My coaching staff thoughts

[Todd4State]

Wow! It seems like a couple of days ago people were freaking out because no one was hired. Well, Coach Moorhead put an end to that. And I like what I'm seeing and hearing.

HC/OC- Coach Moorhead. We landed one of the top offensive minds in the college game who also has some head coaching experience at the FCS level. I'm looking forward to seeing how he does and maybe to a more "smarter" and "analytical" approach to MSU football. I don't believe that there are any analytics that would suggest that running Brandon Holloway up the middle ad nauseum is a good idea. Moorhead is an upgrade in recruiting as well and I think he is going to do really well and help us take that next step to going from an 8 win team to a 10 win team.

QB- Andrew Breiner. I think he is going to be at least as good as Elliott. It's kind of a necessary hire in a way because Moorhead needs someone tthat can manage the offense when he is doing other head coaching things. Breiner helped him develop his offense and was thought well enough to get the head coaching job at Fordham.

RB- Charles Huff. Yes, he was at Penn State but he is also rated as the fourth best recruiter in the country by 247 sports. He has coached in the NFL and also at Vanderbilt and is from Tennessee. He's the guy that coached Saquon Barkley. Upgrade over Knox.

WR- Joe Brady (rumored). Getting someone from the NFL who was the Saints offensive assistant this year is a good move as well. If there is one thing Ole Miss loves it's an in state 4-5 star WR and they go all out to get them. A guy with NFL coaching experience to sell could benefit us in that arms race. Upgrade over Gonzalez.

TE- Hud. I LOVE IT! Tons of connections in Mississippi including some of the more difficult places for us to recruit. If Hud stays I don't think the Army AA Game debacle of 2011 happens. He's also a pretty good coach- the main reason he started to lose was because ULL was on probation because of David Saunders. It's also probably not a coincidence that Dan's offense became pretty boring after Hud left. I think he is going to bring that creativity back to MSU as well. I do feel bad for DJ Looney and I hope we find a spot for him maybe as a recruiting analyst if he wants it.

OL- Marcus Johnson. Yes, he has ties to Ole Miss, but he also has Coach34's phone number and that pretty much cancels out the Ole Miss ties. The Ole Miss thing doesn't bother me at all. See Joe Lee Dunn, Bob Tyler, Tom Goode, and Melvin Smith among other examples. He's a young guy with Mississippi ties who can also probably fill Joe Moorhead in on about how the Ole Miss Network works. And I know the bar was set low, but I think this is a HUGE upgrade over Hevesy.

DC/S- Bob Shoop. An aggressive DC with SEC experience to replace Todd Grantham? Here you go. This guy is one of the main reasons why Vanderbilt had success on defense under James Franklin and then he continued that trend at Penn State. Tennessee was probably a poor career choice- but he gets a pass on that from me. And let's not forget that Grantham had some "concerns" coming in to us- remember the third and Grantham warnings? So, we get a guy that has been a head coach in the Ivy League and went to Yale. It seems like a logical fit for our new staff. I also like the fact that he coaches safeties because that means that they will get his undivided attention this year. I'm going to say push here because Grantham did a really good job.

DL- Brian Baker (rumored to be staying). Good defensive line coach with NFL experience. I kind of have to call this a push for obvious reasons.

LB- ?????? (Rumored to be a NFL guy). I don't know who it will be but I would imagine anyone with a NFL background would be attractive to recruits.

CB- Ashley Ambrose (rumored). I like this hire. He coaches at Boise State and is from the New Orleans area. He also played at Mississippi Valley State and might help out in the delta some. He also has NFL experience as a player and was pretty good. I like T-Buck but I think Ambrose will be a slight upgrade.

ST- Scott Fountain (rumored). He would be the 10th coach so he wouldn't come on board until January. He has a lot of SEC experience at Auburn and is an analyst for Georgia. He has also coached at Florida State and Middle Tennessee State and he looks like a ST guru pretty much. The good thing about Hevesy leaving is we can use this spot on a special teams guy and maximize our staff spots. I like this hire and it's good to see Joe paying attention to special teams unlike someone else we know.

K/P- Chris Boniol (rumored to be staying). I love having a NFL kicking coach on staff because that is only going to help us to attract really good kickers and punters. Boniol is a big reason why our special teams turned around under Dan.

[DogsofAnarchy]

Like your analysis but in the end of the day for those of us that have coached, it’s WAY more important how this staff interacts and works together in planning. That is really the key to having a strong staff.

[MaroonFlounder]

I’m uneasy about the TCUN OL coach. If he lets one hoddy totty escape his lips around our players, he should resign out of principle.

[Ari Gold]

I’m uneasy about the TCUN OL coach. If he lets one hoddy totty escape his lips around our players, he should resign out of principle.

That’s then LAST thing that needs to be a concern. Let’s all just drop this theory now..

[ShotgunDawg]

Out of Bounds‏
@bobounds
3m3 minutes ago

Just got off the phone w @CFBMatrix “Hawgs made a crappy hire” “the Shoop hire is big-time, would take him over Grantham” #Hawgs #HailState

[ShotgunDawg]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Moorhead/Shoop combo is now the best OC/DC combo in the country from an analytical standpoint.

[Ari Gold]

I know one thing for a fact.
There isn’t a happier group of players than the OL.
They don’t have to listen and put up with that jackass anymore.

[HoopsDawg]

I think it's a great mix of coaches with ties to the south, the SEC, the NFL, and to Moorhead's systems.

My favorite hires are Huff, Hud, and Ambrose.

[Coach34]

The things I like about Marcus vs Hevesy:

Southern guy vs Yankee "asshole personality"
Marcus has played in the SEC and did it at a high level- Hev didnt
Marcus is passionate about OL and loved being one. I think that will translate well into his teaching of the position

[msstate7]

The things I like about Marcus vs Hevesy:

Southern guy vs Yankee "asshole personality"
Marcus has played in the SEC and did it at a high level- Hev didnt
Marcus is passionate about OL and loved being one. I think that will translate well into his teaching of the position

What type of blocking did duke do mostly?

[maroonmania]

Out of Bounds‏
@bobounds
3m3 minutes ago

Just got off the phone w @CFBMatrix “Hawgs made a crappy hire” “the Shoop hire is big-time, would take him over Grantham” #Hawgs #HailState

Which Hawgs hire is he talking about? I actually like the Morris hire. Did they hire a DC he thought was crappy?

[phatdog]

thanks for sharing

[ShotgunDawg]

Which Hawgs hire is he talking about? I actually like the Morris hire. Did they hire a DC he thought was crappy?

He is talking about the Morris hire.

Chad Morris is an interesting debate as he appears to get way too much credit for landing Deshaun Watson at Clemson & then creating a good offense with him. Morris' reputation appears to be better than his results. Now....I realize that the SMU job is very tough, but Morris has no real recruiting or defensive background that can give hope that he will solve Arkansas' issues.

So that I don't have to regurgitate the entire debate, I'll just copy & past an SB Nation article that does not like the Morris hire.

Arkansas Razorbacks
Incoming: Chad Morris (3 years, 14-22 (0-0 bowls, though lead SMU to a bid in 2017).


Outgoing: Bret Bielema (12 years 97-58, (29-34, 2-1 SEC) 4-5 Bowls) Three-time Big 10 Champion 2010-2012, 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year

Jeremy Pruitt to Tennessee is a defensible (but poor) gamble for a program with a win-now mentality. But, hey, maybe lightning will strike twice, ya’ know? Arkansas may not be swinging for the fences quite like the Vols, but nothing about this hire is inspiring. Literally not one thing. Every reason for hiring Morris, including and primarily, his recruiting in Texas, were present with Mike Leach. The difference is that Mike Leach did them a lot better, a lot longer, and with a lot more success. But Mike Leach was going to cost a lot more than $3.5 million per year.

Arkansas’ biggest problem since joining the SEC has always been assembling a championship-caliber defense. That is a task made difficult by the lack of high school talent in the Natural State. So, it makes perfect sense to hire an offensively-minded Morris, who has had one winning season in three at SMU and whose teams couldn’t play defense in the AAC or keep up offensively? Huh? Career 14-22 Chad Morris? Beat three team teams with a .500 or better record in three years Chad Morris? That Chad Morris?

As for that alleged recruiting pipeline? For a long-time high school coach in Texas, it never paid off. Period. SMU finished midway in the AAC recruiting rankings just once (2016 the other two years, his Mustangs were 8th in a 12-team conference. REMINDER: SMU is actually in Texas and two of Morris’ teams exclusively signed Texas players.

Grade: F/D- This is despicable. Next time, match Auburn’s $7m/year for Gus Malzahn or just focus on being a basketball school. Morris, like Jimbo, has a fully-guaranteed deal. So, the Razorbacks can’t even afford to fire this guy until 2021 at the earliest. And his contract runs through an ungodly 2023. For the sake of the conference, I hope I’m wrong. As an Alabama fan, I’m LMAO.

[ShotgunDawg]

Here is that same article's view of the MSU hire

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Incoming: Joe Moorhead (4 years, 38-13 (all FCS), three playoff appearances) conference championship (2014, Patriot League CotY 2014, led Fordham to its best start in school history (10-straight victories).

Outgoing: Dan Mullen (see supra.)


When it became apparent early in 2017 that this would be the year for Dan Mullen to get out while the gettin’ was good, State began quietly compiling its roster. They quietly interviewed a nice mix of young and old, experienced and otherwise, defensive and offensive minds before quickly and quietly settling on one of the steals of the offseason --one of the nation’s best offensive coordinators, Penn State’s Joe Moorhead. When it was announced, we had nothing but praise for both the hire and the way ‘State conducted its search.

A week later, it’s getting even harder to fault the hire. Moorhead has already landed Penn State’s former DC, Bob Shoop. He also poached Penn State’s running back coach, Charles Huff. This may already be the third-best staff in the SEC West, and it’s not even complete.

Who would have thought that Mississippi State would be the team to give you pause down the road? You don’t see Moorhead and Co. staying in Starkville very long, but provided the recruiting is there, the Bulldogs will will be trouble.

Grade A: Just a superb hire.

[BrunswickDawg]

That last paragraph pisses me off though.

?You don?t see Moorhead and company staying in Starkville long...?

**** those ****ers. I bet Moorhead - assuming he wins - stays as long as Dern Mullett.

[was21]

DOA, since you've coached I have a question. Moorhead is assembling a number of coaches who have been head coaches. It seems to me that once a guy has been the head coach, he may have problems adjusting to not being the head coach and could get into too many second guesses and clash of ego. Do you see that as possible potential problem..thx

[ShotgunDawg]

That last paragraph pisses me off though.

?You don?t see Moorhead and company staying in Starkville long...?

**** those ****ers. I bet Moorhead - assuming he wins - stays as long as Dern Mullett.

That's just Bama people being Bama people.

Even when they write solid stuff the credibility takes a hit due to lines of homerism.

I just copied the article because the author had already done the research on the stats of Morris.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Which team other than Saban had a longer tenure coach than Mullen? Miles at LSU was it. 17 this guy. Win and win big at MSU. Year in and out. Still get picked 7th in the west. I am straight tired of this shit and if I were a player, every interview I would answer a question with, "Well for the X year in a row you guys pick us 7th in the west, and you will be wrong yet again, but in response to whatever question you asked, 17 you". ///drop mic

[NCDawg]

That last paragraph pisses me off though.

?You don?t see Moorhead and company staying in Starkville long...?

**** those ****ers. I bet Moorhead - assuming he wins - stays as long as Dern Mullett.

Doesn't piss me off. If Moorhead gets us to Atlanta, he is free to leave for wherever he chooses as far as I'm concerned.