New Coaches

[Pennick44]

Very impressive new group hired by coach Kelly. Can't wait for the 2017 season to get underway.
Also very impressed with the additional commits joining the class!

 

[Ara64]

Coach Long and Coach Elko remind me of two children in toy store. Those coaches did incredible things with two and three star players. They now have three-four-five star athletes to mix and match. It wouldn't surprise me if we see three or four older players show up out of nowhere. I suddenly find myself excited by next season. I'm tapping the expectation brakes after last year. I'll wait and see how things turn out in 2017.

 

[nemeth#5]

After a disappointing season it is good to see the mass amount of changes. I would be upset if we would have stuck with the same names and processes.

While there is no guarantee it will result in more wins, it is exciting.

 

[twalsh]

After a disappointing season it is good to see the mass amount of changes. I would be upset if we would have stuck with the same names and processes.

While there is no guarantee it will result in more wins, it is exciting.

This is why Kelly's job being on the line is a good thing for the program. There is no way he could go into 2017 with the same crew and just hope that it would get better. They need to make it get better.

 

[NDHHI]

while the hires are not big names and our recruiting class lacks 5 stars, Kelly has done what he needed to to get change flowing in the program. I sense i new found excitement and energy with this group

 

[Kelso86]

I am really anxious to see what the S&C coaches can do -- ND was killed in the 4th quarter of games last year (and would be curious as to what was going on with Longo that he was placed on disability -- but that really is none of our business).

Read a good article on Ballou -- seems like he focuses a players program based on his position (similar to what the guy at Stanford does).

 

[Telx1]

What's not to like! Short of leaving himself, Kelly has seemingly addressed in a positive way every criticism we have collectively expressed. For the first time in three years, we have a proven successful DC in Elko, and we have every reason to believe we'll field a fundamentally sound aggressive defensive team that will be exciting to watch. Special teams got a signfcant upgrade with a Polian whose past experience in this role at ND was at least average, and whose experience since including HC at Nevada, only enhances what he brings to the position. Kelly is finally accepting that the players like his involvement and attention, and this means team wide and not just offense, and he will finally empower his new OC Long, to run the offense. Getting someone that is of a similar offensive mind and one who has definitive ideas for adding to and improving the offense was critical for Kelly to let go, and that's what we have in Long. Our team scored something like 28 points total in the fourth qtr. of the last eight games, and we all watched a team incapable of defending leads or coming from behind at the end to pull out wins. Much has been said about lack of leadership among the players with Kizer the obvious scapegoat, but it increasingly appears that S&C issues were as much to blame as anything. The new team Kelly has formed is aggressive and state of the art, and reports are surfacing that the changes underway are significant, and well received by the players. Add the fact that Elko and Long and Polian are each accomplished tireless recruiters. For his part, Kelly has done a really impressive job of assessing the program and making significant change, and he not only is saying the right kind of stuff, he sounds and looks energized and a man committed to the long term success of the program. I've put my fire Kelly advocacy in the basement out of sight, and look forward to supporting the only college team I care about with all my usual optimism and excitement.