New Offensive Coordinator options?

chamrocck said:
That was a long winded article to get to something we didn’t already know. Many of the same names we have kicked around. Kendal Briles I haven’t heard much about. Somebody sell me or not on if he’d be good at Nebraska. Can he run the ball?  
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He runs a veer and shoot offense around 60% run, 40% pass with a rushing average of 230+ yards per game. 

 
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Dogs In A Pile said:
Another great article by Jeremy Pernell.

Pernell: A Shortlist for Frost in His OC Search
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Good read.  If Frost is going to develop a "wow" staff you go after the home run guys.    I had mentioned Lashley a while back (Sept 2020).  He does a lot of great stuff.  What Ruggiero has done at Wake is amazing.  Wake is not a football school....Winston is not a place a lot of folks have heard of or been to.....Herman might have some personality issues, but he knows the B1G...

On the other board, a poster broke down Duval and and his S&C program and history.  He was not a fan and mentioned some of the similar things as in the article.  

 
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I haven’t seen either of these guys mentioned, but it’d be worth kicking the tires on.

Andy Ludwig(Utah OC)runs the tough nose style y’all like. He was at Wisconsin for a stint as well. 
Mark Whipple (OC/QB) at Pitt, their offense is electric

Then for O-Line we should throw a million at this guy

Jack Bicknell(AHC/OL) at Louisville, has some cross over with Chip Kelly at NH. But this dude cranks out quality lines/run games 

 
bisonwiches said:
I haven’t seen either of these guys mentioned, but it’d be worth kicking the tires on.

Andy Ludwig(Utah OC)runs the tough nose style y’all like. He was at Wisconsin for a stint as well. 
Mark Whipple (OC/QB) at Pitt, their offense is electric

Then for O-Line we should throw a million at this guy

Jack Bicknell(AHC/OL) at Louisville, has some cross over with Chip Kelly at NH. But this dude cranks out quality lines/run games 
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Andy Ludwig would be solid I think. Utah plays some physical ball. I sure hope we can land a top notch O-Line coach.

 
lo country said:
Good read.  If Frost is going to develop a "wow" staff you go after the home run guys.    I had mentioned Lashley a while back (Sept 2020).  He does a lot of great stuff.  What Ruggiero has done at Wake is amazing.  Wake is not a football school....Winston is not a place a lot of folks have heard of or been to.....Herman might have some personality issues, but he knows the B1G...

On the other board, a poster broke down Duval and and his S&C program and history.  He was not a fan and mentioned some of the similar things as in the article.  
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Yes, that was an interesting article - including the experience or lack thereof of Frost's original staff before they came to Nebraska.  The Duval section was interesting in that he points out different strength training is needed in today's football vs what we did in the 80s and 90s (which is Duval's method).  

If you don't want to read the full, long article, here are quotes from that article on his top 4 choices for OC:

Link

I've identified four coaches who I think would be home run hires. I looked for coaches who run a scheme that could be blended with Frost's core principals, and more importantly, be successful in the Big Ten as-is. They also could be incentivized into leaving their current school for Nebraska.

The first is Wake Forest's Warren Ruggiero. He's been with Dave Clawson since 2009 when the pair were at Bowling Green. Since arriving in Winston-Salem in 2014, Ruggiero has evolved his offense and has developed one of the best RPO-based systems in the country. Over the past five seasons, the Demon Deacons are averaging 280 yards passing and 185 yards rushing, while putting up 36 ppg.

The next two coaches are guys I've been fans of for a long time. I mentioned them both when Frost arrived at Nebraska in 2018, and feel even more confident they'd be good fits after their continued success since that time. Rhett Lashley is in his second season at Miami. He's a disciple of Gus Malzahn, whose offense shares many of the same core beliefs as Frost's. Lashlee has put his own stamp on Malzahn's system. He chose to leave Auburn after the 2016 season so he could evolve as a coach. He spent a season at Connecticut and then two at SMU before Manny Diaz brought him to Coral Gables. His offense is a Power Spread system that meshes what he learned under Malzahn and uses passing principles taken from the Air Raid system he learned at SMU under Sonny Dykes. The 38-year-old Lashlee is widely considered one of the best young, up-and-coming coaches in the country. The Hurricanes recently fired their athletic director, Blake James, and most feel Diaz will be next. Which means Lashlee will become one of the most sought-after coordinators on the market.

I'm also a big fan of Kendal Briles, currently in his second year at Arkansas. He runs an up-tempo veer-and-shoot offense that has produced at a high level and been extremely successful everywhere he's been. Whether its been Arkansas (SEC), Baylor (Big 12) or Florida State (ACC), he has put up huge numbers. He's also an ace recruiter with strong ties in Texas and the southeast. He makes $1 million in Fayetteville, but the 38-year-old Briles has shown a willingness to leave for a better, if not unique situation. Like Lashlee, he's considered a rising star in the profession.

The guy who I think would be the best hire, and perhaps the most ambitious, would be Tom Herman, who is currently an offensive analyst and special projects coach for the Chicago Bears. Herman has a similar coaching story as Frost. Both were extremely successful coordinators prior to getting an opportunity at a Group of Five school. Herman made a name for himself as offensive coordinator at Iowa State (2009-11) and then Ohio State (2012-14) before his brilliant turnaround as head coach at Houston, where he was 22-4 in two years. He had a respectable 32-18 record in four years at Texas before the school let him go following the 2020 season. Herman's offensive philosophy is referred to as Smashmouth Spread. I'd imagine that's music to the ears of most fans. Essentially, in his offense, he likes to employ a system that features downhill running but from the shotgun-spread formation. There is a lot of play action, often from RPOs, and vertical strikes down the field. He's a remarkable recruiter with ties in Texas and the Big Ten footprint.

History has shown these staff overhauls typically do not pan out, but Frost can give himself a puncher's chance to buck that trend with the right hire. When he first arrived at Nebraska, at his introductory press conference, he was asked how he would modify his offensive system to adjust to the competition in the Big Ten. “I’m hoping the Big Ten has to modify their system for us,” Frost infamously said. That comment drew loud cheers from the group of current and former players and administration who were in attendance. His bravado and confidence were inspiring at the time, but those are poignant words four years later. Not only has the Big Ten largely rendered his offense impotent, but he's been the one who has failed to modify his system to compete in the conference. He's either been too stubborn or, even worse, has been without answers on how to adapt.

This new hire and his transition into a CEO role could turn the tide of his current trajectory at Nebraska. These are important times ahead for Frost, and big decisions to make.
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Red Five said:
Scott the CEO already delegating
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Well if that’s the case it makes one of those flights more interesting, actually a couple of them. 
There was a flight that landed in Georgetown, SC which is just a short 43 mile drive to Conway, SC where Coastal Carolina is… the flight landed in Charleston, SC which is 90 miles away from Conway.

 
VectorVictor said:
Except that Matt Davison was brought in to be Frost's "yes man", so the level of confidence in Davison doing right in this is low. 

Would have a lot more confidence if Trev was running point on this, or it was someone Trev picked. 
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IMO the last thing we want is our athletic director choosing assistants again.  That has failed miserably in the past.  Love him or hate him, Frost is the coach for another 12 months so this hire has to be someone he wants.  

 
I was kinda wondering if they'd talk to a search firm. Remember that this is happening during the season, when Frost is still focused on practice and the last two games - his time available to look for an OC is limited.

 
VectorVictor said:
Except that Matt Davison was brought in to be Frost's "yes man", so the level of confidence in Davison doing right in this is low. 

Would have a lot more confidence if Trev was running point on this, or it was someone Trev picked. 
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I really wonder how much Matt is doing though. My guess is, he's the least busy dude in the entire Athletic Department, so Frost gave him a list of guys to sit down with, have a beer, see what they're all about and gauge their interest. Frost needs his list narrowed down, and really doesn't have the time to do it - and with recruiting, will need to strike quick. 

 
FrantzHardySwag said:
I really wonder how much Matt is doing though. My guess is, he's the least busy dude in the entire Athletic Department, so Frost gave him a list of guys to sit down with, have a beer, see what they're all about and gauge their interest. Frost needs his list narrowed down, and really doesn't have the time to do it - and with recruiting, will need to strike quick. 
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I believe Frost or perhaps it was Trev, said in one of the pressers that there is a lot of interest - people contacting him.  Perhaps coaches from teams in which the HC has already been fired.  Regardless of his time restraints, Frost needs a home run hire as his job rests on it.  At this point the last 2 games are less important in the grand scheme of things. 

 
Yeah... I would hope that Frost and  Co. and that means Chins, Matt and Trev would all be in on making this decision. I know that sounds like a lot of chefs in the kitchen but IMO we need all the valuable input we can get. I think that coach Chins input would be highly valuable. Matt not so much be he could be a good in-between for Frost. Trev for obvious reasons. 

My hope is that it is Tom Herman, I do think that we need a big name to go with a proven track record. 

 
FrantzHardySwag said:
I really wonder how much Matt is doing though. My guess is, he's the least busy dude in the entire Athletic Department, so Frost gave him a list of guys to sit down with, have a beer, see what they're all about and gauge their interest. Frost needs his list narrowed down, and really doesn't have the time to do it - and with recruiting, will need to strike quick. 
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Nope, the sky is falling, everything is terrible, and any average joe in the state of Nebraska would handle the situation better than Frost.

But in all seriousness, thank you for your rationality. 

 
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