Coaching Evaluation

[Bullshiznitz]

In my mind, there are three major aspects to a college football head coach's job (coaching staff's job):

1) Gameday management: Preparation for the game, gameplan for specific team, motivating team/players for specific game, and actual game mangement (making adjustments, clock management, etc...).

2) Player Development: Coaching fundementals, reducing errors, preparing players, and showing improvement in the development of players over their college career

3) Program Salesman: Selling the program to fans/boosters, and more importantly selling the program to recruits to improve the quality of players coming into the program

For our current staff, I'll give Coach Holtz an A for selling the program to fans/boosters/media. He's very personable, says the right things, the media seems to like him, etc... He's much better in that aspect than Leavitt ever was. But outside that area, I'd be hard pressed to really grade this staff out in any area any higher than a C. And to me, that is the troubling aspect.

It would be one thing if we could say that he just needs to finally get all his recruits in, but I don't see that as solving anything. While I wouldn't necessarily say Holtz has ever been badly outcoached in a game (atleast not that I can remember), he's also never outcoached anyone else. We never seem to have a gameplan, our problems with penalties, mistakes, and poor clock management under Leavitt, all still seem to happen just as frequently under Holtz. We're not a fundementally sound football team like Boise, or like UConn was under Edsall. Our recruiting hasn't really improved at all (if not got worse). We haven't really developed almost anyone over the past few years (evidence by our lack of NFL draftees). I guess I'm just not seeing it. I would love to say, hey atleast we're getting better here, here and here, and just need some time.....but I don't really see any areas where I can be positive about or see a true positive trend in. I would love for Coach Holtz to prove me wrong, but from my perspective, its now more likely that he becomes USF's own version of Steve Kragthorpe.

Please someone help convince me I'm wrong. I really want to have sometype of positive outlook, be it this year, or the next few years.

[Bull Martin]

We've been Kragthorpe'd!

[Bull94]

In my mind, there are three major aspects to a college football head coach's job (coaching staff's job):

1) Gameday management: Preparation for the game, gameplan for specific team, motivating team/players for specific game, and actual game mangement (making adjustments, clock management, etc...).

2) Player Development: Coaching fundementals, reducing errors, preparing players, and showing improvement in the development of players over their college career

3) Program Salesman: Selling the program to fans/boosters, and more importantly selling the program to recruits to improve the quality of players coming into the program

For our current staff, I'll give Coach Holtz an A for selling the program to fans/boosters/media. He's very personable, says the right things, the media seems to like him, etc... He's much better in that aspect than Leavitt ever was. But outside that area, I'd be hard pressed to really grade this staff out in any area any higher than a C. And to me, that is the troubling aspect.

It would be one thing if we could say that he just needs to finally get all his recruits in, but I don't see that as solving anything. While I wouldn't necessarily say Holtz has ever been badly outcoached in a game (atleast not that I can remember), he's also never outcoached anyone else. We never seem to have a gameplan, our problems with penalties, mistakes, and poor clock management under Leavitt, all still seem to happen just as frequently under Holtz. We're not a fundementally sound football team like Boise, or like UConn was under Edsall. Our recruiting hasn't really improved at all (if not got worse). We haven't really developed almost anyone over the past few years (evidence by our lack of NFL draftees). I guess I'm just not seeing it. I would love to say, hey atleast we're getting better here, here and here, and just need some time.....but I don't really see any areas where I can be positive about or see a true positive trend in. I would love for Coach Holtz to prove me wrong, but from my perspective, its now more likely that he becomes USF's own version of Steve Kragthorpe.

Please someone help convince me I'm wrong. I really want to have sometype of positive outlook, be it this year, or the next few years.

good analysis.

people criticize BJ for not developing but it seems like many areas of our team overall haven't improved. can we say we have a dominant o-line now under Holtz? or a dominant d-line? linebackers better under holtz? how about secondary? RBs?

[Bulls On Parade]

I would agree with your post.

I don't think we gameplan the team looks like they show up and play the game and just stick

with the few plays they run.

Fitch is garbage... I could call better plays and for alot less money.

[Bull Martin]

When can we start wearing these??

This could make USF football fun

[FatDaddyBull]

Definitely agree I'd give him an A on number 3. I think maybe a D in the other categories.

Leavitt's staff really developed all the pro players. Will be interested to see how this class does though with Webster, Grissom and Barrington looking like solid prospects, but I thought Trae Williams was going to be great, so what do I know? If those three at least are not all drafted I think that says something about the lack of development of the players or at least the perception if it by pro scouts.

[nobullaboutit]

I am so glad to see there are others out there that share a lot of the same sentiments. We have had season tickets from the beginning and to watch a program spiral downward is very disheartening.

My issue:

When you have an OC that has tried to get out of USF since the last 2 seasons unsuccessfully that should send a smoke signal to somebody that this guy doesn't want to be here. Why be loyal to someone who has tried to leave ever since he got here. That seems to be my biggest issue. Fire the guy and get someone in that knows how to run and offense and has some loyalty. It is very frustrating when the fans can call the plays from their seats or living rooms.

[Apis Bull]

1. C+, they made great adjustments against Nevada, I think they made decent adjustments against Rutgers, but the execution was terrible. The plays were there. Which brings me to my next grade.

2. D, The lines and BJ are just not getting any better. I don't know if another coach could have gotten more out of BJ or not.

3. A-

[hbryan]

Definitely agree I'd give him an A on number 3. I think maybe a D in the other categories.

Leavitt's staff really developed all the pro players. Will be interested to see how this class does though with Webster, Grissom and Barrington looking like solid prospects, but I thought Trae Williams was going to be great, so what do I know? If those three at least are not all drafted I think that says something about the lack of development of the players or at least the perception if it by pro scouts.

If he could sell the program we would be getting 3 and 4 star talent and the stands would be mainly full. Take care of job #1 as a coach (duh, WINNING) and that takes care of the major part of selling a program. We have less fans in the stands with Holtz than we had with Leavitt because we win less and the team does not play exciting football. Therefore, I give him an F across the board.

[Orlando Bull]

Definitely agree I'd give him an A on number 3. I think maybe a D in the other categories.

Leavitt's staff really developed all the pro players. Will be interested to see how this class does though with Webster, Grissom and Barrington looking like solid prospects, but I thought Trae Williams was going to be great, so what do I know? If those three at least are not all drafted I think that says something about the lack of development of the players or at least the perception if it by pro scouts.

If he could sell the program we would be getting 3 and 4 star talent and the stands would be mainly full. Take care of job #1 as a coach (duh, WINNING) and that takes care of the major part of selling a program. We have less fans in the stands with Holtz than we had with Leavitt because we win less and the team does not play exciting football. Therefore, I give him an F across the board.

+1