Interesting Names From Mark Anderson

[Bullmastiff 1]

Bill Clark UAB.

I could really get behind a hire like this one. UAB disbanded football brought it back and since taking over Clark has won 6, 8 and 11 games and is 6-2 this season.

In year three he won Conference USA.

Made a bowl in year two.

Won 11 at Jacksonville State in only season there.

Talk about figuring it out quick.

He's set to make 1 million. Could UNLV offer enough to poach him? Doesn't make sense based on regional ties. But guy can obviously coach football.


Also mentioned Entz the coach at FCS powerhouse NDSU. He was there for the last six years as DC so not exactly the same as Hauck who inherited an already established Montana program.

This is another hire I could get behind.

I don't know if these are legitimate names Anderson is hearing, or just names he is suggesting on his own. If they are names being floated, its a pretty solid list.

Interested to hear @rebneck 's opinion on Entz as I think he mentioned him before.

Only downside is lack of conference/region familiarity.

Jay Hill also mentioned but he's been discussed before.

 

[Rebelious1]

Underwhelming by any standard.

 

[Gator 82]

I’m not sure if UNLV would be considered an upgrade for him. Not to mention his lack of name recognition is not going to get too many people excited. UNLV has one chance to get the next HC hire right.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Underwhelming by any standard.

Underwhelming? Clark?

UAB disbanded football completely. In the programs first year back he went 6-6. Followed it with an 8 win season. Then won 11 games and the conference in year 3. How in the hell is that underwhelming? That shows ability to coach. He has to recruit with Bama and Auburn right in his backyard.

Entz has been part of one of the most dominant FCS programs in recent memory. He's been a big part of that dominance. Been there from the start. Worked with Craig Bohl who is finding success at Wyoming.


What is your list of top candidates...? Who can UNLV reasonably and realistically afford?

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I’m not sure if UNLV would be considered an upgrade for him. Not to mention his lack of name recognition is not going to get too many people excited. UNLV has one chance to get the next HC hire right.

Name your candidates.

Who can UNLV afford?

Who can they lure here?

I'm cool if people think this guy or that guy are not good candidates. We aren't all going to agree, but suggestions as to who they should target make for a far more interesting discussion.

Agree on Clark. UNLV would not even be a lateral move unless they could top his current salary.

But the MWC is better than Conference USA. He may be maxed out with what he can achieve at UAB being right in the heart of SEC territory and his neighbors are Bama and Auburn.

We can all say butts in seat hire. My question is simply who?

 

[rebelcuff]

I think Bill Clark goes to Memphis after their coach is poached.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I think Bill Clark goes to Memphis after their coach is poached.

Distinct possibility. Knows the region. Has produced great results at UAB.

According to some on this board he would be a very underwhelming hire for 'checking my notes here' UNLV, but could be a candidate for Memphis a team that has been in the top 25 a few times over the last few years.

 

[RebNReno]

Why was Bill Clark's name even mentioned? I wonder if Anderson has heard something because I wouldn't view him as a possibility at all. He would be a fantastic hire for UNLV but why would he even consider it? He's done a terrific job with UAB and he'll likely have much better offers coming in the next month. Keep in mind the majority of the American Conference (AAC) jobs even pay over 2 million now. So even if he doesn't get a P5 offer he'll likely be one of the first calls for the AAC schools.

 

[RebNReno]

Also mentioned Entz the coach at FCS powerhouse NDSU. He was there for the last six years as DC so not exactly the same as Hauck who inherited an already established Montana program.

This is another hire I could get behind.

I din't know if these are legitimate names Anderson is hearing being discussed or just names he is suggesting on his own. If they are names being floated maybe there is some hope.

Interested to hear @rebneck 's opinion on Entz as I think he mentioned him before.

Only downside is lack of conference/region familiarity.

Jay Hill also mentioned but he's been discussed before.

NDSU was already pretty established before Entz got there. They had just won 3 straight National Championships under Bohl but yes Klieman and Entz did a great job keeping it rolling. This is his first year as a head coach. They are 9-0 but I would prefer someone with a little more experience.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Why was Bill Clark's name even mentioned? I wonder if Anderson has heard something because I wouldn't view him as a possibility at all. He would be a fantastic hire for UNLV but why would he even consider it? He's done a terrific job with UAB and he'll likely have much better offers coming in the next month. Keep in mind the majority of the American Conference (AAC) jobs even pay over 2 million now. So even if he doesn't get a P5 offer he'll likely be one of the first calls for the AAC schools.

Totally agree.

I think he might just be throwing names out there to be honest vs names he has heard. Guys that might be considered for different reasons.

Took over a program that was disbanded and has them playing really good football. Showed he could win at a tough place/situation to win. UNLV is definitely that.

Like you mentioned money would be an issue. Even if UNLV could get to 2 million, what other draw is there? Facilities? I guess, wanting to get out of the shadow of Bama/Auburn. I agree familiarity with SEC country makes him more of an AAC type candidate if not a potential P5 job.

If he were a candidate I could get behind that type of hire. Seems unlikely though.

Biggest draw back would be lack of West Coast connections and recruiting out here.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

NDSU was already pretty established before Entz got there. They had just won 3 straight National Championships under Bohl but yes Klieman and Entz did a great job keeping it rolling. This is his first year as a head coach. They are 9-0 but I would prefer someone with a little more experience.

True.

I would prefer a guy with more experience but again we are back to retread guys like Hoke. Nothing wrong with that. But I have to inagine with what we can pay, poaching an experienced coach currently employed from somebody could prove difficult.

That leaves unemployed guys like Mora an option.

You're right I thought Entz came up with Bohl.

Still it's not a horrible name to consider.

 

[saulpaul21]

Entz not horrible. One thing to realize, in FCS, ndsu is close to Alabama type of dominance and setup. Mostly sell out 19,000 seat dome, metro area of 250,000 that worships the players. Could a guy like that handle a total re build with a disinterested fan base? Not sure.

By the way, I am from north Dakota, go back a fair amount so I am not just echoing comments from something I read.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Entz not horrible. One thing to realize, in FCS, ndsu is close to Alabama type of dominance and setup. Mostly sell out 19,000 seat dome, metro area of 250,000 that worships the players. Could a guy like that handle a total re build with a disinterested fan base? Not sure.

By the way, I am from north Dakota, go back a fair amount so I am not just echoing comments from something I read.

It won't be an easy job for anybody.

FCS to FBS is a tough jump as well..

Exciting an apathetic fan base and generating some buzz in town is another tough part of the job here.

Would prefer a guy with MWC or West coast connections.

Entz wouldn't be a bad hire but I would lean more towards Jay Hill in an either or scenario based on his familiarity with recruiting this area.

Like everything else with UNLV, it will come down to money. Do we have it or not to get the guy we want.

 

[WarthogRebel]

Bill Clark is already being mentioned for much larger programs than ours.

Plus he is strictly a Southeast guy. Born and raised in North Alabama. Coached at 4 high schools - all in Aabama. DC at South Alabama university. HC at Jacksonville State, Jacksonville Al. Currently HC at UAB.

65% of his roster is from Alabama and only 6 players are from outside the southeast.

It's more likely that Lake Mead will fill to overflowing than Bill Clark will come to Las Vegas to coach.

 

[RebelTomola]

I am not sure on Mark Entz we tried the FCS route sure i follow NDSU they started there dynasty in 2011 and onward. I just want a coach that can get us over the hump was at that SDSU game and that doink off the right upright is just like me being a UNLV fan. Here is a wild card dont know if we can get him to come Jeff Monken ( 71-44) from army 2014 4-8 2015 2-10 2016 8-5 2017 10-3 and 2018 11-2 ( best record for army ) and putting 70 on Houston and having Houston fire Major Applewhite.

 

[saulpaul21]

In college hoop they have coaching search firms to try to like e up schools and coaches. Does the same exist in football? Seems if so, you do not hear about them much.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Bill Clark is already being mentioned for much larger programs than ours.

Plus he is strictly a Southeast guy. Born and raised in North Alabama. Coached at 4 high schools - all in Aabama. DC at South Alabama university. HC at Jacksonville State, Jacksonville Al. Currently HC at UAB.

65% of his roster is from Alabama and only 6 players are from outside the southeast.

It's more likely that Lake Mead will fill to overflowing than Bill Clark will come to Las Vegas to coach.

Very unlikely we could get him. He doesn't make sense for reasons you mentioned.

Would be a great hire, though..

 

[j. spilotro]

In college hoop they have coaching search firms to try to like e up schools and coaches. Does the same exist in football? Seems if so, you do not hear about them much.

Search firms are terrible.

If an AD can’t get it done, figure it out, know who’s who, then what in the six figures are they doing with an AD job?

 

[saulpaul21]

Yep, but for football a search firm could not do worse than unlv has

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Yep, but for football a search firm could not do worse than unlv has

Sanford was a well respected coordinator. Coached under Urban Meyer at Utah and ran the offense of a team that busted the BCS.

Bobby Hauck was 80-17 at Montana with 2 FCS title game appearances.

Both hires were met with largely positive feedback.

Hindsight sure. Bad hires. At the time. Looked good.

 

[Rebelious1]

Yep, but for football a search firm could not do worse than unlv has

Sanford was a well respected coordinator. Coached under Urban Meyer at Utah and ran the offense of a team that busted the BCS.

Bobby Hauck was 80-17 at Montana with 2 FCS title game appearances.

Both hires were met with largely positive feedback.

Hindsight sure. Bad hires. At the time. Looked good.

Maybe it really was the locker rooms...

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Maybe it really was the locker rooms...

Might have been.

Sanford wasn't wrong. Just went about it the wrong way.

I don't know what talks went on while he was there. Maybe after year 4 when they were really close to bowl eligibility he spoke to people. Maybe he said, 'we're close but I need some support'..

Doing it during your exit press conference came off as sour grapes.

His year 4 squad was two last minute scoring drives and a meltdown in the last 5 minutes vs CSU from having 8 wins.

Beat ASU that was ranked at the time and the ISU the next week.

They were really close..

Pretty bad when you could make a atrong argument that a 5-7 team was the best team in the last 15 years.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

Search firms are terrible.

If an AD can’t get it done, figure it out, know who’s who, then what in the six figures are they doing with an AD job?

My understanding is that the "search firms" usually don't have much involvement in coming up with the list of candidates.

They do things like background checks and act as "middle men" for approaching coaches and agents so that the AD doesn't have to personally get feedback from half a dozen coaches about their level of interest... because then word gets out that they are shopping around.

But I agree with you that search firms are terrible. A lot of time ADs hire them just to return the favor of getting them hired. The whole network of agents and middle-men seems kind of sleazy.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Why was Bill Clark's name even mentioned? I wonder if Anderson has heard something because I wouldn't view him as a possibility at all. He would be a fantastic hire for UNLV but why would he even consider it? He's done a terrific job with UAB and he'll likely have much better offers coming in the next month. Keep in mind the majority of the American Conference (AAC) jobs even pay over 2 million now. So even if he doesn't get a P5 offer he'll likely be one of the first calls for the AAC schools.

Anderson was on the radio this afternoon. Basically saying they were simply names of the type of coaches he anticipated the AD going after, not necessarily those exact guys.

Paraphrasing here but basically if a change is made he thinks it will be similar to what went down with Otz.

People shouldn't expect it to be a wow or big name hire.

 

[unlv91]

Anderson was on the radio this afternoon. Basically saying they were simply names of the type of coaches he anticipated the AD going after, not necessarily those exact guys.

Paraphrasing here but basically if a change is made he thinks it will be similar to what went down with Otz.

People shouldn't expect it to be a wow or big name hire.

DRF is an idiot!

 

[Gator 82]

Anderson was on the radio this afternoon. Basically saying they were simply names of the type of coaches he anticipated the AD going after, not necessarily those exact guys.

Paraphrasing here but basically if a change is made he thinks it will be similar to what went down with Otz.

People shouldn't expect it to be a wow or big name hire.

Then the University shouldn’t expect butts in seats next year

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

DRF is an idiot!

Ok...

Think that one has been covered though.

She appears to have alienated a lot of boosters according to the boards which is a bad thing I guess.

Of course prior to her alienating these boosters a fair number of the posts on here were complaining about boosters.

One of the main ways to judge an AD is by the success or failure of their coaching hires. She's only made one so far.

If Otz does well is she still and idiot?

Or do we get the 'she fell into a pile of crap and came out smelling like a rose' takes?

If she lands a football coach that finds some success will she still be an idiot?

Maybe she is a cancer to the Athletic Department. Maybe she burns down the last hopes of UNLV athletics had before she leaves.

I'll wait to pass any judgment until I see what Otz and Sanchez' potential replacement bring. (If Sanchez is in fact out).

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Then the University shouldn’t expect butts in seats next year

Ok.

So give me a list of realistic candidates you think UNLV can get.

How much you want?

Let's say 2 million per.

That may even be more than what UNLV can reach, but for sake of argument you have 2 million to get a butts in seats coach hired.

Who you getting...?

 

[j. spilotro]

Ok...

Think that one has been covered though.

She appears to have alienated a lot of boosters according to the boards which is a bad thing I guess.

Of course prior to her alienating these boosters a fair number of the posts on here were complaining about boosters.

One of the main ways to judge an AD is by the success or failure of their coaching hires. She's only made one so far.

If Otz does well is she still and idiot?

Or do we get the 'she fell into a pile of crap and came out smelling like a rose' takes?

If she lands a football coach that finds some success will she still be an idiot?

Maybe she is a cancer to the Athletic Department. Maybe she burns down the last hopes of UNLV athletics had before she leaves.

I'll wait to pass any judgment until I see what Otz and Sanchez' potential replacement bring. (If Sanchez is in fact out).

That Morton Poser was offered the job and denied the job - he was her top choice... that tells you what you need to know about her understanding of the program and our situation. Morton Poser. Seriously.

 

[willlevi]

Sanford was a well respected coordinator. Coached under Urban Meyer at Utah and ran the offense of a team that busted the BCS.

Bobby Hauck was 80-17 at Montana with 2 FCS title game appearances.

Both hires were met with largely positive feedback.

Hindsight sure. Bad hires. At the time. Looked good.

Sanford was OC for one season for 2-9 Stanford before landing with Utah under Urban Meyer for two seasons running an offensive Meyer developed at Bowling Green.
Historically, Sanford didn't have a history of working with successful programs prior to landing the job at Utah.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sanford_Sr.

 

[dcut03]

That Morton Poser was offered the job and denied the job - he was her top choice... that tells you what you need to know about her understanding of the program and our situation. Morton Poser. Seriously.

Because that's all that matter in the end.

One of the candidates, that wasn't hired, wasn't popular. So what if he went to a final four, so what if other, higher profile jobs also interviewed him.

But he was interviewed, and he only had one good year at a place that is extremely difficulty to win at, so everything she does positive is pure luck from this point on.

The hire is what matters. Otz is the first one, the football coach, is the more important of the two will be upcoming.

She did something very unpopular with the basketball coach, which may just pay off. It also may not, to be determined. But at least some good signs initially.

But if she gets a football coach that has any sort of success she should get all the credit in the world. Porter Moser be damned.

 

[WarthogRebel]

I think the odds are in her favor. The reason is success will be measured with such a low bar.

A coach that gets bowl eligible will be "successful". A coach with consecutive 7 win seasons will be looked at as the next coming of Nick Sabin.

After all we are in the Mtn. West conference - not the big ten. Most any coach she selects can be successful by beefing up the defense. That's all you really need in this league as is proven by the Aztecs. You won't win the conference title but you'll be "successful" nearly every year.

 

[LocoRebel]

Underwhelming by any standard.

In terms of reasonable expectations, I can't think of anyone potentially better at all.

I’m not sure if UNLV would be considered an upgrade for him. Not to mention his lack of name recognition is not going to get too many people excited. UNLV has one chance to get the next HC hire right.

Tend to agree that UNLV wouldn't be an upgrade for Clark. In some situations, UNLV is more desirable with a potentially higher ceiling. But the 20-foot ceiling is very far away when you're 10 feet below ground. By comparison, UAB is maybe at 10-feet above and a ceiling of 15-feet. Weird analogy.

I don't think any name UNLV can reasonably bring in will be a name that moves the needle. Unless someone with some money wants to commit to the program for a high dollar amount ($1.5-2m for head man and a slightly lesser figure for the combined staff) for a period of 5 years, I don't see how the name DRF brings in is sexy.

I think Bill Clark goes to Memphis after their coach is poached.

RESCIND THAT WILD SPECULATION!

Actually you're probably right.

 

[j. spilotro]

Because that's all that matter in the end.

One of the candidates, that wasn't hired, wasn't popular. So what if he went to a final four, so what if other, higher profile jobs also interviewed him.

But he was interviewed, and he only had one good year at a place that is extremely difficulty to win at, so everything she does positive is pure luck from this point on.

The hire is what matters. Otz is the first one, the football coach, is the more important of the two will be upcoming.

She did something very unpopular with the basketball coach, which may just pay off. It also may not, to be determined. But at least some good signs initially.

But if she gets a football coach that has any sort of success she should get all the credit in the world. Porter Moser be damned.

You’re right, everything she’s done is golden. Like Mavis and his slow growth. It was golden. We were just impatient.

 

[unlv91]

DRF is an idiot!

For basketball the stars were aligning for not just a good coach but a great one but we all know where that ended up. Question is will she now get the needed backing for football??? I say no. Not now

 

[rebneck]

Bill Clark UAB.

I could really get behind a hire like this one. UAB disbanded football brought it back and since taking over Clark has won 6, 8 and 11 games and is 6-2 this season.

In year three he won Conference USA.

Made a bowl in year two.

Won 11 at Jacksonville State in only season there.

Talk about figuring it out quick.

He's set to make 1 million. Could UNLV offer enough to poach him? Doesn't make sense based on regional ties. But guy can obviously coach football.


Also mentioned Entz the coach at FCS powerhouse NDSU. He was there for the last six years as DC so not exactly the same as Hauck who inherited an already established Montana program.

This is another hire I could get behind.

I don't know if these are legitimate names Anderson is hearing, or just names he is suggesting on his own. If they are names being floated, its a pretty solid list.

Interested to hear @rebneck 's opinion on Entz as I think he mentioned him before.

Only downside is lack of conference/region familiarity.

Jay Hill also mentioned but he's been discussed before.

I was a big Entz proponent last year when he was DC. Now, as first-year HC, he's 9-0 and I still like him but, upon further review....

*There's that reminder of the last coach we had that came from a perennial FCS power that he didn't build. Entz may be capable of that, but I'm kinda tired of being a proving-ground, especially for a requirement that we desperately need.


*I love the defensive chops. I ache for us to be good on defense.

*As a head coach, now, whose entire background is in the Midwest, it will take just all that much more to get him here.

Hill, on the other hand, has shown six years of progress (well, one push) as HC, and has advanced in the post-season. He has D1 experience, as a player and a coach. He's also entrenched in the West, so the recruiting contacts are in place. I think he'll be ready to move on, whether the Wildcats win it all this year or not. Could make negotiations smoother.

What does all this mean? Probably that DRF will hire someone connected to her days in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mtns.

 

[RebNReno]

Of the 2 FCS coaches I'm much more impressed with the job Jay Hill has done at Weber. I thought he was a lock for the BYU job last month (He's probably the best LDS coach available) but with the upsets over Boise and Utah St. it looks like Sitake will be back next year. I would still prefer an experienced former FBS coach but if we're going the FCS route he's not a bad choice.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Of the 2 FCS coaches I'm much more impressed with the job Jay Hill has done at Weber. I thought he was a lock for the BYU job last month (He's probably the best LDS coach available) but with the upsets over Boise and Utah St. it looks like Sitake will be back next year. I would still prefer an experienced former FBS coach but if we're going the FCS route he's not a bad choice.

The familiarity with the region would make me lean Hill in an either or scenario..

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I was a big Entz proponent last year when he was DC. Now, as first-year HC, he's 9-0 and I still like him but, upon further review....

*There's that reminder of the last coach we had that came from a perennial FCS power that he didn't build. Entz may be capable of that, but I'm kinda tired of being a proving-ground, especially for a requirement that we desperately need.


*I love the defensive chops. I ache for us to be good on defense.

*As a head coach, now, whose entire background is in the Midwest, it will take just all that much more to get him here.

Hill, on the other hand, has shown six years of progress (well, one push) as HC, and has advanced in the post-season. He has D1 experience, as a player and a coach. He's also entrenched in the West, so the recruiting contacts are in place. I think he'll be ready to move on, whether the Wildcats win it all this year or not. Could make negotiations smoother.

What does all this mean? Probably that DRF will hire someone connected to her days in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mtns.

I would be shocked if Hill isn't being considered or looked at.

I also like Danny Gonzales the former SDSU and current ASU DC.

Morgan Scalley Utah DC might be worth a look.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

It's hard to determine much about how Entz would do building a program. He inhereited a NDSU program whose WORST seasons in the last 8 years were two 2-loss seasons (13-2 overall in '15 and 12-2 in '16). That's similar to Bobby Hauck, who did well at Montana but took over after a coach that went 39-6 there.

The reason the timing may be right for Jay Hill is that it is uncommon that FCS coaches on the west coast emerge getting mentioned for FBS positions. The problem is that there are not many FCS programs west of the Dakotas - just 14 total FCS schools (from Colorado west), while there are 112 FCS schools from the Dakotas/Texas and further east. Hill also has 10 years of MWC coaching experience as an assistant at Utah. He has also had to build a program, inheriting a team that had only 2 wins in each of the two season before he arrived and again having only 2 wins his first year... but since then he has had 5 strait winning seasons.