for sure.

xlolx

[BisonFan02]

Will he is the question.

It looks A LOT like the TTU hiring of their hero Kliff Kingsbury. He's had very "meh" results so far.

My guess? A whole lotta "nope".

[clenz]

Oh WOW! I did not know that. I apologize, I'll fix my post:

Thats an interesting situation. Im thinking of what I would do if i were a recruit. I joke about Macomb being in the middle of nowhere but USD might be smack in between the middle of nowheres.
Having grown up in that area...

That whole entire area is the middle of no where.

[goyotes]

Having grown up in that area...

That whole entire area is the middle of no where.

Vermillion & Macomb both have a Casey's. What more do you need?

[clenz]

Vermillion & Macomb both have a Casey's. What more do you need?
So does George...

[goyotes]

So does George...

Of course.

[ST_Lawson]

Some news from the Western HC front: http://goleathernecks.com/news/2015/12/29/FB_1229155242.aspx
Essentially, two candidates are coming in for interviews this week (I'm hoping the way they phrased that means that maybe there's another candidate or two that might come in for interviews next week after the new year and they just couldn't make travel arrangements this quickly).

The candidates are:
Richmond Offensive Coordinator Charlie Fisher
Former Montana State Head Coach Rob Ash

Neither are "spring chickens", with Ash going to be 65 by the start of next season, and Fisher is (as near as I can guess) somewhere around 55-57ish.

Thoughts from the Big Sky and CAA fans out there? I know Richmond had a really good offense this year, and Montana State has had success in the past, although the last few years were somewhat "down" for them. Beyond that, I don't know too much about the guys.

[catbob]

Ash is a solid coach. He is from Iowa, he knows the area, and perhaps his biggest strength is his ability to surround himself with solid assistant coaches. He runs a clean program and very much is a guy who wants the players to succeed in life after football, and in the classroom. He isn't a guy who is going to rebuild a program, go around doing the rah-rah booster stuff. He is a Xs and Os kind of coach, low intensity but high passion.

Despite being fired from MSU for under performing, Ash is not a losing coach. At Drake, in 18 seasons he only had 2 losing records, and only 1 at MSU, last year. His all time HC record is 247-137-5.

I think he would do well at WIU. He is in good health and still has a passion for the game, to be a HC.

[KPSUL]

Looks like whoever is running the hiring process is finding quality candidates. Good luck, seems like a tough call, with maybe no wrong answer.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Ash is a solid coach. He is from Iowa, he knows the area, and perhaps his biggest strength is his ability to surround himself with solid assistant coaches. He runs a clean program and very much is a guy who wants the players to succeed in life after football, and in the classroom. He isn't a guy who is going to rebuild a program, go around doing the rah-rah booster stuff. He is a Xs and Os kind of coach, low intensity but high passion.

Despite being fired from MSU for under performing, Ash is not a losing coach. At Drake, in 18 seasons he only had 2 losing records, and only 1 at MSU, last year. His all time HC record is 247-137-5.

I think he would do well at WIU. He is in good health and still has a passion for the game, to be a HC.

From what I know and have seen Catbob is dead on as you would expect from a person following his team closely. I honestly think Ash is more suited to the style of football that would be played in the MVFC and would definitely re focus his efforts on defense as well. He will have a good shot at landing the kind of kids you would want at your school.

I think with his expanded knowledge while at MSU and a return some basics as a coach the guy could be a real winner for your program.

You shure wouldn't think "65" when you see him either.

[ST_Lawson]

Sounds solid. Still hoping for another candidate or two to be brought in next week, but Ash sounds like a solid hire. Probably stick around for a few years to finish out his career, and if he's good at finding quality assistants, maybe he'll have a good Coordinator that will be ready to take over as HC when he retires...it'd make for an easy transition (pretty much the exact opposite of what we had this time around).

He'd be taking over a team that already has quite a bit of talent, so I think that'll make things a little easier to get rolling when he starts.

Age was my big "issue" with Ash, but if he's still got a lot of energy and can find quality assistants, then that pretty much takes care of most of that issue.

[Model Citizen]

Ash took Montana State to 4 playoff appearances (including two quarterfinals) from 2010-2014. Then they throw him under the bus after a 5-6 season? Still can't believe it. Yeah, I think WIU might snatch him up. Mr. Ash has plenty left in the tank.


Ash... very much is a guy who wants the players to succeed in life after football, and in the classroom.

So true. He also wanted players to surpass his own coaching success. At Drake, he developed recently graduated players into FBS head coaches...see Doeren, Partridge, and (his non-relative) Chris Ash.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Charlie Fisher would be a terrific hire. He's a man of high character and he's extremely well networked. I'd be really happy for Charlie if he gets the Leatherneck job but, selfishly, hope Ash gets the gig.

[Model Citizen]

Ash and Don Patterson are good friends. If he needs a reference, that's a good one to have. WIU has changed its president and AD since Patterson's wrongful termination.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I guess Macomb is the closest Ash could get to Iowa! :D I'm happy for him if he gets the gig. I think he'll be much happier and as a result, perhaps more successful at WIU than he was at Montana State. Hopefully there's a quality golf course he can play nearby......

[Schism55]

Be interesting if Rob Ash gets this job. Thought he deserved better in bozeman.
Good luck 'Necks on whoever your hire is.

[ST_Lawson]

Sounds like Fisher did really well in his "open" interview session. I was at Ash's and he did pretty well, but didn't blow me away.

Heard Ash had just withdrawn his name, probably seeing the writing on the wall. Unless there's another candidate that we don't know about, it looks like Fisher is our guy....I'm good with that.

[centennial]

Sounds like Fisher did really well in his "open" interview session. I was at Ash's and he did pretty well, but didn't blow me away.

Heard Ash had just withdrawn his name, probably seeing the writing on the wall. Unless there's another candidate that we don't know about, it looks like Fisher is our guy....I'm good with that.
Ash wants the SUU job.

[ST_Lawson]

Ash wants the SUU job.

That was my guess. I know he was a frontrunner for it, plus if he likes the Big Sky, and likes mountain scenery, SUU is a better fit.

[paward]

Sure hate to lose Fisher. He will serve you all well.

[ST_Lawson]

Sure hate to lose Fisher. He will serve you all well.

I hope so. Nothing is official yet though.

[ST_Lawson]

Now it's official...we got Fisher.

http://goleathernecks.com/news/2016/1/2/FB_0102162515.aspx

[centennial]

Now it's official...we got Fisher.

http://goleathernecks.com/news/2016/1/2/FB_0102162515.aspx
Any idea on the $$ amount?

[ST_Lawson]

Not yet. Official press conference will be Monday and we'll probably know contract details sometime after that. I'll post what I hear.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Congrats to both Charlie and WIU. He'll be terrific for them.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Congrats to both the coach and WIU!

[uni88]

Congratulations - looks like a great hire for the Rubbernecks! ;) xthumbsupx

[spdram]

Congrats to both to WIU and Coach. You made a good hire.

[ST_Lawson]

Ok, now it's official....national search starts next week: http://goleathernecks.com/news/2015/12/15/FB_1215152911.aspx

I'm not opposed to going with that in the first place, but this whole thing has been completely mismanaged.

Ugh.

Just a bit of follow-up on this situation. The administrator in charge of the whole thing...the one who screwed it up...he gone: https://twitter.com/LainieSteelman/status/685554814026170373

Walked in the door this morning with a job, met with the president, walked out less than an hour later unemployed.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/506189374908661760/kVvn3hmR_normal.jpeg (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)John Bohnenkamp (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)
@johnbohnenkamp (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)


WIU president Jack Thomas will be having a press conference at 1 p.m. Monday "regarding intercollegiate athletics."

Is this... good, or bad?

[ST_Lawson]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/506189374908661760/kVvn3hmR_normal.jpeg (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)John Bohnenkamp (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)
@johnbohnenkamp (https://twitter.com/johnbohnenkamp)


WIU president Jack Thomas will be having a press conference at 1 p.m. Monday "regarding intercollegiate athletics."

Is this... good, or bad?

My first reaction when I saw this was bad, but after thinking about it for a bit, I think it will likely be the following:
1. Interim Director of Athletics Matt Tanney will now officially be the Director of Athletics (remove the "interim" title)
2. Athletics will now report directly to the President, rather than being under the Division of Student Services (which is what Biller...the guy who was fired this morning...was in charge of). We were discussing it on LeatherneckNation.net a bit ago, so I did a bit of research. Looked at a bunch of the successful FCS schools...NDSU, SDSU, ISU, Richmond, Montana, etc. (ended up looking at like 15 of them overall)...and nobody I could find does it that way. Everyone has their AD report directly to the President (if I'm way wrong on this, please let me know, I was just going off of what the school's websites have posted for their official org charts).

Not much else would make sense, especially not any "bad" news. We (and many other institutions) do bad news on Fridays (Biller being fired, potential faculty layoffs, etc.). Mondays are for "good" or at least "neutral" news.

EDIT - for reference, my opinion on the above two possibilities is that they would both be good things.