BADGERS HIRE FORMER VIKING SLASH KICKER- Page 51

[xTitan]

After reading about it Andersen looks like a very good hire. Alvarez is still coaching the Rose Bowl right?

You are correct

[RiotPunch]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLioSfupTzI[/youtube]

GO BADGERS INSTEAD OF ON WISCONSIN?? FIRE HIM!!!1!!

I'm pumped up. Can't wait to hear what our final staff is going to look like.

[RiotPunch]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNe69NYcXoo[/youtube]

[El Duderino]

OK boys, this is Andersen's first interview with Mike Lucas....youtube interview. I came away very impressed, love the defensive philsophy, understands hire quality assistants with Midwest ties for recruiting, and the offensive part will be real interesting, wants power running, passing, and some option. I would feel very good right now if I am Bart Houston....he does all three.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNe69NYc ... e=youtu.be

After the initial surprise of the hire and i did some reading on him, i found myself liking Andersen more and more.

Following college football over many years, it been clear that no new hire to a program is a lock to work out given how many quality football programs regressed a little to a lot after a winning coach left, regardless of how good a new hire seemed at the time. That said, i just have a good gut feeling about Andersen and would rather have him than pretty much any of the other rumored candidates besides maybe Petersen.

He seems very strong on the X's/O's of the game and he and his staff developed players well at Utah St., something i thought Bielema and his staff did well for the most part during his tenure at WI. The biggest keys i see which will end up dictating how much success Andersen has during his time as coach will be can he personally recruit well and will he be able to put together quality groups of assistants. Bielema certainly had his faults, but given how in demand so many of the assistants he hired ended up being, that was a strength of his and it's a big key to the success of any head coach because assistant not only have to develop high school kids into quality college players, they also need to be able to recruit well.

[DH34Phan]

It's crazy to think that Wisconsin won only 1 bowl game in the 101 years of football before Barry Alvarez took over.

[UWHoTrain]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNe69NYcXoo[/youtube]

Did anyone else think his speaking cadence/phrasing sounded really similar to MM in this video?

[th87]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNe69NYcXoo[/youtube]

Did anyone else think his speaking cadence/phrasing sounded really similar to MM in this video?

Ha yeah, it does.

[ReasonablySober]

OK boys, this is Andersen's first interview with Mike Lucas....youtube interview. I came away very impressed, love the defensive philsophy, understands hire quality assistants with Midwest ties for recruiting, and the offensive part will be real interesting, wants power running, passing, and some option. I would feel very good right now if I am Bart Houston....he does all three.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNe69NYc ... e=youtu.be

Christ, I'm ready to run through a goddamn brick wall.

He reminds me of Frank Beamer. Couldn't be more excited to get him here.

[humanrefutation]

Those interviews were just a ton of coach speak that I didn't take much away from, which is understandable because I'm sure these last 72 hours have been a whirlwind for him. He has an understated way about him that I respect, and he seems like the kind of coach that players would love to play for. I'll take a wait-and-see approach on him, but I'm comfortable with what I've read so far.

[MickeyDavis]

Highlights from the presser

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez conducted face-to-face interviews as he searched UW’s next football coach:

Mel Tucker of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dave Clawson of Bowling Green and Gary Andersen of Utah State.

After the first session with Andersen, who was the third candidate to interview, Alvarez said to a UW official:
“I think he is a slam dunk.”

Mixed metaphor aside, the 48-year-old Andersen on Friday was introduced as UW’s head football coach.

Andersen replaces Bret Bielema, who left three days after UW’s victory over Nebraska in the Big Ten title game to take over the Arkansas program.

“It’s been an unbelievable three days,” said Andersen, who interviewed Monday “When you are given the opportunity to sit down with coach Alvarez in an interview, it is a special experience.

“Everybody knows this program is where it is today because coach Alvarez built this program from the ground up. Had a great opportunity to watch from afar for a number of years as a young coach and have tremendous respect for what’s happened here and the way the kids play.

“When I had the opportunity to start looking into this job…it didn’t take me long. When coach offered me the job I just said yes. I think I shocked him a little bit.

“I didn’t ask any questions. I just held my hand in the air and was ready to go.”

Alvarez insisted he did not offer the job to any other candidate but Andersen, who turned Utah State from a laughingstock into a top-20 program in four seasons.

Throughout the interview session, Alvarez grilled Andersen about his view of running a program.

“Talk to me about your community involvement,” Alvarez said. “How important is the state? High school coaches relationships. Where are you going to recruit?

“I went through everything. I don’t leave a stone unturned. I need to hear his plan about everything. I wanted to make sure he had thought that plan out. He had a book ready for me on most of it.

“A lot of it was on all the things he believes in – his rules, his regulations, all those things.

“He is not coming in here trying to figure out what to do. He’s got a plan for success already.

“And he implemented it.”

Part of that plan includes building a cohesive staff.

Andersen said Friday he plans to bring three or four assistants from Utah State, reach out to a couple at other schools and then mix in several current UW coaches.

Ben Strickland, a graduate of Brookfield Central High School and former walk-on at UW, will be back in 2013. Strickland, an assistant secondary coach, is in his first season as a full-time assistant.

According to Alvarez, Strickland’s worth as a recruiter is immeasurable.

“Benny was very important,” Alvarez said. “When you listen to the recruits, when you listen to the high school coaches…I had a high school coach at practice the other day and they all talk about Ben.

“Ben in a short amount of time has built a tremendous rapport with the high school coaches and every recruit.

“He is holding the recruiting class together. He is calling guys…And now you’ve got somebody in place. Now you’ve got the guy…

“Our recruiting will be fine.”

[RiotPunch]

@ESPN_BigTen: Wisconsin RBs coach Thomas Hammock expected to remain on Gary Andersen's staff, according to a source. VERY good news for Badgers.

Awesome news. Hammock is the best RB coach in the country and one of our best recruiters. I was really worried that he was going to leave.

[MickeyDavis]

In college ball I'm more concerned with an assistant's recruiting ability than his actual coaching ability.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

@ESPN_BigTen: Wisconsin RBs coach Thomas Hammock expected to remain on Gary Andersen's staff, according to a source. VERY good news for Badgers.

Awesome news. Hammock is the best RB coach in the country and one of our best recruiters. I was really worried that he was going to leave.

I remember some of you guys doubted me when I said you guys were getting a good recruiter in Hammock. He got most of Brew's top recruits including Gray. Brew may have sucked as a coach, but he did put together some top 25 classes.

[RiotPunch]

Yeah, I'm a huge Hammock fan. Great recruiter, for sure. Those who doubted you need a healthy serving of burnt crow.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

One of my friends goes to Vegas every year for the Badger Football golf outing and he played with Hammock last year. He said that he was easily the coolest coach to play with in all of his years attending the outing.

[midranger]

Locking up Strickland and Hammock is HUGE for continuity of recruiting. If they can get Partridge back, we'll be set there.

[xTitan]

In college ball I'm more concerned with an assistant's recruiting ability than his actual coaching ability.

Usually I agree and I do to a certain extent, but at UW you do not get many 4 star athletes, the ability to develop talent their is huge.

[xTitan]

Locking up Strickland and Hammock is HUGE for continuity of recruiting. If they can get Partridge back, we'll be set there.

I have no idea where Partridge would actually coach, Andersen is bringing in an excellent d-coordinator and apparently a very good d-line coach.

[Bernman]

Locking up Strickland and Hammock is HUGE for continuity of recruiting. If they can get Partridge back, we'll be set there.

I have no idea where Partridge would actually coach, Andersen is bringing in an excellent d-coordinator and apparently a very good d-line coach.

Agreed, Anderson will be the primary strategist on D, and Kauhahahaha will coach DL's (which Partridge didn't seem to do well anyway). I don't know if there's much of a role for him anymore. I think Anderson should just try to talk some sense into James and co. to get them to stay. His defensive philosophies sound very intriguing and favorable to playmakers.

The most important assistant hire at this point will be OC. I'd like to see them lure Rudolph back over for his tutelage under Chryst and midwest recruiting ties. BA and GA talked about getting a couple assistants who recruit the midwest into the fold. So far I think only Strickland is on board.

[midranger]

Partridge could coach LBs.