Has Mario Cristobal Been BLACKBALLED by the Coaching Community?

[Charles Fischer]

It is a reasonable question to ask, because when you asked five coaches from Oregon to join you and only three did, (Aaron Feld included) and you have only hired one other coach for a total of only three assistant coaches in two months?  No OC or DC?  Your two best recruiters (the DB and WR Coaches) leave to go elsewhere to lateral or slightly lower positions? (Ouch!)

 

We have discussed extensively here that we believe the massive "Mario-Meddling" that must have taken place.  But now it seems to be confirmed by everybody saying "No" to Mario.  Young coaches work together on staffs, scatter and stay in touch; you want to know who is good to work for, and who is not and the word must be out on Cristobal in a big way.

 

I've never seen anything like this, but let's look numerically at it...

 

60 Offensive Coordinator Positions to Be Filled in the FBS Ranks This Off-season (I counted them): only FOUR are left open.

Offensive Coordinator Positions Still Open

[Arizona State just hired UNLV's Glenn Thomas]

Auburn: TBA. Austin Davies just resigned yesterday for personal reasons

Marshall: TBA

Miami: TBA

Middle Tennessee State: TBA

 

51 Defensive Coordinator Positions to Be Filled in the FBS Ranks This Off-season (I counted them): only FOUR are left open.

Defensive Coordinator Positions Still Open

Air Force: TBA

Miami: TBA

Notre Dame: TBA (Head Coach, Marcus Freeman, promoted from this position)

Purdue: TBA

 

So there are only 8 (yes EIGHT) OC and DC openings remaining in all of FBS football, and Miami's Mario Cristobal has 2 of those 8.

 

What is going on when 111 openings available with coordinators,103 hirings happen, 8 are left, and your head coach still has both openings to fill?

 

When the word is out to this degree--you have been informally BLACKBALLED by the coaching community, and the only people left to hire are highly under-qualified, or have to rehab their career.  (Former ASU coaches will apply?)

 

Stunning.

 

(I wish to thank a Duck-Buddy for providing the majority of the information above; he is a reluctant-Duck with posting, but he sends it along to me.  As you know, I am SHAMELESS in using all I can!  Thanks man.)

[Jon Joseph]

Great take. IMO, the answer to Mario being black balled by the coaching fraternity is 'YES!" Not only did he sit on Moorhead but he drove JM to take a pay cut and drop down as a HC in the MAC. I wonder if it was not stress and anxiety that affected JM's health.

[Grandpa Duck]

I wondered if maybe the cost of living was a factor.  Checked it out.  Not that bad.  Maybe a bit above average, but not much.

 

Never been there.  Not going.

[Jon Joseph]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:17 PM, Grandpa Duck said:

I wondered if maybe the cost of living was a factor.  Checked it out.  Not that bad.  Maybe a bit above average, but not much.

 

Never been there.  Not going.

It's fine in the winter months but a steam bath the rest of the year.

[kirklandduck]

Agree that the secret is out.  Coach Mario thinking he knows offense better than Moorehead by overriding his playcalling will turn off any potential OC from joining that staff.  It makes me wonder if Marcus Arroyo was actually better than what the season stats showed because of the same issue?

In any case, Cristobal didn't do himself any favors by not prioritizing hiring coordinators first before the rest of the staff.  Most OCs/DCs want to have a say in what position coaches they want to work with, not have that dictated to them.  What's the over/under on him being booted out of Miami?  Shorter or longer than Taggarts career at FSU?

[jrw]

On 2/1/2022 at 12:12 PM, Jon Joseph said:

Great take. IMO, the answer to Mario being black balled by the coaching fraternity is 'YES!" Not only did he sit on Moorhead but he drove JM to take a pay cut and drop down as a HC in the MAC. I wonder if it was not stress and anxiety that affected JM's health.

Excellent analysis...Moorhead may have thought, "holy crap, my career has taken a big hit at Oregon. I'm not allowed to do my job, but it will be on my record anyway. Get me outta here."

 

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 2/1/2022 at 1:08 PM, jrw said:

"Get me outta here."

And that is precisely what DCs Avalos and DeRuyter did...no sad goodbyes, no thanking publicly of the fans or Cristobal....just GONE. 

 

DeRuyter grabbed the DC spot at Texas Tech immediately as he knew he needed "career rehabbing" from his experience in Eugene.

[Duckman]

One other potential issue...MC negotiated for the job before the sitting head coach was fired.  I think that is a big 'no-no' in the coaching fraternity.

[latracey]

On one hand, it's a real head scratcher as to why Mario wouldn't have immediately prioritized the hiring of his coaches the minute he got to Miami. That makes the most logistical sense and seems to be the way new head coaches roll. It's what competent head coaches do and it is certainly what Dan Lanning did. You paint your vision of the future with the coaches you hire to help you to make that vision a reality.

 

On the other hand, we are talking about the Mario Cristobal we have grown to know; a lot of hot air and coach speak with little to back it up. In that respect, much of what we are seeing isn't surprising. It begs the question about his competency to even be a head coach. He fell into a great situation at Oregon where the table was pretty much set for him from the get go. His top down, Navy Seal, management style was probably not a lot of fun for his assistants evidenced by their jumping at the chance to escape. 

 

This gets more and more interesting as time races by. The longer he waits to make the critical assistant coaching hires, the more difficult it is going to get. Have I mentioned how thankful I am that Miami swooped in to take Cristobal far, far away from our beloved Duck football program?

Edited February 1, 2022 by latracey

[Jon Joseph]

On 2/1/2022 at 4:33 PM, latracey said:

This gets more and more interesting as time races by. The longer he waits to make the critical assistant coaching hires, the more difficult it is going to get. Have I mentioned how thankful I am that Miami swooped in to take Cristobal far, far away from our beloved Duck football progr

 

Navy Seals? No Easy Day watching Mario's team play.

[David Marsh]

On 2/1/2022 at 12:07 PM, Charles Fischer said:

When the word is out to this degree--you have been informally BLACKBALLED by the coaching community, and the only people left to hire are highly under-qualified, or have to rehab their career. 

And... I think you only get to go to Nick Saban's coaching rehab school once. 

 

I think the turnover he was suffering at Oregon was going to catch up to him quickly. Four years and three coordinator hires. He started with Leavitt and Arroyo. Then fired Leavitt and picked up Avalos. Arroyo left and MC hired Moorhead. And then Avalos left and DeRuyter was hired... and Moorhead was leaving at the end of this season regardless so if Cristobal had stayed that would have been 4 coordinator hires in five years. 

 

Cristobal was averaging at Oregon one coordinator hire per year (minus his first year)....that is some insane turnover. No healthy program has that level of turnover, unless your name is Alabama that is but Saban is the exception not the rule. 

[David Marsh]

On 2/1/2022 at 12:59 PM, kirklandduck said:

It makes me wonder if Marcus Arroyo was actually better than what the season stats showed because of the same issue?

Possibly a bit better... but as a head coach this last season UNLV only averaged 20 points per game. Now UNLV isn't exactly a powerhouse and has a major lack of talent but I think Arroyo has only won like two games in his two seasons (including a covid season) at UNLV and the offense hasn't bee good. 

[kirklandduck]

On 2/1/2022 at 2:28 PM, David Marsh said:

Possibly a bit better... but as a head coach this last season UNLV only averaged 20 points per game. Now UNLV isn't exactly a powerhouse and has a major lack of talent but I think Arroyo has only won like two games in his two seasons (including a covid season) at UNLV and the offense hasn't bee good. 

That probably speaks to the lack of talent that you mentioned and possibly that he's just not a very good HC, just a decent OC.

[Chuck Duck]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:17 PM, Grandpa Duck said:

I wondered if maybe the cost of living was a factor.  Checked it out.  Not that bad.  Maybe a bit above average, but not much.

 

Never been there.  Not going.

I live in Florida and I would say that the cost of living here is slightly above what you find in Oregon. Any assistant coach at UM would be living comfortably. 

[Washington Waddler]

     On Mario’s reputation among coaches, the canary in the coal shaft for me was watching all his HC compulsory post-game meet-n-greets. The majority of them were one-way with Mario trying to appear coachly, and the other guy looking like somebody in a police line-up.

[Jon Joseph]

On 2/1/2022 at 6:47 PM, Chuck Duck said:

I live in Florida and I would say that the cost of living here is slightly above what you find in Oregon. Any assistant coach at UM would be living comfortably. 

Florida is a great place live. I hope you will excuse me and I hope it isn't personal, but Miami is far different than living in Gainesville or in the Panhandle. I spent 6 months in Miami once upon a time on a job assignment. Plenty of good people but also plenty the bad vibe amongst the folks who live there. I doubt that the U under Mario will be back. The turnover chain brought plenty of people on board before Miami was waxed by Notre Dame a few seasons back. Kind of like USC. A winner in LA packs the Coli. Back in the days when the U was dominant folks packed the decrepit Orange Bowl. 

 

I can see Riley despite the Rams/Chargers competition bringing folks back to the Coli. But Miami? Interesting that the ACC divisions were set up to have FSU and Miami playing for an ACC title every year. Has yet to happen. Dabo is a far better game day coach than is Mario and I do not see Mario eclipsing Dabo when it comes to recruiting. I think the Miami boosters may well have bought the proverbial pig in a poke?

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:53 PM, Jon Joseph said:

It's fine in the winter months but a steam bath the rest of the year.

That heat has quite the reputation with the “Half-backs” here in NC. In case anybody is wondering, a half-back is a Yankee who retires to S. Florida, realizes how hot it gets and then moves halfway back home and settles in the Carolinas.

[HappyToBeADuck]

Just heard on James Crepea show that Mario hired the DC from Maryland to the same position. 

 

The guest on show said Mario has been Lazer focused on recruiting and he was taking his time with the hiring process.

 

Sorry I was driving and didn't get his name.

[David Marsh]

On 2/1/2022 at 4:56 PM, HappyToBeADuck said:

The guest on show said Mario has been Lazer focused on recruiting and he was taking his time with the hiring process.

Except having coordinators makes recruiting so much easier. You can sell a scheme and the coaches players will be working with... 

 

But Mario doesn't do scheme....

 

So you can sell the coaches being held hostage by having to make players play physical and trying to sell that as a scheme. 

[Annie]

I suppose there could be a remote possibility that MC is waiting to talk to someone at the Bengals or Rams, but I kind of doubt it.

[Haywarduck]

On 2/1/2022 at 5:12 PM, Annie said:

I suppose there could be a remote possibility that MC is waiting to talk to someone at the Bengals or Rams, but I kind of doubt it.

He might be waiting to see who wins to know which OC would be best to approach, that wily guy!

[Washington Waddler]

On 2/1/2022 at 4:53 PM, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

That heat has quite the reputation with the “Half-backs” here in NC. In case anybody is wondering, a half-back is a Yankee who retires to S. Florida, realizes how hot it gets and then moves halfway back home and settles in the Carolinas.

     Does that mean a punter would end up in Canada?