Next coaching candidates

Sheriff Coffee said:
I like Hartline but he is a Buckeye through and through

I once loved a gal who dumped me for her old boyfriend. Later she came back to me. Then she wanted to get serious and all I could think about was that she really wanted to be with that other guy. I dumped her and it was 100% The right choice to do so. I feel like he could be a great coach but he’d really rather be at OSU.
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I don't disagree. If Hartline was to come to PSU, he'd be gone in a second if "Mama called." To some extent, Hartline to PSU would be great for tOSU...let PSU vett him as a HC and then bring him back if he does a good job...and if he doesn't, then tOSU dodges the bullet.

FWIW, I am not advocating for BH to be hired. My point was that BH is in the conversation for a HC job. TS just isn't. They are not the same.

My choice for HC is Pat Fitzgerald. He's been fully exonerated in the hazing case that got him fired. The bridge at NW has been burned. He is a tough, fundamentals guy that I think the PSU fan base would appreciate. He was as successful at NW as anyone could be, making B2G championship pushes every few years. I'd love to see what he could do at a place with resources.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
I don't disagree. If Hartline was to come to PSU, he'd be gone in a second if "Mama called." To some extent, Hartline to PSU would be great for tOSU...let PSU vett him as a HC and then bring him back if he does a good job...and if he doesn't, then tOSU dodges the bullet.

FWIW, I am not advocating for BH to be hired. My point was that BH is in the conversation for a HC job. TS just isn't. They are not the same.

My choice for HC is Pat Fitzgerald. He's been fully exonerated in the hazing case that got him fired. The bridge at NW has been burned. He is a tough, fundamentals guy that I think the PSU fan base would appreciate. He was as successful at NW as anyone could be, making B2G championship pushes every few years. I'd love to see what he could do at a place with resources.
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My challenge with Pat is he hasn’t coached in several years including the NIL and portal era. I personally like Diaz.
 
Frank Lee said:
If Terry brings back blocking, tackling, hitting, intensity, and knows to hire an OC that gets first downs when it's third and seven, then Terry's the man. Again, Hartline could be another Fickell, Sinkwitz could be another Jonathan Smith, and DeBoer could be someone dreaming about sailing on the Puget Sound.
Gitzit said:
Terry has already done that. And with a OC that seemed lost, when he just needed a kick in the arse.

The only real question is, can he identify High School talent, and Portal talent. That is what's making Cignetti a home run hire.
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IDK what this has to do with being a major CFB coach. There are plenty of good FB coaches that aren't good HCs.
A Top flight HC needs to be an executive AND a football coach.
Franklin was a politician (and perhaps an executive) and very obviously, an average FB coach. PSU success during his tenure was driven by the competence of the OC/DC, but in hindsight, it seems that JFs vibes and family style created a ceiling - soft mentality, lack of discipline, etc.

Most coordinators that don't cut it as a HC, lack the "executive" capabilities. Proven Xs and Os guys, but can't captain the ship.
 
Frank Lee said:
Knowing what tough, smart, blue collar football is and setting the tone. And hiring the OC and DC accordingly. That would be Terry's job. (BTW, That Joe/409 button was an in your face FU to Franklin and the old admin.)
There's a long history of stupid hires. HP hired Carly Fiorina cus "she's from AT&T" and look how that turned out with her Compaq acquisition. However, it was the tweaking of apparently obvious things like where CEO Jack Welch segmented his organization, and where Lee Iacocca demanded a quality product.
If Terry brings back blocking, tackling, hitting, intensity, and knows to hire an OC that gets first downs when it's third and seven, then Terry's the man. Again, Hartline could be another Fickell, Sinkwitz could be another Jonathan Smith, and DeBoer could be someone dreaming about sailing on the Puget Sound.
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Or Chesney could be a great hire.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
Frank Lee said:
If Terry brings back blocking, tackling, hitting, intensity, and knows to hire an OC that gets first downs when it's third and seven, then Terry's the man. Again, Hartline could be another Fickell, Sinkwitz could be another Jonathan Smith, and DeBoer could be someone dreaming about sailing on the Puget Sound.


IDK what this has to do with being a major CFB coach. There are plenty of good FB coaches that aren't good HCs.
A Top flight HC needs to be an executive AND a football coach.
Franklin was a politician (and perhaps an executive) and very obviously, an average FB coach. PSU success during his tenure was driven by the competence of the OC/DC, but in hindsight, it seems that JFs vibes and family style created a ceiling - soft mentality, lack of discipline, etc.

Most coordinators that don't cut it as a HC, lack the "executive" capabilities. Proven Xs and Os guys, but can't captain the ship.
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There are a lot of HCs that aren't good HCs. There are a lot of CEOs who get fired. The "executive capabilities" of a CEO head coach like Franklin is that coaching hires, player recruitment, and trust within the locker room become disjointed. The only complexity within a large program like PSU's is in the logistics, media, finance/accounting, marketing, plant operations, and other "back office" detail, all which can be managed by others. The game of football is blocking, tackling, and calling/executing the right play.
What secrets does Kalen DeBoer know about football that Terry Smith and two competent coordinators wouldn't understand, and why didn't DeBoer rely on those special talents against FSU and Oklahoma? It's about reestablishing and sustaining a brand and culture that was trashed by vile and cowardly people in 2011. I believe Terry gets this, while others will be just more Franklins.
 
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Frank Lee said:
There are a lot of HCs that aren't good HCs. There are a lot of CEOs who get fired. The "executive capabilities" of a CEO head coach like Franklin is that coaching hires, player recruitment, and trust within the locker room become disjointed. The only complexity within a large program like PSU's is in the logistics, media, finance/accounting, marketing, plant operations, and other "back office" detail, all which can be managed by others. The game of football is blocking, tackling, and calling/executing the right play.
What secrets does Kalen DeBoer know about football that Terry Smith and two competent coordinators wouldn't understand, and why didn't DeBoer rely on those special talents against FSU and Oklahoma? It's about reestablishing and sustaining a brand and culture that was trashed by vile and cowardly people in 2011. I believe Terry gets this, while others will be just more Franklins.
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So you're saying that a HS coach that understands "blocking, tackling, and calling/executing the right play," could jump into major CFB and not miss a beat. okay
 
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Terry's been in D1 football as a contributing player and as a position coach at two different schools for 11 years. Gateway HS, as coach and AD, most likely gave him organizational, interpersonal, and political skills. And when one gets to be a HC at a high level, there is no guarantee of success. Bill O'Brien, Matt Rhule, the multiple Florida coaches, Joe Moorehead, Tom Allen, etc. etc.
I'm saying that Terry Smith's experience, understanding of the basics that Franklin never had, his confidence, and his demeanor make him a better coach than Franklin, and possibly better than the Salve Regina, Assumption, and Holy Cross guy.
 
Sheriff Coffee said:
My challenge with Pat is he hasn’t coached in several years including the NIL and portal era. I personally like Diaz.
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Pat was fired in 2023. This is his 3rd year on the bench. Not exactly Urban Meyer.
You can't claim that FB is about blocking, tackling, hitting, intensity, and that you can hire people for the other stuff and then claim Fitzgerald is worrisome because he can't do NIL and the portal. What happened to those other people?
 
NittanyLion99 said:
Pat was fired in 2023. This is his 3rd year on the bench. Not exactly Urban Meyer.
You can't claim that FB is about blocking, tackling, hitting, intensity, and that you can hire people for the other stuff and then claim Fitzgerald is worrisome because he can't do NIL and the portal. What happened to those other people?
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NW is an entirely different program. OSU has been a Mariano power for decades and won several natties. FB today is about athletes making plays. Executing. NIL and the portal are new. Fitz program, the hazing, is a problem (not that he was directly involved). I love PF and would be happy if he coached here. But that is still a risk factor and baggage other candidates don’t have
 
Frank Lee said:
Terry's been in D1 football as a contributing player and as a position coach at two different schools for 11 years. Gateway HS, as coach and AD, most likely gave him organizational, interpersonal, and political skills. And when one gets to be a HC at a high level, there is no guarantee of success. Bill O'Brien, Matt Rhule, the multiple Florida coaches, Joe Moorehead, Tom Allen, etc. etc.
I'm saying that Terry Smith's experience, understanding of the basics that Franklin never had, his confidence, and his demeanor make him a better coach than Franklin, and possibly better than the Salve Regina, Assumption, and Holy Cross guy.
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Except the "Salve Regina, Assumption, Holy Cross" and now JMU guy has a proven winning record as a HC. And the last two years @ JMU under difficult circumstances.
 
RickinDayton said:
Except the "Salve Regina, Assumption, Holy Cross" and now JMU guy has a proven winning record as a HC. And the last two years @ JMU under difficult circumstances.
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Then get one of those Montana or Dakotas guys. They win championships every year.
Terry Smith got the team to do the things we, this board, was screaming for the team to do. Receiver separation, throwing downfield, blocking down, RBs exploding to the hole, defense mixing it up. We all knew what needed to be done. Terry Smith knew it. Football is not rocket science. It's trust, paying attention to detail, and executing. The complexity comes from all the back office, football-affilliated crap that is delegated to others. What does Chesney know that Terry doesn't?
 
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NittanyLion99 said:
You can be skeptical of Hartline, but that doesn't make the case for TS. I like him. He might be great in the end, but PSU hiring TS would be like Google promoting a mid-level manager to be the new CEO. The guy might be great, but Google just isn't hiring a CEO without being proven in other relevant and similar capacities. The risk is too great. No HS kid is excited to commit to TS, a guy they've never heard of, who has never been a CFB head coach. PSU is too big to hire TS. There is far too much at stake.
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He has been our best recruiter. Said he recruited over half of the players in the locker room.

That means he also knows all the high school coaches. The money people. Donors. Alumni. Letterman. Sponsors.

And he pointed out that since he has been here he has sent a a lot of d backs to the pros vs almost none before. That means he has a great ability to evaluate talent, recruit them and them develop them.
 
Frank Lee said:
Then get one of those Montana or Dakotas guys. They win championships every year.
Terry Smith got the team to do the things we, this board, was screaming for the team to do. Receiver separation, throwing downfield, blocking down, RBs exploding to the hole, defense mixing it up. We all knew what needed to be done. Terry Smith knew it. Football is not rocket science. It's trust, paying attention to detail, and executing. The complexity comes from all the back office, football-affilliated crap that is delegated to others. What does Chesney know that Terry doesn't?
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If Terry is chosen I won't complain about the decision. Chesney brings several years of successful head coaching experience, the last two with increased pressure to regroup his team, rebuild his roster, and then win at a very accomplished level. I guess his drawback for many is he's not a PSU guy.
 
Maybe this is crazy, but should Tom Allen be considered? He has head coaching experience with some level.of success
 
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