AllGoldEverything
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Also signed BJ Crim (ND target at one time) I believe. Good for coach Sanford!
Mike Sanford Jr. To WKU
- Thread starter Nick Setta
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Also signed BJ Crim (ND target at one time) I believe. Good for coach Sanford!
NewBrunswickIrish
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I don't really get the hype for him on this board. He had a disappointing season and it was WKU's worst record since like 2010.
greyhammer90
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Co-signed.
ThePiombino
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It's because the narrative fed to us was that he was a wunderkind.
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dublinirish
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https://www.wbko.com/content/sports/Florida-International-at-Western-Kentucky-498799721.html
0-4 in conference play
0-4 in conference play
IF he's the future for ND football, sign Kelly to an extension. I wasn't impressed with QB development when he was at ND and responsible for the QBs. WKU is inept no matter who they play.
Is this an example of the Peter Principal, rising to the level of one's incompetence?
Sherm Sticky
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^This.
T Town Tommy
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Sorry but I am not impressed with Sanford at all. He took over a pretty stable program but has been a huge disappointment. Can't stand seeing my Hilltoppers struggle like they have. One more underachieving year and Sanford may be looking for a new gig.
irishog77
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Agreed. Minus some good years in I-AA, WKU has not been a solid program...the exception being these last few years. They're coming off their greatest coaching succession ever- Taggart, Petrino, Brohm. Those guys all set the team up nicely for the next guy. If ever there was a time for a coach to walk in and succeed, this was it. Maybe Sanford turns it around, but it looks more like he's messing up what they've had going on.
ulukinatme
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Maybe Sanford is like a Josh McDaniels: great as a coordinator, but doesn't make a great HC.
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GowerND11
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TIFWIW, but I seem to remember during the Wisconsin game the commentators actually said something to the effect of, "Brohm new to get out when he did because he knew the better players were leaving." So, if true, while the onus is still on the HBC, that does happen more than people like to admit at these mid-majors that rise up quickly. Then, even with a pretty good coach coming in (not saying Sanford is, but...) it can be hard to salvage.
BeatSC
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Do we really have a lot of evidence to even bear that out? IF he could have staying at ND a little longer as OC could have built his brand a little better.
ulukinatme
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Sorry for any confusion, fixed the above.
Yeah, maybe it's a small sample size, but there's no denying that Sanford walked into a pretty decent situation for a new HC. Then again, some coaches just aren't cut out to be HC material.
BeatSC
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walked into a pretty sweat situation at ND but apparently a HC job at some small time program was seen as a better stepping stone for him. Just can't imagine going fro being an integral part of the most storied FB program in CFB and then going to WKU. HE must not have grown up being a ND fan.
irishog77
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I think the biggest reason Brohm left WKU is because...it's WKU. He got a better job that pays more.
There may be some truth to what the announcers said, as far as talent goes, but I find that more to be something to talk about during their 3 1/2 hours of coverage of a boring-ass game between WKU and Wisconsin. There simply isn't a lot to talk about in that game.
1-7 is tough to argue with. I don't think it's a settled case that Sanford is a terrible head coach, but he should very probably have won at least a game or two more if he's what we thought he would be. Maybe they close out the season with a couple more wins and then they have a respectable record next year (like 7-5) and Sanford goes on to become a good HC, but it's not looking good. He's smart and young, and has a great pedigree when it comes to playing/coaching, so I have to believe he took the WKU job for a reason. No, he didn't have his pick of head jobs, but his resume and references alone would have gotten him a decent job somewhere, either as a legit OC at a big school or a HC somewhere. I think he took the WKU job because he thought he could step in and win, then move on to greener pastures like his predecessors. Again, maybe he will be fine, but he has to turn things around in a hurry. I think it would be accurate, though, to call him a disappointment so far. He finished with a losing record last year and is 1-7 this year. All coming off 6 consecutive winning seasons, 3 straight bowl wins, etc.
Urban Meyer ring any bells?
1996–2000 Notre Dame (WR)
2001–2002 Bowling Green
2003–2004 Utah
2005–2010 Florida
2012–present Ohio State
Each move was a step up the ladder and $$$.
Bowling Green was a very low rung but he turned a 2-9 team into 8-3.
And a few more recent:
Charley Molnar, University of Massachusetts (2012–2013) – Kelly's offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 2010 to 2011, now wide receivers coach at Idaho
Jeff Quinn, University of Buffalo (2010–2014) – Kelly's offensive coordinator at every stop in his coaching career from 1991, now the offensive line coach at Notre Dame.
Chuck Martin, Grand Valley State (2004–2009), Miami University, Ohio (2014–present) – Kelly's defensive coordinator at GVSU from 2000 to 2003 and assistant coach at Notre Dame from 2010 to 2013
Bob Diaco, University of Connecticut (2014–2016) – Kelly's defensive coordinator in 2005 and again from 2009 to 2013.
Mike Sanford Jr., Western Kentucky University (2017–present) – Kelly's offensive coordinator from 2015 to 2016
Sanford seems more the trend than the exception.
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Calabrese's People
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^ I love Coach Kelly, but that coaching tree is sad as f**k.
ulukinatme
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Was just fired as Western Kentucky's Coach after 2 seasons. Next ND Coach???
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ntucky-fires-coach-mike-sanford-second-season
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ntucky-fires-coach-mike-sanford-second-season
sportallyr
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Do you think he’ll get another shot to coach or do you think he’ll have to take an offensive coordinator position?
ulukinatme
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Probably fall back into a coordinator position if I had to guess, have some success again, then try his luck. It's a bit surprising he struggled at WKU though, they were in a good position to succeed unlike Diaco going to UConn.
Crazy Balki
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Actually they really weren't. Brohm had a lot of success at WKU, but his last 2 recruiting classes were pretty awful, particularly in raw numbers. He had 2 huge first classes, and then 2 small ones to follow, which of course, Sanford inherited. Serious lack of depth and experience which culminated in a porous 2nd season.
WKU was far too hasty in terminating him. They should know better than that. They're lucky, because whoever comes in won't be set up for failure like Sanford was because he actually had 2 good recruiting classes.
Well, he put up more points in a win over Ball State than Kelly and Long did, 28-20 vs 24-16.
On the other hand two weeks before Ball St, WKU lost to Div 1AA Maine. One of their 9 losses on a schedule Sagarin ranked as the 115th Toughest.
Sagarin ranks WKU 133rd while there are only 130 1A teams. Sanford's 3 wins were over Louisiana Tech, Sagarin's 131st ranked team, Ball State, 131st, and UTEP 187th and lowest ranked 1AA team.
WKU's toughest opponent was Wisconsin, Sagarin's 33rd ranked team, the next toughest was 82nd ranked Marshall. Most of their opponents were ranked 100+ by Sagarin.
Does that performance, or lack thereof, sound like a current head coach candidate?
As for OC, Sanford got praise as OC/QB coach at Boise St, then he game to ND for 2015 -'16. Does he get high marks for his ND stint as OC, or as QB coach?
stlnd01
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Seems like he could be an OC at a lower-tier P5/stronger Group of 5 program, or a QB coach at a big-time program. He is also a good recruiter, IIRC. He'll be fine, and wouldn't be at all surprising to see him get another shot at a head job in a few years.
Agree it was a mistake by WKU to fire him after just two seasons though. What the hell?
Agree it was a mistake by WKU to fire him after just two seasons though. What the hell?
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Nothing against him, but IMO, this is another classic example of going after someone who really wasn't ready to be a HC. He was hired based on the fact he was an OC at a well known program. Looking at his career, he needed more seasoning IMO.