New RB Coach: Aristotle Thompson
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Last: 4 yr ago by 79 Bear
Poaching a coach from Beau Baldwin's staff at Cal Poly. Wilcox overlapped with him at Boise State.
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Hmmmm familiarity seems to be the factor here. Zero recruiting bump. Seems to have coached a fair number of 1K rushers but at the DI-AA level. Hmmm....
touchdownbears43 said:
Hmmmm familiarity seems to be the factor here. Zero recruiting bump. Seems to have coached a fair number of 1K rushers but at the DI-AA level. Hmmm....
Disagree. With him being a recruiting coordinator for 9 years, he must have strong relationships with programs all over the west coast. Also, Cal Poly is a good school so he knows what the academics at Cal are like. Also, he'll have a lot more leverage at Cal. Another great hire.
Familiarity and commitment. Its nice to have an all-star lineup of coaches but the #1 requirement is commitment to JW. Nothing brings down a football team like coaches that are on different pages.
Interesting that he is from Cal Poly. Did BB clean house when he moved in down there?
Interesting that he is from Cal Poly. Did BB clean house when he moved in down there?
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
Seems to me to be an under the radar "insider" type move. Not one that will necessarily excite the fan base but he checks a lot of boxes, not the least of which is recruiting. This is the 2nd position coach with that as a strength...not a coincidence.
Position coach and recruiting coordinator (he also is run game coordinator, which is a title to pay someone more money). Like the hire.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Recruiting Coordinator at Poly, not Cal, right? Unless it's changed, Sirmon is the RC.wifeisafurd said:Position coach and recruiting coordinator (he also is run game coordinator, which is a title to pay someone more money). Like the hire.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Thompson made $76k at SLO. Cal has started their entry assistant coaches at around $175k, so I'd guess not much higher than that given no FBS experience on his resume.
It could be that there was no money left for a more flashy/experienced hire, but that doesn't mean it won't work out.
I'm personally not going to worry about it without seeing on field performance next fall. Wilcox has past experience with Thompson, so it's not just pulling a name out of a hat or anything like that.
Hard to judge a hire like this before we see results. He's not a big time coach who we had to pry away from another program. Here's hoping Wilcox and Musgrave know something that no one else does and that he works out for us.
It's impossible to predict with certainty how any hire, including a football coach, will turn out. So with that in mind, and admitting I've never heard of him, I like his background and profile, especially compared to some of our other older coaches, in terms of the diversity it brings. And you can never have enough recruiting talent, which is something he appears to have. We lost one of our younger coaches in Edwards, and this is a youthful coach. I like the Musgrave hire, but this helps to make up for what will undoubtedly be some catching up Musgrave will need to do in getting up to speed in recruiting. He wouldn't have had those jobs, and had the time to establish tenure, if he wasn't effective. Bonus that it's west coast centric as well. Wilcox has done a steady job of building what appears to be a competent staff, and I like the fact that he's not afraid of the unconventional, out-of-the-box hire.
Sorry, this be weak post. Saying someone is not strong because YOU never heard of him = weak.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
He became an Assistant HC at a pretty young age. I would guess he's highly regarded / respected.
Cal Poly ran 4.24 yards per carry in 2019. That's 42nd in FCS (124 teams). They were 9th in ground yards per game at 254. They were a running team for sure. Passing they were 117th in yards per game. They didn't average 12 passes a game. Wow.
Cal Poly ran 4.24 yards per carry in 2019. That's 42nd in FCS (124 teams). They were 9th in ground yards per game at 254. They were a running team for sure. Passing they were 117th in yards per game. They didn't average 12 passes a game. Wow.
Sig test...
Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Cal Strong need to eat ful medames. Cure head itch and make STRONG like Cal . . . CAL STRONG.
Coach Aristotle STRONG hire.
Also need to eat ful medames and koshari and kafta.
Be STRONG like Cal.
"Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say." - LT
We are given Aristotle, and invariably some will whine that we didn't get Socrates!
Sig test...
One thought, totally without any knowledge or facts, so take it for what it's worth. Perhaps he stayed put at Cal Poly due to the age of his five kids. Maybe to not move the oldest from high school or just to spend more time with them. The oldest is 20, the younger ones 5-10, per his Cal Poly bio. I know I made career decisions at that point in my life as my job allowed the flexibility to spend more time with the kids.
Anyway, not a splashy hire, but I'll give him a chance and hope he uses this opportunity to expand his recruiting experience and contacts.
Anyway, not a splashy hire, but I'll give him a chance and hope he uses this opportunity to expand his recruiting experience and contacts.
For the Aristotle detractors here... Ron Gould wasn't coming back. Full Stop. It's a good hire.
Unless it isn't.
Unless it isn't.
Here's the good part- you have no clue on this. Neither do I. If we trust him on the hires we like, shouldn't we trust him on the ones we honestly have no idea on?bonsallbear said:
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
That works for me. In JT, sorry, JW we trust!Ncsf said:Here's the good part- you have no clue on this. Neither do I. If we trust him on the hires we like, shouldn't we trust him on the ones we honestly have no idea on?bonsallbear said:
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
Sig test...
Noticed the same and that might indeed be the case. I know it was for me and others...nwbear84 said:
One thought, totally without any knowledge or facts, so take it for what it's worth. Perhaps he stayed put at Cal Poly due to the age of his five kids. Maybe to not move the oldest from high school or just to spend more time with them. The oldest is 20, the younger ones 5-10, per his Cal Poly bio. I know I made career decisions at that point in my life as my job allowed the flexibility to spend more time with the kids.
Anyway, not a splashy hire, but I'll give him a chance and hope he uses this opportunity to expand his recruiting experience and contacts.
Sig test...
Yeah, I love it how some Cal fans know so much about college football that they can have an opinion on whether some not-so-well-known guy is going to be a good position coach or not.Unit2Sucks said:
Hard to judge a hire like this before we see results. He's not a big time coach who we had to pry away from another program. Here's hoping Wilcox and Musgrave know something that no one else does and that he works out for us.
I'm sorry to report that I visited ask8ball.net, and the answer to the question, "Is Wilcox's choice for Cal's new running backs coach a smart decision?" the answer was:
"My sources say no."
"My sources say no."
You think JW and WM didn't work together on this?bonsallbear said:
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
Illiteracy WEAK! Ursa need to be more like Cal, less like weak illiterate. Cal not weak illiterate.UrsaMajor said:Sorry, this be weak post. Saying someone is not strong because YOU never heard of him = weak.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Cal Strong not hearing of him not part of Cal Strong's argument.
Two thoughtsNcsf said:Here's the good part- you have no clue on this. Neither do I. If we trust him on the hires we like, shouldn't we trust him on the ones we honestly have no idea on?bonsallbear said:
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
1. Neither of us has a clue about his recruiting ability at a PAC 12 level. Has he successfully pulled recruits away from PAC 12 level schools? I was hoping for someone who has.
2. He has credentials for being a RB coach. Great! Hopefully he will succeed at this level.
An underwhelming hire from my perspective.
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At least Wilcox had two stints working with him so he's in a good position to know what he's getting and what his upside is at Cal.
ColoradoBear said:Recruiting Coordinator at Poly, not Cal, right? Unless it's changed, Sirmon is the RC.wifeisafurd said:Position coach and recruiting coordinator (he also is run game coordinator, which is a title to pay someone more money). Like the hire.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Thompson made $76k at SLO. Cal has started their entry assistant coaches at around $175k, so I'd guess not much higher than that given no FBS experience on his resume.
Doesn't mean he won't work out, but it also could be that there was no money left for a more flashy/experienced hire.
But I'm personally not going to worry about it without seeing on field performance next fall.
Pretty much my exact thoughts.
I'm hoping there was a connection with the Fresno area. I'd love it if we could land more academically eligible talent out of Fresno/Clovis area.
yes, the response to a post saying he couldn't move beyond being a position coach, and in fact he did. I'm assuming that Sirmon will keep that title unless he move to DC if TDR gets a head coach offer that he takes. In that case, recruiting coordinator probably goes to Angus, Rangle or GA.ColoradoBear said:Recruiting Coordinator at Poly, not Cal, right? Unless it's changed, Sirmon is the RC.wifeisafurd said:Position coach and recruiting coordinator (he also is run game coordinator, which is a title to pay someone more money). Like the hire.Cal Strong! said:
Cal Strong see this as head scratcher. Not particularly strong hire.
To be fair, Cal Strong never heard of this guy. So maybe he surprise everyone and turn out to be strong.
But this also strongly fair to say -- Aristotle coach for 19 years and only became position coach at two small time programs. He went from one to a HS (Cal Strong assume he was fired). Then at his second job, no one tried to poach him for a decade. This not a strong sign.
Thompson made $76k at SLO. Cal has started their entry assistant coaches at around $175k, so I'd guess not much higher than that given no FBS experience on his resume.
Doesn't mean he won't work out, but it also could be that there was no money left for a more flashy/experienced hire.
But I'm personally not going to worry about it without seeing on field performance next fall.
I do think this move reflects some budget limits. They picked up a OC coach who will get paid more than Baldwin and some of the defensive coaches likely are getting good raises so they won't be poached.
bonsallbear said:Two thoughtsNcsf said:Here's the good part- you have no clue on this. Neither do I. If we trust him on the hires we like, shouldn't we trust him on the ones we honestly have no idea on?bonsallbear said:
Good grief! It's this the best Wilcox could do? After a great hire in Musgrave, this is a total let down. What input did Musgrave have? This indeed is a head scratcher. We needed a solid recruiter and I don't see this as being the answer.
1. Neither of us has a clue about his recruiting ability at a PAC 12 level. Has he successfully pulled recruits away from PAC 12 level schools? I was hoping for someone who has.
2. He has credentials for being a RB coach. Great! Hopefully he will succeed at this level.
An underwhelming hire from my perspective.
Are you seriously judging this hire on the basis of being able to pull Pac-12 level recruits down to an FCS-level program? OMG... What the heck are you smoking?
Has any knowledgeable person assessed the coaching our rb's got from the last guy? I read a lot that hyped them, but didn't see top level technique from them. Maybe I don't know enough about what I'm looking at, but...MoragaBear said:
At least Wilcox had two stints working with him so he's in a good position to know what he's getting and what his upside is at Cal.
This counts for a lot. Tedford hired some guys who weren't household names who turned out to be good, like Kieseau.MoragaBear said:
At least Wilcox had two stints working with him so he's in a good position to know what he's getting and what his upside is at Cal.
Recruiting coordinator with strong West Coast ties, I like this hire.
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