UW reportedly hires three assistant coaches
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 10:38 AM PST
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PrintSteve Sarkisian has been busy putting together his coaching staff and even though there hasn't been any official announcements yet this is what we have learned. It seems like Sark is putting together his defensive staff first which makes a lot of sense since he is an offensive coach.
No official word on a DC but it is looking more and more like USC's Rocky Seto is the man. Ron English of Louisville and DeWayne Walker of UCLA are other experienced coaches Sark has been in contact with.
Demetrice Martin who was a former grad assistant at USC and who is now at Mount San Angelo JC will be the new secondary coach. I have heard some very good things about Martin who is very highly regarded. One source told me that he may just be the best secondary coach in the country. That is pretty high praise considering that he is working at a JUCO. Mount SAC of course isn't any ordinary JUCO.
Idaho's Johnny Nansen is going to be the new defensive line coach. Nansen is a former WSU Cougar from Long Beach. Nansen has connections to the USC staff from his days at Louisville as a graduate assistant under Nick Holt who is now the DC at USC. I have been told that Nansen is a tremendous recruiter who approaches coaching with a lot of enthusiasm.
Charlie Camp who played at Arizona under Dick Tomey during the Desert Swarm days is reportedly going to be the new LB coach. In his 12th season as a football coach, he began his coaching career in 1997 at Sahuarita High School in Tucson, Arizona. His first collegiate position was as a graduate assistant at the University of Idaho in 1998. Camp was promoted to an assistant coach position at Idaho in 1998 and stayed through the 1999 season. He was an assistant coach at San Diego State University during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Camp spent the 2002 season at Arizona and before going to Oregon State for 2003 and 2004. He was at San Jose State in 2005 and 2006 before joining the staff at Nevada in 2007. Camp was out of college coaching in 2008.
As I reported yesterday Ivan Lewis will be heading to Seattle to take over the strength and conditioning program from Trent Greener. Lewis been a volunteer strength coach at Washington, a high school football coach in Seattle, an assistant strength coach working with all sports at the University of San Diego, and, most recently, an assistant strength coach with the San Diego Chargers for two years.
Scott Wolf of Inside USC is reporting that USC's Jared Blank is going to be named Director of Football Operations. Blank is currently the director of football personel at USC. I don't have a lot of information on Jared yet. The DFO position is mostly administrative.
We haven't heard a lot of what is going on offensive wise so far. Former UW players OL Rick Mallory and WR DJ McCarthy are in the mix from what we have heard. McCarthy is currently at LSU and has picked up some great experience since leaving UW. Mallory used to coach TE's at Washington. Mallory has been coaching at Memphis the last eight years and is probably itching to come home. Mallory and McCarthy would be great additions to the staff.
USC's Al Dorsey is another name that has popped up for the OL position.
Sark has stated that even though going in his mindset is he will call the plays he will also have an offensive coordinator and QB coach. We heard that Yogi Roth had an interview but hasn't been hired yet which leads me to believe he is looking around for some experience.
Expect the name Wayne Moses to at least be mentioned for the RB coach position. The ex Husky is now at UCLA and has an impressive resume as a RB coach who has recruiting ties up and down the West coast.
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Stewart Mandel
did you see this bit at si.com?
What do you think of the Washington hire of Steve Sarkisian? I think they could have done better and I haven’t been too impressed with him since he took over the offense at USC.
—Kevin, Tucson, Ariz.
—Stewart Madel: There’s no reason to think Sarkisian won’t turn out to be a decent head coach — but Washington certainly could have done better. I think the hire reinforced what many of us have perceived for some time, which is that Washington — once a premier program nationally — has basically relegated itself to second-tier status. The Huskies could have hired Mike Leach, but they either weren’t willing to or couldn’t afford to pay him market value. They could have made a more serious run at Gary Pinkel, but again, not enough money. And the fact that Pat Hill was even a finalist speaks volumes to the salary range they were looking at. Sarkisian is a guy you bring in to get the program back in the right direction, hopefully get the Huskies back into bowl games and win seven or eight games a year. But just because he worked for Pete Carroll does not make him the next Carroll. Washington won’t be returning to the Don James days anytime soon.
Talk about a sweeping judgment. I hope Sark prints this out and puts it in a prominent location in his office just to remind him how little the national media thinks of him
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
I don't buy it
UW passed on Leach because he interviewed poorly. It had nothing to do with money. the guy is way too strange and they couldn’t realte to him.
Sark is a guy they can relate to and as you can tell he really has people excited. Everyone wanted a positive buzz and he has supplied that so far.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 12:19 PM PST up reply actions
Mandel
I think it’s a pretty fair take on the situation. I think we are all in the honeymoon stage and aren’t looking at the big picture. Sark is doing great so far, but the job is only going to get more difficult by the day, especially next fall.
Until Sark proves him wrong, we are nothing more than a second-tier program, at best. He’s right, it will be a long time before we see a Rosebowl or BCS bowl.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Oh hell
Look who Clemson, Tennessee and the other schools that had opening hired. I think we ended up doing a good job.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 12, 2008 8:29 PM PST up reply actions
So why did Carroll make him his "Assistant Head Coach"?
I’d like to hear what Pete Carroll thinks of him and some of the guys he coaches at USC. Now those would be credible sources NOT some reporter who has certain perceptions of coaches/athletes or anybody!?
Just remember how much misinformation they have reported about the Huskies. There are too many programs in the good ole USA to keep track of them all. The bottom line the national media really doesn’t keep track of any of them well.
First and Second Tier programs
I guess Oklahoma, down on its luck trying to replace Barry, became a second tier program when they hired a rookie HC named Stoops. Meanwhile, UW was still a first tier and hired TW. Go figure.
I'll reserve judgment until they're hired
But am I the only one who’s a little underwhelmed by the rumored defensive position coaches? Sark said he wanted to assemble the “best coaching staff in America” and it looks like he’s going to tap position coaches from a JC, Idaho, and another guy who wasn’t even coaching last year. The others look like promotions from their current (lesser) jobs at USC.
We kept hearing how Hart and Tormey are highly regarded up and down the West Coast… but these new guys are better? Really?
Martin
I have heard some incredible things about Martin as a position coach. Some people think he has the makings of the best secondary coach in America. I hear great things about Nansen too. I like going with younger coaches because you eliminate the burn out factor.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 12:21 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I'm always an optimist so I'll look on the bright side
These guys definitely have the young/energetic vibe that he seems to be looking for.
And Ty’s staff was packed with guys with major-college and NFL experience, and obviously that didn’t get us very far.
Still, I’ll feel better when he lands a “big” name or two on offense. I’m actually hoping they hire Seto as the DC: young, highly-regarded position coach who’s supposedly great with X’s and O’s… not the big splash some people want (Ron English, etc.) but I think he’d do fine. Put the young/easer/fiesty personality into the defense and try to recruit the talent level up a notch instead of just trying to coach the same bunch of mediocre players.
Can they recruit?
If that’s really the most important quality of a college football coach then that’s the question I’d ask.
Should be interesting to see how they do
I can’t wait till next fall when the rubber hits the road and we get to see what these guys are truly made out of.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Sarkisian
Will need to earn respect as a head coach. Wins and good recruiting will take care of that.
I’m not ready to declare him the second coming of DJ. He has to show me, just like most of the rest of the country, that he is a good head coach.
I will support him until he proves he can’t do it
the question is whether or not UW relegated itself to "second tier status" with the hire.
…If I’m Sark, that statement alone should give me a burr in my saddle.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Give me a break
Just like when Oklahoma attained second tier status with Bob Stoops.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 3:52 PM PST up reply actions
Second coming
I don’t know if anyone will ever be the second coming of DJ. I will settle for someone right now that can erase the taste of Willingham from my mouth and he is doing that.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 12:22 PM PST reply actions
As a USC fan
I’ll be sad if Seto goes to UW. He’s done a great job and out of all the rumored names Sark is poaching Seto is the one I’d miss the most.
You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.
I've read similar...
sentiments about Seto in other places as well bluemax. Thanks for adding to the list. My concern is whether he’s ready for the step up to DC. I’m pretty sure he has experience in the secondary and with the LB’s, so with a good DL coach, I hope he’s up to it if hired.
John, I can’t agree more with the last sentence of your “Second coming” remark above.
by hairofthedawg on Dec 11, 2008 1:51 PM PST up reply actions
Conguatulations Dick
on the Tigers winning a state championship with a spectacular game ending play.
Jack
very fun to read about...
The Chronicle also had some good articles about the championship from ’76 that brought back some good memories. Thanks Jack!
by hairofthedawg on Dec 11, 2008 2:21 PM PST up reply actions
The second coming comment
was a tongue in cheek dig at certain folks that drink way too much purple cool-aid.
I gotcha
We have a lot of work to do but I think we finally found someone who jnows how to roll up his shirt sleaves….that is more than half the battle right there.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 11, 2008 3:54 PM PST up reply actions
T90
I really believe hard work can solve a lot of problems.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 12, 2008 8:28 PM PST up reply actions
The lack of a DC or OC so far has me intrigued.
Putting together a staff, I think you build from top down, so whoever your top assts are have a say in who are working for them. I could see hiring 1 or 2 friends to position coaches, but I would get my OC/DC named first and work in conjunction with them for the remaining spots. Just me tho, I love what Sarkisian has done so far. Ty Who? Also a minor correction; Mt SAC JC is San Antonio,
Roland
I thought about that too…I think he has a pretty good idea who the DC and OC are but it hasn’t been leaked yet.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 12, 2008 8:22 PM PST up reply actions
We'll ultimately see about the staff
I don’t know much about Mallory and McCarthy, but I like that former Huskies who have gone on to do things in the coaching world are being considered. Nothing like mixing experience as a coach with experience of being a former Husky player in my mind. But, like i said, I don’t know much about them.
DJ and Mallory
McCarthy and Mallory are both quality assistants with a lot of good experience. I’m not sure if they are what Sark is looking for but it is nice they have interest and are being considered.
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