Assistants Who Could Be Head Coaches Soon

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Rivals.com College Football - Assistants who could be head coaches soon

Ed Warriner is the only ND coach on the list.

The buzz: Bright and articulate, Warinner, 49, formerly oversaw a Kansas offense that averaged 445.5 yards, 302.1 passing yards and 35.3 points from 2007-09. If the Irish bust through to a BCS bowl, Warinner, whose 2007 attack helped the Jayhawks win the Orange Bowl, figures to land a job. He also has worked at Army, Air Force and Illinois.

Also of note, Warriner is the only coach mentioned that is not an Offensive or Defensive Coordinator.

 

[BGIF]

Warriner is the only none coordinator on the list of 20 AND on the 20 on the Others To Watch list. But coordinator is on his resume.

After last season we discussed who might move on soon and consensus was it was too soon. Martin has HC experience but has no experience at this level. He could make the jump but 2 more seasons of Div 1 recruiting, public relations, dealing with alumni in the fish bowl will prepare him in the principal areas Charlie Weis struggled with.

 

[mgriff]

I'd have to agree that Warriner is the only one on the staff ready. Martin certainly is, as the BGIF points out, but he needs more time to acclimate. This season may be enough time for him, I don't know. Those two are going to be head coaches though.

 

[Rhode Irish]

All of the coaches on Kelly's staff would be better served by finishing what they started here than they would by jumping at the first thing that comes along. The goal of every coach should be to get a head job, but taking the job prematurely can derail your career. Not to mention, these guys will be much more marketable and have access to better jobs if they help build the ND program back into a national title contender.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

All of the coaches on Kelly's staff would be better served by finishing what they started here than they would by jumping at the first thing that comes along. The goal of every coach should be to get a head job, but taking the job prematurely can derail your career. Not to mention, these guys will be much more marketable and have access to better jobs if they help build the ND program back into a national title contender.

What would you consider "finishing the job"? Qualifying for a BCS bowl? NC win?

When opportunity knocks, smart coaches open the door; there's a large element of luck involved with getting plum jobs in college football.

I expect Warriner to leave no later than after the 2012 season, and Martin soon thereafter.

 

[irishpat183]

What would you consider "finishing the job"? Qualifying for a BCS bowl? NC win?

When opportunity knocks, smart coaches open the door; there's a large element of luck involved with getting plum jobs in college football.

I expect Warriner to leave no later than after the 2012 season, and Martin soon thereafter.

True that. Those opportunites don't come along all the time...if they ever do. Gotta jump on it.

Better to stick yourself out there and take the opportunity and fail, than let it pass you by.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Yeah, I would say getting to a BCS game would probably qualify, but I'm not privy to the discussions that the coaches have among themselves. Internally, I'm sure the goals for the staff and the program are delineated pretty clearly and specifically. If a coach is older and worried that he may never get his shot, then he probably has to take a job if he is offered. But not every coach is in that position.

One example of a coach jumping too early is Eric Mangini. Bill Belichick loved Mangini, but didn't think he was ready to coach quite yet, and thought the Jets job was not a good situation for him. Five seasons, two jobs and a .413 winning percentage later, Mangini is likely finished as a head football coach at 40 years old. Belichick was right. On the other side of the coin, a guy like Muschamp (ironically also 40 and a virtual Mangini clone) surely could have had a head job years ago, but bided his time and ended up with one of the "plum" jobs in college football after making himself a household name by being a part of great program for a period of years.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I strongly believe in having patience and taking the long view. If you want to be a head coach so you just take any head coaching job that is a available, that is very likely to end up being a mistake. I'd rather pass on a couple bad situations so that I could hand pick my eventual destination.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I don't disagree with you, Rhode. I don't think we'll see Warriner leave for an FBS bottom feeder just so he can be a head coach as soon as possible. But if a respectable program comes after him, I think he'd be foolish to turn it down. It's the next logical step for him.

Sure, he might be able to drive his stock even higher if he holds out until ND is at its peak, but how will he know when that is? We're all hoping its a NC in the near future, but no one knows. And who's to say that the right programs will be looking when that happens, if he's already turned a couple good jobs down?

Muschamp is a good example, but those circumstances were unique. He was officially named heir apparent at one of the largest and most successful programs in the country. Few other assistants have ever or will ever enjoy that kind of rock star status.

 

[BGIF]

All of the coaches on Kelly's staff would be better served by finishing what they started here than they would by jumping at the first thing that comes along. The goal of every coach should be to get a head job, but taking the job prematurely can derail your career. Not to mention, these guys will be much more marketable and have access to better jobs if they help build the ND program back into a national title contender.

Being a head coach shouldn't be the Goal for every assistant. Just as in industry, the military, medicine, etc not everybody is cut out to be the CEO but they can excel in their specialty. Look at PSU and FSU where Paternoster and Bowden had long term assistants who provided stability to those programs. Chuck Amato had several successful decades at FSU. Was a .500+ coach at NC St then returned to FSU as an assistant. Se The Peter Principle.

Contrast PSU/FSU assistant stability with the turnover Holtz had with assistants. Pagna was a long term assistant under Parshegian.

Norm Chow is a QB/Offensive genius but not head coach material. Weis became a HC before he was prepared. Perhaps he will grow into with seasoning. Perhaps he's OC IS his best fit.

I agree they Should stay until the program IS a contender and not just an 8 win pretender.

Salaries have also soared for assistants, see Kiffen, Sr, and Malzahn as examples.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Don't mean to split hairs, but isn't Warriner offensive coordinator of the running game? And he has more experience than most on the list, and has held a coordinators position, more than once previously.

I think it will be interesting to see how long Ed stays, he is the outsider so to speak, neither part of the group, nor the remaining ND coach, nor does he have the Kelly connection. If he stays with the rest of the group, we know we have a cohisive coaching staff.

Quick, when is the last time that has happened at ND

 

[Bogtrotter07]

. . . I agree they Should stay until the program IS a contender and not just an 8 win pretender.

Salaries have also soared for assistants, see Kiffen, Sr, and Malzahn as examples.

Outstanding post! The most germane point; haven't the ND assistants (which have been historically underpaid) now become some of the better compensated? And do they have incentives to keep them on as assistants? Doesn't seem to me to be hard to keep coaches away from the starter programs, (MAC - Cradle of Coaches), when their salaries are considerably under 1M.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I don't understand why anyone would want to leave Notre Dame, especially when you're on the coaching staff that is built for great things. Being a career assistant isn't a bad thing, guys like Heacock at Ohio State seem to be content leading great defenses their entire life and just winning.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Well, it used to be that ND assistants got paid moderate five figures, because as one former AD type said, working as an assistant at ND is an audition for a head coaching position. Thankfully, those days are over. But some mavericks like Marshal and a few others started to juice the pot, and among others, most schools in the MAC followed. It was particularly hard for a lot of coaches to turn down a five-fold increase in pay.