Prediction? Pain.
12-18-2017, 04:44 PM
Since it's a bit of a slow news day, I thought I'd pass on an interesting coaching-search article that I came across this afternoon. The article provides insight on the hiring process from the perspective of a school's administration and focuses upon the importance of face-to-face interviews. Despite its source and author -- everyone's favorite combo of AL.com and John Talty -- I found it a worthwhile read, especially given some of what Cohen has to say about how he approached the search that yielded Moorhead. (Cohen may have made similar statements elsewhere, but I hadn't read or heard them.)
Here is the article:
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/behind_closed_doors_good_coach.html (http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/behind_closed_doors_good_coach.html)
And here's the MSU-only stuff if you don't want to read the whole article (though you should know that there's some always fun Mike Leach and Ed Orgeron talk in the full piece):
When Dan Mullen decided to leave Starkville for Florida, Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen already had four or five good candidates in mind for the vacant position. Cohen interviewed multiple candidates including [Jeremy] Pruitt but decided on Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead in part because of a stellar in-person interview experience.
"We interviewed some coaches I think are going to be outstanding coaches at the (Power 5) level, but they probably weren't the greatest fit for us at Mississippi State right now," Cohen said. "Fit for us was really important, and that's the importance of going eyeball-to-eyeball with someone and sitting in the same room. You have an idea from talking on the phone but at the same time sitting in the same room becomes an important factor . . . ."
At Mississippi State, Jared Benko, the athletic department's CFO, and Bo Hemphill, deputy AD of development, both assisted Cohen with in-person interviews. The Mississippi State AD wanted their perspectives on how the potential hires could impact alumni donations and the overall financials of the athletic department. When the school started focusing on Moorhead, the big question was how a coach with little ties to the South -- his last three coaching stints were at Penn State, Fordham and UConn -- could succeed at MSU. Cohen talked to Moorhead on the phone and then met with him twice in two days to gather as much information as possible on how a potential marriage would work. They asked the Penn State offensive coordinator point-blank how he'd connect with recruits from rural areas of the Deep South.
Moorhead won over the room with his answer, saying "If a kid is passionate about football, if he's passionate about being a good student-athlete, then we can connect instantly just like we connected in this room."
"That was a pretty powerful statement," Cohen said, "and I believe that. I believe he can connect with anybody."
Here is the article:
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/behind_closed_doors_good_coach.html (http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/behind_closed_doors_good_coach.html)
And here's the MSU-only stuff if you don't want to read the whole article (though you should know that there's some always fun Mike Leach and Ed Orgeron talk in the full piece):
When Dan Mullen decided to leave Starkville for Florida, Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen already had four or five good candidates in mind for the vacant position. Cohen interviewed multiple candidates including [Jeremy] Pruitt but decided on Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead in part because of a stellar in-person interview experience.
"We interviewed some coaches I think are going to be outstanding coaches at the (Power 5) level, but they probably weren't the greatest fit for us at Mississippi State right now," Cohen said. "Fit for us was really important, and that's the importance of going eyeball-to-eyeball with someone and sitting in the same room. You have an idea from talking on the phone but at the same time sitting in the same room becomes an important factor . . . ."
At Mississippi State, Jared Benko, the athletic department's CFO, and Bo Hemphill, deputy AD of development, both assisted Cohen with in-person interviews. The Mississippi State AD wanted their perspectives on how the potential hires could impact alumni donations and the overall financials of the athletic department. When the school started focusing on Moorhead, the big question was how a coach with little ties to the South -- his last three coaching stints were at Penn State, Fordham and UConn -- could succeed at MSU. Cohen talked to Moorhead on the phone and then met with him twice in two days to gather as much information as possible on how a potential marriage would work. They asked the Penn State offensive coordinator point-blank how he'd connect with recruits from rural areas of the Deep South.
Moorhead won over the room with his answer, saying "If a kid is passionate about football, if he's passionate about being a good student-athlete, then we can connect instantly just like we connected in this room."
"That was a pretty powerful statement," Cohen said, "and I believe that. I believe he can connect with anybody."