November 26, 20187 yr Surprised there hasn't been a thread about this posted yet. WKU fired Sanford yesterday after just 2 seasons. Took a WKU team that finished in the Top 25 in 2015 & 2016 and went 6-7 and 3-9 in his two seasons, with little signs of improvement. Looks like WKU is about to hire UTK OC Tyson Helton. WKU fans seem perplexed by this hire, as it is exactly the type of hire Sanford was: an OC at a P5 school with WKU ties who is about to be fired from their current job. Helton was OC for WKU in their 12-2 #24 AP poll season in 2015, however that offense is mostly attributable to Brohm. Helton was run out at USC last year, and UTK was one of the worst offensive teams in the country this year with Helton at the helm.
November 26, 20187 yr I'm not a Todd Stewart fan, at all, and this rushed hire only adds to that. Not only was the choice somewhat surprising, the speed with which it was made underscores that a "thorough" search obviously wasn't done, and at most, you could have only spoken to a couple of candidates. In no particular order, I would have liked Todd to at least meet with Kevin Wilson, Huge Freeze (I understand the escort calls look bad, but I still would have spoken to him), Butch Jones, Brian Brohm and Bo Pelini. I'm not sure any would have been interested, but I would have wanted to get under the hood a little on each, and in a couple of instances, I would have made them tell me no. Head-scratching hire, in my opinion, but certainly hope it works out for WKU.
November 26, 20187 yr Author I'm not a Todd Stewart fan, at all, and this rushed hire only adds to that. Not only was the choice somewhat surprising, the speed with which it was made underscores that a "thorough" search obviously wasn't done, and at most, you could have only spoken to a couple of candidates. In no particular order, I would have liked Todd to at least meet with Kevin Wilson, Huge Freeze (I understand the escort calls look bad, but I still would have spoken to him), Butch Jones, Brian Brohm and Bo Pelini. I'm not sure any would have been interested, but I would have wanted to get under the hood a little on each, and in a couple of instances, I would have made them tell me no. Head-scratching hire, in my opinion, but certainly hope it works out for WKU. I have been a big Todd Stewart fan and still am. He has only made one bad hire in his 6 years at the helm (Sanford). He brought in Petrino, chose Brohm, Stansbury, etc. Him stepping in after only 2 years to get rid of his one mistake is a good sign, imo. It is possible that Stewart has been doing interviews behind the scenes. It's been rumored that he had made up his mind about Sanford since we lost to Charlotte back in mid October.
November 26, 20187 yr It is possible that Stewart has been doing interviews behind the scenes. Interviewing other coaches while he has a sitting coach? Not only would that be a bad look, most other coaches would pass on that. Now, could he have been having if that, then this, conversations with agents and reps....I'm sure. However, that is a long way from looking a man in the eyes and hearing his plans.
November 26, 20187 yr Author Interviewing other coaches while he has a sitting coach? Not only would that be a bad look, most other coaches would pass on that. Now, could he have been having if that, then this, conversations with agents and reps....I'm sure. However, that is a long way from looking a man in the eyes and hearing his plans. Agreed.
November 27, 20187 yr Helton's hire would've made sense two years ago. I would like someone with head coaching experience but I also have to be realistic about what WKU can afford/attract in a conference that is not top tier.
November 27, 20187 yr Author Honestly is Helton a upgrade to Stanford? Hard to say. Most WKU fans are hesitantly excited. Helton was a key part of Brohms offense in our two Top 25 finishes in 2015/2016. He is bringing in Brian Ellis from USC, who was part of WKU's staff during those Brohm years as well. Seems like a "getting the band back together" type of thing, which could work out well if they are successful at mimicking the Brohm style again. A big reason Sanford failed was likely that he surrounded himself with a bad and inexperienced staff, which is a big red flag for a first time head coach. Since Helton seems (so far at least) to be taking his staff seriously, I think this could be a successful hire. We will see next year.
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