Don't consider this post an endorsement, however I think this season we have seen Ty emerge as a possible strong candidate for the Grizzly head coaching job. Yes I know, you, the average egriz poster doesn't like the idea. Nepotism, unaggressive defense, national search, need an outsider, and so on. I get it and I know Haslam does too.
However if the best candidate is revealed to be in-house over the course of this national search, I trust Kent makes the right hire here. I don't think he would hire an outsider because he feels he has to nor do I think he would hire a "Montana guy" because he thinks he has to. All I hope is that the best choice is made, and if it happens to be Ty Gregorak (who I assume is applying) then hire this dude.
Here's why I think Ty makes a strong case;
1. The 2014 defense. Ty has his guys and system in place and the Montana defense is tops in many categories this season. If the MSU game was the best job application I've seen in a while, ha! Best scoring defense, 2nd best total defense, 2nd best rush defense, 3rd best pass defense, 4th best in interceptions, the most amount of sacks, 3rd lowest amount of 1st downs allowed per game, 4th lowest in penalties, best in turnover margin at +16, 4th best in total turnovers forced. In his 3 years here he's improved this defense to once again being the solid unit that we've grown use to seeing.
2. He relates incredibly well to his players. The players love him. I'm sure there are some that don't but I'm hard pressed to find them. Even former players who left when Ty had just returned have told me that he's the man for the job. Most all defensive players would run through a wall for this guy and think he's one of the best choices for head coach. I've even heard that from players on offense too.
3. He is an incredible motivator. Go watch a practice or two, you'll see what I mean. Go sit in on a meeting or hear him speak to boosters or supporters, you'll see what I mean. Did you know that Ty was the guy who has been leading the internal push to get the facilities work done? He's gone and talked to the statewide GSA board and got them entirely on board to make facility improvements the #1 concern AND got the GSA to agree to make a sizable commitment (did this a few years back now). I've heard stories of pre-game speeches, actions, and spectacles. This guy gets it when it comes to motivation.
4. He's a great speaker, he's empathetic to fans, and connects well with boosters. I sat in on a GSA meeting in my last year on the local board where Ty came and told us straight up he was more pissed off than all Griz fans combined about the play of his defense in the year before (I believe this was after his 1st year as DC). Ty is personable, he connects well with people, and he's got a good presence when speaking to fans or the media.
5. He gets what it means to be a Grizzly. He hates the cats. He knows our traditions. He knows our expectations and shares those with all of us.
6. He presumably has his pulse on who to keep from this staff. This is a guess on my part but with Ty's tenure here I assume he knows who is worth retaining in this staff and what areas need an upgrade.
7. He could help bring along another emerging DC and hire and OC who can have total control of the offense. People that are worried about his defense that they label isn't flashy probably don't have much to worry about, I assume his choice in OC, be it the current guys or a new hire, would have a large portion of control of the offense. I don't see Ty calling plays on offense, but that's just this fan's opinion.
8. We probably wouldn't lose anyone from the roster. Or hardly anyone at least. The kids know and respect Ty. The recruits do too. This would be a smooth transition that wouldn't put the loss of recruits or talented current roster players in out there.
9. He's a leader. His actions speak for themselves. He leads by example.
Admit it - most of you probably think Ty is an up and coming head coach anyways. You probably hold reservations though from being too soon for him, to not wanting him simply because he would be an internal hire, to not liking his style of defense. There's other concerns that maybe Haslam and Engstrom would have, Ty had a bump in the road with his dismissal from UNLV, there's no hiding or denying that - even though the charges against him were dropped.
If Ty were to bring in a vastly experienced OC, hire an experienced special teams coach, and then make staffing moves that he sees fit for the program, I think it would work, it could work real well.
