https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/15...nataosAAAA

Statement from WMU

https://twitter.com/wmu_football/status/...3993728000

I know a lot of our fans didn’t like him. I’d have kept him thru next season to see if he can rebuild us. He’s recruiting very well. & I am fine w/ 7 win seasons w/ an occasional 8 or 9 & he’s been doing that. We’ve spent the last few years developing him as a coach, now we just flushed that investment away. If this was a 3 win season w/ a 4th year QB, it’d be another story for me.

Next year is a tough schedule. 3 tough Power 5 teams (all bowl-eligible I believe), plus Northern Illinois, Toledo, & Eastern Michigan will be on the road. It’d likely have set up Lester in the hole to start the season w/ a 1-3 start. & will set up the new coach for a 1-3 start as well.

Kinda surprised (though not entirely shocked). Thought since it was his first losing season, he'd be granted a mulligan and get one more year to get back on the winning side of things. I think in Lester's case, a new AD was the first warning sign. It's like a new CEO of a company, they like to start putting their own stamp on the program pretty quickly.

Lester's credentials as an HC might've been questionable, and the writing was starting to show on the wall, but you hate to see someone as good of a guy as Lester lose his job.

There's a useful athletic director who understands what is unacceptable. He only had one losing season and a winning record overall. Meanwhile we are content with 17-27, going 1-5 in Huskie Stadium this season, and worst four season stretch since mid-90s.

Wow, your AD has good contract negotiation skills. WMU only owes $500k for terminating the contract 3 years early. Our AD did not negotiate as well.

I think most WMU fans would like someone from Fleck's staff in Minnesota that was also at Western. Ciaraocca, Simon, etc. Do these guys really want to be in PJ's shadow their whole career?

You have Scott Frost, Jim Leonard (since Wisconsin didn't offer him I assume he wants to leave), Paul Chryst (who should have never been fired), and Bryan Harsin available.

(11-28-2022 09:07 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  I think most WMU fans would like someone from Fleck's staff in Minnesota that was also at Western. Ciaraocca, Simon, etc. Do these guys really want to be in PJ's shadow their whole career?

I definitely do not want a PJ guy.

Like I said before, this past year + the 1st year + last year is more than a mulligan.

Going 6-6 after going 13-1, even with a new HC, isn't acceptable. Last year we had the talent set about as good as it'll get, barring an uber-rare BCS/NY bowl year -- yet being skitzo in performance hurt a great opportunity. And although this year is a big reloading year on O -- the MAC had it's worst year in a long time and WMU went under .500. This alone isn't a mulligan, as I would have counted the 1st year as the mulligan. It'd be one thing to be 6-6 and going to a bowl for a chance to show we're on our way Up. That wasn't so.

However, I do agree that unless we had a great coaching grab opportunity or something -- having him stay 1 more year would have been for the best.

It was overdue, but I'm shocked it happened this year. New AD is making a statement.

I liked Lester as a person, he's a great alum. Represented the university well, ran a clean program, loved WMU and Kzoo. But the results just weren't there. Never won the MAC, never won the West division, 1-2 in bowl games (and the win over Nevada was basically a scrimmage), 4 straight losses to EMU, every QB he recruited was a bust except for Eleby (and maybe Bourguet, yet to be seen), finished last in the West in year 5 (despite winning 8 games with a bowl win, with Eleby at QB and Skyy Moore at WR), NUMEROUS head scratching in-game decisions over the years, 16.7 PPG against FBS opponents in 2022, came in after the Cotton Bowl and went 6-6 with 10+ NFL players on the roster.

Very interested top see where the new AD goes with this hire. Lots of coaching talent out there!

Surprised at the decision. The AD better have a BIGGER budget to release Lester and bring in someone better. 600k- 800K most likely you get the same guy. Knuckleheads who think Leonard or Frost are heading to the Kzoo are out of their mind unless that wallet opens up BIG Time. 1.2mill - 1.5 mil

(11-28-2022 11:15 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  Surprised at the decision. The AD better have a BIGGER budget to release Lester and bring in someone better. 600k- 800K most likely you get the same guy. Knuckleheads who think Leonard or Frost are heading to the Kzoo are out of their mind unless that wallet opens up BIG Time. 1.2mill - 1.5 mil

I feel it depends on how fast those guys want to get back to a head coaching gig. Bo Pelini, who I'd say was way more successful as Nebraska compared to Frost, accepted something in the neighborhood of 300k to coach at YSU. Moorhead, who was making $1 million as OC at Oregon and could have easily got another gig making a similar amount of money, accepted an offer to coach at Akron for $500k instead.

Frost ran blue blood Nebraska into the ground despite them playing in a very weak B10 West division. I'd be shocked if any P5 schools offered him a HC job. If he wants to coach next season he's either going to have to accept ~$800k as an OC at some P5 school or accept a similar amount to be a HC at a G5. I would be absolutely stunned to see anyone pay him $1.2M+.

(11-28-2022 12:50 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 11:15 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  Surprised at the decision. The AD better have a BIGGER budget to release Lester and bring in someone better. 600k- 800K most likely you get the same guy. Knuckleheads who think Leonard or Frost are heading to the Kzoo are out of their mind unless that wallet opens up BIG Time. 1.2mill - 1.5 mil

I feel it depends on how fast those guys want to get back to a head coaching gig. Bo Pelini, who I'd say was way more successful as Nebraska compared to Frost, accepted something in the neighborhood of 300k to coach at YSU. Moorhead, who was making $1 million as OC at Oregon and could have easily got another gig making a similar amount of money, accepted an offer to coach at Akron for $500k instead.

Frost ran blue blood Nebraska into the ground despite them playing in a very weak B10 West division. I'd be shocked if any P5 schools offered him a HC job. If he wants to coach next season he's either going to have to accept ~$800k as an OC at some P5 school or accept a similar amount to be a HC at a G5. I would be absolutely stunned to see anyone pay him $1.2M+.

Some BG fans brought him up at the UT game. "For the love of corn, give us Scott Frost."

He may just be a G5 wonder and nothing more. UCF was about the 50th best job after he left. Nebraska and their history, with hundreds of consecutive sell outs and national titles in some of our lifetimes, is a top 10 job. Or at least in that stratusphere. Go from one 4 star per class to a team of mostly 4 and 5 stars... in Lincoln Nebraska??? Not easy. Especially because these kids havent been alive since Nebraska was good.

(11-28-2022 12:50 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 11:15 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  Surprised at the decision. The AD better have a BIGGER budget to release Lester and bring in someone better. 600k- 800K most likely you get the same guy. Knuckleheads who think Leonard or Frost are heading to the Kzoo are out of their mind unless that wallet opens up BIG Time. 1.2mill - 1.5 mil

I feel it depends on how fast those guys want to get back to a head coaching gig. Bo Pelini, who I'd say was way more successful as Nebraska compared to Frost, accepted something in the neighborhood of 300k to coach at YSU. Moorhead, who was making $1 million as OC at Oregon and could have easily got another gig making a similar amount of money, accepted an offer to coach at Akron for $500k instead.

Frost ran blue blood Nebraska into the ground despite them playing in a very weak B10 West division. I'd be shocked if any P5 schools offered him a HC job. If he wants to coach next season he's either going to have to accept ~$800k as an OC at some P5 school or accept a similar amount to be a HC at a G5. I would be absolutely stunned to see anyone pay him $1.2M+.

None of those fired P5 coaches need the money. Nebraska owes Frost something like $17 million and Auburn owes Harsin $15 million. If WMU pays them $700k to be a head coach they are still more than well compensated with that salary and the buyout.

Also, how many guys like Frost, Harsin, etc. who have a bunch of experience as head coaches want to go back to being a coordinator or assistant? Harsin was a scapegoat at Auburn and very successful at Boise. You have fired P5 head coaches like Bobby Petrino at Missouri State, Willie Taggart at FAU (but now fired again), etc.

Donors are paying for the buyout. AD has his eyes high. We want to win here.

The thing I'm concerned about it doesn't sound like we have someone lined up. Other G5 schools seem further ahead in their searches than our's.

The Michigan coordinators (Co-OC Sherrone Moore and DC Jesse Minter) are both rising stars and future head coaches. Either one would be a good choice for WMU.

https://mgoblue.com/staff-directory/sherrone-moore/3711

https://mgoblue.com/staff-directory/jesse-minter/3862

EMU misses Lester already.

(11-29-2022 10:28 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Donors are paying for the buyout. AD has his eyes high. We want to win here.

The thing I'm concerned about it doesn't sound like we have someone lined up. Other G5 schools seem further ahead in their searches than our's.

Much busier coaching carousel in the Midwest this season as well. Last year was just Notre Dame and Akron in the Northern US between Appalachia and the Rockies, now we already have Nebraska, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and WMU before championship week.

(11-29-2022 05:35 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  EMU misses Lester already.

Ouch.