Sounds like Kerry Cooks is going to leave Bret Bielema's coaching staff to take a job at Notre Dame. Apparently a former college teammate of Cooks' will be the defensive coordinator for Brian Kelly.
While Cooks was a member of Bielema's original staff, this doesn't seem like a mammoth loss. Our defensive backs haven't been a particularly strong unit for the past three seasons after a stellar 2006. On the other hand, he's coached up guys like Allen Langford and Chris Maragos, and his unit was hit by dismissals and an overreliance on youth.
With most assistant coaches, the bigger issue is their value recruiting. Cooks recruited Texas, Iowa and Maryland for us. Texas hasn't netted us much recently beyond Jay Valai and Devin Smith. Florida is the better southern state for us. We haven't gotten many kids from Maryland, although that's changed with Frank Tamakloe and Robbie Havenstein in this year's class. Top kids from Iowa go to ... Iowa.
So without doing a deep dive through the roster and checking every guy Cooks was responsible for, it doesn't appear we'll take a big step back here.
I see this as an opportunity for an upgrade both in position coaching and recruiting. Also, word is this is Bielema is being strongly urged to get someone else to coach special teams. Hey, great idea. If only 100,000 Badger fans hadn't suggested it a year ago.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Less Cooks in the kitchen
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Football recruits: Out-of-state
Frankly, the out-of-state football recruits excite me more than the in-state guys. Not just because their other offers are somewhat more impressive, but because of where they're from -- two linebackers from Ohio (where my main man Chris Borland came from), an athlete from St. Louis and a quarterback from New Jersey.
We've always gotten good kids from those states, and it's encouraging to see us going back there with regularity. Surprisingly, no one yet from Texas, although it's not over yet. Can't remember the last time we had a kid from Maryland.
Joseph Brennan, QB, Cherry Hill, N.J.
A 6-4 quarterback who chose us over Miami and Stanford, not bad. His highly-coveted teammate Sherard Cadogan is considering us as well.
Manasseh Garner, LB/TE, Pittsburgh
Not that big yet for his projected positions, but apparently very athletic. Maybe he ends up like a Travis Beckum type.
Josh Harrison, LB, Huber Heights, Ohio
Cody Byers, LB, Kettering, Ohio
Warren Herring, DE/TE, Belleville, Ill.
Of all the recruits, Herring is the highest rated at his position. St. Louis has been very good to us in the past, good chance it could happen again here.
Frank Tamakloe, DB, Olney, Md.
This guy had a lot of good offers, a nice get. My first thought on him was that he's got really nice size for a safety -- 6-3, but he needs to put on weight. Good student.
Jameson Wright, DB, Fort Pierce, Fla.
Was also sniffing around Wake Forest and Rutgers.
It would be nice to land a headliner before February, but things are shaping up just fine.
