Staff changes have hurt the football program.

[cyborg]

I think Coach Rhoads started out with a very good staff at ISU. There were many young coaches who were thought to be good recruiters. But change is normal for a coaching staff. It is not unusual for the best assistant coaches to leave for better opportunities. (An example would be Tom Herman going to Ohio State. He is now being talked about as a potential future head coach.) On offense, all of the original staff has left and we are now on our third OL coach and third Offensive coordinator. On defense the two Burnams remain from the initial staff and I think we are on our fourth defensive back coach. The change in the staff negatively impacts recruiting and player development. We have had three OL coaches in three years. Each coach taught their fundamentals differently and also probably used different terminology. I believe this is a major our OL has struggled the past couple of years. The impacts on recruiting and player development have shown up on the field the past two years. A interesting tidbit I noticed this weekend. The offensive coordinator at Ohio State is Tom Herman and their co-defensive coordinator is Chris Ash. Two of the coaches on Rhoads original staff.

Change in a football staff is part of college football and happens to most teams. How it is managed is the responsibility of the head coach. When Tom Herman left for Ohio State, he was replaced with as existing assistant coach. That change did not work out well. I think the change to bring in coach Mangino was an excellent decision, but a lot of damage has already occurred. There will continue to be staff changes in the future. Coach Rhoads needs to do a better job of finding replacements.

 

[2forISU]

I agree. Our secondary has seen numerous change too. Every position has changed, except for Wally and Shane.

 

[Wesley]

Suspect this is their last year too. Looking for 500 yard games against the last three opponents. That will be the average for the year since we are now at 495 yards a game. We are same as opponents for passing but our 1000 yards rushing is only short a thousand yards from the opponent. Rushing is the problem, both sides of the ball. We lose over a hundred yards a game in the rushing department. Thought we were a running team at the start. Guess that was a white lie.

 

[MilehighClone]

Staff turnover has always been one of our biggest challenges and you can go all the way back to 70's.

 

[MNCyGuy]

I really try not to be that guy, but having your good assistants poached is just going to be a fact of life for a lower-tier Power 5 program. Being able to ably replace departing staff should be a reasonable job expectation at ISU.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Good recruiters? All that good recruiting is a big reason as to why have struggled so much the last two years.

That first staff was flawed, minus the back 7 on defense (Wally and Ash). We had a play-caller, not developer, in Herman, and Rhoads filled in with position coaches under him not apt in Herman's scheme.

 

[CycloneVet]

O-line has been a problem with CPR's tenure, no matter who the coach has been, hopefully the current one will recruit/develop better than his predecessors.

D-line has also been a problem as well, that coach hasn't changed for 6 years, though this year he might be gone when his dad retires.

Until we can establish good lines its gonna be more of the same. Can you imagine Wimberly/Nealy with a good run blocking O-Line, Wimberly is as fast through a hole (when/if there is one) as any back we have had at ISU. Nealy runs hard for a kid his size. Both obviously would benefit from an above average line.

 

[iowastatefan1929]

Proper systems can limit the effect of staff changeover. The system either sucks or is too dependent on the staff to determine the system. My guess is the former. Now even if we had the perfect system we would still only have a ceiling of 7 or 8 wins because of lack of talent. But im sure we would be glad to get there. Hoiball works because of the system.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Every year every program has coaching turnover. Good and bad programs. Good and bad coaches. Why can't ISU overcome the same things every other program in the nation deals with at the same frequency?

 

[swarthmoreCY]

O-line has been a problem with CPR's tenure, no matter who the coach has been, hopefully the current one will recruit/develop better than his predecessors.

Well yeah, an OL is not something you come in and change in one year. The deficiencies in the OL the past two years are all on Bleil and Rhoads.

 

[weR138]

O-line has been a problem with CPR's tenure, no matter who the coach has been, hopefully the current one will recruit/develop better than his predecessors.

D-line has also been a problem as well, that coach hasn't changed for 6 years, though this year he might be gone when his dad retires.

Until we can establish good lines its gonna be more of the same. Can you imagine Wimberly/Nealy with a good run blocking O-Line, Wimberly is as fast through a hole (when/if there is one) as any back we have had at ISU. Nealy runs hard for a kid his size. Both obviously would benefit from an above average line.

This is why I want a head coach who also coaches DL or OL. If HCs can double as OCs and STC then surely they can double as the OL/DL coach thereby guaranteeing that there is no attrition at that position coach.

 

[awd4cy]

TCU had staff turnover on offense. Look what they have done this year. We were so bad last year it is kinda mind boggling we haven't improved much at all really. I expected September to be a slow start, but I thought the offense would at least make strides by November, which they have not.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

This is why I want a head coach who also coaches DL or OL. If HCs can double as OCs and STC then surely they can double as the OL/DL coach thereby guaranteeing that there is no attrition at that position coach.

Someone will get a good one with Ed Warinner.

 

[Forelle]

In other words, you think CPR is a bad coach. Which I kind of agree with. Every manager deals with staff turnover so why can't he?

 

[LutherBlue]

Bad programs will have coaching turnover. The good ones leave (because they're good) and the bad ones get fired (because they're bad).

 

[Spam]

If only Dan McCarney hadn't hired Marty Fine.

 

[2forISU]

Turnover is going to happen. Unfortunately, CPR has not been able to make the right hires for numerous positions.

 

[AWOL2000]

Staff retention ids huge if you get a good staff. Alabama can lose a coach every year and plug in another good coach bc the have tradition and money. We don't. Look at Mizzou. They will say one of their biggest advantages in Pinkle's tenure has been stability on the staff. I can't remember exactly but they didn't lose a coach for the first 7 or 8 years. We need to do better but to say a revolving door of assistants doesn't matter is just wrong.

 

[Senolcyc]

How is Rhoads' challenge any more severe than any manager in any profession that has to hire and manage a staff of nine people?

 

[Wesley]

Every year every program has coaching turnover. Good and bad programs. Good and bad coaches. Why can't ISU overcome the same things every other program in the nation deals with at the same frequency?

NDSU pretty much had a new staff go on the road and win a Power 5 game. Wait. That was us.