i was following tenuta a month ago and thought he and shannon had worked together previously.
so i thought the dc position at miami was a done deal.
well maybe not.

sure wish jake would get a qb coach soon.

Most of us at dawgman feel that Ty will be fired after recruiting season. Ty needs to go as soon as possible.

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For those of you following recruiting, here's a link that's kind of different from the Realdawg/Dawgman stuff. It grades the players committed, and has some interesting evaluations, and comments. Kind of fun to read.
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http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/school?schoolId=264&season=2008&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fschool%3fschoolId%3d264%26season%3d2008

The subtle rejections seemed to be piling up.
Reason ? or imagination. Lets see we start
next season with Oregon, BY and Oklahoma, going
to be hard to be anything but 0-3 at that point.
I really feel sorry for Jake, he should have gone
to another school and that is a hard thing for
a Husky of nearly 50 years to say, but the
program is still floundering and coachs aren't
flocking to Seattle. Hope I'm wrong, but the
responsibility falls only in one place.

I think EVERYONE in Husky Nation should just chill regarding the DC position at our Dub.

Coach Willingham is on record saying that he will NOT give any interviews regarding the DC position until AFTER he hires one.

Every single person on this blog, every reporter, every recruiting site, EVERYONE is in pure speculation, no one KNOWS.

Ty very well could have met with Coach Young - They might have got along great - they might not have. Coach Young might be playing boths sides (Miami vs. Huskies) for the best deal, ala DeWayne Walker.

I will say this - from the four years I've watched Coach Willingham here and the time he spent at Stanford, he has never impressed me as the type of guy who re-acts. He seems to be a patient, well thought man.

My sincere gut feeling is that he will hire who is absolutely right for this job. Lets not forget, he knows his job is on the line too, he is not gonna make a snap decision just so all of us can feel comfortable.

His recruits trust him, they're not de-committing. His current players trust him, they're not transfering. Why is it so hard for some of us to do the same?

Well said onewoodwacker, probably the best post I have read in a year.

onewood, I think a lot of dawg fans are with you on this issue. nice post.

BoiseTruth,

Thanks for the link. I got excited about the JC defensive tackle Blake Ferras but that list did not have any info on him. Scout.com has him as a verbal commit to Oregon. I's like to see UW dip into JC ranks for a defensive tackle. Simi Kuli is still uncommitted.

Why would you trust Ty when he employed Kent Baer for 13 years?

If Ty recruits a new DC as well as he has recruited a new freshmen class of players, I would say the Huskies are in for a darn good (if not great) asst. coach. Remember, Ty's job hangs on how well the D does next season and he is not going to cut any corners on this one. I'm looking forward to the Notre Dame game...UCLA...great season ahead of us.

onewoodwacker,

we can totally agree on your point that ty never re-acts and is patient.

in fact, i don't recall seeing any second half adjustments (re-acts) and his patience for rebuilding this team seems to be a by moving up 2 or 3 notches per year on the ranking of all 119 teams instead of the 10 in our conference. that's patience and sometimes i wish i was that patient.

pray for me.

You're welcome Spokane. On Simi Kuli, I think that he has committed to Nebraska. Generally, I'm against taking JC's, but I have to admit, when it comes to the D-line, I was kind of hoping we could find someone that was ready to contribute next year. Having two youngsters on the D-line wouldn't be so bad as long as the LB's were all healthy. However, having three youngsters on the D-line is a bit scary.

Spokane, I think I was looking at some old info on Kuli. I think he committed, and then decommitted from Nebraska. So, he probably is still available. Sorry about that.

That guy at CSTV is the same guy who said Spurrier was going to Miami. How did that work out?

To one wood - I've had you on my 'naughty' list for a while, then noticed several agreeing with you; so I read your post, and hereby put you on my 'nice' list (for the time being, anyway).
I'm very optimistic about next season.

Some of these posts remind me why so many of these Ty hating bafoons deserve zero credibility.

BoiseT

Yeah, I know, but a few JC's have worked out in the past. Where would Don James be without Warren Moon in 1977? Or Lambo without Corey Dillon? Simi Kulli looks like that kind of a difference-maker

Thanks for the link, Boise. Good stuff.
Malibu

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Spokane, I wouldn't mind taking a shot at a JC like Kuli. I just don't like to see 4-5 JC's on the board for the same class. I've seen it work for other programs, but generally I think it's a pretty risky strategy. As for Ferras, the only thing I know about him is that he had some academic issues, and that his JC coach said he committed to Wisconsin. However, he apparently never had an offer from Wisconsin. Wisconsin eventually backed off his recruitment. Dillon is an interesting case. He came in and contributed probably far more than anyone could have expected. The thing that really stands out (other than his great year) is how incredibly mad Lambo got when Dillon pulled his one and done routine. I wonder how Lambo sees that situation now. Does he feel like it was a good deal, or does he still feel that he got burned by Dillon? Don't know.
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Hi Malibu, you're welcome. Good to hear from you. Hope everything is well in your neighborhood.

Boise,

interesting link.

Craig Noble is unranked at OG, when Scout has him as the 17th best DT. Many other differences, but this was the biggest. Just goes to show how hard it is to scout these players via the interwebs.

That is a great link, thanks for sharing. I didn't know that Noble and Walker were commits. Is that official? Any news on those 2 kids from Miami? I know a lot of speculation was made about them, as they had soft commits to Miami and wanted to visit Seattle, UW and Ty. Finally, other than that Mykenna Ikehara, did we have any other commits from last weekend?

I like that washington is starting to go on the offensive for some bulky lineman. I also see that LaRoi Edwards from Kentridge has UW ranked #1. He could be a huge diamond in the rough. Some solid coaching can turn a 2x seattle times all area player into a 2-3 yr starter. Fingers crossed he stays on board with UW... In other words, bring on the hoggies, can't get enough of them sexy beasts!!

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206dogg, and Elimno, glad you enjoyed the link. Something a little different. As far as I know, Ikehara was the only new commit from last weekend. While nothing is official until LOI day (19 days) I think Noble, and Walker are solid. The rankings, and grades vary so much from site to site I don't know what to make of them. Have to wait, and see how they do on the field I guess. I haven't seen a thing on the Miami kids lately. With the schollies that we have left, I'd be surprised if they were in the mix. I've also wondered why Edwards hasn't received more attention. Seems like a solid kid on the surface. Don't know. As far as UW, Scout has Edwards, listed as a center. Ikehara's elite camp coach says Ikehara will be an excellent center at the next level. I guess maybe we're just not looking for another center, or maybe the D-1 programs think he's under sized at 250 lbs.

Yes, the rankings jump around.. that's why I always look at:

(1) what other schools have offered a kid (the thinking is that top schools spend more time and energy scouting a kid that the internet services do - for example a kid like the CB Adam Long is only considered a 2-star by scout and rivals, yet has offers from UW, Cal, OSU, and UCLA - so to me he's a good get no matter what the star; and

(2)How they fit with style of play and need - which is why I would downgrade Blackman at QB because he's not a mobile QB, but would upgrade a RB like David Freeman who is small but seems like would be dangerous in a spread offense (much like Jevarious Best from WVU) and in the return game - two needs and fits for UW.

Let's be honest with one another here, why would anyone want the DC job at UW when they know it's likely not guaranteed past one year? What kind of feather would that be in their cap?

I'm just being realistic here. Willingham could very well be out after next season (humor me for a second). A new coach could bring in another DC. That likely has TONS to do with why no one is coming here, not just because Willingham is being choosy on who he wants.

the star rankings have been beaten like a dead horse, but it is interesting to see how some rankings can be soooo far off. Not that anyone really cares, but should some players have different star ratings based on the position they are listed/not listed?

For example:

Joe Shmoe from BFE high school is a 5 star punter but 1 star DE?

I guess none of this matters anyway since Willingham should have been fired 12 years ago and the UW will most likely drop the football program after this year.

There are probably a good dozen reasons that a DC would want to come to the UW to join Ty's staff even with the current situation Mello.

Honestly though, what a huge waste of time it would be to discuss them with you. It'd be like discussing with an alcoholic all the reasons it makes sense to quit drinking.

I wish today was August 30th. This is going to be the longest offseason ever.
Can you imagine how much this fan base is going to blow up if we can beat Oregon, BYU and then Oklahoma? Why the heck not? I know it's dreaming, but Oregon isn't all world. We need to stop thinking like losers -- as if Oregon IS better and beating them is like winning the lottery. F--- Todd Turner. We don't "aspire to be like Oregon." We should just realize we're better and get back to beating them 8 out of 10 times. BYU and Oklahoma? They both come into Seattle early in the year and anything can happen in college football. Why not?
I know it's fantasy, but we've suffered long enough. What's say we shock everyone and run that first three game stretch and not look back?
MM
-- I promise to take my medication before I post again.

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This is part of a story that ran in the Denver Post last year from Natalie Meisner - staff sports columnist - at the Post. This was her guide for what the coaches really meant when talking about their recruiting class on LOI day. Thought it was pretty good.
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"In any event, here's a coach- speak translation guide for Wednesday, with the quote (and what the coach really means).

"This is our best class ever." - "Our last few classes weren't very good."

"This class fills our needs." - "It's not the best class ever."

"We were lucky to get him." - "We'll be luckier if he gets past admissions."

And finally, the one universal truth on signing day:

"Check back in three or four years."

Mellodawg,

I think UW would be appealing to a DC because of the upside potential. Since our defense was at the bottom statistically last year, a DC who could get "middle of the pack" statistics next year would look like a guru.

Also, the UW has shown a willingness to consider a two year contract for the right DC, which is more security than most assistant coaches have. Being an assistant coach is an inherently risky job. The next DC will come to UW because he sees the opportunity to make a major name for himself in a "nowhere to go but up" situation.

I am really curious about who will get hired, but I am not worried about the fact that it has not happened yet. There are probably a few dozen guys out there qualified for the job, most of whom the average fan has never heard of.

Mello,

Money for one. We should have no problem bringing in an established DC if offered a two-year deal. Doesn't take a genius to see what is looming on the horizon with the talent coming in and pretty good looking schedule in 2009. Also a great opportunity for a rising star somewhere (nobody heard of Brian Van Gorder before Georgia made him a DC several years ago).

Mellodawg,

While we disagree on many points, your negative speculation on the lack of job security here could make candidates leery seems very realistic.

Other possible barriers include lack of depth, and recent lack of defensive talent.

Thought I would acknowledge that I don't find you crazy. The daily posts about how hopeless things are because of our past record the 3 years got on my nerves, and I am glad that you have backed off on those.

Now that your posts thet last 3 weeks justifying your opinions are civil and well-reasoned and less angry, I like reading them.

I am sorry that some of my fellow TW supporters have not backed off on hassling you. I wish they would cut you a break.

I'm not worried about a DC either. Remember, Ty was just at a recent convention where he was most likely badgered to death by candidates wanting to interview for the opportunity. As a former college coach, I've attended the conference (and many others) and the sole purpose is to network and interview for opportunities behind the scenes.

Also, the foundation for Ty keeping his job is the talent he recruits to UW. After all, it is 80% talent that will win the ball games for you. Hence, recruiting has to be his top priority now; NOT interviewing.

Also, I would bet that if Emmert sees continued improvement and knows that we have had back2back very impressive recruiting seasons, Emmert will let Ty live out the 5 yrs of the contract. I'm also pretty certain that this has been the conversation behind closed doors b/w Emmert, Ty, a handful of boosters and the interim AD. This is b/c it would allow Ty to live out his vision and build on top of the young classes which clearly has top 10 talent when they mature (if they are matured correctly).

There's another 206dogg $.02 for ya!

MelloDawg

Lets look at the DC situation from a different perspective.

UW President Mark Emmert is on record saying we must win next year. The consenses opinion agrees that if that doesn't happen, Coach Willingham will be fired.

Using your position - "why would a quality DC come here for possibly one year?", means President Emmert has willfully tied Coach Willingham's hands behind his back and that does not make sense.

If he's going to doom Ty to failure by taking this stance, why not just fire him. If Ty's recruiting hasn't been good enough to matter if the kids stay or transfer, then just fire him. If Ty is going to be held accountable for not getting a premier DC because of the scenerio the UW President has painted for him, then just fire him.

Personally, I don't believe that Ty has been given the condition of "win next year or your fired" by President Emmert.

We KNOW from the statement made by DeWayne Walker, DC UCLA, that Mark Emmert was willing to give him and his LB and D-Line coach a multi-year contract. This is not a offer that would be made if your head coach was a one-and-done guy.

Ty can not control all the factors of football, i.e. Jake Locker ending up on the Disabled List for the year. Kids that were counted on to contribute not making grades. Not being able to hire a DC because no one will come for a one year deal.

If in fact President Emmert's position is as you think, then I believe it will be a cold day in hell before we ever see a quality coach come to Washington again.

No great coach in their right mind would put themselves in a position to coach at a school where the President says "win or your fired" then
say "Oh by the way, you won't be able to get the Asst's. you need to do your job because you may be fired next year!"

So, I guess at the end of the day, if you can say that Ty is getting a completely fair chance to fulfill his plan, then I guess we will never see eye to eye. I for one-hope your wrong.

moutainman,

I don't feel like I am dreaming when I say that UW can beat Oregon, BYU, and Oklahoma next year.

I think all three of these will be good opponents, but I think both talent and experience will finally be comparable. And frankly, of these three teams, I only see Oklahoma as being able to keep UW's Oline under control, but even that will be a tough problem for the Sooners.

I'm with you in your desire for August 30th to get here yesterday!