What Should Iowa State be looking for in it's next Head Football Coach?

* Quick update 11-30-15 at 12:53 p.m.

Quick Matt Campbell thoughts...

 

People, process, players, culture, leadership, trust and choices.  These words came up over and over again during the press conference. 

 

I spoke this weekend with friends in the industry who know Matt and people he has worked with.  His character and big picture leadership jump to the front of the conversation every time.

 

So many coaches think system first.  I loved his quote.  "Players, formations, plays."  it seems so simple , but so many coaches get this backwards.  So many focus on the system first with little regard for the players talents first.

 

My take...  I am excited for Matt to continue to build on the foundation the Cyclone staff built over the last 7 years.  Really excited that he choose to come to Ames!

Editor's note, Tuesday November 24th

The point of this article is not to advocate for a specific coach or style of play at Iowa State.  The plan outlined below for ISU is one example of how the puzzle pieces must all fit together.  The point is to help educate fans, media and even some administrators.  A comprehensive leadership plan that fits the unique challenges of the individual program should be the most important requirement.  The best fit for many jobs may not be on the experts "hot list".  The pressure to win the press conference and the bidding war is palpable. Talented leaders exist at every level of college football.  They key is being able to sift through all the noise to find true leadership. 

Personal note:  A big shout out to all the fantastic humans I had the pleasure of serving with at ISU.  From Paul to Carl and everyone in between... Thank you! 

The College Football Coaching Carousel continues at Iowa State

The college football coaching carousel has started sooner than ever and it is already a huge year for turnover.  Today the college football changes hit close to home. 

Paul Rhoads and his current staff will leave ISU Football better off than Rhoads’ first staff found it.

It seems impossible, but with Rhoads departure every member of the staff that scrambled to put together a not-so-shabby recruiting class in early 2009 will be gone.  Rhoads is the last of the original group that recruited that first class.  Such is life in college football. 

When coaches are let go in college football many fans and administrators are like teenagers driving on gravel.  They start to fishtail a bit and then they over-correct.  Watch and see as this scenario plays out all over the country in the weeks and months to come.  Programs will trade a “player’s coach” for a “tough-minded disciplinarian”, an old “old guy” for an “up and Comer”, a “defensive guy” for an “offensive guru” and on and on. 

What they should be looking for is a leader.  Someone able to survey the conditions on the ground and develop, communicate and lead a comprehensive plan.  Fans and media will rush to throw out names.  Many of these coaches will have little experience doing more with less.  Many will be experts in one area or another, but may not have a comprehensive plan to lead the overall organization.  The minutia and details of offensive/defensive preparation of a unit are but one skill needed to succeed as the head man.  Many of the skills needed to be a great coordinator are not what is needed to be the CEO.  Yet, that’s where far too many coaching searches begin and end.

So what comes next for the Cyclones?  How can anyone have prolonged success in Ames Iowa? 

Below is an example of an over-simplified plan for what that success might look like.  There are many different ways to achieve success.  I am not saying this plan is the only one that may work.  This is only one example of the type of solutions fans should be considering as they throw out names.  The best fit may not be a name you have heard.  It may well be someone with a history of developing a plan for over-achieving. 

Six steps to consider for success at Iowa State...

 

 

1.       Embrace Strengths

2.       Be Different

3.       Recruit I-35

4.       Go Big

5.       Slow Down

6.       Macro Leadership

 

Embrace Strengths: Focus only on what you have.  The fan base is supportive, hungry and growing just like the University.   Players are the big fish in a state with no pro football competition.  Football participation, a clean record and a degree are a jump-start to opportunities galore for the rest of your life.  Smart players intent on a degree and life after football find ISU a great choice.  You are in the Big 12.  Celebrate and embrace that level of competition and use that to your advantage in recruiting.

Recruit I-35:  Embracing strengths starts with recruiting the extended I-35 corridor (2-3 states wide) from North to South.  Focus on upper- Midwest over achievers and Big-12 footprint chip-on-their-shoulder-kids.  Invest heavily in player personnel staff and evaluation.  Use personnel staff and interns to cut up game films and move away from using highlight films to offer anyone.  Slow down offers and let the senior year development occur before rushing to offer all but the absolute best kids.  Be willing to stand by your evaluations and be willing to “steal” kids from non-BCS schools commit lists if they fit your system.  Move recruiting areas away from airports where everyone goes to see multiple players in one day and turn over rocks in out-lying areas.  Recruit players that are not being recruited by every other big-12 school. (ISU wins very few of these battles) Create a system that demands a different type of player than most of the Big-12. 

Immediately throw gas on the walk-on recruiting strategy fire.  Start with a “top twenty” highly-recruited walk-ons who will compete to earn a minimum of two scholarships per class awarded at the completion of the red-shirt sophomore season.  This would allow you to attract many of the players that go to NDSU and UNI and develop into fantastic players.  It is very difficult to know which players will develop.  This allows you to “hedge your bets” and turn a weakness (late developing multi-sport athletes exposed to lower-level competition) into a new strength.  Over recruit the Defensive line position to make sure you do not become depleted up front (impossible to move guys from other positions) and get your linebackers and secondary beat up as a result.  Defensive Linemen who can’t play defense often make great run blocking O-linemen.

 

Go Big:  Embracing strengths and recruiting I-35 allows you to “Go Big”.  The geographic recruiting area and philosophy outlined above allows you to add size and run the ball.  Utilize large running QB’s to gain an extra blocker and be a threat in play action and boot schemes.  Big, physical offensive linemen, Fullbacks, tight ends and receivers will help in the red zone and help to shorten the length of the game.  (a true triple-option scheme would also be a way to achieve this)  Having an offensive scheme that is different than most (or all) of the Big-12 allows you access to players others don’t want that can help you win. 

 

Be Different:  Embracing strength, recruiting I-35 and Going Big allows you to become different than the rest of the Big 12.  You just can’t do the same things everyone else does in the Big 12 and plan to outwork/out smart/out recruit others at the same game they are playing.  Embrace the culture of being a little different in most aspects of the program.   Science and Mathematics tells us more coaches should go for it on 4^th down in short yardage situations and in positive territory.  Come in with that mentality from day one and let the players know it early on.  Let going for it more often on 4^th down become part of your culture.  The offensive system would be built to succeed in short yardage situations. 

The Big 12 has become a “possession league” more than a “field position league”.  Might as well push the chips to the middle of the table and dare to be different in all you do. The explosive offenses can score from anywhere any time.  The best way to defeat them is limit possessions and time on the field.

 

Slow Down:  The steps above will allow you to slow the game down and decrease the amount of snaps per game.  Staying on the field longer on offense will keep the ball away from opponent’s explosive offenses; allow the defense fewer snaps per game, more rest in between possession and increase health over 12 plus games.  The recruiting scheme laid out above admittedly will not have an abundance of Big-12 ready players the day they walk on campus.  Players will need time to develop.  Florida and California players may be game ready earlier in their career, but the upper Mid-west players will not.  However, they may be better fits and have larger upsides.  Slowing the game down and milking the clock keeps players healthier and allows you to shorten the game.  It is easier to defeat a more talented opponent over a shorter sample size of plays. 

Macro Leadership: Being a little different requires Macro Leadership.  Allow key people from each department (Coordinators, Strength, Personnel, Operations, Medical, Academic and Captains) to have expansive leadership roles.  The leader must create the vision and communicate the master plan.  Hold the leaders in each department accountable for living and delivering the vision.  Make sure everyone understands exactly what is expected and that all are rowing in the exact same direction in perfect rhythm.  Resist the urge to run any one of these departments no matter your experience or expertise.  Use any extra time to recruit and develop individual relationships with players, coaches and staff. 

 

Ultimately, the leader must do the things only the leader can do.  The leader must continually communicate the vision until everyone can see it as if it where their own.  That is the leadership the Cyclones and others should be looking to hire to give themselves the best shot to get off the college football coaching carousel.