Okay, be honest. What was your initial reaction when CMC was hired?

[Die4Cy]

To the credit of @tolfbfan. after he showed up here preaching the Gospel of Matthew and the Process, I felt a lot more confident.

When do fans from schools where coaches left ever have them follow him over and become fans of the new school? That's nuts.

When Chizik left ISU for Auburn every person on this site harbored nothing but contempt for him. So that was an eye opener.

I wish we could have kept Candle here more than 24 hours.

 

[BCClone]

I wanted a HC who had been a HC. That part made me happy. I was way more relieved when most of the staff was coming along. I really wanted a full staff to come. Too many times we hired random people and they either didn't mesh or couldn't get on the same page in a timely manner.

 

[Lineup]

He said he walked he walked around the parking lots , and said never seen such committed fans

 

[Blandboy]

I didn’t hate the hire, but was disappointed when it was announced because I really wanted PJ Fleck.

Never been more happy to be proven wrong.

Fleck was a strong candidate for the job, but his “row the boat” thing sounded pretty contrived to me; I like “trust the process” a whole lot better.

 

[Rural]

Definitely fit the young up and comer wanting to build a program model.

No guarantee of anything, of course.

Then i heard the stuff about being to class ten minutes early and sitting in the first two rows.

Topped off with "Yes sir, no sir" when the players are "at work".

 

[SECyclone]

He was my #1 choice when they came out with the possible hires. Glad fleck went to Minnesota I didn’t want to see those cardinal dress pants daily

 

[CloniesForLife]

I didn’t hate the hire, but was disappointed when it was announced because I really wanted PJ Fleck.

Never been more happy to be proven wrong.

I too was wanting Fleck. I'm so glad we got Campbell though. Living up in MN and seeing more of Fleck I find him kind of annoying. I think Campbell is a better fit (and coach) now that I know both better

 

[cyfanatic]

I was supportive of hiring a younger guy with HC experience. Part of me was enamored with Fleck and I still enjoy following Fleck. I have a friend who has connections to Mt Union and he was the first person to tell me we hired a stud! So that had me excited. My first thought was that if Campbell did have success here that he would leave but I was/am OK with that. No one is going to want him if he fails/failed here so if he was going to be a short-term guy in Ames it was my thinking that he had done a good job here! Glad he is still here and still building! So much fun to cheer his teams in Ames!!

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

I had no idea what to think when Campbell was hired.

Midway through season one I could see marked improvement in team play. Something we never saw under Rhoads so I figured Campbell knew what he was doing.

 

[mcblogerson]

My neighbor played for Toledo in the 80’s and is close to the program. He said MC was an amazing coach and wished they could pay enough to keep him.
I had high expectations but didnt think he’d turn things around so fast.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

I've been going to games since Earle Bruce was coaching. Best hire ever. i hope he is around for many years. It's a golden age for Cyclone football, let's enjoy it. See you all on the Riverwalk next week.

 

[FinalFourCy]

What was the reaction to him bringing his “MAC” staff, particularly Heacock?

I thought we could do better than CMC, but also a lot worse, and feel that way now. His Toledo teams were a bit too Rhoads like when we played them, but thankfully he and his staff have done a great job at roster development and Heacock a program-changing redesign of the defense. Recruiting the best of the MAC in combination with guys he could never get at Toledo has been a great recipe.

 

[Javinegli]

I felt about the same but wanted Scott Frost instead. I thought we settled for Campbell. Then saw how quick he was hired so was a sign that Pollard saw something.

I didn’t hate the hire, but was disappointed when it was announced because I really wanted PJ Fleck.

Never been more happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Bigman38]

After CPR's old school strategy I wanted someone young, with tons of energy, and who'd stop ignoring easy things like social media, jersey's, etc. Campbell fit that bill pretty well, but his name didn't really move the meter much either way for me.

There were definitely Chizik flashbacks when said he was bringing his whole staff, I was wondering if we were all just being to optimistic to acknowledge the same thing might be happening over again.

 

[cmjh10]

I didn’t hate the hire, but was disappointed when it was announced because I really wanted PJ Fleck.

Never been more happy to be proven wrong.

This was me, but swap Fleck for Rhule.

 

[kentkel]

Some have already stated my sentiment - I was cautiously optimistic. I started to get a bit more excited after listening to his explanation of the recruiting process (which was so different than CPR's approach). My Hok co-workers' first assessment of him was that the minute he had success at ISU he would be on the first train out of Ames. Seems they failed in that prediction!

 

[CYCLNST8]

I liked that it was an Ohio staff with no connections to Iowa State. Our football program has a lot of baggage, so it was good to bring in a staff with no connection to our victimization mentality. It was also important to bring in midwesterners who understand how to recruit and develop players in the heartland. I also like the youthfulness of the staff; I felt they would have a firm grasp of spread tactics and how to run it effectively. The only thing I was skeptical about was Heacock. He's let me down a bit over the last two games; let's bring the heat on December 28th and I'll be right back in his corner.

 

[srjclone]

My initial reaction was pretty normal. Liked that it was a young coach with proven winning seasons. Knew he beat us, so there was that. And from what I could tell Toledo people had nothing but great things to say about him.

When he really changed my mind to "this guy could be special" other than his tenacity in that first recruiting class, was his first ever 1 on 1 interview with CW on a CF podcast. Something about the way he talked about his job, the kids, the vision he had, really made me buy in fully.

 

[PlanoClone]

My reaction was: Don't they have those god awful colors?

My reaction was: "I'll tell you in 2-3 years what I think. Until then, we're all guessing."

Now, I'm obviously very pleased.

 

[tolfbfan]

I think the post was brought up last year. I believe I was happy with the hire.

Now, after year 1 I was not. Not because of the record, but because of some coaching decisions. I was wrong.

But, the subject was never started by me, so it really didn't happen.