ND Hires New OL Coach

[NDdomer2]

Also like to point this out:

"Yet Hiestand’s reputation hasn’t been tarnished, and Kelly is far from the first coach to head to Knoxville to ask about Hiestand, with Urban Meyer inquiring first as he assembled his Buckeye staff."

I think this may show what kind of character Hiestand is made of. Has a chance to join Urbie at OSU turns him down and comes to ND.

 

[Irish2015]

So turns out Sampson is reporting the hire is not official, but a resolution should probably come early next week.

 

[AvesEvo]

I think this may show what kind of character Hiestand is made of. Has a chance to join Urbie at OSU turns him down and comes to ND.

How do you know that he turned Urban down rather than Urban like ND's coach more?

 

[phgreek]

Wickline's Cowboys just finished 3rd in the polls; why would he make a horizontal move to ND when he's in line for a coordinator position in short order?

...well and the vacancy came about because the incumbant Oline coach got passed over for OC...If OC was in my 3 year plan, I'd be concerned with that.

 

[NDinFL]

How do you know that he turned Urban down rather than Urban like ND's coach more?

Urbie asked about him first...

 

[kmoose]

Urbie asked about him first...

Did Meyer offer him a job?

There's a big difference between asking permission to talk to someone about a vacancy, and actually offering them a job.

 

[NDinFL]

Did Meyer offer him a job?

There's a big difference between asking permission to talk to someone about a vacancy, and actually offering them a job.

Very true,

I guess I just assumed because Urbie asked about him that it was leading to that point.

Definently not a given though

 

[IrishNJ89]

I'm pretty sure he was just being considered and interviewed for the job. Not too sure on that he was actually offered. If he was, I'm sure he would have jumped off the Vols sinking ship.

 

[Grahambo]

So turns out Sampson is reporting the hire is not official, but a resolution should probably come early next week.

I think that has to do with the buyout that Hilestand would have to pay. I read that he would have to pay back half of the 2012 schedule in order to buy himself out of his contract. I assume those are the types of things that need to be worked out.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

2. I am not sure where you are getting your rushing stats. According to NCAA.com's stats, UT was 116th this year in rushing offense per game and averaged a whopping 2.76 yards per carry. Compared to 2010, which was 3.48. So, they got worse, not better. (Again, I realize the injuries and players situation, but those stats are worth pointing out)

I linked where those stats are coming from in the previous post. It's Football Outsiders.

The NCAA's vanilla stats are worthless because they don't account for SoS. FO stats are all opponent-adjusted, so they provide a more accurate picture of how each team compares on a national scale. As you've noticed, their YPC went down, but their opponent-adjusted rushing ranking went up; that means they faced some seriously nasty rush defenses this year.

UT is in the SEC; producing 2.76 YPC against the best DLs in the nation means a helluva lot more than producing a similar number in the Big Least.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I linked where those stats are coming from in the previous post. It's Football Outsiders.

The NCAA's vanilla stats are worthless because they don't account for SoS. FO stats are all opponent-adjusted, so they provide a more accurate picture of how each team compares on a national scale. As you've noticed, their YPC went down, but their opponent-adjusted rushing ranking went up; that means they faced some seriously nasty rush defenses this year.

UT is in the SEC; producing 2.76 YPC against the best DLs in the nation means a helluva lot more than producing a similar number in the Big Least.

They had a underclassman o-line going up against Alabama (1), LSU (3), and Georgia (8).

How many yards did LSU's O-Line get on Alabama? How Many yards did Alabama get on LSU? Answers: not many.

 

[Patulski]

In that magical year, you know where the Bears ranked in yards / rushing attempt? 23rd. That isn't something that makes excited.

Yeah, but Rex Grossman was the #24 ranked passer that year. If you suck at passing and have an immobile QB in the NFL, teams load up the box and eat your running game up.

If you look at Grossman, he had very similar QB Rating this year at Washington as he did with the Bears in 2006, and their Rushing Offense was ranked #25. In 2006, with Grossman and Heistand the Bears Rushing Offense was ranked #15.

Hope that helps people put it in context.

 

[rtrn2glory]

sorry if it's been posted:

IrishIllustrated.com - All signs point to Hiestand

 

[AvesEvo]

sorry if it's been posted:

IrishIllustrated.com - All signs point to Hiestand

hahaha, that picture is great!!!

 

[Irish4Life09]

I'm not so sure about this hire.
Although UT fans are mostly retarded, most of them are incredibly happy they got rid of this guy. Now being from Knoxville you usually have to look past what most of them say, but one thing they do know is the O-line,and they are glad to be rid of him.
I wish him the best,but I'm hesitant.

 

[NYIrish14]

At first I was skeptical now I feel like this is a solid hire. OMM's post about Tennessee's recruiting makes sense, which relieves my concerns about his ability to recruit. He seems like a real blue collar type of coach and I think that style fits in well with the program.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I'd imagine I'll have the same look when my daughter brings home a boyfriend who sports a Mohawk.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I'm not so sure about this hire.
Although UT fans are mostly retarded, most of them are incredibly happy they got rid of this guy. Now being from Knoxville you usually have to look past what most of them say, but one thing they do know is the O-line,and they are glad to be rid of him.
I wish him the best,but I'm hesitant.

@wesrucker247:

I have no clue why Vols fans would be so thrilled to lose an OL coach who Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly couldn't wait to interview.

 

[Irish4Life09]

@wesrucker247:

I do find comfort in the fact Urbie was interested,but from what I'm hearing from Knoxville Heistand didn't have much to do with recruiting at all,and their offensive stats were pretty abysmal(although yes I know they had a lot of injuries.)

 

[Bogtrotter07]

At first I was skeptical now I feel like this is a solid hire. OMM's post about Tennessee's recruiting makes sense, which relieves my concerns about his ability to recruit. He seems like a real blue collar type of coach and I think that style fits in well with the program.

You will go down as one of the smart ones on this issue.

 

[notredomer23]

I am so lost at the people disappointed in this hire. Outside of Tennessee, he performed great. No one would perform good in that cesspool. With the Bears, his pass blockers were above average and run blockers were mediocre. At Illinois, Missouri, and Cincinnati though, his lines were very dynamic. This isn't an amazing hire, but it is still a very good one.

 

[Irish Man3]

What's wrong about it in your opinion? (Not a challenge, just curious)

Not a solid recruiter. Actually, one of the weaker recruiters on a decent recruiting staff.

The inability for Tennessee to run the football has raised a red flag here in Knoxville.

Not a whole lot of people down here are sad to see him leaving.

I don't hate the hire. I'm just not excited about the hire. Many think the lack of running game had as much to do with the backs as it did with the line. There just appeared to be no push up front all year.

I hope he comes in and succeeds. I'm not hoping for failure here. Just thought there were better options, but I don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I do find comfort in the fact Urbie was interested,but from what I'm hearing from Knoxville Heistand didn't have much to do with recruiting at all,and their offensive stats were pretty abysmal(although yes I know they had a lot of injuries.)

Hiestand was hired in 2010. UT's rushing attack ranked 89th that year. In 2011, it improved to 53rd. That's significant improvement-- from bad to above average.

Heistand coached at Illinois from 1997 to 2004. While there, he coached 12 all-Big Ten selections on the offensive line. Every senior starting offensive linemen in Hiestand's first seven years with the Illini was signed to an NFL contract.

Given his record and connections to the Midwest, I don't see any reason to doubt his ability to recruit Ohio, Illinois, etc.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Guys, Kelly wanted to hire him so that is fine by me. Also, don't forget about Longo Beach. You think our guys are going to under perform on the o-line? I don't. I think our team is constantly getting better.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I really don't get why we are talking about Tennessee's line when they were so young and inexperienced. Who gets good play out of that kind of line? How good would we have been if we started a Jr., two of our Sophomores, and a Freshman? Now imagine that we played Alabama, LSU, and Georgia. That's 3 teams better than USC.

We did not do well in 2007. Not even close. Our line steadily improved over the years. That was not a coincidence.

FSU's line was abysmal this year for the same reason.

It is a law of football: total starts on an O-line matter. Alabama had the most starts in the SEC with 90. Not a coincidence. Before injuries,

Tennessee was in the bottom half with 50, but half of those starts came from true freshman last year!

Alabama's O-line most experienced in SEC - SEC Blog - ESPN

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I really don't get why we are talking about Tennessee's line when they were so young and inexperienced. Who gets good play out of that kind of line? How good would we have been if we started a Jr., two of our Sophomores, and a Freshman?

In the SEC!

 

[arrowryan]

I'd imagine I'll have the same look when my daughter brings home a boyfriend who sports a Mohawk.

LOL!!!

 

[Domina Nostra]

Man, that guy looks like an O-Line coach!

Here is a post from a member of ISD:

OMG!! Hiestand hire!

for all the weeping and knashing...........here is my daughter's husband take......he is a KNOWLEDGEABLE Illini fan.....

much easier for us to bash someone we know NOTHING about and never heard off.......


''He is absolutely one of the best OL coaches in the business. Was incredible at Illinois. This is a grand slam homerun.
This is huge for ND if Kelly pulled it off. When it hits the Illinois board, I will send you the comments from the Dads of the kids he coached.''



He had a lot of success at Illinois.

 

[phork]

I long for the days of Latina.

 

[Grahambo]

Not a solid recruiter. Actually, one of the weaker recruiters on a decent recruiting staff.

The inability for Tennessee to run the football has raised a red flag here in Knoxville.

Not a whole lot of people down here are sad to see him leaving.

I don't hate the hire. I'm just not excited about the hire. Many think the lack of running game had as much to do with the backs as it did with the line. There just appeared to be no push up front all year.

I hope he comes in and succeeds. I'm not hoping for failure here. Just thought there were better options, but I don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

I would almost compare this situation to a recruit who may not be highly regarded but has an offer list that includes Alabama, USC, ND, OSU etc. He was supposedly wanted by Urban Meyer and BK got him. I understand the results didn't make a fanbase happy in UT but that seems more to do with Derek Dooley then Hilestand. He has a pretty solid track record. I know some wanted Andy Heck but doesn't mean the feeling was mutual. Maybe he didn't want to go into the college ranks.