Coaching Buzz
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 1:52 PM PST
24 comments
Rumors that Jeff Mills and Mike Cox were about to join the defensive staff at Washington were given a boost today since both have reportedly been seen on campus according to Bob Condotta. Chris Fetters of Dawgman thought he saw Cox yesterday at the press conference.
Washington definitely will be going with a total of five defensive coaches including DC Nick Holt. Long time assistant Chris Tormey is possibly still in the mix if they don't reach an agreement with Cox.
In the press conference yesterday Sark and Holt said they were talking to a couple of guys that could join them in the next day or two. Expect an announcement as soon as contracts are finalized. Both would have to be NCAA tested and certified before they could hit the recruiting trail.
Oregon WR coach Robin Plfugrad is definitely in the mix for a job at Washington. He and Sarkisian have had conversations but we are not sure where he sits in Sarks pecking order. Every coach that has been hired so far has been a coach that has wither worked with Sarkisian or Holt in the past.
Plufgrad has been at Oregon for the past three years and was at WSU five years previous to that. Before WSU he was at Arizona State. The potential loss of his job at Oregon must be particularly bitter for Robin. He is from Eugene, his parents still live there, and he has two children attending Oregon. One is a cheerleader and the other is on the football team.
Chip Kelly who sound slike a real peach of a guy has made it known that he should start looking for another coaching position because when he takes over, which could be very soon, Plufgrad will be out of a job. Plufgrad brings a lot of coaching experience and is known as a strong recruiter.
The next big target is former USC assistant Kennedy Pola who is currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars. When Kennedy was at USC it was said that he was the best recruiter in the Pac 10. Expect Sarkisian and Washington to make a major move for Pola starting today. One big cherry they can offer is the recruiting coordinator position in addition to being RB coach. Expect Pola to command more in salary than the average RB coach.
We haven't heard anything on a possible TE coach and that position could end up being filled by a GA depending on who Washington hires for other coaching positions. That option is also possible for the QB coach position since Sarkisian himself is known as one of the very best in the business.
How the staff is shaping up
Steve Sarkisian - Head Coach
Offense
Jim Michalczik - Offensive Coordinator / OL
( ? ) Quarterbacks
(Kennedy Pola ? ) - Running Backs / Recruiting Coordinator
(Robin Plfugrad ? ) - Wide Receivers
( ? ) - Tight Ends
Defense
Nick Holt - Defensive Coordinator / Assistant Head Coach
Johnny Nansen - Defensive Line / Special Teams
Mike Cox - Linebackers
Demetrice Martin - Cornerbacks
Jeff Mills - Safeties
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Not bad!
I like what i have heard about Plfugrad. That is a shame that Chip would let him go like that if he becomes coach. He is from Eugene and like you said, has major family ties to Oregon…weird that they would dump him like that. Either was its still a business…
Pola would be a great get too. Excited to see what happens.
Recruiting
Seems like this staff has a strong focus on recruiting experience on the West coast, which is exactly what we need.
John, love the blog. It would be great to see a recruiting update post before all the visits start the weekend after next. Who’s coming, who’s likely to sign, any new prospects, etc.
Recruiting
I will do a review by the end of the week. Right now there frankly isn’t a lot of new information floating around. The main focus has been getting the staff signed. I think by the weekend we will have some new stuff to share with you.
QB coach
I wouldn’t think any of us would be surprised if Sark is the QB coach this first year.
I would be mildly surprised
But only because he said very matter-of-factly at his opening press conference that he planned to hire a full-time QB coach. He talked about how important the position is and that they need an additional coach besides himself tutoring the QBs. I think he will have some backpedaling to do if he ends up using a grad assistant instead.
In name only..
USC had a grad assistant as their QB coach under Sark. Sark is an even better QB coach than he is an OC, which is saying a lot, but he’s that good. Sanchez is thanking Sark for his development, not Yogi Roth.
by 206 on Jan 7, 2009 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
They made an offer to Scot Loeffler
They made an offer to Scot Loefler formerly of Michigan to become the QB coach at Washington. It was looking like a done deal until Florida swooped in to make him reconsider.
They just aren’t looking to fill a position. They mean it when they say they are trying to put together the top coaching staff in the country. If the right QB coach is available they will hire him. they can always use a GA for TE’s.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed
Scott Loeffler would have been a great pick up too. But if its not someone of that caliber, they might as well just GA it and have Sark bring someone along in that position. Taylor Barton would be ideal but I don’t know what kind of money he’s making with his camps, etc.
by 206 on Jan 7, 2009 3:26 PM PST up reply actions
Taylor
Taylor makes good coin working with his dad so he isn’t going to leave to be a GA.
I do think he would make an excellent full time QB coach.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 3:31 PM PST up reply actions
Geez..
I really believe Oregon is about to self destruct under Kelly. Running a program is a completely different skill set than coordinating. if we still get Pola and add a revenge-minded Plfugrad we’ll pass the Ducks and be knocking on USC’s door in 3 years.
Oregon
Tough to say but I really haven’t seen them make too mistakes this decade. You can’t blame a new coach for wanting some input on his own staff. He is the guy that gets fired for losing on Saturday.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 3:20 PM PST up reply actions
Mike Bellotti >Nike money??
Never been a fan but I suspect we’re about to learn that Bellotti deserved even more credit for building up the Oregon program than what he got.
by 206 on Jan 7, 2009 3:29 PM PST up reply actions
Bellotti
The only knock on him was not enough Rose Bowl’s.
I do think he would have won it all last year if Dixon hadn’t been injured.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
by that logic...
wouldn’t Sark be in for just as much adjustment as Chip? And Chip’s 2 years ahead in recruiting for his offense and system implementation. You’ll be back, but 3 years is far too generous…
by myfirstwordwasduck on Jan 7, 2009 5:11 PM PST up reply actions
Quack
Cal turned around in year.
It doesn’t take three years with the right coaches.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 5:34 PM PST up reply actions
All depends on the coach
Some coordinators just don’t know how to run a program, just the offense or defense. But if you get the next Urban Meyer, say hello Rose Bowl.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Coach
I think we have a coach that has a pretty good idea of what he is doing.
I just have that gut feeling…most of us are developing it…they are going to be succesful.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 8, 2009 5:59 AM PST up reply actions
I agree, it sure looks like Sark has it
Chip Kelly on the other hand really makes me wonder. The whole situation down there is fishy. I need to study up on Kelly, but my first impression is that Oregon is in for a rude awakening.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
If I was Sark..
not only would I be QB coach, I’d damn near adopt Jake Locker…at least for this first season.
Good point
QB coach isn’t my biggest concern with Sark on board.
Lets go get Pola….now that would really shake things up.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2009 3:21 PM PST up reply actions
Kennedy Pola would be a big get for UW
As a freshman at USC, on my I believe second day on campus I was at a meeting for freshman Marching Band members and at the end they had Kennedy Pola come in and talk to us.
I think there wasn’t a soul in the room that wouldn’t have run through a wall for Coach Pola had he asked us too. And mind you this was in 2001 BEFORE the resurgence.
Coach Ed Orgeron was the same way, when he talked he got your attention and made you want to do what he asked.
You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.
Get the best guys available...
but I still hope one of them is a good TE coach. Maybe even Chris Tormey, though I can’t imagine that would be great for coach chemistry w/ him already having to clean out his desk.
Middleton will likely be a Pro-Bowler someday if he learns to block, and Izbicki could blossom as well with a second chance and a solid mentor.
A major key to AZ’s success this year was the smart utilization of Rob Gronkowski. Especially in the college game, TE’s can cause major matchup problems and really open up an offense. With the rich history UW has at that position, I’d hate to see it looked over. Then again, maybe there are some great TE GA’s out there.
Our leather lungs together...
Recruiting Coordinator Options
We don’t see what is behind closed doors. Maybe and I’m just spif balling here, but maybe Kelly and Plfugrad don’t see eye to eye on things. Maybe their is a personality conflict that we don’t know about. To this college football fan the verdict is still out in regards to the decision to appoint Kelly as ducks head coach.
On the other hand I’d welcome Plfugrad to the UofW. Knowing that he served at both WSU and Oregon, he’s still a very good receiver coach. Not sure if any of you know this or not, but Plfugrad was the recruiting coordinator at WSU during the Price era. Now here is the beautty in all of this. If you can recruit good players to Pullman, Washington then surely you are a fantastic recruiting coordinator. Price received all the credit, but Robin was the guy behind the scene.
I think the popular opinion is to bring Pola in as recruiting coordinater, yet I think Robin would be great in that department too.
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