sitzee
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Coaching Search: Day One
Welcome to another coaching search. After just two seasons, Gary Andersen left Wisconsin for Oregon State, forcing Athletic Director Barry Alvarez to find a new head coach for the second time in three seasons.
Here's the latest on what we're hearing about Andersen and Wisconsin's efforts to replace him.
When Andersen left Utah State for Wisconsin, he called every single one of his players to let them know of his decision. We can't confirm if that's happened with Wisconsin, but he have confirmed at least a few players have spoken to Andersen over the phone since it was announced he'd be leaving for Oregon State.
Sources have reported to Badger247 that the players haven't exactly been happy with Andersen's reasoning. A few sources indicated the players felt like Andersen was hiding something about why he jumped ship after just two years and failed to provide them with answers. That said, many are feeling like there's more to the story.
Andersen and Alvarez did meet with the team Wednesday afternoon. I'm told the team was "shocked" and "speechless," as expected. In fact, many of the players just got up and left after they were asked to provide questions to Andersen and Alvarez.
Don't be fooled by the big name in this coaching search. In many searches, a big, unrealistic, big name head coach almost always gets mentioned with the opening. It's usually just smoke. In 2012, it was former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen used by Wisconsin to generate buzz for the job. There was never a chance Petersen was coming to Madison. If you hear a name like that again, don't jump to any conclusions.
The name that keeps coming up most around the coaching circle is Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst. Whether or not there's any fire that's accompanying all the smoke is still left to be determined. Chryst is an obvious candidate because of his connections to Wisconsin as their offensive coordinator from 2005-2011 and graduating from Madison in 1988, but we're not sold Alvarez will pursue him. The Badgers did not make a run at Chryst in 2012, mostly because he was only a year in at Pittsburgh. Will that change two years later? Chryst is the name everyone in the coaching circle brings up right now, but we're not sure if it has legs just yet.
We still believe Miami head coach Al Golden is going to be sought after. As we reported in the last coaching search, Wisconsin went after Golden, who opted to stay put with the Hurricanes. Two years later, Golden still makes a lot of sense. Not only does Golden have some connections to the Big Ten, coaching at Penn State in 2000, but his style meshes with Alvarez. Golden runs a pro-style system that feeds the running backs, very similar to what Wisconsin has been about.
A source in the coaching circle tells Badger247 "Alvarez has always liked Golden." We wouldn't be surprised to see Wisconsin make another run at him, considering Miam's 6-6 season in 2014. Golden is also a proven recruiter and would certainly land more big time players that the Badgers have been accustomed to, especially in South Florida.
Another hot name to watch is Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Especially after what he did to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game with a third-string quarterback, Herman's name should/will pop up during the coaching search.
Sources have indicated to Badger247 that there's definite interest from Herman's end to become the head coach at Wisconsin. Herman has been at Ohio State since 2012 and prior to that Iowa State for three seasons. Whether or not Wisconsin pursues Herman is still to be determined, but there seems to be a shot he interviews for the job.
Ohio State had the nation's fourth ranked offense in 2014, averaging 45.2 ppg under Herman.
Another name to keep an eye on is Tennessee wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni. A former Wisconsin assistant, Azzanni does have head coaching aspirations, brief coordinator experience with Western Kentucky, and loves it in Madison. While he was at Wisconsin, Azzanni was one of the favorites among the players and had great relationships with them. Azzanni, 38, is still pretty young, but he understands the limitations at Wisconsin and has a prior relationship with Alvarez. He's another candidate likely to throw his name into the discussion to take a shot at the job.
http://wisconsin.247sports.com/Article/The-latest-updates-on-Wisconsins-coaching-search-33764139
Welcome to another coaching search. After just two seasons, Gary Andersen left Wisconsin for Oregon State, forcing Athletic Director Barry Alvarez to find a new head coach for the second time in three seasons.
Here's the latest on what we're hearing about Andersen and Wisconsin's efforts to replace him.
When Andersen left Utah State for Wisconsin, he called every single one of his players to let them know of his decision. We can't confirm if that's happened with Wisconsin, but he have confirmed at least a few players have spoken to Andersen over the phone since it was announced he'd be leaving for Oregon State.
Sources have reported to Badger247 that the players haven't exactly been happy with Andersen's reasoning. A few sources indicated the players felt like Andersen was hiding something about why he jumped ship after just two years and failed to provide them with answers. That said, many are feeling like there's more to the story.
Andersen and Alvarez did meet with the team Wednesday afternoon. I'm told the team was "shocked" and "speechless," as expected. In fact, many of the players just got up and left after they were asked to provide questions to Andersen and Alvarez.
Don't be fooled by the big name in this coaching search. In many searches, a big, unrealistic, big name head coach almost always gets mentioned with the opening. It's usually just smoke. In 2012, it was former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen used by Wisconsin to generate buzz for the job. There was never a chance Petersen was coming to Madison. If you hear a name like that again, don't jump to any conclusions.
The name that keeps coming up most around the coaching circle is Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst. Whether or not there's any fire that's accompanying all the smoke is still left to be determined. Chryst is an obvious candidate because of his connections to Wisconsin as their offensive coordinator from 2005-2011 and graduating from Madison in 1988, but we're not sold Alvarez will pursue him. The Badgers did not make a run at Chryst in 2012, mostly because he was only a year in at Pittsburgh. Will that change two years later? Chryst is the name everyone in the coaching circle brings up right now, but we're not sure if it has legs just yet.
We still believe Miami head coach Al Golden is going to be sought after. As we reported in the last coaching search, Wisconsin went after Golden, who opted to stay put with the Hurricanes. Two years later, Golden still makes a lot of sense. Not only does Golden have some connections to the Big Ten, coaching at Penn State in 2000, but his style meshes with Alvarez. Golden runs a pro-style system that feeds the running backs, very similar to what Wisconsin has been about.
A source in the coaching circle tells Badger247 "Alvarez has always liked Golden." We wouldn't be surprised to see Wisconsin make another run at him, considering Miam's 6-6 season in 2014. Golden is also a proven recruiter and would certainly land more big time players that the Badgers have been accustomed to, especially in South Florida.
Another hot name to watch is Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Especially after what he did to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game with a third-string quarterback, Herman's name should/will pop up during the coaching search.
Sources have indicated to Badger247 that there's definite interest from Herman's end to become the head coach at Wisconsin. Herman has been at Ohio State since 2012 and prior to that Iowa State for three seasons. Whether or not Wisconsin pursues Herman is still to be determined, but there seems to be a shot he interviews for the job.
Ohio State had the nation's fourth ranked offense in 2014, averaging 45.2 ppg under Herman.
Another name to keep an eye on is Tennessee wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni. A former Wisconsin assistant, Azzanni does have head coaching aspirations, brief coordinator experience with Western Kentucky, and loves it in Madison. While he was at Wisconsin, Azzanni was one of the favorites among the players and had great relationships with them. Azzanni, 38, is still pretty young, but he understands the limitations at Wisconsin and has a prior relationship with Alvarez. He's another candidate likely to throw his name into the discussion to take a shot at the job.
http://wisconsin.247sports.com/Article/The-latest-updates-on-Wisconsins-coaching-search-33764139
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