Whats most exciting to me about this hire is that Kehres has DC experience at MU, and HC experience. He also has very established relationships in Ohio and other areas with HS coaches.He's schemed defenses, and called defenses. Many on here didn't like the John Heacock hire under Campbell, I think that has worked well at that time for UT and now for ISU. What I think made Kehres take the UT job is that he was passed over for Kent, and BG jobs and has realized that if he has good success as a DC or Associate HC at a school like Toledo it can set him up for a DC job at a P5 school and maybe a better route to a P5 HC job if that is his goal. Same with Weiner, he didn't come to UT for the weather. To me these are hires Candle is willing to bet his job on. Go Rockets.

Sounds like good choice on paper. Can’t deny his success thus far. We should know by the time we hit the conference schedule. And I really hope we play three or four games before we get our by.

So, the two offseason hires so far are 1) a high school coach ... and 2) another DIII coach.


Is it just me..or is anyone else going 'WTF?' I'd think we need proven coaches from the FBS/FCS level to help bring our program back on track.

Read on a different board that Larry Kehres is leaving as AD at MU.

A twofer?

(01-13-2020 09:39 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  Read on a different board that Larry Kehres is leaving as AD at MU.

A twofer?

https://www.cleveland.com/sports/college...etire.html

(01-13-2020 09:27 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  So, the two offseason hires so far are 1) a high school coach ... and 2) another DIII coach.


Is it just me..or is anyone else going 'WTF?' I'd think we need proven coaches from the FBS/FCS level to help bring our program back on track.

Better open your checkbook up........

Curious how a D3 powerhouse didn't have recruiting experience. To keep a program like that on that level is quite insane recruiting.

The guy from Florida I think is a great hire. He knows the area down there and can easily start a pipeline for UT.

(01-13-2020 07:05 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  I don't trust Candle's judgement one bit. Hope I am wrong on this one. I am concerned that our two hires have almost no recruiting experience. True, Kehres has to "recruit" players. but DIII gives no "true" scholarships. That gives us two assistants who have no experience recruiting DI players. It's a totally different animal.

(01-14-2020 09:41 AM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Curious how a D3 powerhouse didn't have recruiting experience. To keep a program like that on that level is quite insane recruiting.

The guy from Florida I think is a great hire. He knows the area down there and can easily start a pipeline for UT.

(01-13-2020 07:05 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  I don't trust Candle's judgement one bit. Hope I am wrong on this one. I am concerned that our two hires have almost no recruiting experience. True, Kehres has to "recruit" players. but DIII gives no "true" scholarships. That gives us two assistants who have no experience recruiting DI players. It's a totally different animal.

And Kehres knows Ohio.

Seems like a good hire to me. Candle may have just hired his successor.

(01-13-2020 09:27 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  So, the two offseason hires so far are 1) a high school coach ... and 2) another DIII coach.


Is it just me..or is anyone else going 'WTF?' I'd think we need proven coaches from the FBS/FCS level to help bring our program back on track.

What proven (successful) defensive coordinators at FBS/FCS schools are interested in the same job at UT? Its not like we can pay them $500-750,000 to come. I think this sounds like a good hire. If he was from anywhere else than Mt. Union, with hie record and experience would you be concerned?

Too difficult at this point to know how successful the new coaches will be at UT. They are going to be assessed quickly - and by halftime of the first game, you can be assured they will be labeled as the next great coaches, or bums that need to be let go before kick-off of the 2nd game. I'm confident in saying that each of those coaches have probably forgotten more about football than I know. Candle has known Kehres for a long time. Both he and Weiner have a background of winning - and winning a lot. That would indicate they know how to coach. That is good enough for....now. It makes it interesting to guess and compare, and play "what-if". But someone else stated that Candle is betting his job on these guys being good coaches. That is definitely going to be true.

(01-14-2020 12:15 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  Too difficult at this point to know how successful the new coaches will be at UT. They are going to be assessed quickly - and by halftime of the first game, you can be assured they will be labeled as the next great coaches, or bums that need to be let go before kick-off of the 2nd game. I'm confident in saying that each of those coaches have probably forgotten more about football than I know. Candle has known Kehres for a long time. Both he and Weiner have a background of winning - and winning a lot. That would indicate they know how to coach. That is good enough for....now. It makes it interesting to guess and compare, and play "what-if". But someone else stated that Candle is betting his job on these guys being good coaches. That is definitely going to be true.

Sound fundamentals/technique with an attacking defense would be a big step up. Rockets have the
athletes to be a a solid MAC defense.

(01-14-2020 12:15 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  Too difficult at this point to know how successful the new coaches will be at UT. They are going to be assessed quickly - and by halftime of the first game, you can be assured they will be labeled as the next great coaches, or bums that need to be let go before kick-off of the 2nd game. I'm confident in saying that each of those coaches have probably forgotten more about football than I know. Candle has known Kehres for a long time. Both he and Weiner have a background of winning - and winning a lot. That would indicate they know how to coach. That is good enough for....now. It makes it interesting to guess and compare, and play "what-if". But someone else stated that Candle is betting his job on these guys being good coaches. That is definitely going to be true.

+1
After going over the resumes of both hires and getting additional input, I am starting to warm up on both...
Hoping for positive results, back to basics, and back to Ford field...

Weiner was an interesting choice, IMO...a bit of a head scratcher but not for largely negative reasons--just kinda "huh, that's not someone I expected". As for Kehres, I'm still curious to see if he's actually the DC (my uneducated guess). If he gets some seasoning at this level (including some success recruiting), and the Rockets have success over the next couple seasons that makes me forgot all of my concerns about Candle, then yep--I could see Kehres being the heir apparent if Candle moves on.

Bottom line for me: I certainly hope that both hires work out, and am cautiously optimistic that they will, and in the end I agree with those who say Candle is owning these picks either way.

Echo what's been said....we all hope both of these hires work out. As was pointed out, it certainly doesn't appear to be an athlete problem on D

That being said, it's a bit odd that we keep going back to the same well, which admittedly, has worked out pretty well.

What would be interesting, and too provide context, is who else was interviewed or considered?

(01-13-2020 11:47 PM)utpotts Wrote:  

(01-13-2020 09:27 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  So, the two offseason hires so far are 1) a high school coach ... and 2) another DIII coach.


Is it just me..or is anyone else going 'WTF?' I'd think we need proven coaches from the FBS/FCS level to help bring our program back on track.

Better open your checkbook up........

This specific D3 HC and this specific HS coach look good to be based on their body of work bringing the best coaches possible is way more important than where they coached at. We have had proven FBS and FCS coaches in the past how have been miserable failures. Also agree with inductchuck that considering how well we pay coaches (wish we could pay better) means you have to work a little harder to find the right coaches.