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Who should Haslam target for the New HC since BK only has a one year contract

uofmman1122 said:
While I think it's silly to get too worked up about a hypothetical coaching search that hinges on what happens this season, I also think Griz fans need to realize that the bar for keeping coach Kennedy after this season is pretty high. It's essentially the exact same staff we've had (with one major subtraction), so simply saying that he's going to recruit Montana harder than Bobby did isn't likely going to save him if he goes 9-3 and the appetite of the fans is for real, substantive change. That's just the reality, and we're gonna have to accept that it probably comes with turnover of players.

That said, they can say they're making Montana the top priority, but I'm gonna need to see it. And the shitty thing is that if we're, say, 4-3 in October, recruits are probably gonna already know he's not sticking around.

That said, I hope he wins every game and we steal every top Montana recruit from ever setting foot in Bozeman. It sure makes everything much easier that way lol
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How dare you speak truth on eGriz! Its never gotten anyone anywhere before.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
I am not convinced worse than 2025 will be a certain change.
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Just my opinion, but given that it's largely the same staff and a lot of the same players, doing worse than last year is gonna be tough to justify keeping them on for a lot of the fanbase/donors, especially with a new president coming in.

That said, I hope they make it easy and win every game.
 
Griz til I die said:
It just feels like they're ready to hit the reset button on the program after next year. I think anything similar to or worse than what we did this past season and they'll make a change.
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Lol. So he has to be top 3 in the country, with the only two losses being to the Natty winner, in year ONE or he's toast?
 
AZGrizFan said:
Lol. So he has to be top 3 in the country, with the only two losses being to the Natty winner, in year ONE or he's toast?
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I think a good question to ask might be what would Bobby had to have done this year for you to extend him (or conversely not extend him)? Do you have the same standard for Bobby Kennedy? If not, why not? I kind of see him as an extension of the previous staff, since it's pretty much all the same guys.

If he had been given a 2 or 3 year contract, I think we could look at certain things other than wins and losses and playoff success as barometers of success, but in a single year it feels to me like that's gonna be the bottom line for the powers that be.
 
uofmman1122 said:
Just my opinion, but given that it's largely the same staff and a lot of the same players, doing worse than last year is gonna be tough to justify keeping them on for a lot of the fanbase/donors, especially with a new president coming in.

That said, I hope they make it easy and win every game.
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They have many holes to fill. They guys on the field won't nearly be the same.
 
uofmman1122 said:
I think a good question to ask might be what would Bobby had to have done this year for you to extend him (or conversely not extend him)? Do you have the same standard for Bobby Kennedy? If not, why not? I kind of see him as an extension of the previous staff, since it's pretty much all the same guys.

If he had been given a 2 or 3 year contract, I think we could look at certain things other than wins and losses and playoff success as barometers of success, but in a single year it feels to me like that's gonna be the bottom line for the powers that be.
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What BH would have done is irrelevant.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
They have many holes to fill. They guys on the field won't nearly be the same.
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But the philosophy of filling those holes is the same (it kind of has to be, since technically Bobby is the one who filled the holes lol).

But we're also bringing back our main pieces from 2025. The team is the same one we would've had if Bobby had stayed, is my point.

Edit: I should say, at this point. Who knows how many, if any, guys jump in the portal when it reopens for them.
 
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HelenaHandBasket said:
What BH would have done is irrelevant.
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I don't agree, I think you judge them the same, and if it's true Bobby wasn't offered an extension after last season as some have said reported, I think it becomes very relevant to how we judge Kennedy's season.
 
uofmman1122 said:
I don't agree, I think you judge them the same, and if it's true Bobby wasn't offered an extension after last season as some have said reported, I think it becomes very relevant to how we judge Kennedy's season.
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Based on this, I would guess there is a 99.9% chance the Griz are looking for another head coach. Also, I don't think Bobby had to match 2025 to get an extension, but I also believe he wasn't really seeking an extension, as I think he was done next year anyway.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
Based on this, I would guess there is a 99.9% chance the Griz are looking for another head coach. Also, I don't think Bobby had to match 2025 to get an extension, but I also believe he wasn't really seeking an extension, as I think he was done next year anyway.
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Right, and it's kind of my feeling that it will take a truly extraordinary season from Kennedy to not start a national search. With the new president, it kind of complicates everything where we don't really know what they want to do. At the very least, having Kennedy even just for this year gives them ample time to figure it out.
 
uofmman1122 said:
I think a good question to ask might be what would Bobby had to have done this year for you to extend him (or conversely not extend him)? Do you have the same standard for Bobby Kennedy? If not, why not? I kind of see him as an extension of the previous staff, since it's pretty much all the same guys.

If he had been given a 2 or 3 year contract, I think we could look at certain things other than wins and losses and playoff success as barometers of success, but in a single year it feels to me like that's gonna be the bottom line for the powers that be.
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What difference does it make NOW what we think Bobby would have done? He bailed. Quit. Threw in the towel. At a less than optimal time (understanding there’s not a GREAT time). Either way, Kennedy is not simply an extension of Hauck. He’s likely gonna have to deal with MORE guys leaving now, have additional holes to fill, has at least 3 position coaches that are different, possibly changing schemes/philsophies, etc., etc.

To just think it’s “plug and play” is both incorrect and disingenuous. We gave Bobby 7 freaking years to “get his guys”…i would suggest we give Kennedy more than ONE, unless he somehow goes 6-6 or 5-7 next year.
 
AZGrizFan said:
What difference does it make NOW what we think Bobby would have done? He bailed. Quit. Threw in the towel. At a less than optimal time (understanding there’s not a GREAT time). Either way, Kennedy is not simply an extension of Hauck. He’s likely gonna have to deal with MORE guys leaving now, have additional holes to fill, has at least 3 position coaches that are different, possibly changing schemes/philsophies, etc., etc.

To just think it’s “plug and play” is both incorrect and disingenuous. We gave Bobby 7 freaking years to “get his guys”…i would suggest we give Kennedy more than ONE, unless he somehow goes 6-6 or 5-7 next year.
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I find it interesting as someone who has had a lot of things to say about Bobby and his entire staff over the last couple years that it now seems like you're suggesting Bobby was the problem.

Maybe he was! I guess we'll see, but I don't think it's a stretch to treat this staff as an extension of the previous staff, since it's almost literally the same staff lol.

To me it just seems weird that a lot of this fanbase seemed to suggest that this year would be a put up or shut up situation for coach Hauck, and anything less than beating the neighbors, winning the conference, and actually contending and playing for a natty would not be enough to want to keep him around and would make them want a fresh start with a whole new staff/system, but if you switch out one guy in the same staff, suddenly those expectations aren't there anymore?

Hopefully he kills it, but I don't think fans or the new leadership are gonna be okay with an 8-4/9-3 type season and getting boatraced in Bozeman again (definitely not anything worse than that).
 
uofmman1122 said:
I find it interesting as someone who has had a lot of things to say about Bobby and his entire staff over the last couple years that it now seems like you're suggesting Bobby was the problem.

Maybe he was! I guess we'll see, but I don't think it's a stretch to treat this staff as an extension of the previous staff, since it's almost literally the same staff lol.

To me it just seems weird that a lot of this fanbase seemed to suggest that this year would be a put up or shut up situation for coach Hauck, and anything less than beating the neighbors, winning the conference, and actually contending and playing for a natty would not be enough to want to keep him around and would make them want a fresh start with a whole new staff/system, but if you switch out one guy in the same staff, suddenly those expectations aren't there anymore?

Hopefully he kills it, but I don't think fans or the new leadership are gonna be okay with an 8-4/9-3 type season and getting boatraced in Bozeman again (definitely not anything worse than that).
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Who is a coach at any level of football that has not been retained for performance after a 9-3 season?
 
uofmman1122 said:
I find it interesting as someone who has had a lot of things to say about Bobby and his entire staff over the last couple years that it now seems like you're suggesting Bobby was the problem.

Maybe he was! I guess we'll see, but I don't think it's a stretch to treat this staff as an extension of the previous staff, since it's almost literally the same staff lol.

To me it just seems weird that a lot of this fanbase seemed to suggest that this year would be a put up or shut up situation for coach Hauck, and anything less than beating the neighbors, winning the conference, and actually contending and playing for a natty would not be enough to want to keep him around and would make them want a fresh start with a whole new staff/system, but if you switch out one guy in the same staff, suddenly those expectations aren't there anymore?

Hopefully he kills it, but I don't think fans or the new leadership are gonna be okay with an 8-4/9-3 type season and getting boatraced in Bozeman again (definitely not anything worse than that).
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Almost no Griz fan or supporter who was an important supporter or financial booster thought what you said in your 3d para., to my knowledge. I know a number of those guys, and not one of them thought anything remotely like that. The ones I know fully supported and liked Bobby. In fact, some are very disappointed that he retired. The team had a terrific season.

Haslam made a big mistake hiring Stitt. I assume he and the top supporters recall that huge mistake.

I hope some of these demanding people are not going to end up getting what they wished for, i.e. a Nebraska situation or another Stitt.

I wonder if financial support for the program is going to get harder now that Bobby is gone. I don't see BK, or Haslam, being able to call these guys and be effective in getting them to put up more money, like Bobby could. Of course, these big hitters will still support the program under BK, but I just don't see them stepping up big time or for special things like they seem to have been doing when Bobby was around. And, I know what one of the biggest supporters quite well and have talked to him.

While I assume the new coach and staff will do well or fairly well, especially given what Bobby has said to some of my friends about what he believes the quality of the new recruits and team will be for next year.

In recent years in FCS, the Portal/NIL (both in and out) and the movement of coaches at top programs have impacted the top teams considerably. This has created opportunities which hadn't been there before. Obviously, NDSU has not turned out to be unbeatable in the last several years. Coaches have moved on. MSU has held on without going big in the Portal, but their QB was the key to their team's success last season. I don't see MSU being able to sustain that model, and I assume their coach will depart. He's tried to depart the past 2 years. The QB injury to SDSU impacted its season greatly. The Portal has hurt the Dakota schools. So far, the Portal is helping UM more than it's hurting it. And there's a significant amount of luck each season, including luck with injuries and ball bounces at key times.

My view is that BK or any new UM coach is not going to be the answer to winning a national championship as much as these other factors mentioned in the prior para, which will have a bigger impact on that.

Elevating BK quickly and keeping the remaining staff and hopefully keeping the good group of players already assembled was clearly the way to go, and to keep up the success and momentum.

The vocal fanbase on egriz, which, in my view, is not a reflection of what the full fan base of UM believes, has become way too demanding and unrealistic. I loved AZGriz's comment asking whether someone was saying they wanted/demanded BK to have more and better success than Bobby had been able to achieve in 5 or so years.

I wonder what the combined annual financial contributions to football of all of the egriz posters who have become so demanding, is. My guess is that it is pretty small. Big mouths, small wallets.
 
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