Matt Viator

[cajungrad00]

Great response! Thank you Cajun 90!

[jayrr]

I would not have any problem at all if the powers that be gave serious consideration to Matt Viator and if his interview was impressive, I would not have a problem with him being the successful candidate. I knew Matt when he was a high school football coach, attended a number of his team's games including the HS championship game and played a number of rounds of golf with him. My opinion of hime is that he is a class individual and he appears to be highly adaptive, a quality that would serve him well if he moved from McNeese to UL.

[J-Town Cajun]

_ One of my big concerns with any coach from an FCS school who has little or no FBS background is recruiting. Believe it or not we really are not going after the same set of recruits. McNeese and many other FCS schools aren't saddled with the academic requirements. They also pick up transfers from FBS schools because they didn't make the grades or they are seeking more playing time and don't want to sit out a year etc.

In a lot of ways I just think coaches (head coaches) need a slightly different set of skills between the divisions. Similar to a college coach going to the pro ranks. We have seen great college coaches turned in to bad pro coaches. _

Oregon HC Chip Kelly went from FCS to FBS. He coached at New Hampshire before going to Oregon. I am sure he recruited different type of athletes at New Hampshire than Oregron.

[allncr1966]

_ I not saying I want Viator as our next coach but I would like to meet him. My parents are from Sulphor. I would guess he may have went to school with some of my family. I know has nothing to do with the coaching deal. _

He went to Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff playing under his father. He was head coach at Sulphur High School before going to McNeese as an assistant coach. He won a state championship at Jennings High School before going to Sulphur. He had a winning record at Sulphur but he didn't coach there more than 3 years if that much I can't remember.

[CajunT]

_ Oregon HC Chip Kelly went from FCS to FBS. He coached at New Hampshire before going to Oregon. I am sure he recruited different type of athletes at New Hampshire than Oregron. _

Coach Viator is a hard worker and solid candidate for any SBC head coaching position. There is no need to dismiss his credentials in my opinion. Has anyone ever stopped and considered he may not want this position after his interview?

[Clutch0364]

_ Oregon HC Chip Kelly went from FCS to FBS. He coached at New Hampshire before going to Oregon. I am sure he recruited different type of athletes at New Hampshire than Oregron. _

He was the OC at Oregon for a few years before taking over as HC.

[RaginWaldo]

_ I thought McNeese was just disguised as a University but was in fact Ryan Street High School? Nothing funnier than seeing someone proudly display there MSU alum license plate and wondering what kind of career path they had majoring in Cow Milking. Goldman Sachs doesn't have a barn out back. _

imagine the millions of people that say the same thing about us with our Ragin Cajun License plates...

[allncr1966]

_ One of my big concerns with any coach from an FCS school who has little or no FBS background is recruiting. Believe it or not we really are not going after the same set of recruits. McNeese and many other FCS schools aren't saddled with the academic requirements. They also pick up transfers from FBS schools because they didn't make the grades or they are seeking more playing time and don't want to sit out a year etc.

In a lot of ways I just think coaches (head coaches) need a slightly different set of skills between the divisions. Similar to a college coach going to the pro ranks. We have seen great college coaches turned in to bad pro coaches. _

News flash for you they do compete for some of the same players. I know of at least 15 players on the McNeese roster that were actively recruited by UL during their recruitment. I know a HS coach Calcasieu Parish and one in Lafayette Parish and they have both told me that if UL is recruiting a player its a good bet McNeese is too. Now granted UL does get more 3 stars players than McNeese does do doubt about that.

McNeese traditionally has not actively gone after FBS transfers. I went to UL but I am from LC and have gone to many MSU games over the years mostly because of a couple of nephews that played there and some close friends kids played there. By the way one of my nephews was actively recruited by UL as were 2 boys of close friends. They on average have only about 3 FBS transfers on their roster per year. Jacksonville State which used to be in the Southland used to average about 10 to 15 players who were FBS transfers and McNeese usually beat them and the same can be said about Sam Houston State they have a lot a FBS transfers.

As far as small divisions school coaches not being able to recruit to larger schools. Tell that to Bobby Bowden, Jim Tressel, Paul Johnson, and the Notre Dame coach whose name escapes me all were head coaches at D1-AA or FCS schools before becoming HC at FBS schools. In fact the Notre Dame coach won 2 or 3 Div III natioinal champioinships before getting a head coaching job at an FBS school. Granted he didn't go from Grand Valley State to Notre Dame but UL is not Notre Dame. UL's player talent is only slightly better than McNeese's talent the main difference is numbers 20 more players and the ability because of UL's size and conference getting more 3 star players and possibly a couple of 4 star players.

I agree with you about college coaches moving up to pros hasn't always been a good thing but the difference between college and the pros is a much greater leap than say moving from the high school ranks to college. Coaches have to start some place HS to college is usually the transition. I am not saying Viator should be the next UL coach because I personnally don't think he would be a good fit but your logic from my standpoint is flawed.

[Rebel02]

Why would we want a coach that can't win in the postseason?


igeaux.mobi

[Zeebart21]

_ imagine the millions of people that say the same thing about us with our Ragin Cajun License plates... _

More brilliant commentary Waldo...keep it coming son!!

[Red Tide]

_ One of my big concerns with any coach from an FCS school who has little or no FBS background is recruiting. Believe it or not we really are not going after the same set of recruits. McNeese and many other FCS schools aren't saddled with the academic requirements. They also pick up transfers from FBS schools because they didn't make the grades or they are seeking more playing time and don't want to sit out a year etc.

In a lot of ways I just think coaches (head coaches) need a slightly different set of skills between the divisions. Similar to a college coach going to the pro ranks. We have seen great college coaches turned in to bad pro coaches. _

A lot of what you say is true, however, I think it is much harder recruiting to an FCS school than to an FBS school. I do not believe that FCS schools are going to recruit different athletes than the FBS schools. I purposely leave out the BCS schools because they are on a different plain altogether. BCS schools usually have their signing classes done by a prospects junior year due to football camps and national notoriety.

Now, as to type of recruit by way of academics, that is another issue altogether. The NCAA has a big loophole in the "greyshirt" program. A recruit that wants to attend a school like UL can enroll if he has the college entrance requirements and can come on his own dime. If he makes the grades, he can get a scholarship if it is still offered. Big schools like LSU just have a wealthy TAF member pay for a scholarship to Hargrave Military.

All schools do it and it benefits the university athletics more than the athlete himself. The big difference is that FCS coaches have to recruit to 65 scholarships instead of 87 scholarships. When the pecking order of recruiting is finished FCS schools have to find the remaining athletes that are qualified and hope to "coach them up." In essence, there is not much room for error for FCS coaches in that situation.

So, I don't fully buy your argument because at the end of the day FCS/FBS are both recruiting to 1-A one just has more room for error.

[allncr1966]

_ He was the OC at Oregon for a few years before taking over as HC. _

I think what is being pointed out is that he was at an FCS school first before being OC at Oregon and the last time I checked UL's football program and the Sunbelt are not Oregon's or the Pac 10's. The jump from the Southland to the Sunbelt for a HC isn't that great. Paul Johnson went from being HC at Georgia Southern FCS to Navy FBS and did very well.