Choate to Nevada

[BelligerentBobcat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

[RickRund]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care about Jeff Choate anymore? Like I wish him well but I'm not going to pay attention to Nevada football anymore than I did in the past, which was zero. The last game Choate coached at MSU was December of 2019... time to move on.

I am with you, brother. I could care less about Nevada, just because he's there. Thanks for your time here, Choate, and everything you did for the program. But he's no better than the players who enter the transfer portal and are playing for their fourth school in five years. A lot of guys knock players about having no team loyalty because they put their name in the portal, but what about a coach like Choate? The guy has never spent more than 4 or 5 seasons in one place. My advice to Wolfpack fans? Don't hang your hat on him, 'cause he ain't stickin' around...

Or maybe their 6th school in 7 years.

[Joe Bobcat]

I'll keep an occasional tab on what and how Choate is doing, no more or less than I do with a number of other people that have played or coached here.

It seems that many dis Choate for moving around so much never staying in one place for long. He may move more than some coaches but I noticed how much Jedd Fisch has moved around with his longest stay in one place being 4 years so he hasn't set deep roots down anywhere either which doesn't seem to have hurt him too much.

1997 P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School (FL) (DC)
1998 New Jersey Red Dogs (WR/QC)
1999–2000 Florida (GA)
2002–2003 Houston Texans (DQC)
2004–2007 Baltimore Ravens (offensive assistant)
2008 Denver Broncos (WR)
2009 Minnesota (OC/QB)
2010 Seattle Seahawks (QB)
2011–2012 Miami (FL) (OC/QB)
2013–2014 Jacksonville Jaguars (OC)
2015–2016 Michigan (QB/WR/PGC)
2017 UCLA (OC/QB)
2017 UCLA (interim HC)
2018 Los Angeles Rams (senior offensive assistant)
2019 Los Angeles Rams (assistant OC)
2020 New England Patriots (QB)
2021–2023 Arizona
2024–present Washington

[onceacat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

[84CatGrad]

I will never ever dis Jeff (4-0) Choate.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

[onceacat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

[TomCat88]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

He wasn’t the DC at Texas. It’s impressive he was able to get the Nevada job. He was primarily the ILB coach at Texas while also working with the DC on game planning and designing the defense, but he didn’t have the final say in that capacity.

[GoldstoneCat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

[Cat Grad]

Although it's only five or six posters marginalizing at best Choate, one could even state they're dismissing his accomplishments, it's apparent that is the prevalent mindset as to why MSU's fan base will be more than happy to remain small college football. The aspirations are to compete for a small college trophy and state "We can never be relevant at the next level."

Heck, Jerry Glanville just took a Division II position as a Defensive Coordinator. Football is really quite simple. Any athlete chooses to compete, not participate and stand on the sideline. I feel that is the main reason a coach such as Mendenhall refocused, reevaluated his priorities, and took on a position such as New Mexico. Barry Odom after his strange dismissal at Missouri took a terrible UNLV program to ten wins and a bowl this year.

Man, what so many think about an individual who was instrumental in restoring Bobcat football is a reflection of low standards. I like to think the track and cross country programs with NAU and their commitment to National Championships as a targeted goal ought to be similar to the mindset around MSU when the field house with a seating capacity of 15k was built 65 years ago.

Or, keep it podunk and join the Frontier Conference. Bad mouthing a coach because he is moving up the food chain?
Damn.

[Cat Grad]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

[GoldstoneCat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

Boy i forgot about the gilbertsin/Willingham years there. My memory was more of the Sarkisian/Peterson years i guess. Still don't think choate would have sniffed that job without P5 coordinator or G5 head coach experience. Maybe if he had done the klieman thing and been completely dominant here for a decent stretch, given his history at UW, but i doubt it. DeBoer didn't have a ton of G5 HC experience but the guy is 104-12 in total. Wins immediately everywhere he goes. Choate was elite against UM and pretty mediocre otherwise. Just my opinion. But if he could have gotten a better job than ILB coach, he would have.

[Cat Grad]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

Boy i forgot about the gilbertsin/Willingham years there. My memory was more of the Sarkisian/Peterson years i guess. Still don't think choate would have sniffed that job without P5 coordinator or G5 head coach experience. Maybe if he had done the klieman thing and been completely dominant here for a decent stretch, given his history at UW, but i doubt it. DeBoer didn't have a ton of G5 HC experience but the guy is 104-12 in total. Wins immediately everywhere he goes. Choate was elite against UM and pretty mediocre otherwise. Just my opinion. But if he could have gotten a better job than ILB coach, he would have.

If he can pull a Barry Odom and do what Mendenhall has always done, he'll probably be content to remain in the revamped PAC 2. Tremendous amount of money left to Oregon and Washington State to rebuild that conference. Plus, compared to the other communities surrounding the MWC schools, Reno seems to be a good fit for Choate.

Don't know the man other than the limited public events but one can only wish him well as a former MSU coach, and that list is really getting quite large again. I used to follow Jim Sweeney's coaches careers because his coaching tree stretched across the country at one time.

[coloradocat]

Although it's only five or six posters marginalizing at best Choate, one could even state they're dismissing his accomplishments, it's apparent that is the prevalent mindset as to why MSU's fan base will be more than happy to remain small college football. The aspirations are to compete for a small college trophy and state "We can never be relevant at the next level."

Heck, Jerry Glanville just took a Division II position as a Defensive Coordinator. Football is really quite simple. Any athlete chooses to compete, not participate and stand on the sideline. I feel that is the main reason a coach such as Mendenhall refocused, reevaluated his priorities, and took on a position such as New Mexico. Barry Odom after his strange dismissal at Missouri took a terrible UNLV program to ten wins and a bowl this year.

Man, what so many think about an individual who was instrumental in restoring Bobcat football is a reflection of low standards. I like to think the track and cross country programs with NAU and their commitment to National Championships as a targeted goal ought to be similar to the mindset around MSU when the field house with a seating capacity of 15k was built 65 years ago.

Or, keep it podunk and join the Frontier Conference. Bad mouthing a coach because he is moving up the food chain?
Damn.

I haven't really been following the conversation but are people marginalizing Choate or just pointing out that a guy that rebuilt an FCS program over 4 years and then became a position coach with a glorified title for a few years at Texas wouldn't have a legit shot at being hired as the HC of a P4 team, and especially wouldn't without the Texas role on his resume? It's not a shot at Choate, it's just being realistic. He got the Nevada job and good for him but he probably couldn't have done much better. His next job will be another step up.

I'm not following your NAU analogy. Are you comparing D1 football (and basketball?) to XC/Track? It's relatively easy to have a commitment to national championships when you have an training (altitude) advantage and your facilities mostly consist of open space.

[PapaG]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

Choate didn’t get the Boise State job, so that’s moot in terms of speculation for Choate being a candidate and is a fact, and no matter how they market themselves, Boise State is still a G5 program facing an uphill battle every season for national relevance.

There is one playoff spot for the 70ish G5 schools to compete for with the reward likely being a road playoff game against a Top 6 P5 team in round one.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Wrote stuff and it didn’t post.

Short of it is that Boise State can market themselves however they want, yet they are still just one of 70ish G5 programs competing for one spot as a lower seed in the FBS playoffs. As a fan/alumnus of two programs (Oregon/Montana State) that have a goal of winning a national championship most seasons, potentially playing a Kent State or Sam Houston every few years in the Boise Bowl just doesn’t sound intriguing to me.

[PapaG]

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

Boy i forgot about the gilbertsin/Willingham years there. My memory was more of the Sarkisian/Peterson years i guess. Still don't think choate would have sniffed that job without P5 coordinator or G5 head coach experience. Maybe if he had done the klieman thing and been completely dominant here for a decent stretch, given his history at UW, but i doubt it. DeBoer didn't have a ton of G5 HC experience but the guy is 104-12 in total. Wins immediately everywhere he goes. Choate was elite against UM and pretty mediocre otherwise. Just my opinion. But if he could have gotten a better job than ILB coach, he would have.

If he can pull a Barry Odom and do what Mendenhall has always done, he'll probably be content to remain in the revamped PAC 2. Tremendous amount of money left to Oregon and Washington State to rebuild that conference. Plus, compared to the other communities surrounding the MWC schools, Reno seems to be a good fit for Choate.

Don't know the man other than the limited public events but one can only wish him well as a former MSU coach, and that list is really getting quite large again. I used to follow Jim Sweeney's coaches careers because his coaching tree stretched across the country at one time.

You’re the guy who thinks that Montana State basketball should be the next Gonzaga. Most people try to keep expectations for our athletic programs reasonable.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I wonder had Choate waited could he have gotten a bigger school than Nevada? Arizona is now looking for a coach. Washington was looking for a coach and I assume there will be some other jobs that come up because of all the movement. I think Nevada is a good fit for him, and he will turn that program around. Was just wondering….

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

That was a lot of words to ignore what I said, but cool cool.

Look, I’m just giving my opinion here. I can disagree with yours, but it doesn’t matter. Neither of us can prove he would or wouldn’t have been a candidate under certain scenarios. All we can go on is that to date, his best job opportunity has been a mediocre (at best) MWC football team. While I think he’s a good coach, and am still happy he came here (obviously), that’s just what it is. To me, he’s a poor man’s Dan Campbell. Great at getting guys to buy in, great motivator, overall a solid coach, but will always be dependent on hiring good offensive and defensive coordinators.

[GoldstoneCat]

I don’t think so. He’s doing well and progressing but he needs to do well at Nevada to be considered at a big time P5.

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

Boy i forgot about the gilbertsin/Willingham years there. My memory was more of the Sarkisian/Peterson years i guess. Still don't think choate would have sniffed that job without P5 coordinator or G5 head coach experience. Maybe if he had done the klieman thing and been completely dominant here for a decent stretch, given his history at UW, but i doubt it. DeBoer didn't have a ton of G5 HC experience but the guy is 104-12 in total. Wins immediately everywhere he goes. Choate was elite against UM and pretty mediocre otherwise. Just my opinion. But if he could have gotten a better job than ILB coach, he would have.

If he can pull a Barry Odom and do what Mendenhall has always done, he'll probably be content to remain in the revamped PAC 2. Tremendous amount of money left to Oregon and Washington State to rebuild that conference. Plus, compared to the other communities surrounding the MWC schools, Reno seems to be a good fit for Choate.

Don't know the man other than the limited public events but one can only wish him well as a former MSU coach, and that list is really getting quite large again. I used to follow Jim Sweeney's coaches careers because his coaching tree stretched across the country at one time.

I agree, no knock on Choate, just a commentary on his resume and what seems reasonable. His career is much more varied than Vigen’s but not appreciably better, experience-wise. Neither has the resume of Bobby hauck. Anybody think Vigen or hauck would ever be considered at Washington? Bobby could probably get another G5 job if he wanted one. Vigen may have to go be a coordinator at an upper G5 or get busy winning a national championship or 2 here to get a G5 head job.

[Cat Grad]

This seems weird to me. It's pretty common for a co-ordinator at the biggest of the big time programs to be considered for a head coaching job. Lots of DCs step up to HC at the same level.

There are at least 4 Power 5 DC/OC to head coach promotions or hires this year already. (One position coach to HC)

Probably because it wasn’t Choate’s defense, and he wasn’t calling plays. It was just a title to justify paying him a higher salary.

Thats certainly plausible, but it's complete speculation on your part. There was a lot of speculation in the media about Choate as a candidate for the Boise State job, which views itself as a Top 25 program.

I think its more than a little presumptuous to claim that a guy who could be shortlisted for a program like that couldn't get on the list for a mid or lower tier P5 program.

Tom said big time P5. Now you’re using mid to low tier P5. You’re moving the goalpost.

2 years ago, UW lost to Montana. Now, they are national runner up. 2 years ago, Jeff Choate would have been in the running for HC at UW (if he were coming off a Texas semi-final appearance). Now, he's not.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "big time".

No, Choate was never going to be in consideration for a HC position with a New Years bowl team.

He 100% would be in the running for P5 programs with national championship aspirations (like how Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sac State or how they hired Harbaugh from San Diego) that is in a slump.

The other Texas DC was on the list of potential hires for Arirzona, so its a bit of a stretch to act like Choate was somehow limited to bottom feeders like Nevada.

You could not have sold the UW fans and boosters on the Texas ILB coach as a candidate to replace Lake. No. It's not like Washington is some Johnny- Come-lately. They were bad under lake but are a top 25-30 program at worst over the last 25 years. I could buy that he could have been in the mix for upper-tier G5 jobs but he was in that position when he left here. I also think he could have gotten Nevada from here ala Craig Bohl, willie fritz etc. The Texas move was about $$ and the fact that he seemed to move on from msu in his own mind during the interview process with boise. I don't think it advanced him up the coaching ladder, personally.

Darn.

Possibly top 30:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ll_seasons

Boy i forgot about the gilbertsin/Willingham years there. My memory was more of the Sarkisian/Peterson years i guess. Still don't think choate would have sniffed that job without P5 coordinator or G5 head coach experience. Maybe if he had done the klieman thing and been completely dominant here for a decent stretch, given his history at UW, but i doubt it. DeBoer didn't have a ton of G5 HC experience but the guy is 104-12 in total. Wins immediately everywhere he goes. Choate was elite against UM and pretty mediocre otherwise. Just my opinion. But if he could have gotten a better job than ILB coach, he would have.

If he can pull a Barry Odom and do what Mendenhall has always done, he'll probably be content to remain in the revamped PAC 2. Tremendous amount of money left to Oregon and Washington State to rebuild that conference. Plus, compared to the other communities surrounding the MWC schools, Reno seems to be a good fit for Choate.

Don't know the man other than the limited public events but one can only wish him well as a former MSU coach, and that list is really getting quite large again. I used to follow Jim Sweeney's coaches careers because his coaching tree stretched across the country at one time.

I agree, no knock on Choate, just a commentary on his resume and what seems reasonable. His career is much more varied than Vigen’s but not appreciably better, experience-wise. Neither has the resume of Bobby hauck. Anybody think Vigen or hauck would ever be considered at Washington? Bobby could probably get another G5 job if he wanted one. Vigen may have to go be a coordinator at an upper G5 or get busy winning a national championship or 2 here to get a G5 head job.

Interesting to watch the careers of all those who moved through the MSU Athletic Department in the many different capacities. There have been some real surprises both positive and negative. I guess that's why I still follow and enjoy sports as much as I do.

I even follow the Petrinos and those over at UM. Brandenburg, Morrill and Montgomery are the real fascinating coaches to come out of there plus the SAC football coach. I really thought he'd struggle this year but it had to have been a pleasant surprise for the SAC administration.

As much as it pains me, the ones who either got canned or never even got an interview are the ones who had the most successful careers upon leaving MSU. I don't know if it's a testament to the administration that screwed the goose at MSU or the school's oversight group; e.g., the MUS and BOR, especially when it was predominately UM byproducts.

Anyway, now that I'm older, I can just sit back and observe.

[Common Cat]

Come on 13 pages…