Mike Foley the only one to stick with Diaco?

[the Blades]

From: Coaching Search Ticker

UCONN: A source tells me that new head coach Bob Diaco has informed all of the former assistants except tight ends/OL coach Mike Foley that they will not be retained.

Hate to see TJ go if this is true, but Mike seemed to really turn the corner with the OL, his strength, once DeLeone was gone.
He's been a good coach for Uconn over the years. Uconn only gave up 4 sacks in the final 4 games compared to 42 on the
year once Cochrane was giving the starting job and the running game picked up too, post GDL. Obviously the competition
was a factor in that but overall Foley has always been a plus for this team. Also I'm sure a young first time head coach
doesn't want a former interim HC at the same school looking over his shoulder.



This post was edited on 12/18 9:33 AM by the Blades

 

[the Blades]

More from the Hartford Courant:
@ Desmond Conner[/B]
‏

" Mike Foley was only assit. coach retained by new Coach Bob Diaco. Foley may coach offensive line or may not,

chance good tho"

"coach Bob Diaco said he'll look to complete staff after first of the year. Wants all to have a nice XMas, eve, n New Yrs, eve"
( after bowl season to let some new hires finish out their seasons/bowl games distraction free ?)


" coach Bob Diaco is on Jim Rome show today at 2: will also say a few words at TO #2 in 1st half of men's hoop (Stanford) game 2 nite.

Speaks about game day (video) with Desmond Conner:

View HC Bob Diaco on the web
This post was edited on 12/18 9:55 AM by the Blades

 

[the Blades]

TJ says good bye on Twitter :@TJ Weist[/B] ( I guess he already knew ?)

"Thanks to the UConn people who supported this team.The staff & players showed undeniable class, character and
dignity, but most of all Pride. "

"Thanks to Warde & President Herbst for allowing me to lead this program. It was an honor and I'll forever be
grateful for the experience"



This post was edited on 12/18 10:08 AM by the Blades

 

[the Blades]

Full article from DC:
UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Says He's Keeping O-Line Coach Foley

 

[the Blades]

Reading this about Mike Foley goes right along with what Diaco said about smash mouth dominating the OL FB
during his first press conference. It still just boggles the mind of how bad GDL screwed things up doing it his way.
And how hard it must of been for TJ taking over the offense with GDL still sabotaging everything that was going on.
With Foley Back At Helm, UConn's Offensive Line Ready To Hit"Foley had a good, short run at tight ends coach.He previously was successful as offensive line coach when UConn was
known for its running game. But Pasqualoni and George DeLeone decided to go with a zone blocking scheme, which is
more of a finesse style. It wasn't working."

"Foley likes his guys to be more physical: Line up and hit the guy in front of you and keep hitting him."

"He comes in and he goes, 'We're going to make this simpler,'" senior left tackle Jimmy Bennett said. 'We're going to make it
so you're not going up to the line confused. ... You're going be able to be physical and be aggressive and understand the game plan a lot more. You're going to be able to hit them in the mouth.' He came in like, 'We've been playing a little soft and I'm going to try to get you guys to be more physical and we're going to hit the sled every day this week.'

"We hit the sled every day. When DeLeone took over, we did not touch the sled. It was just his coaching style, nothing against him. He's a good coach, knew what he was doing. I guess guys have a little more of an inkling for being physical and not being such a brainiac. ... Come off the ball and hit somebody in the mouth."

This post was edited on 12/18 1:06 PM by the Blades

 

[the Blades]

The Departing Weist: 'I Want To Be A Head Coach'

 

[the Blades]

UCONN: " Bob Diaco has decided not to retain 3 of 4 graduate assistant coaches. A source tells CoachingSearch.com that Doug Shearer is the only grad assistant that will be a part of the new staff. "

Another name and former Iowa player and coaching staff cohort of Bob Diaco. But damn... coming of a 1-11 season
as a DC I hope that's not his Uconn position:
UNC defensive coordinator resigns
"Shay has applied for a coaching position at the University of Connecticut, which announced on

Thursday that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco will become the Huskies' next headfootball coach.Diaco and Shay played together at the University of Iowa and coached together at Western Illinois University.
( and W. Michigan)"


Shay came to UNC with Collins from Alcorn State University, where he was the defensive coordinator for two seasons
after serving as the special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach. Shay spent his playing days
at the University of Iowa as a defensive back. He played in three straight bowl games for the Hawkeyes, including victories
in the 1995 Sun Bowl over Washington and in the 1996 Alamo Bowl over Texas Tech. He began his coaching career as a
defensive graduate assistant at Georgia (2003-04) and also had stops at Western Illinois University, St. Joseph's College
(Ind.) and at Central Michigan.

edit: I guess Northern Colorado is coaching purgatory... Shay's 3 year stay as DC gave them their best year in 10 with a 5-6
record in 2012, they've averaged 1.9 wins a year over a 10 year span.


This post was edited on 12/19 11:10 AM by the Blades

 

[chuckysteele99]

one thing about much of our assistant coaching staff that we had before Diaco (which some have been around for awhile) came in is we had some people in place that were developing players included many players who went on to the NFL. Will be interesting with wholesale changeover we really have not seen it since UConn entered big time college football because Edsall's staff stuck around and in place for a long time and many of the staff stuck around when Coach PP came in.

Not really excited about UNC DC if he ends up as our new DC not a lot of success at most recent stop although sometimes you are placed in situations that just are not good. Hopefully Diaco now as a head coach can separate friendships from program success when picking his coaches and we do not get something like DeLeone where Warde basically had to tell Coach PP he had to demote him (and eventually fire him with Coach PP).

 

[the Blades]

I agree with everything you said CS99, it looks like with Diaco such a young guy... Uconn's could end
up with a youth movement with it's asst's. I'm glad he grabbed Foley for some linkage and veteran
presence and the big key will definitely be which way he's goes for OC.

This hire almost mirror's exactly when Randy(a Ga Tech DC, age 40) came on. A young BCS DC with no
head coaching experience, except RE started here as a 1-AA. So the OC especially since HCBD was a DC,
might be someone he's worked with in the past and if he stays with a youth movement it limits his options.

But overall it's like he's starting over again with the demotion from the BCS/ Big 5 because of the PP hiring disaster
at the worst time in Uconn FB history. Any big 5 groupie who thinks Uconn doesn't belong with those school because
of anything other than politics needs their head examined. If this CR is about money, which it sure is, then on athletic
budgets alone it's a joke that some of these schools by nothing more than geography or years of bad FB/BB in a
grandfathered conference that did the poaching are in.... while Uconn( 43rd in the list below) is out:
USA Today | Sports | COLLEGE BUDGETSDiaco has alot of work trying to regain the on field product that PP/GDL destroyed just like they did at Cuse
around the time of the 2003 conference re-alignment. But BD also has a chance to become a CT legend like
Calhoun or Geno. Especially if he improves on what Edsall did with a breakthrough season or 2 and sticks around
with a solid staff that can get Uconn out of the AAC.. Hopefully this new energy across the board resonates. Plus
he's starting with a better FB history, conference, budget and facilities than Edsall did. Time will tell.

This post was edited on 12/23 10:00 AM by the Blades