Defining Season!

[Cajunrunner]

Recruiting can't really be assessed until at least December 21st, early signing day. We are on a good track, but we have a long ways to go. Recruiting is the dominate reason to being successful on the field. It's why Napier was able to get the Cajuns on top of the SBC. It wasn't because Napier had a highly sophisticated, tricky approach to the game, he was very basic in fact. Great defense and a solid running game with few turnovers. It wins a lot of games, especially against the G5, not so much against the P5 teams (that's another topic).

Dr. Maggard strayed away from what was successful on his first Head Football Coach hiring and he gambled with an in-house hire. We will see if it works out, and I truly hope it does, because I want our Football program to be on a national level. We all knew the potential was there, for so many years we waited, and we were fortunate to finally get there the past 2 years. We have an easy schedule, especially the first 4 games, so it's possible to get a good start to our season. I can't wait to see what our new Cajuns look like on the field.

Do you always view things through the eyes of Eeyore?

[Cajunrunner]

Just curious as to what specific facts are in your possession at this time to allow you to come to this conclusion that this hire was a gamble as opposed to the previous one when it was made.

Everyone KNEW Brent Pry was the obvious hire.

Who the hell is Billy Napier? Why was HE hired?

Four years later...

[ULGrad@HOU]

Do you always view things through the eyes of Eeyore?

No.

[CajunVic]

Everyone KNEW Brent Pry was the obvious hire.

Who the hell is Billy Napier? Why was HE hired?

Four years later...

Only 100% rock solid knew . . .

[moorecajun]

I don't think anyone would suggest that recruiting isn't the key ingredient of any program's success. But once those recruits get to campus, you must have a good staff in place,and coordinators to put the players in the right positions for success. Game management is something you just don't learn on the sideline, it's learned through preparation and game experience. New head coaches still have learning curves, it doesn't happen instantly.

I do disagree with the opinion that, "Dr. Maggard strayed from his successful hiring model he used for Coach Billy Napier." You can only say it was success viewing the hire from today's lenses, no one knew he would be successful here. And, you can't say his decision to hire Coach Desormeaux from within the program is not a good decision because he had not coached one regular season game yet. There is no evidence that it will be looked at in the future as a poor hire simply because he hired from within the program.

I see parallels between the Mike Desormeaux and Billy Napier hires as head coach. The most glaring difference is the obvious one you mentioned, one hired outside the program and the other from within the program. But both were hired from successful models, Napier from Alabama and Desormeaux from the same model his predecessor installed here.

Billy Napier had no resume as a head coach, he was terminated from Clemson after a less than successful tenure as the OC. He was a young bright coach that was a position coach at Alabama and received another opportunity seven years later to be an OC at Arizona State. There was no guarantee that he would be successful here at UL.

Mike Desormeaux is another young coach in a similar mode as Napier. He is a former college QB and considered a good recruiter. He was a position coach until last season when he became Co-OC. He's been schooled and groomed under Billy Napier, in the very system he installed here. So I see many similarities between the two men.

Now I understand the concern of hiring within the program, given our history as an athletic program. But, neither Dr. Maggard or Mike Desirmeaux were part of that history and, both of them deserve the opportunity to be judge based upon their performances today.

My sentiments exactly.

[cajun4life]

9-3 at worst.

[CajunT]

I respect your opinion T. I disagree, it was a huge difference in hiring process. Des has very little experience as OC, very little experience outside the program, zero experience in a P5 program under various highly successful mentors, a fraction of the personal connections with other coaches across the country. Des has 1 mentor, in our own program. Not even close in my eyes. Even though, I'm not saying he won't or can't be successful. Maybe he will be and I certainly hope so.
I think it's clear, it was a hire to try and reduce the chances of a coach jumping ship quickly by using the Cajuns as just a stepping stone, minimize the financial risk, and attempt to keep the program with similar characteristics and staff. The last part was shaken a bit, and we will see how it all works out.
You and several others have a personal attachment to Des. I don't. I watched him play as our QB and was a fan of his tremendous efforts, mainly his running ability. I have a personal attachment to UL. I only want to see the program be as best as it can be. Again, if he can transition into a very good HC for the Cajuns, I'm all for it. I will be critical of the program as I was with Napier if I think it warrants it.

You are correct in stating Dr. Maggard didn't use the P5 model in hiring Coach Des. And while it might be the preferred model by most, it's not exactly the only way to success. App State has been the conference's most consistent program and they have remained in house with hires.

Coach Stokely and Coach Bustle came from national championship programs and were decent coaches. But neither elevated the program to a Top 25 ranking. Billy Napier did it in three years of being hired, but there is no guarantee that you will capture the proverbial genie in the bottle again.

[CajunVic]

He looked really close to home and found the genie right here already packaged in a bottle.

[JayWalker]

You are correct in stating Dr. Maggard didn't use the P5 model in hiring Coach Des. And while it might be the preferred model by most, it's not exactly the only way to success. App State has been the conference's most consistent program and they have remained in house with hires.

Coach Stokely and Coach Bustle came from national championship programs and were decent coaches. But neither elevated the program to a Top 25 ranking. Billy Napier did it in three years of being hired, but there is no guarantee that you will capture the proverbial genie in the bottle again.

When your program is successful and you have an opening, the first thing ANY athletic director worth his salt asks himself is, "do I have anyone on staff that I think can sustain the excellence we have."

In the case of Michael Desormeaux, Dr. Maggard's answer was yes.

He didn't hire "on the cheap," as someone suggested. The starting salary of 775K is better than the starting salary of most SBC coaches.

T is correct in what he's saying.

[cajun_lannister]

Everyone KNEW Brent Pry was the obvious hire.

Who the hell is Billy Napier? Why was HE hired?

Four years later...

LMAO ! That was such a fun day

[HOUCajun]

LMAO ! That was such a fun day

Not my most productive work day for sure!

[cajun_lannister]

Not my most productive work day for sure!

I remember sitting at legends with a friend who just had lunch with Jim Harris. Jim had told him that we had hired Napier but was not telling me to be an ass lol. All he would tell me its not Pry or Todd Orlando I was deep into twitter than afternoon trying to find anything.

[HoustonCajun]

You are correct in stating Dr. Maggard didn't use the P5 model in hiring Coach Des. And while it might be the preferred model by most, it's not exactly the only way to success. App State has been the conference's most consistent program and they have remained in house with hires.

Coach Stokely and Coach Bustle came from national championship programs and were decent coaches. But neither elevated the program to a Top 25 ranking. Billy Napier did it in three years of being hired, but there is no guarantee that you will capture the proverbial genie in the bottle again.

Our program under Napier built a national presence and a Top 25 ranking. With Napier's leaving along with key coaches and players, that national perception seems to be lost as we are not mentioned anywhere on a national level today. I feel certain that if Napier were still here, our name would surface in a Top 25 ranking and be mentioned similar to USF, Memphis and SMU for a future spot in the Big 12. We are now in a wait and see mode if Coach Desormeaux can continue the success that Napier had. It only took one major win over Iowa State to elevate Napier's status upon which he continued to build. Des won't get a similar opportunity until we play Florida State in November. If UL is undefeated going into that game, it will be another marquee game and Des' opportunity to get us back to a prominent national position and possible ranking. Fortunately, we appear to be reloading rather than rebuilding, although depth may be a concern. Expectations are high, as they should be for a program that has been so successful in the past 4 years. I see no reason Des can't be as successful as Napier in his first year. He is more of a sure bet as head coach than Napier was when he was hired. He is certainly more vested in this program, his program, and it is time for all of Acadiana to come out and support him and our team as he leads us to even greater heights. That this program can't sell 15,000 season tickets, average over 5,000 student attendance and 30,000 a game minimally for a program that has been this successful over the past 4 years is hard to figure. With all UL has achieved athletically and now academically, it has certainly earned that level of support.

[KajunKrazy]

You are correct in stating Dr. Maggard didn't use the P5 model in hiring Coach Des. And while it might be the preferred model by most, it's not exactly the only way to success. App State has been the conference's most consistent program and they have remained in house with hires.

Coach Stokely and Coach Bustle came from national championship programs and were decent coaches. But neither elevated the program to a Top 25 ranking. Billy Napier did it in three years of being hired, but there is no guarantee that you will capture the proverbial genie in the bottle again.

Coach Stokley was the best coach from an X's and O's stand point this school has ever had. If he would have coached in this era and played the schedules we are playing today he would have been every bit as good as napier or better record wise. Go look at his schedules half his games were against schools that are in the SEC or big 12 today. And he still managed winning seasons.

[Cajunrunner]

Coach Stokley was the best coach from an X's and O's stand point this school has ever had. If he would have coached in this era and played the schedules we are playing today he would have been every bit as good as napier or better record wise. Go look at his schedules half his games were against schools that are in the SEC or big 12 today. And he still managed winning seasons.

It also helps not to have a University President whose agenda is to financially starve athletics.