Cignetti - I would think this guy would be at the top of the list for every P5 team that needs a coach.
- Thread starter Vididiot
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I don't understand this point. He was an assistant at Alabama, NC State and Pittsburgh for a total of 17 years. He has not been head coach in power 5 but 17 years as an assistant is pretty good training. He is 52-9 at James Madison.
I also like that he played quarterback at West Virginia and his main position of coaching has been quarterbacks so that is a positive.
I actually think I am beginning to hope this is who it is because we could do a lot worse. I don't know who he is most connected to but if liked them I could live with Frye or Hart possibly being the OC but whoever the coach is he needs people he wants to work with. Frye has a pretty good position at Ohio State.
"Does he, or doesn't he? Only his hair stylist knows for sure!"
Coaches have a shelf life of about 67. After that their success seems to decline rapidly probably because their desire to recruit declines. That would give him five good years. Indiana hasn't ever had five good years so if he executed that he's a home run. If he was 55, he'd probably be at Texas A&M right now so a school like Indiana has to make some compromises.
Yeah this guys been around the block. Coached Rivers and Russell Wilson at NC State, was Alabama’s recruiting coordinator under Saban, and has been successful at multiple programs at multiple levels of college football. He’s 119-35 as a football coach…that’s impressive anywhere.
This number is derived from some well-established research, no doubt.
We are the one few jobs that he could get at his age. A 60 year old Willie Fritz would be a better choice
Chryst would be a better choice. He's still connected across the highest level of college Football and could put together a top level staff by tomorrow.
I don’t think the head coach is as important as the assistants. It’s the assistants who actually interact most with the kids and need to have a great rapport with them. I think CTA may have been the exception to that rule.
Chuckle 🤣
Well his predecessor was Barry Alvarez so that's sort of a tough act to be compared against... (who went 1-0 as interm 😉)
But seriously: He was twice Big Ten Coach of the Year and won three Big Ten West titles so I'd say his record is slightly above average...
Anyone else we're interviewing have those accolades on their resume'?
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Wisconsin’s level of play dropped off towards the end because Chryst stopped recruiting and despised NIL. He walked into an almost impeccable situation at Wisconsin, one he had previously played and coached in. He won’t have that luxury in Bloomington. An uncharismatic statue on the sideline who doesn’t like to recruit sounds like an awful combination.
The key to qualifying or disqualifying Chryst would be to simply ask him what he has learned about FBS level Football since he was fired...
If the first thought to come out of his mouth wasn't concerning better recruiting techniques and the current world of NIL, along with what he'd seen and learned while at Texas concerning that very topic then you simply move onto the next guy...
If the first thought to come out of his mouth wasn't concerning better recruiting techniques and the current world of NIL, along with what he'd seen and learned while at Texas concerning that very topic then you simply move onto the next guy...
So I guess Chryst answered that he still thought Mertz could be a good quarterback... 🤣
Coaching is all about adapting, regardless of the sport. Pretty alarming that Chryst is only employed as an analyst.
It would figure that he would bring most of his Staff with him, right!
I would certainly hope so. It also sounds like several would already know how to get from Memorial Stadium to Nick's.
Looks like a good early call here. Bravo!
Let's hope he can pull together a great staff and hit the ground running.
His DC played at Ball State and coached at IU
One of his DB coaches also coached at IU
DL coach also coached (grad asst) at IU
To me, being 62 is a non-factor... I'm 70 and the majority of my friends are all still very active and working to some degree and staying in shape.
I really believe the saying.... 70 is the new 60.... or... 60 is the new 50... or... 50 is the new 40..... is true.
I'm convinced that not only me but the majority of my friends who are my age look, think and feel many years younger than the generations before us....
It's trending where more and more people who could retire don't .... and it's not because they have to work.... they WANT to because they're still very good at their game and they're enjoying it.
Cignetti seems to me to be that kind of person....I think he could easily go for another 10-12 years
... and spending 10 years coaching at the same school is like an eternity regardless of age.
These guys are a bunch of youngsters!! 😁
Ranking Oldest College Football Coaches in 2023
| Coach | Team | Age (Birthday) |
|---|---|---|
| Mack Brown | North Carolina | 72 (Aug. 27, 1951) |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 71 (Oct. 31, 1951) |
| Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | 69 (Aug. 1, 1955) |
| Don Brown | UMass | 68 (July 31, 1955) |
| Terry Bowden | UL-Monroe | 67 (Feb. 25, 1956) |
| Craig Bohl | Wyoming | 65 (July 27, 1958) |
| Rick Stockstill | Middle Tennessee | 65 (Dec. 23, 1957) |
| Brady Hoke | San Diego State | 64 (Nov. 3, 1958) |
| K.C. Keeler | Sam Houston | 64 (July 26, 1959) |
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | 63 (Nov. 21, 1959) |
| Willie Fritz | Tulane | 63 (Apr. 2, 1960) |
| Biff Poggi | Charlotte | 63 (June 6, 1960) |
Hope so. I'm 57, in good shape, and I sure would not want to work that hard anymore. Sounds like a good hire in most other respects, so I'm on board with it. He's just not a guy who will be here more than 8-10 years (or less). But that's looking way down the road and we have immediate priorities that are more important.
Yes - they do hear any angle that opposing schools would put out there.
The kids at IU basketball probably heard that all the time about Woodson.
If he was 10 years younger, I would be all for it. Why does IU keep hiring coaches that are Social Security eligible? You are supposed to retire at 62! Bob Knight was 32 and Bill Mallory was 49 when they started at IU. DeBoer is 49.
In regards to him being 62…It is ”ideal”, not really but on the other hand since 1996 we have had 6 coaches and the number of seasons each have lasted has been 5, 3, 2, 4, 5 and 7. It would be great if he had a good 5-7 year run with a capable heir apparent on staff (and/or if he made this a more appealing job for coaches from other programs).
And if the coach is young they hear that he is inexperienced and has no NBA connections.
