2020 Coaching Staff

[satyanash 14478]

(Jeff Howe) Texas Defensive Coordinator Hot Board: Where the search begins

Quote

Tom Herman and Texas made the decision to move on from Todd Orlando on Sunday. The defensive coordinator was fired at the conclusion of a 7-5 regular season where his unit had one of the worst statistical seasons in school history, leading Herman to pull the trigger on the move and parting ways with the only defensive coordinator he’s known as a head coach.

Who will replace Orlando? While a lot of names are being thrown out, Horns247’s sources feel there are four names in the early stages of the search to find the man who will be the program’s seventh-different defensive play-caller since the start of the 2010 season.

(Coaches are listed in alphabetical order.)

Chris Ash

Age: 45

Current Program: None

Job Title: Former Rutgers head coach

Salary: $8.5 million left on Rutgers contract

Defensive Scheme: 4-3 over

Background: Similar to the offensive coordinator search centering around LSU’s Joe Brady and USC’s Graham Harrell, Herman’s quest to replace Todd Orlando might not go beyond Ash. A coach who worked his way up the coaching ladder as the defensive backs coach for Dan McCarney at Iowa State and Chuck Long at San Diego State before he and Herman crossed paths for the first time under Paul Rhoads at Iowa State in 2009.

Ash then spent four seasons as the defensive backs coach (2010) before adding defensive coordinator (2011, 2012) to his job title at Wisconsin and then Arkansas (2013) for Bret Bielema before he joined the Ohio State staff in 2014 as co-defensive coordinator with current Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell. En route to a national championship in 2014, Ash and Fickell coordinated a defense that improved from No. 44 in defensive S&P+ to No. 24 while ranking 19th nationally in total defense (342.4 yards per game allowed), 26th in scoring defense (22 points per game allowed), 16th in third-down defense (34.7 percent conversion rate allowed) and tying for fifth nationally with 33 takeaways. The 2015 Ohio State defense was even better, ranking No. 5 in defensive S&P+. The Buckeye also had the country’s second-best scoring defense (15.1 points per game allowed) and ranked No. 9 nationally in total defense (311.3 yards per game allowed).

Things didn’t go well for Ash at Rutgers, a place where he posted an 8-32 record through four full seasons before being dismissed five games into his fifth season on the job. Nevertheless, he’s worked with Herman at two different jobs, he’s already familiar with Texas having spent time in and around the program since his ouster (which should give him an idea of what’s under the hood) and he enters the search as the favorite to get the gig.

Causes for Optimism: Again, Ash should already have a good idea of the personnel within the program and can give Herman a better idea than any candidate for the job as to how he’d go about deploying the weapons the Longhorns have on that side of the ball. Ash’s defense is a four-down base from and he prefers quarters coverage on the back end, which Gary Patterson’s defenses have competed with in the Big 12 since TCU entered the league in 2012. Another plus with Ash, according to an Ohio State source is that Ash, not Fickell called the defense in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. Ash’s influence and importance on what the Buckeyes did defensively in a stretch where the program posted a 26-2 record can’t be understated.

Causes for Pessimism: Ash’s scheme is one where a lot falls on two position groups — the cornerbacks and linebackers. Ash coaches safeties, so who he’d hire to man those two coaching staff positions is hugely important due to the scheme and the lack of development the Longhorns experienced in both areas in 2019. There’s talent there — more so at cornerback where Anthony Cook, Jalen Green and D'Shawn Jamison will return with significant starting experience under the belts — but it’s got to be developed and quickly in order for Ash’s scheme to make the kind of difference required.

Could it Happen?: The feeling is that the job is Ash’s if he wants it, but there doesn’t seem to be anything imminent with the Longhorns now roughly 48 hours into the search for Orlando’s successor. Ash is considered the heavy favorite for a reason, which is why we’re going more in-depth on him in this edition of the board deeper than other candidates. With that said, it might not be completely sewn up, either due to Ash exploring all of his options before making the call or Texas doing due diligence on other candidates, but Ash’s name is the primary one to watch as the process unfolds.

***

Todd Graham

Age: 54

Current Program: None

Job Title: Former Arizona State head coach

Salary: $12.3 million left on Arizona State contract

Defensive Scheme: Odd front

Background: Relieved of his duties at Arizona State after the 2017 season, Graham enjoyed success as a head coach across stints at Rice (7-6), Tulsa (36-17), Pitt (6-6) and Arizona State (46-32) before. A two-time conference coach of the year (Conference USA in 2006, Pac-12 in 2013), Graham’s defenses have been known for their aggressiveness with his units routinely having some of the highest blitz percentages in the country. Graham’s ties to the Longhorns include Yancy McKnight, who was the strength coach at Rice for Graham’s lone season leading the Owls (McKnight was retained by David Bailiff, who brought over his staff from Texas State that included Herman as the program’s offensive coordinator) and Chris Del Conte, who was Rice’s athletic director during Graham’s brief tenure.

Causes for Optimism: Graham would bring name value to the job. While the odd front he prefers might cause some folks concern given that’s the front Orlando preferred to base out of, Graham evolved his scheme over the years going from a 3-3 stack defense to more of a 3-4 with one outside linebacker able to function as a defensive end (Graham called this player the Devil ‘backer at Arizona State; Orlando used a B-backer and Charlie Strong has a Fox end in his defense that served a similar function to make the front truly multiple.

Causes of Pessimism: Graham’s defenses at Arizona State near the end of his tenure were bad. The 2016 Sun Devils were 127th in the country in total defense and 124th in scoring defense; Graham’s last season on the job saw a slight improvement, but Arizona State was still 108th nationally in total defense and 104th in scoring defense.

Could it Happen?: It’s too early to tell how serious the interest in Graham will be, especially since all signs are pointing to Ash early on in the search. If things go beyond Ash, however, Graham’s name is one to keep in mind if he sees a defensive coordinator gig at Texas as a way to revive his career.

***

Barry Odom

Age: 43

Current Program: None

Job Title: Former Missouri head coach

Salary: $2.4 million buyout from Missouri

Defensive Scheme: Multiple

Background: Let go from his alma mater after four seasons and 50 games on the job (25-25 record), Odom was a successful defensive coordinator before taking over the Missouri program following the retirement of Gary Pinkel. Odom’s 2015 defense was a top-10 unit nationally in both total defense (302 yards allowed per game, No. 9) and scoring defense (16.2 points per game, No. 7). Prior to returning to Missouri where he spent nine seasons (2003-2011) in roles ranging from graduate assistant to director of recruiting to football operations to safeties coach and the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Odom enjoyed a successful three-season stint as the defensive coordinator at Memphis.

Causes for Optimism: Odom ran a three-man front at Memphis but kept the four-man front when returning to Missouri that made the Tigers a defensive force in the SEC. That versatility could allow the Longhorns to go a number of different ways in terms of how the defense is built. Odom is also familiar with the Big 12 from the time he spent at Missouri prior to the Tigers leaving for the SEC in 2012.

Causes for Concern: It might not be worth it to get hung up on Odom due to the general consensus that he’s likely to reunite with current Memphis head coach Mike Norvell should Norvell take one of the open Power Five jobs he’s been tied to (Arkansas, Florida State and Ole Miss have mentioned Norvell as a possible candidate to fill a vacancy).

Could it Happen?: Don’t be shocked if Odom is someone the Longhorns wind up talking to, especially since he and Herman matched wits in the 2017 Texas Bowl with Odom’s defense holding Herman’s offense to 3.9 yards play (in a game where defense and special team carried the day for Texas), giving Herman a first-hand look at what Odom's defenses bring to the table. At the end of the day, all indications are that Odom will wind up reuniting with Norvell, but Odom’s name is one of the few available candidates the Longhorns can feel out during the search.

***

Morgan Scalley

Age: 40

Current Program: Utah

Job Title: Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach

Salary: $820,000

Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

Background: Regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the country, Scalley is a Utah lifer who was an All-American safety on an unbeaten Fiesta Bowl-winning squad in 2004. Named defensive coordinator heading into the 2016 season, Scalley is in the midst of his best season with the Utes by fielding the nation’s best defense against the run (56,3 yards per game allowed) and the country’s No. 3-ranked unit in both total defense (241.6 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (11.3 points per game allowed).

Causes for Optimism: Not only would Scalley bring a tried-and-true four-down scheme that’s evolved over time to the Forty Acres, but Scalley has also recruited the state for a long time and knows the talent base better than just about anyone Herman could hire. A safeties coach, there aren’t many better coaches who could work with the deep, talented group the Longhorns have on the back end and get them to reach their potential.

Causes for Pessimism: Would Scalley actually leave Utah? While the hire would check a lot of boxes and his fun to think about, Scalley has a great thing going with the Utes and is likely next in line to take over the program whenever Kyle Whittingham decides it’s time to step aside and let someone else take the wheel.

Could it Happen?: It makes sense on a number of levels for the Longhorns to at least see if Scalley is interested, but it would be hard to pull him away from his roots. With Utah playing in this weekend’s Pac-12 championship game with a berth in the College Football Playoff potentially awaiting the Utes if they win the game, there could be too many hurdles (timing chief among them) standing in the way of the Longhorns making it work with Scalley.

 

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

16 minutes ago, satyanash said:

His defensive reputation is based on shutting down offenses that run this twice, throw an incompletion on third down, and punt:

He was a co-defensive coordinator for a year at Ohio State (his scheme, Fickell's playcalls), and shut down the one spread offense of any real quality he faced that year in Oregon. He was also a great coach of DBs in a conference that rarely tests them. Before that, he was at Arkansas and Wisconsin, doing much the same thing. His subsequent head coaching tenure at Rutgers was a disaster not worth mentioning.

He was Co-DC at Ohio State for two years (2014 & 2015). 

He was hired by Urban because of the job he did against Urban’s offense while he was running Wisconsin’s defense (held Ohio to 21 points and fewer than 120 passing yards)

[Funk Doctor Spock 12182]

We have talent on our roster. We just need someone, anyone who can teach basic fundamentals of tackling/looking back for the ball. No one is going to stop Big XII offenses week in, week out. Yes, this has been mentioned, but it's really all we need. If Chris Ash, my dude can do that, I'm fine with it. 

 

Just shit-can Washington, that's all I want. Recruiting will take care of itself when guys show they are being developed. Our DB's drive me insane. 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

1 hour ago, Casual Encounter said:

Burnt, ash... come on man...

Damnit. Blindsided. 

[satyanash 14478]

5 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

He was hired by Urban because of the job he did against Urban’s offense while he was running Wisconsin’s defense (held Ohio to 21 points and fewer than 120 passing yards)

The previous year, he gave up 33 points and 357 yards to a dismal Ohio State offense that averaged just 24 ppg against Big Ten opposition and finished 6-7.

I guess there's something to be said for improvement.

[Fondren & Main 6703]

Hire Ash as Co-DC and DB coach and then get someone else to coach LB’s and run the defense.  Hire Frank Okam to help Giles.

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

11 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Jeff Howe) Texas Defensive Coordinator Hot Board: Where the search begins

 

Per this Jeff Howe report - Ash called the plays his two years at Ohio St.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

4 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

Hire Ash as Co-DC and DB coach and then get someone else to coach LB’s and run the defense.  Hire Frank Okam to help Giles.

Don’t do any of that bullshit.  Hire a badass DC and let him hire people that can work with him.  

[LTtxfan 49148]

46 minutes ago, satyanash said:

He was a co-defensive coordinator for a year at Ohio State (his scheme, Fickell's playcalls), and shut down the one spread offense of any real quality he faced that year in Oregon. He was also a great coach of DBs in a conference that rarely tests them. Before that, he was at Arkansas and Wisconsin, doing much the same thing. His subsequent head coaching tenure at Rutgers was a disaster not worth mentioning.

Not so Fast @satyanash 

Per Jeff Howe:  Another plus with Ash, according to an Ohio State source is that Ash, not Fickell called the defense in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. Ash’s influence and importance on what the Buckeyes did defensively in a stretch where the program posted a 26-2 record can’t be understated.

Edited December 4, 2019 by LTtxfan
Damn.. Hiphop beat me to it!!

[satyanash 14478]

9 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Per this Jeff Howe report - Ash called the plays his two years at Ohio St.

That'd be a plus if true, but Ohio State fans seem to think Fickell was the playcaller with Ash designing the scheme.

Regardless, Urban had some weird fetish with co-DCs, Fickell had the co-DC role for a long time at Ohio State but Meyer kept bringing other guys to share the role after Fickell's stint as a head coach went nowhere. Ash replaced Everett Withers (who was pretty mediocre) so

Edited December 4, 2019 by satyanash

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

Ohio State coordinator where it’s unclear if they had play calling duties.

time is a flat circle, indeed.

[Gigglebush 107]

I don't get the anti Chris Ash stuff, wasn't he a well regarded DC at Wisconsin and Ohio State? I know Rutgers sucked but Greg Robinson sucked as a head coach and he still came and kicked ass as a DC afterwards.

[Michael Knight 12977]

10 minutes ago, satyanash said:

That'd be a plus if true, but Ohio State fans seem to think Fickell was the playcaller with Ash designing the scheme.

Regardless, Urban had some weird fetish with co-DCs, Fickell had the co-DC role for a long time at Ohio State but Meyer kept bringing other guys to share the role after Fickell's stint as a head coach went nowhere. Ash replaced Everett Withers (who was pretty mediocre) so

That's your proof?

[Fud 9552]

My friend who’s connected to tOSU says he’s pretty sure it was Fickell who called defensive plays, despite what’s written. Urban likes to muddy the waters on who’s calling the plays on either side, for whatever reason. 

[LTtxfan 49148]

Also this...

Rod Babers provides some good technical analysis on the coordinator candidates...

Starts around 9:40 mark...

Said Chris Ash called defensive plays at Ohio State... and "pushed Urban Meter to use Rugby Style Tackling" like Pete Carroll uses.

[Augustus 3061]

23 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Ash’s influence and importance on what the Buckeyes did defensively in a stretch where the program posted a 26-2 record can’t be understated.

Sigh.

[satyanash 14478]

26 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Not so Fast @satyanash 

Per Jeff Howe:  Another plus with Ash, according to an Ohio State source is that Ash, not Fickell called the defense in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. Ash’s influence and importance on what the Buckeyes did defensively in a stretch where the program posted a 26-2 record can’t be understated.

This was after Ash was hired, but before the 2014 season started: https://247sports.com/Article/Urban-Meyer-Im-disappointed-we-didnt-have-the-No-1-class-176056/

Quote

As far as Ash, Meyer says co-defensive coordinator / linebackers coach Luke Fickell will be making the calls, as of right now.

“We're going to have those conversations,” Meyer said. “Right now, Luke will. Who has the ultimate say? On offense, some people would say you need one coordinator. There's certainly one way to go about it. Who has the alternate say on offense? If someone said Tom Herman I might raise my hand and say I'm not quite sure that's correct at certain times. Ed Warner at times does. I do. Once again, some people might disagree with that. So Luke Fickell's the defensive coordinator, co-coordinator when there's third down or some type of pass I want a real strong back end presence and that's what we've got.”

 

[CooterBrown 18004]

The Veer and Shoot doesn’t throw over the middle. It doesn’t have any routes between the hashes. 

What is the reasoning for it? It’s not like an OC can’t just draw a route over the middle in a play design if he wants to.

[Wishbone 4759]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

Joe Brady calls plays at LSU, according to Orgeron anyways.

Possibly. Perhaps they couldn’t understand what Ogre said.

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

4 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

 

What is the reasoning for it? It’s not like an OC can’t just draw a route over the middle in a play design if he wants to.

 

The whole design of the Veer and Shoot is to stretch the defense out so wide that they have to commit pre-snap. You count the number of defenders in the box and that determines pass/run.  Your WRs are lined up outside the hashes so that safeties have to commit to defending the pass or the run. No reason to run a WR across the middle where a Safety or LB might be able to help. 

[Wishbone 4759]

11 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

 

What is the reasoning for it? It’s not like an OC can’t just draw a route over the middle in a play design if he wants to.

 

Well, if that’s everybody’s thinking on the Veer and Shoot, seems like a good idea to mix it in once and a while.

Edit: meant to include Batronic’s post also.

Edited December 4, 2019 by Wishbone

[satyanash 14478]

35 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Ohio State coordinator where it’s unclear if they had play calling duties.

time is a flat circle, indeed.

That's what happens when you hire guys who worked under Meyer. Urban always split the OC and DC duties between two people.

Edited December 4, 2019 by satyanash

[Nowhichski 32]

It would seem Orgeron is playing Meyer's game now, muddying the water about which assistant calls plays. It's smart, playing a tactical advantage: makes hiring away one's assistants all the more difficult. 

[Goodman 3273]

If Herman knows how to interview, he'll find out quickly. Re: Ash, Herman was on that staff so he would know what he is getting into if that hire is made. 

I'm hoping Herman is interviewing a lot of folks from NFL and NCAA. Of the names we've heard, make Odom and the ISU DC say no to a serious offer.

[Hank_Hill 18796]

How have Big 12 offenses faired against Big 10 defenses over the past 10 years? Genuinely curious i

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

His defensive reputation is based on shutting down offenses that run this twice, throw an incompletion on third down, and punt:

 

How have Big 10 defenses faired against Big 12 offenses over the past say 10 years? Genuinely curious if this point you keep pushing actually means fuck all, but I'm a lazy ass.

[Etexhorn13 3045]

curious to see if this would impact Harrell

[Rhinotx 499]

27 minutes ago, Wishbone said:

Possibly. Perhaps they couldn’t understand what Ogre said.

[HtownHorn 14671]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

His defensive reputation is based on shutting down offenses that run this twice, throw an incompletion on third down, and punt:

He was a co-defensive coordinator for a year at Ohio State (his scheme, Fickell's playcalls), and shut down the one spread offense of any real quality he faced that year in Oregon. He was also a great coach of DBs in a conference that rarely tests them. Before that, he was at Arkansas and Wisconsin, doing much the same thing. His subsequent head coaching tenure at Rutgers was a disaster not worth mentioning.

You are completely wrong. Every story about Ash says he made the play calls in 2014-2015. Urban specifically hired him because he shut down Ohio State, and his turn around of the pass defense from 2013 to 2014 was large. Basically you don't know jack shit.

[HtownHorn 14671]

1 minute ago, Etexhorn13 said:

curious to see if this would impact Harrell

Probably none, because Helton will need to win the Pac 12 next year to keep his job. He's not.

[Burt Macklin 19020]

2 hours ago, MoJames said:

3 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

No one has won at Rutgers, hes a defensive coach so he probably can't recognize good offensive coaches. Track record as a head coach has 0 to do with being a coordinator, Muschamp was an amazing DC and a terrible fucking head coach. The one knock against Ash is hes not a great recruiter, but he was credited with turning around Ohio States defense and fixing their secondary issues on the way to a championship.

Read more  

Anything unique about his defense, 3 or 4 DLine, blitz vs zone, can they tackle?

The most interesting thing about him is that he’s pretty much the anti-Orlando. Uses a 4 man front. Doesn’t blitz a whole lot. Bases out of quarters with limited play calls out of that, so it’s simple for his defense. He does like to utilize press coverage (like actual press where the DBs get their hands on the WRs, not like how Orlando would walk the DBs up to the line but still give a free release).  He sometimes mixes up his quarters coverage with press man cover 1 and use the extra man to blitz.

Overall, his defense is fairly simple and he focuses a lot on technique, tackling, and natural talent. So again, the anti-Orlando. 

A coupe potential problems. 1) he needs good pass rush from his DL and we don’t have that right now. If he can’t get to the Qb with 4 then his D will struggle. He had JJ Watt at UW and Bosa and others at tOSU so the places where he’s succeeded had significantly more DL talent.

2) because of how simple he plays, someone like Lincoln or Gundy will know exactly what they’re facing and can out-scheme/out-call him. 

3) He asks a lot of his LBs and the safety who is responsible for backside run contain (varies which safety by offensive formation). They have to read and react for both pass and run so PAs and RPOs can eat his defenses up if those players struggle.

I do think Ash could get our secondary playing at a much higher level from a technique standpoint. 

A downside is people at Rutgers hated him and he’s more of Herman from a personality standpoint, which might be problematic for the locker room/morale.

2 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

The Chris Ash hire reminds me of the Shawn Watson hire. 
 

The conversation went something like:

No it’s not going to be Shawn Watson, he’s a candidate , but we have all these other candidates who are higher on the board. Watson is not a bad candidate, though. 

Top candidate X says no. Candidate Y says no. So there are a couple names left. Shawn Watson is a possibility, but we don’t think it will go in that direction, but he’s had success with player XY. 
 

It’s down to Dick and Shawn. My sources think it’s Dick, but Shawn could come on as a QB coach. He’s a great QB coach. 
 

Looks like Dick said no. Shawn will be QB coach. 
 

It’s Shawn Watson. It was him the whole time because that’s who the coach wants to hire 

The difference between Ash and Watson is that Watson fucking sucked everywhere he went and was a doomed hire from the start. Ash has had success as a DC at a lot of his stops. It’s just that his success doesn’t translate all that cleanly to here, but he wouldn’t be a definite failure like Watson

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

His defensive reputation is based on shutting down offenses that run this twice, throw an incompletion on third down, and punt:

He was a co-defensive coordinator for a year at Ohio State (his scheme, Fickell's playcalls), and shut down the one spread offense of any real quality he faced that year in Oregon. He was also a great coach of DBs in a conference that rarely tests them. Before that, he was at Arkansas and Wisconsin, doing much the same thing. His subsequent head coaching tenure at Rutgers was a disaster not worth mentioning.

He was co-DC at tOSU for two years, not one. He had a ton of success at UW and tOSU, but I agree there are questions about how well that will translate since he was playing caveman offenses that couldn’t take advantage of the simplicity of his defense. 
 

The other problem is Ash requires a lot of talent because he needs his 4 man DL to get pressure, he requires a lot mentally from his LBs, and he leaves his secondary in a ton of man or pattern matching situations without help over the top. tOSU had all that and then some. JJ Watt was a game changer for UW. At Texas, he doesn’t have a force like Bosa or Watt and who knows what we have at LB for him. It’s unclear if he could figure out how to make up for not having what he needs at each level of the defense.

Overall, I don’t think Ash would be a definite failure, like Watson or Beck were known to be before they even got here, but there are definitely better candidates out there that Herman needs to identify and pursue first. 

My biggest issue with hiring Ash isn’t so much Ash himself, but rather what it would say about Herman going for another hire within his circle of knowledge instead of finding the best guy for the job in the entire country.

[bschoolprof 6252]

He’s a Herman bro with a scheme that doesn’t really fit our talent or, frankly, the conference. He maybe called the defense at tOSU, depending on which internet article or podcast you listen to. He has a reputation as an arrogant prick. 

Those of you trying to convince yourselves this is a good idea should know better. How many more times is Lucy longhorn football going to pull the ball right before the kick for you to realize how this is going to end?

[MoJames 8244]

Just now, bschoolprof said:

He’s a Herman bro with a scheme that doesn’t really fit our talent or, frankly, the conference. He maybe called the defense at tOSU, depending on which internet article or podcast you listen to. He has a reputation as an arrogant prick. 

Those of you trying to convince yourselves this is a good idea should know better. How many more times is Lucy longhorn football going to pull the ball right before the kick for you to realize how this is going to end?

Just curiosity, but if you had the decision, who would you hire? Odom?

[Gene Parmesan 4004]

40 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Probably none, because Helton will need to win the Pac 12 next year to keep his job. He's not.

But that’s also what Herman has to do here, no?  I guess Harrell gets a few more dollars here though. 

[bschoolprof 6252]

30 minutes ago, MoJames said:

Just curiosity, but if you had the decision, who would you hire? Odom?

I’d look for someone who is flexible, creative, has experience against spread offenses, and who has limited ties to Herman. I’d make Steele tell me no. He’s been around forever, but he’s very flexible and imaginative with his defenses and did great this year against LSU and Oregon. I also like Heacock at Iowa State for his creativity and success with limited talent. Avalos at Oregon is very young but he did a great job this year and in prior years at Boise. 

[Zavala 1384]

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Jeff Howe) Texas Defensive Coordinator Hot Board: Where the search begins

 

I like Scalley. It needs to be somebody who can tell Tom to fuck off and let him handle it. Also, get all new defensive coaches, and stop having two fucking WR coaches and taking away one of the defensive coaches. 

[Hookah Horns 3083]

On 12/2/2019 at 8:52 AM, Bevo VIII said:

Weren’t Ohio state fans happy to see ash leave? Their new guy seems to be better than ash was.

Ketchum said he talked to the OSU Rivals guys and they pretty much sucked off Ash and said they hated to see him leave. Direct opposite of how they viewed Beck. 

[Hookah Horns 3083]

1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

The most interesting thing about him is that he’s pretty much the anti-Orlando. Uses a 4 man front. Doesn’t blitz a whole lot. Bases out of quarters with limited play calls out of that, so it’s simple for his defense. He does like to utilize press coverage (like actual press where the DBs get their hands on the WRs, not like how Orlando would walk the DBs up to the line but still give a free release).  He sometimes mixes up his quarters coverage with press man cover 1 and use the extra man to blitz.

Overall, his defense is fairly simple and he focuses a lot on technique, tackling, and natural talent. So again, the anti-Orlando. 

A coupe potential problems. 1) he needs good pass rush from his DL and we don’t have that right now. If he can’t get to the Qb with 4 then his D will struggle. He had JJ Watt at UW and Bosa and others at tOSU so the places where he’s succeeded had significantly more DL talent.

2) because of how simple he plays, someone like Lincoln or Gundy will know exactly what they’re facing and can out-scheme/out-call him. 

3) He asks a lot of his LBs and the safety who is responsible for backside run contain (varies which safety by offensive formation). They have to read and react for both pass and run so PAs and RPOs can eat his defenses up if those players struggle.

I do think Ash could get our secondary playing at a much higher level from a technique standpoint. 

A downside is people at Rutgers hated him and he’s more of Herman from a personality standpoint, which might be problematic for the locker room/morale.

The difference between Ash and Watson is that Watson fucking sucked everywhere he went and was a doomed hire from the start. Ash has had success as a DC at a lot of his stops. It’s just that his success doesn’t translate all that cleanly to here, but he wouldn’t be a definite failure like Watson

He was co-DC at tOSU for two years, not one. He had a ton of success at UW and tOSU, but I agree there are questions about how well that will translate since he was playing caveman offenses that couldn’t take advantage of the simplicity of his defense. 
 

The other problem is Ash requires a lot of talent because he needs his 4 man DL to get pressure, he requires a lot mentally from his LBs, and he leaves his secondary in a ton of man or pattern matching situations without help over the top. tOSU had all that and then some. JJ Watt was a game changer for UW. At Texas, he doesn’t have a force like Bosa or Watt and who knows what we have at LB for him. It’s unclear if he could figure out how to make up for not having what he needs at each level of the defense.

Overall, I don’t think Ash would be a definite failure, like Watson or Beck were known to be before they even got here, but there are definitely better candidates out there that Herman needs to identify and pursue first. 

My biggest issue with hiring Ash isn’t so much Ash himself, but rather what it would say about Herman going for another hire within his circle of knowledge instead of finding the best guy for the job in the entire country.

I'm dubious regarding your premise that basic, fundamentally solid defenses are more likely to get torn apart by creative OCs. A fundamentally solid defense deploying defenders who understand their job and their reads is perfectly capable of limiting Riley and the ilk if the players execute. 

Good defense is rarely the product of tricking the offense/OC. 

[Hiphopopotamos 20869]

22 minutes ago, Hookah Horns said:

I'm dubious regarding your premise that basic, fundamentally solid defenses are more likely to get torn apart by creative OCs. A fundamentally solid defense deploying defenders who understand their job and their reads is perfectly capable of limiting Riley and the ilk if the players execute. 

Good defense is rarely the product of tricking the offense/OC. 

I don’t know if it was IT or whoever, but they argued that the reason Bedford/Orlando were so successful in their first season in the Big 12 is because they had veteran players running a simplified scheme. Once Bedford/Orlando started to complicate their schemes they had their own players more confused than opposing OC’s.  

[Bodacious Bevo 3584]

2 hours ago, Hank_Hill said:

How have Big 12 offenses faired against Big 10 defenses over the past 10 years? Genuinely curious i

How have Big 10 defenses faired against Big 12 offenses over the past say 10 years? Genuinely curious if this point you keep pushing actually means fuck all, but I'm a lazy ass.

Fuck it, I'll do it. Got a spreadsheet going with points, yards, passing yards, rushing yards scored by each team in the game as well as the conference averages in each category for each team that season. I'll go back five years (2015-2019 seasons). That covers one year of Ash at tOSU and I think is a fair representation of current big 12 offenses (well not really with the recent coaching hires but w/e there's no way to measure the impact those will have). If the sample size is bad I'll pull back further. 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

2 hours ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

The whole design of the Veer and Shoot is to stretch the defense out so wide that they have to commit pre-snap. You count the number of defenders in the box and that determines pass/run.  Your WRs are lined up outside the hashes so that safeties have to commit to defending the pass or the run. No reason to run a WR across the middle where a Safety or LB might be able to help. 

This. Clean box count leads to clean reads. Keep the S afraid for their lives with the deep shots, and let the rushing attack do work between the hashes. 

The QB usually knows pre snap if he’s throwing or handing off. The interesting thing is that one side of the field often doesn’t even bother to run a play. The WR’s on that side just stand at the LOS and take a breather. 

Small side note to that, against TTU we ran 5 wide with a rollout left, and hit DD on basically a smash concept. The WR on the far sideline, Epps maybe, never ran a route. He just stood there. 

[HOOK'EMHOOAH 1610]

Beck seemed to do a pretty good job of shutting down every offense he's encountered. Maybe he should get a shot at DC.

[Wishbone 4759]

37 minutes ago, HOOK'EMHOOAH said:

Beck seemed to do a pretty good job of shutting down every offense he's encountered. Maybe he should get a shot at DC.

Ba ba Boom!

[utexas8 1436]

Probably none, because Helton will need to win the Pac 12 next year to keep his job. He's not.

Same could be said about herman.


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[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

17 minutes ago, utexas8 said:

 

 

Same has been said about herman.


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Edited December 4, 2019 by Casual Encounter

[NoName 16351]

13 hours ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Getting Larry Johnson on this staff would be a huge hire. Have no idea if it’s possible - but I hope they’re trying. 

he would be a great hire

BUT is Clint Hurtt an option this time around??? /s

 

[NoName 16351]

10 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I’ve seen him driven around campus by Lowell Galindo.

a burning car crash that had those two in it would either be very, very good or very, very bad

[NoName 16351]

6 hours ago, Zavala said:

I like Scalley. It needs to be somebody who can tell Tom to fuck off and let him handle it. Also, get all new defensive coaches, and stop having two fucking WR coaches and taking away one of the defensive coaches. 

he has already said "thanks, but no thanks" IIRC

[Laga4 1270]

7 hours ago, Hookah Horns said:

I'm dubious regarding your premise that basic, fundamentally solid defenses are more likely to get torn apart by creative OCs. A fundamentally solid defense deploying defenders who understand their job and their reads is perfectly capable of limiting Riley and the ilk if the players execute. 

Good defense is rarely the product of tricking the offense/OC. 

I agree.

Sometimes the defense becomes so complicated it coaches the athleticism out of the player.  

[Thiefery 4995]

I don't know too much about Ash so I'm taking Howe's input that he runs a 4-3 over defense that relies on quick twitching LBs..  Something that we seem to lack.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

11 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

I don't know too much about Ash so I'm taking Howe's input that he runs a 4-3 over defense that relies on quick twitching LBs..  Something that we seem to lack.

So really it will be a nickel over front with press man quarters behind, and stay pretty bland until 3rd down. He’ll be asking a lot of our safeties to correctly read and crash down on the run or help in pass coverage. 

We have the personnel to run this thought the LB’s will be young, and we’ll probably need to bring in a transfer for insurance.