Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Summary:

Somewhat disappointing, there are years where you don't hit the reset button on the team.

Offense was a challenge, defense was good.

In 2022 Austin started four games. Led us to the ASU victory. Played well. So when Taylor Powell moved on we kept Austin and didn't look for that transfer quarterback. Austin decided to move on but is a great person, but it wasn't clicking for us, it was a group project but we didn't get production from that position. Have added three QBs, one is Snyder, who we faced twice. Drew Viotto, we had him ready to go to EMU until Minnesota got him. Our youngest QB is an early enroll. Expecting productive QB play.

It's very, very different to see College football with transfer portals. We won the portal three years ago, two years ago, but we didn't win it a year ago. Had 24 new players in this year, with a whole other round coming in April. Don't know if we will lose anybody. We're attacking it. NIL exacerbates the issues with the transfer portal with a lure of more money and people need to be super careful with that. We are still also dealing with COVID until the '25 season - will still have that extra year of eligibility - guys are graduating academically with two years left. People are getting to end of the career here and saying they want to use that last year at a big time program. We have to think about building a team every six months. We have even seen seven-year players with medical redshirts.

UMass we've played 3 years in a row now this year, I think they've been in the MAC before and played a lot of MAC teams, from a football perspective it makes sense for them. For the conference it's an odd number again and we just realigned to four pods.

Facilities changes are coming, tearing the track out of the stadium. Our track program is a dominant track program since the '68 Olympics. They are getting their own standalone track stadium. With that track out it will be wall to wall turf (green and grey). Fans will feel closer to the action.

Maxx Crosby's only offer was EMU - give credit to Brad McCaslin for finding him in Dallas. Maxx grew up in Michigan so it was a longer story, but he moved to Texas, we invited him and saw a 6'5 frame, he reunited with his old friend Andrews and we offered both. Sure are glad we did.

Super proud of Kalen DeBoer, not sure how the coaching tree works but really proud to have worked with him. I knew I needed to be a full time culture coach when I came in and told Kalen he had to be the OC. Kalen just texted a pic of us in the bubble that first year at EMU. If you remember the spring of '16, it was as bad here as it's ever been. Two bad seasons but we were building, but there was the national story "going div 2" or cancelling football. Kalen and Ryan Grubb were magical.

Good read. Thanks Block_E!!

(03-12-2024 09:11 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Fantastic interview. They asked great questions about the Portal, Expansion, Umass, NIL, his future.

Rarely do we get these types of questions from the EMU media team. I encourage everyone to watch this.

What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

(03-12-2024 05:05 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

Hope he hits 9 wins this year - thatll pull him at 200 total for his career

(03-13-2024 07:21 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 05:05 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

Hope he hits 9 wins this year - thatll pull him at 200 total for his career

I'd sign up for that!

(03-13-2024 10:56 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 07:21 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 05:05 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

Hope he hits 9 wins this year - thatll pull him at 200 total for his career

I'd sign up for that!

He does not make excuses, he owns what happened. I love the fact that he acknowledged that in today's game you have to assess your team every six months. While he may not like the portal, he has accepted it as part of his job.

I still hate his contract, but the guy took on the worst job in FBS, a probable dead end. Hats off to Coach.

Finally found time for the rest of the interview. (This is pretty raw and paraphrased, so listen to what he actually says before you react):

Kalen just texted me last night a pic of us in the bubble, freezing cold. His time here was special. We had been through two really bad seasons and the whole staff was fighting stories about EMU ending football, and that next year we made the Bahamas Bowl.

Re sign stealing. WHen I was a grad assistant Wabash accused DePaw of stealing signals and it was national news. You know every staff is watching TV copies of the games and trying to steal signals. If live scouting was happening, that was not acceptable. I remember when the decency of "that's not what you do" was enough but we aren't there anymore. NCAA is changing things that will hopefully hold off the stealing, but if you no-huddle you'll always need a way to communicate.

The research we've heard from the teams using the coach-to-player radio has more to do with game management than play calling. "It's 3rd and 8 take what they give ya" or "there's 2 minutes left".

We're at 12 teams in the MAC and still figuring it out. Which administrator was in the meeting that accepted "Group of 5", can't we be the "Fantastic 5" or something? Someone will get an awesome playoff opportunity.

As to whether he stays year to year, he thinks he's so fortunate, only 130 teams do this. Likes to tell new recruits they were 6 when he took this job.

We were always fortunate to have folks like Cid to give us glimpses into the team. I just fell outside of vann zee we aren't getting a feel of how spring practices are going. I still think there will be a trimming of the roster at the end of this semester but we shall see.

(03-13-2024 05:01 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 10:56 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 07:21 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 05:05 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

Hope he hits 9 wins this year - thatll pull him at 200 total for his career

I'd sign up for that!

He does not make excuses, he owns what happened. I love the fact that he acknowledged that in today's game you have to assess your team every six months. While he may not like the portal, he has accepted it as part of his job.

I still hate his contract, but the guy took on the worst job in FBS, a probable dead end. Hats off to Coach.

So - and this is just a theory - i believe that his contract probably makes it easier to attract quality assistants. Think of it this way - CC is pretty entrenched here. You can take an assistant job here and know you're going to get a chance to work here for multiple years.

(03-12-2024 09:11 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Block E thanks for sharing this interview with Coach Creighton! I’m predicting an 8 win season and so glad we have Creighton!!!

(03-15-2024 07:26 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 05:01 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 10:56 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-13-2024 07:21 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 05:05 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  What can I say? Great guy, excellent coach.

Hope he hits 9 wins this year - thatll pull him at 200 total for his career

I'd sign up for that!

He does not make excuses, he owns what happened. I love the fact that he acknowledged that in today's game you have to assess your team every six months. While he may not like the portal, he has accepted it as part of his job.

I still hate his contract, but the guy took on the worst job in FBS, a probable dead end. Hats off to Coach.

So - and this is just a theory - i believe that his contract probably makes it easier to attract quality assistants. Think of it this way - CC is pretty entrenched here. You can take an assistant job here and know you're going to get a chance to work here for multiple years.

Dan, you are reaching here. Coach is indeed entrenched, but it is due to his W-L record that simply won't appease major program boosters rather than the length of his contract.

I love the guy, but if EMU wanted money to increase his salary and buy out that ridiculous bowl game extension, I would be the first to the pay window.

(03-16-2024 11:03 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 09:11 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Block E thanks for sharing this interview with Coach Creighton! I’m predicting an 8 win season and so glad we have Creighton!!!

How can anyone predict a win total for an upcoming football season in MARCH???

(03-16-2024 11:03 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 09:11 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Block E thanks for sharing this interview with Coach Creighton! I’m predicting an 8 win season and so glad we have Creighton!!!

Yeah the Block E came through for the board. Thanks man.

(03-17-2024 04:26 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(03-16-2024 11:03 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(03-12-2024 09:11 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Interview I thought I'd share.

https://youtu.be/iicNlb1a32Y?si=1SltRU5LAl-23LJt

Block E thanks for sharing this interview with Coach Creighton! I’m predicting an 8 win season and so glad we have Creighton!!!

How can anyone predict a win total for an upcoming football season in MARCH???

Listen man - we're college football fans. You think we're logical or well-reasoned haha?