Hauck seems to be staying put: Biermann on another All-America team
By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian
“The Silly Season” has taken on new meanings through the years, and in college football you have a couple interpretations.
It could have its original meaning, where the news is scarce, as with Grizzly coach Bobby Hauck's job prospects outside the University of Montana. Or it could more literal, like when two people close to Indiana State athletics queried about the possibility of UM defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson becoming head coach of the Sycamores.
Paulson was in Havre at the time. Reached by phone, he said he hadn't heard anything about the job until right then. The next day Indiana State welcomed former player Trent Miles as its new coach.
Hauck was out recruiting Tuesday and couldn't be reached for comment on a story in the Fort Collins, Colo., newspaper, the Coloradoan, which said he was out of the running for the Colorado State job.
Montana athletic director Jim O'Day did say that neither CSU nor Washington State - nor any other program - had contacted him about talking to Hauck. WSU hired Eastern Washington's Paul Wulff on Tuesday.
“I have had no communication this year,” O'Day said Tuesday. “I think a lot of names come up and I'm sure there is some interest. You just don't know which way it's leaning.”
For now Hauck, who signed a one-year contract in February for the 2007 season, remains UM's head coach. His Griz went 11-1 and he is 52-14 in five seasons at UM. The in-state recruits are starting to pile up, with more likely coming after this weekend.
“At this particular time, we're continuing to move ahead,” O'Day said. “Business as usual.”
Three more Montanans, meanwhile, have made verbal commitments to the Grizzlies.
The latest is Raymond DeBruycker, a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Choteau who has been recruited to play defensive end at UM.
Reached by phone, DeBruycker, who lives on a ranch outside Choteau, said he was first contacted by UM at the start of football season. He hasn't been to many football camps; he spent last summer ranching, both at home and outside Gardiner.
Still, he drew interest from every football program in Montana, as well as the University of Idaho, the University of North Dakota, Colorado and Washington.
The state champion wrestler at 189 pounds in February, DeBruycker visited UM for the Albany game, and then came back with his parents for the Portland State game. He summed up Griz game days in one word: “Excitement.”
“It's a great environment,” said DeBruycker, who played linebacker and D-end for the Bulldogs, as well as tight end and receiver.
Hauck cannot comment on Grizzly recruits until the NCAA signing period begins, on Feb. 6.
DeBruycker joins a list that includes Fairview's Greg Hardy, Tyzer Cady of Colstrip and Sam Gratton of Billings Senior. Hardy committed last week, followed by Gratton and then Cady.
Cady is the defending Class B state champion in the 100 meters, and the 6-0, 170-pounder said he is projected, like Gratton, to play receiver. He caught 26 passes for 445 yards and rushed for 1,135 yards over the past two seasons for the Colts. He also had three kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Cady made a visit to UM for the Grizzlies' season-opening win over Southern Utah. He'd also made visits to Carroll College, Montana State and North Dakota in Grand Forks.
“It's just too cold over there,” Cady said of UND, and said UM was the clear choice.
“It was awesome. That is an awesome atmosphere,” he said. “Ever since I was little I've been coming up there to basketball camps and football camps when I was old enough. It was just always a dream to play there in Missoula.”
Gratton, 6-1 and 180, was on the recruiting lists for Hawaii, Wyoming, UNLV and Illinois, along with the NAIA programs. He visited UM for the Northern Colorado game and his commitment should be no surprise: His father Scott, a lawyer in Billings, played linebacker at UM from 1978-81.
“It's where I wanted to go all along,” said Gratton, who caught 43 passes for 723 yards and six TDs this year for the Broncs, who lost in the State AA title game. “It was a pretty easy decision.”
Montana's Kroy Biermann is an All-American again, this time making the American Football Coaches Association's team released Tuesday.
Biermann, a 238-pound defensive end from Hardin who is the Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year, also made the Walter Camp All-America team, released last week, for a second straight season. Biermann finished the 2007 season with 15 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, along with five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked field goals.
He and Weber State offensive linemen David Hale were the only Big Sky players to make the 25-member AFCA All-America team. Only one player was a repeat selection: offensive lineman Kerry Brown of Appalachian State.
One name that is missing from the AFCA team is standout safety Corey Lynch from Appalachian State, who like Biermann is a leading candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS. That award will be announced Thursday evening, on the eve of Friday's FCS title game.
Last season Biermann was a second-team All-America pick on both The Sports Network and Associated Press FCS teams. Neither of those has been released for 2007.
Joined: 29 Nov 2002 Posts: 6934 Location: Rattlesnake Valley 9230 eGriz Bucks
"Montana athletic director Jim O'Day did say that neither CSU nor Washington State - nor any other program - had contacted him about talking to Hauck."
"Montana athletic director Jim O'Day did say that neither CSU nor Washington State - nor any other program - had contacted him about talking to Hauck."
So much for all those rumors.
Bobby did have an interview with WSU during the first round of interviews, whether they contacted UM or not to ask for permission I can not tell you, also remember Bobby's contract is for one year, and goes from December to December (known as a Football year contract). Kramer's old contract was a June to May contract for example (known as a school year contract). I do not think CSU nor WSU had to contact UM to interview Bobby at all. I do not think Bobby is under contract right now!
Never put a period, where god intended a comma: Gracie Allen
I was hoping Coach Hauck would have a shot at UCLA, but when the UCLA Administration said Neuheisel need not apply for his old job with the bruins, I thought that probably ruled out Bobby as well.
Plus, with all the scholarships we have open this year and Hauck's skill as a recruiter, we really need him to stay for one more year.
I do hope that he will move on next year--he wants to move up, and he and GRIZ Nation are growing a little tired of each other.
Maybe if no more GRIZ players rob or murder anyone this year and Tyrone Willingham at Washington or Mike Stoops at Arizona don't have .500% + years, he'll have a shot at a PAC-10 job.
Bobby has three things against him this year (and that is too many for a big time job). Criminal things that happened...not winning a championship/one and done....and the offensive coordinator. Likely if he wants to move up he needs to fix a few of these. I personnally think if he does, he would be a great choice next year for a move up, and would like him to be here while he makes those changes (all three).
Bobby really doesn't want to be here , thats why the 1 year contract.
If he didn't have all the thug problems and went farther into the playoffs even with his offense he could have gone on.
Now we are stuck with him.
I hope he realizes that he better put up at least 35 per game to move on ( WULF )
hauck came to the griz five years ago with a stellar reputation as a recruiter but little experience as an administrator. five years later, he's proved himself as a recruiter, and i think all of us are relieved to know he'll be here to see us through a key recruiting year.
but when it comes to administration, hauck's inexperience has loomed large, and he must now make the following changes if he's to appeal to larger programs:
1. do more thorough research on potential recruits, and faithfully adhere to this rule: if in doubt, don't. it's painfully clear that the criminal taint around our program has temporarily doomed his chances for a prestige head job;
2. understand that the press and fans are key elements of any football program, and improve his public relations skills with them;
3. finally, toughest of all, remember this rule: it's not the one you fire that hurts you, it's the one you don't. loyalty to incompetent people is fatal, as our current administration in washington never has learned, and joe glenn may have found out, just in the nick of time.
I was hoping Coach Hauck would have a shot at UCLA, but when the UCLA Administration said Neuheisel need not apply for his old job with the bruins, I thought that probably ruled out Bobby as well.
Plus, with all the scholarships we have open this year and Hauck's skill as a recruiter, we really need him to stay for one more year.
I do hope that he will move on next year--he wants to move up, and he and GRIZ Nation are growing a little tired of each other.
Maybe if no more GRIZ players rob or murder anyone this year and Tyrone Willingham at Washington or Mike Stoops at Arizona don't have .500% + years, he'll have a shot at a PAC-10 job.
The PAC10 is out of his reach. Bobby Hauck is not what they're looking for.
Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 1326 Location: Veradale, Washington 1238 eGriz Bucks
citygriz wrote:
3. finally, toughest of all, remember this rule: it's not the one you fire that hurts you, it's the one you don't. loyalty to incompetent people is fatal, as our current administration in washington never has learned, and joe glenn may have found out, just in the nick of time.
The football world is full of coaches who stand by their pals until it's too late. You could send BH packing now and chances are the next guy would show up with a couple chronies he couldn't depart with no matter what. Glenn had them, Dennehey did, Kramer did. If a coach really wants to rise above the fold, he'd prove himself as a manager. Very few do.
Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 501 Location: Great Falls 453 eGriz Bucks
Firing Phenicie doesn't accomplish much, if anything, if he has been calling aggressive offensive plays only to be overruled by Hauck. I understand they have both said so in public but not everyone on the board agrees about how credible it is. The point is, Hauck is in charge and no one can make him delegate. If he is hell-bent on not taking risks on offense, it doesn't matter whether he keeps Phenicie or replaces him with some mad scientist offensive genius. Therefore I am hoping Hauck has been watching App State in the playoffs, reflecting on our near-disaster against Eastern Washington this year, and doing some serious soul-searching.
Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 1326 Location: Veradale, Washington 1238 eGriz Bucks
griz8791 wrote:
Firing Phenicie doesn't accomplish much, if anything, if he has been calling aggressive offensive plays only to be overruled by Hauck. I understand they have both said so in public but not everyone on the board agrees about how credible it is. The point is, Hauck is in charge and no one can make him delegate. If he is hell-bent on not taking risks on offense, it doesn't matter whether he keeps Phenicie or replaces him with some mad scientist offensive genius. Therefore I am hoping Hauck has been watching App State in the playoffs, reflecting on our near-disaster against Eastern Washington this year, and doing some serious soul-searching.
Yet again, I say where is the proof that Phen's plays are "aggressive offensive" or even good? I don't think anyone has owned up to benching good plays for shitty ones. That's just a bunch of eGriz fans assuming that whatever isn't being called has got to be better than the play they just witnessed. It doesn't have to be better, folks. It could be the Jeff Disney of plays just sitting on the bench waiting to go three and out.
I couldnt agree more with the posters on this board who agree the PAC 10 is WAY OUT of BH's reach. At best, Hauck could get a WAC job, and that would only be if he had won a NC or 2 during his stint here.
I second the Tressel (sp?) post..if you win 3-4 NCs and build a dynasty, then and only then will a big time program look at you. Absent that, any BCS program isn't going to give you the time of day.
With UM squeeking out wins by 1-4 points against the like of the Webers and the ISU's of the world, no Pac 10 team is even going to consider him (good lord, I can hear him now..."ever since the Spanish Inquisition, Stanford has always played us tough..they really get up for this game...."...UGHHHHHHHHHH
Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 501 Location: Great Falls 453 eGriz Bucks
WA Griz wrote:
Yet again, I say where is the proof that Phen's plays are "aggressive offensive" or even good? I don't think anyone has owned up to benching good plays for shitty ones. That's just a bunch of eGriz fans assuming that whatever isn't being called has got to be better than the play they just witnessed. It doesn't have to be better, folks. It could be the Jeff Disney of plays just sitting on the bench waiting to go three and out.
I'm not sure it's susceptible of "proof" and I don't know whether they are telling the truth. All I am suggesting is that Hauck is apparently going to be here for at least the next 12 months and if he is intellectually honest about what is going on he has to conclude that time of possession, field position, and 2-3 point leads MIGHT win the Big Sky but aren't going to get us out of the first round. If he can't or won't grasp that reality, it makes no difference at all whether Phenicie stays or goes.
BH is a very good administrator and is very organized. It's one of his strengths.
BH is very good with in-person meetings with and presentations to fans and boosters. He's very personable.
BH doesn't like the Missoulian. He seems to get along well with the local radio and tv people. The newspaper types don't like BH's refusal to provide info on injuries, etc.
I doubt that AD's at other schools share the view of some UM fans on RP. I've been told by the athletic dept. that RP is well thought of by other AD's with whom the subject has come up (this is probably a small number).
I don't know if the Pac-10 is within BH's reach from UM, but I do know that some at UW have an eye on him.
Hauck appears to be staying put at Montana
By The Associated Press
MISSOULA - Bobby Hauck will apparently return as Montana's football coach, after Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff got the Washington State job and Colorado State hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild.
"Bobby and his staff are out recruiting right now, just as they always are this time of year," said Montana athletics director Jim O'Day. "I would expect, and I don't know any different, that Bobby and his staff will be on board next year."
O'Day said no other schools have called him to seek permission to talk to Hauck about any coaching vacancies.
In a phone interview with the Great Falls Tribune, Hauck said: "I'm never one to be out there exploring much. It's not a good proposition for coaches to talk about (other jobs). I've got a really good job." Hauck, who was recruiting in California, has about 22 scholarships to fill at UM because of this year's large senior class.
Hauck said a large number of recruits will be in Missoula this weekend.
Hauck said he left a message for Wulff congratulating him on the WSU job.
"I haven't talked to Paul, but good for him. I know how special it is to work at your alma mater," said Hauck, a UM grad, with a 52-14 record in five seasons with the Grizzlies.
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I've got a really good job." Hauck, who was recruiting in California, has about 22 scholarships to fill at UM because of this year's large senior class.
