EDITED ON OCTOBER 16, 2018:
I'm excited about the beginning of the New Era, and I've been praising these coaches all year, for good reason. But sunshine-pumping has never really been my style, so I'm going to throw in some balance here and leave room for debate. I usually do these in the spring, but I was busier then, and I wanted to get a better feel for these guys.
So here's my (Revised) 2018 Nebraska Staff Breakdown:
OFFENSE - 2 Great, 2 Good, 0 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 0 Bad
DEFENSE - 0 Great, 0 Good, 1 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 3 Bad
THE REST - 3 Great, 1 Good, 2 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 0 Bad
Now for the specifics. Warning: ginormous read ahead...
THE BAD:
Defensive Coordinator Erik Chinander - I really like this guy's attitude, and I like his baseline approach: that the best way to defend the spread is with an aggressive 3-4 base which focuses on turnovers and backfield disruption. But Chinander's about as green as can be, and his defenses gave up a lot of points and plays at UCF.
The bottom line -- as I said before he was hired, and which I should have emphasized when first doing this evaluation -- is that he simply isn't qualified enough for a job of this magnitude, and neither are most of his assistants. He needed to prove himself more before becoming a blue-bood DC. It isn't likely that he's truly ready for this role.
Inside Linebackers Coach Barrett Ruud - Yes, yes, I can hear the groaning now: how can you put a Husker great on this list? The leading tackler in Nebraska history?? An NFL player, even! I'm a big fan too, but let's be honest with ourselves here: this is the very definition of a buddy hire. He has no coaching experience whatsoever, and there are plenty of great players who turn into busts at the coaching level. We need proven coaches and recruiters on this staff, and Ruud is neither.
Defensive Backs Coach Travis Fisher - Fisher did well developing CB Mike Hughes into a first-round NFL draft pick, and he helped our newly-own S Tre Neal make big strides. But Fisher's one of the most inexperienced coaches on staff, more so than Dawson. And his secondary was responsible for a lot of UCF's defensive breakdowns the past two years. I've noted before that Frost's system puts more pressure on the secondary than most other positions. But how many of the problems were the system vs. Fisher being far too green? We needed a proven commodity at this dangerously thin position.
THE RISKS:
Tight Ends Coach Sean Beckton - Beckton's a good recruiter who knows the Southeast recruiting landscape well, and as such he could be a significant asset. But he's spent his entire career in Florida, none of it at the P5 or NFL levels. Frost went to great lengths to lure him here, but his experience is very narrow.
Defensive Line Coach Mike Dawson - Dawson's experience is narrow: nearly all of his defensive development has been with Chip Kelly and Erik Chinander. But at least he's had exposure to the pro level, he develops linemen well, and he understands one very critical point: in an aggressive 3-4, it's essential to rotate linemen frequently. Dawson seems to get this at a gut level. Ideally, though, you want your DL coach to be one of your best recruiters, and it's far from certain he will fit the bill there.
Director of Player Development Ron Brown - I've been leaning toward putting this one in the bad list; we all know the history here. But I'm choosing to remain open-minded, in the hope that Brown will do the same...as Frost has suggested he'd be wise to do.
THE WAIT-&-SEES:
Special Teams & Outside Linebackers Coach Jovan Dewitt - Dewitt may be a budding star on defense, mirroring Held on offense. His UCF special teams played at a game-changing level, and his LB's did a number of tasks very well. He helped turn Shaquem Griffin into an on-field terror whose impact outpaced his talent. He has a variety of valuable experience, not least of which was learning a lot about disciplined, detailed development from Jeff Monken at Army. And he's coming along well as a recruiter. But like too many on this staff, he has no experience at either the P5 or NFL levels.
Chief of Staff Gerrod Lambrecht - At first glance, this looks like just another buddy hire. But I've long been a fan of bringing more executives with corporate experience into college football. As such, Lambrecht has been tasked with setting up one of the most critical yet underappreciated aspects of a modern top-tier program -- the support staff. Unless we can put together a quality, Alabama-level group of analysts who take as much possible off the coaches' shoulders so those coaches can focus on what only they themselves can do, we will be at a major disadvantage to top programs, nearly all of whom possess recruiting advantages we don't have. Lambrecht did well behind the scenes at UCF, but this is the big-leagues now.
Director of Player Personnel Sean Dillon - Dillon will be one of Lambrecht's key lieutenants in the building of the support team, particularly when it comes to all-important recruiting. Dillon did a good job helping identify diamonds in the rough at UCF, but down in Orlando you could throw a glance in any direction and find a dozen FBS-caliber players wanting to stay close to home. Now we have to identify these guys nation-wide and lay the groundwork for AC's to convince them to come to Lincoln...and do so against far tougher competition. This is a different ball game.
THE GOOD:
Quarterbacks Coach Mario Verduzco - Mario's been coaching for over 40 years, and he's done a remarkable job developing a variety of QB's over that time. Indeed, what he did with McKenzie Milton at UCF was truly special. What really sets him apart from so many others is his dedication not only to the finest technical details of QB play but also the psychological preparation necessary for a player to excel in one of the toughest positions in all of sports. The only thing keeping him off the Great list is that he has precious little experience at the Power-5 level and none in the NFL, both of which matter. Still, this guy oozes potential, and I'm expecting big things.
Running Backs Coach Ryan Held - Held is a budding star in the coaching ranks. He has a variety of coaching experience, including multiple stops as a HC. He did a stellar job developing UCF's RB's, and he is considered one Frost's best recruiters. Like Frost, he was in Lincoln for the 90's run and saw up-front what it took to make that happen. We're fairly certain he can develop B1G-level speed backs, but can he also develop B1G-level power backs? That'll be more important than many think.
Associate AD for Football Matt Davison - He of the Immaculate Reception needs to learn how to be more polished in public. But while his role is largely ceremonial and informal, it's also quite important. Not only did Davison play a leading role in landing Frost at Nebraska, but from here on out he'll be the leading conduit between Frost and the admin on one side and the boosters on the other. He appears ready for the challenge, but again, he needs to learn more about the art of preparation.
THE GREAT:
I hold firmly to the idea that it's essential two particular pairs of relationships on a football team be in as good a sync as possible if a team is to thrive: HC-S&C (with the support staff leader being a close runner-up) and OC-OL. If those relationships aren't sympatico, bad things tend to happen. We saw this most recently with Riley and Philipp, who had completely different agendas, leading to disastrous results. Fortunately, we appear to have excellent hires in both regards this time.
Head Coach Scott Frost & Strength-and-Conditioning Coach Zach Duval - The nation heartily agrees: Frost was a home-run hire for Nebraska. And Frost's hire of Duval already appears to be paying big dividends. He saw not only what went right with conditioning in Dr. Tom's final years but also what went wrong under Solich, and he learned from that. He's circulated mostly through Husker circles instead of branching out, but his results are impressive. He and Frost know exactly what they want to develop: power on the lines and speed everywhere else. This is a winning combination.
Offensive Coordinator / WR Coach Troy Walters & OL Coach Greg Austin - These two have the potential to be a truly dynamic duo; together they helped Frost shape one of the most deadly offenses in all of college football. Walters was the guy I wanted Riley to hire as our WR coach back in 2015, but we're better off that he went to UCF instead. A Stanford grad, Biletnikoff Award winner, 8-Season NFL WR, and innovator with strong FBS AC experience, Walters is solidly on the HC track.
Husker alum Austin has honed his craft at multiple levels, learning a great deal from two of the best OL coaches in all of football: Bill Callahan and Jeff Stoutland. His turnaround of UCF's tattered OL was underrated and quite impressive. He knows his fundamentals, and like Dawson, he seems to grasp the importance of rotation. Now he has to turn around one of Nebraska's weakest positions, and it'll take time. But most likely, Austin has the experience and know-how to make it happen.
Nutrition Coach Dave Ellis - As the most recent hire, we're all familiar with his personal and professional connections to the Huskers. Nutritional coaching is at the forefront of a lot of S&C pioneering right now, and quite simply, Ellis is one of the best in the business. We're lucky to have him back, and he should work very well with Frost and Duval to help current and future players reach their full potential.
---------------
So, there you have it: the offense is impressive across the board, and the support staff is off to a good start but needs a lot more development. The big concern is defense: there's nowhere near enough top-tier experience here. The biggest drawback of all is the lack of outside voices challenging the "status quo mindsets" of such an insular group; the biggest challenge is ensuring that a staff with few if any truly-proven ace recruiters can recruit consistently at a Top-15 level. But they're off to a good start.
I'm more excited about this New Era than any other since Dr. Tom retired. We'll have a bumpy road with a hellacious schedule this year, but the team should grow a lot. We're well positioned for divisional dominance and conference contention soon, so long as Frost is truly willing to enforce accountability among his staff as well as his players, and so long as he and his team keep adapting. I'm optimistic that they will.
But what say the rest of you? Fire away.
And Go Big Red!
I'm excited about the beginning of the New Era, and I've been praising these coaches all year, for good reason. But sunshine-pumping has never really been my style, so I'm going to throw in some balance here and leave room for debate. I usually do these in the spring, but I was busier then, and I wanted to get a better feel for these guys.
So here's my (Revised) 2018 Nebraska Staff Breakdown:
OFFENSE - 2 Great, 2 Good, 0 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 0 Bad
DEFENSE - 0 Great, 0 Good, 1 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 3 Bad
THE REST - 3 Great, 1 Good, 2 Wait-&-See, 1 Risk, 0 Bad
Now for the specifics. Warning: ginormous read ahead...
THE BAD:
Defensive Coordinator Erik Chinander - I really like this guy's attitude, and I like his baseline approach: that the best way to defend the spread is with an aggressive 3-4 base which focuses on turnovers and backfield disruption. But Chinander's about as green as can be, and his defenses gave up a lot of points and plays at UCF.
The bottom line -- as I said before he was hired, and which I should have emphasized when first doing this evaluation -- is that he simply isn't qualified enough for a job of this magnitude, and neither are most of his assistants. He needed to prove himself more before becoming a blue-bood DC. It isn't likely that he's truly ready for this role.
Inside Linebackers Coach Barrett Ruud - Yes, yes, I can hear the groaning now: how can you put a Husker great on this list? The leading tackler in Nebraska history?? An NFL player, even! I'm a big fan too, but let's be honest with ourselves here: this is the very definition of a buddy hire. He has no coaching experience whatsoever, and there are plenty of great players who turn into busts at the coaching level. We need proven coaches and recruiters on this staff, and Ruud is neither.
Defensive Backs Coach Travis Fisher - Fisher did well developing CB Mike Hughes into a first-round NFL draft pick, and he helped our newly-own S Tre Neal make big strides. But Fisher's one of the most inexperienced coaches on staff, more so than Dawson. And his secondary was responsible for a lot of UCF's defensive breakdowns the past two years. I've noted before that Frost's system puts more pressure on the secondary than most other positions. But how many of the problems were the system vs. Fisher being far too green? We needed a proven commodity at this dangerously thin position.
THE RISKS:
Tight Ends Coach Sean Beckton - Beckton's a good recruiter who knows the Southeast recruiting landscape well, and as such he could be a significant asset. But he's spent his entire career in Florida, none of it at the P5 or NFL levels. Frost went to great lengths to lure him here, but his experience is very narrow.
Defensive Line Coach Mike Dawson - Dawson's experience is narrow: nearly all of his defensive development has been with Chip Kelly and Erik Chinander. But at least he's had exposure to the pro level, he develops linemen well, and he understands one very critical point: in an aggressive 3-4, it's essential to rotate linemen frequently. Dawson seems to get this at a gut level. Ideally, though, you want your DL coach to be one of your best recruiters, and it's far from certain he will fit the bill there.
Director of Player Development Ron Brown - I've been leaning toward putting this one in the bad list; we all know the history here. But I'm choosing to remain open-minded, in the hope that Brown will do the same...as Frost has suggested he'd be wise to do.
THE WAIT-&-SEES:
Special Teams & Outside Linebackers Coach Jovan Dewitt - Dewitt may be a budding star on defense, mirroring Held on offense. His UCF special teams played at a game-changing level, and his LB's did a number of tasks very well. He helped turn Shaquem Griffin into an on-field terror whose impact outpaced his talent. He has a variety of valuable experience, not least of which was learning a lot about disciplined, detailed development from Jeff Monken at Army. And he's coming along well as a recruiter. But like too many on this staff, he has no experience at either the P5 or NFL levels.
Chief of Staff Gerrod Lambrecht - At first glance, this looks like just another buddy hire. But I've long been a fan of bringing more executives with corporate experience into college football. As such, Lambrecht has been tasked with setting up one of the most critical yet underappreciated aspects of a modern top-tier program -- the support staff. Unless we can put together a quality, Alabama-level group of analysts who take as much possible off the coaches' shoulders so those coaches can focus on what only they themselves can do, we will be at a major disadvantage to top programs, nearly all of whom possess recruiting advantages we don't have. Lambrecht did well behind the scenes at UCF, but this is the big-leagues now.
Director of Player Personnel Sean Dillon - Dillon will be one of Lambrecht's key lieutenants in the building of the support team, particularly when it comes to all-important recruiting. Dillon did a good job helping identify diamonds in the rough at UCF, but down in Orlando you could throw a glance in any direction and find a dozen FBS-caliber players wanting to stay close to home. Now we have to identify these guys nation-wide and lay the groundwork for AC's to convince them to come to Lincoln...and do so against far tougher competition. This is a different ball game.
THE GOOD:
Quarterbacks Coach Mario Verduzco - Mario's been coaching for over 40 years, and he's done a remarkable job developing a variety of QB's over that time. Indeed, what he did with McKenzie Milton at UCF was truly special. What really sets him apart from so many others is his dedication not only to the finest technical details of QB play but also the psychological preparation necessary for a player to excel in one of the toughest positions in all of sports. The only thing keeping him off the Great list is that he has precious little experience at the Power-5 level and none in the NFL, both of which matter. Still, this guy oozes potential, and I'm expecting big things.
Running Backs Coach Ryan Held - Held is a budding star in the coaching ranks. He has a variety of coaching experience, including multiple stops as a HC. He did a stellar job developing UCF's RB's, and he is considered one Frost's best recruiters. Like Frost, he was in Lincoln for the 90's run and saw up-front what it took to make that happen. We're fairly certain he can develop B1G-level speed backs, but can he also develop B1G-level power backs? That'll be more important than many think.
Associate AD for Football Matt Davison - He of the Immaculate Reception needs to learn how to be more polished in public. But while his role is largely ceremonial and informal, it's also quite important. Not only did Davison play a leading role in landing Frost at Nebraska, but from here on out he'll be the leading conduit between Frost and the admin on one side and the boosters on the other. He appears ready for the challenge, but again, he needs to learn more about the art of preparation.
THE GREAT:
I hold firmly to the idea that it's essential two particular pairs of relationships on a football team be in as good a sync as possible if a team is to thrive: HC-S&C (with the support staff leader being a close runner-up) and OC-OL. If those relationships aren't sympatico, bad things tend to happen. We saw this most recently with Riley and Philipp, who had completely different agendas, leading to disastrous results. Fortunately, we appear to have excellent hires in both regards this time.
Head Coach Scott Frost & Strength-and-Conditioning Coach Zach Duval - The nation heartily agrees: Frost was a home-run hire for Nebraska. And Frost's hire of Duval already appears to be paying big dividends. He saw not only what went right with conditioning in Dr. Tom's final years but also what went wrong under Solich, and he learned from that. He's circulated mostly through Husker circles instead of branching out, but his results are impressive. He and Frost know exactly what they want to develop: power on the lines and speed everywhere else. This is a winning combination.
Offensive Coordinator / WR Coach Troy Walters & OL Coach Greg Austin - These two have the potential to be a truly dynamic duo; together they helped Frost shape one of the most deadly offenses in all of college football. Walters was the guy I wanted Riley to hire as our WR coach back in 2015, but we're better off that he went to UCF instead. A Stanford grad, Biletnikoff Award winner, 8-Season NFL WR, and innovator with strong FBS AC experience, Walters is solidly on the HC track.
Husker alum Austin has honed his craft at multiple levels, learning a great deal from two of the best OL coaches in all of football: Bill Callahan and Jeff Stoutland. His turnaround of UCF's tattered OL was underrated and quite impressive. He knows his fundamentals, and like Dawson, he seems to grasp the importance of rotation. Now he has to turn around one of Nebraska's weakest positions, and it'll take time. But most likely, Austin has the experience and know-how to make it happen.
Nutrition Coach Dave Ellis - As the most recent hire, we're all familiar with his personal and professional connections to the Huskers. Nutritional coaching is at the forefront of a lot of S&C pioneering right now, and quite simply, Ellis is one of the best in the business. We're lucky to have him back, and he should work very well with Frost and Duval to help current and future players reach their full potential.
---------------
So, there you have it: the offense is impressive across the board, and the support staff is off to a good start but needs a lot more development. The big concern is defense: there's nowhere near enough top-tier experience here. The biggest drawback of all is the lack of outside voices challenging the "status quo mindsets" of such an insular group; the biggest challenge is ensuring that a staff with few if any truly-proven ace recruiters can recruit consistently at a Top-15 level. But they're off to a good start.
I'm more excited about this New Era than any other since Dr. Tom retired. We'll have a bumpy road with a hellacious schedule this year, but the team should grow a lot. We're well positioned for divisional dominance and conference contention soon, so long as Frost is truly willing to enforce accountability among his staff as well as his players, and so long as he and his team keep adapting. I'm optimistic that they will.
But what say the rest of you? Fire away.
And Go Big Red!
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