BADGERS HIRE FORMER VIKING SLASH KICKER- Page 51

[Kerb Hohl]

Man, it would be really nice if he could work for a guy that has connections all over those areas.

Look, I know it isn't incredibly easy to develop some of those connections, but I think people are making it also sound way too hard. Like he doesn't know the Minneapolis area code and only can call people in Utah or something?

I understand you have to get buddy-buddy with some of the HS coaches, but I think this can be developed pretty quickly. Wisconsin's reputation is known in the Midwest.

Did Pete Carroll make all of his west coach connections coaching the offense for a year at Pacific in the 80s?

Chip Kelly must have really had some problems calling Texas, California, and Oregon coaches given that he was never west of Columbia.

Given that NFL scouts and other coaches are positive about this hire, I'm sure the guy will adapt and find a new pipeline that makes sense. Honestly, I'll worry about it if next year he loses 3 of the top 5 in-state recruits to Urban Meyer since OSU is routinely stealing WI recruits from us and has a bunch of 2 star Utah kids running the next recruiting class.

[xTitan]

Man, it would be really nice if he could work for a guy that has connections all over those areas.

Look, I know it isn't incredibly easy to develop some of those connections, but I think people are making it also sound way too hard. Like he doesn't know the Minneapolis area code and only can call people in Utah or something?

I understand you have to get buddy-buddy with some of the HS coaches, but I think this can be developed pretty quickly. Wisconsin's reputation is known in the Midwest.

Did Pete Carroll make all of his west coach connections coaching the offense for a year at Pacific in the 80s?

Chip Kelly must have really had some problems calling Texas, California, and Oregon coaches given that he was never west of Columbia.

But this is why it is important, incredibly important, that he keep a couple of the three remaining assistants if they cover those areas (Strickland is big in WI) or find some assistants with deep ties to those areas...the HC closes, but the assistants do all the hard work.

[xTitan]

let's hope this is true....his team is Seattle and they have a great rookie LB from USU named Wagner.

Chris Maragos ‏@ChrisMaragos
Per guys on our team that played under coach Anderson." best recruiter they've ever seen, defensive mastermind

[Kerb Hohl]

Man, it would be really nice if he could work for a guy that has connections all over those areas.

Look, I know it isn't incredibly easy to develop some of those connections, but I think people are making it also sound way too hard. Like he doesn't know the Minneapolis area code and only can call people in Utah or something?

I understand you have to get buddy-buddy with some of the HS coaches, but I think this can be developed pretty quickly. Wisconsin's reputation is known in the Midwest.

Did Pete Carroll make all of his west coach connections coaching the offense for a year at Pacific in the 80s?

Chip Kelly must have really had some problems calling Texas, California, and Oregon coaches given that he was never west of Columbia.

But this is why it is important, incredibly important, that he keep a couple of the three remaining assistants if they cover those areas (Strickland is big in WI) or find some assistants with deep ties to those areas...the HC closes, but the assistants do all the hard work.

Barry Alvarez is the AD. Relax. We can be pissed about him not wanting to adapt in some ways, but he's also smart enough to keep this stuff in line.

Are we really worried about Alvarez hiring a guy that is going to completely cut off the local pipeline?

I realize that again I may sound eagerly more in favor of this hire, but some of you guys are just digging all over the place for reasons to hate it.

I'll make this prediction: in 2018 his name will be several times larger than Paul Chryst in college football.

[BUCKnation]

Good to hear that he runs an aggressive defense that presses. No more 15 yd cushions on 3rd and 3!!!

[LUKE23]

http://athlonsports.collegeexpertsclub. ... ts/id/1362

Final Analysis

Wisconsin was caught off-guard by Bielema’s departure and considering the length of the coaching search, the fanbase was starting to get restless. However, athletic director Barry Alvarez made one of the best hires of the offseason, selecting Utah State’s Gary Andersen as Wisconsin’s new coach. Andersen’s background on defense and reputation for developing talent is a perfect fit in Madison. The former Utah State head coach will likely tweak his offensive scheme to focus more on the run, but the Badgers should have one of the Big Ten’s best defenses under Andersen’s watch.

As with any coaching hire, it’s important to look past the overall record and dive into the factors surrounding the head coach that contributed or hurt his success. Andersen inherited a program that won nine games in the four years prior to his arrival and led it to its first 10-win season in 2012. Even though he’s not a big-name candidate like Miami’s Al Golden or Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads, Andersen is a home run hire at Wisconsin and should keep the Badgers in the mix for the Leaders Division title every year.

Grading Wisconsin’s Hire of Gary Andersen: A+

[ReasonablySober]

Mandel also called it a home run hire.

Andersen is a big-time coach. Alvarez, after two weeks of secrecy, just made a big-time hire. And now, Wisconsin is positioned to remain a big-time program for years to come.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/colleg ... z2FWFo1yLd

[ReasonablySober]

Defensive line coach is coming along for the ride.

[LUKE23]

Is the Utah DL coach a confirmed hire? He'd be a good get.

[ReasonablySober]

Lots of places reporting it. Wonder if he's coming along to be the DC.

[Turk Nowitzki]

Defensive line coach is coming along for the ride.

The pronounciation of his last name is awesome.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Sounds like a genuinely great guy. Not sure many coaches would do something like this...

Rittenberg/Bennett ‏@ESPN_BigTen
The anti-Todd Graham RT @TomMulhernWSJ: Utah State coach Gary Andersen called every one of his players after news broke. Took till 2:30 am.

[chuckleslove]

Defensive line coach is coming along for the ride.

The pronounciation of his last name is awesome.

Even better if you say it in a "Count" from sesame street voice.

[humanrefutation]

FWIW, a good friend of mine told me that his best friend, Oakland Raiders Guard Tony Bergstrom, was one of Andersen's final Utah recruits. He said that Andersen was a top notch recruiter and did an outstanding job swaying Bergstrom to Utah.

[Bernman]

Defensive line coach is coming along for the ride.

The pronounciation of his last name is awesome.

He can't really get offended if you laugh while you're saying it - Kauhahahahaha

Fun fact included in his bio, his brother is former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove. That's a TUF lot.

Yeah, I'm alright with the hire.

- He seems like an astute guy.
- Nearly ideal trajectory at Utah St. where they had a little higher win total and were much more competitive than previous initially, but not so much so you worry it was due to the talent of the previous staff, and then after a couple years the program really took off to something they had seldom if ever been.
- Fine with the installation of the 3-4, as we looked good running that amoeba, and have been getting a lot of quality LB's/undersized DE's but immobile DT's.
- On the recruiting front, I like that he recruits in state like was speculated about me, but am not really a fan of the Cali recruiting. Then again he operated close to there. He'll have to adapt his recruiting strategy to Wisconsin's situation if he wants to have optimum realistic success. That's winning a B1G championship every few years, and possibly a national championship in a special season. We don't need to recruit like Ohio State to beat them enough. We beat them pretty often in the Cooper years doing things our way. We beat them early in the Tressel years. Late in the Tressel years we should have beaten them much more if it weren't for bad coaching. We would have beaten Meyer this year if not for bad coaching and reffing. Keep doing the same things for the most part in recruiting, maximize Wisconsin even more, amp up recruiting in the northeast, be selective in the traditional recruiting states, make better decisions on the sidelines, and the wins will come against OSU.

[El Duderino]

Well, the more I have read, the more I like. The guy is clearly a good defensive coach and just watching/listening to him appears to be a coach players will like to play for. My one true concern at this point is how well he can transition in terms of scheme, with blending what he knows into a pro style attack based on power running. I also hope we retain a few of the assistants with good recruiting ties.

I agree

At first i was caught off guard by the hire. but i've yet the read or hear anyone around the college game who doesn't think think very highly of Andersen.

Hopefully he can quickly get in contact with Bret's highly thought of recruiting class and get most of the kids to stay committed to Wisconsin.

[MickeyDavis]

Yeah it sure seems as if all of the "experts" are on board with this hire. It will be interesting to see if/how many recruits we lose or how many from US come here (if we want them/have room for them)

[RiotPunch]

Loved this hire last night and I love it even more today.

[MickeyDavis]

Late last night/early this morning I stumbled on a story in the Herald Journal News (based in Logan, Utah).

According to the report, Gary Andersen expects to bring four assistants with him to Wisconsin: defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, offensive line coach T.J. Woods, special teams coordinator/safeties coach Bill Busch and Utah defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a.

Offensive coordinator Matt Wells appears to be the front-runner to replace Andersen at Utah State. If he gets the job he'll likely want to retain some members of the Utah State staff.

If those numbers are accurate, that leaves several positions open on Andersen’s first UW staff.

I’ve been told Thomas Hammock (running backs) and Ben Strickland (assistant secondary/in-state recruiter) likely will be retained.

I know UW athletic director Barry Alvarez likes what he sees in interim offensive line coach Bart Miller, who turned a dysfunctional line into a formidable unit after taking over in Week 3.

Like Bob Bostad before him (in 2006 and ’07), Miller could work with the tight ends if needed. My personal view is he should get the first crack at staying with the line. The job he did this season has been remarkable.

With Wells poised to stay at Utah State, UW will need an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.

UW can find a way to convince Matt Canada to stay at UW rather than take the job at North Carolina State.
Canada wants to stay at UW. Fans continue to underestimate the obstacles he faced throughout the season.

If you don’t believe me, compare the offensive numbers to those put up by UW in 2008 under Paul Chryst, who faced fewer challenges that season than Canada faced in 2012.

Alvarez knows how valuable Charlie Partridge has been for five seasons, both as a defensive line coach and a recruiter.

He is set to join Bret Bielema’s staff at Arkansas. Find a way to keep him at UW.

Asked recently if Partridge might consider staying at UW once a new head coach was hired and the situation had stabilized, Partridge said the five years at UW have been the best five years of his professional career.

Like defensive end Brendan Kelly, who got a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, UW needs to find a way to keep Partridge on for a sixth year and beyond.

[crkone]

I agree with all of that, but I think only a few assistants will be back.