Some Monday morning thoughts on the weekend events:
Derrick Ansley's move to Tuscaloosa.
First, why? After all he was a co-defensive coordinator just promoted on a staff that he clearly had a respected place on. He was getting a raise. He would still be coaching the defensive backs, which he obviously loves to do, and he'd be coaching more talent than ever. Chris Westry and his deep, talented band of pals in the secondary could make a lot of coaches look good in the years coming up. He was a hot and rising young coaching star in the profession in Lexington even if he said no.
But he was never going to say no. We reported a little while back that he was likely going to be offered a job at Georgia or Alabama, and that he would likely accept. It's not a surprise at all. He's got a history with Alabama and a history with Nick Saban. That matters.
What's more, being a "co-defensive coordinator" is not exactly being a defensive coordinator. From what I was told Mark Stoops is being very serious when he said that Ansley's promotion was not a demotion for D.J. Eliot. Eliot would still have retained the same authorities and decision-making role in every respect on the defense. I don't want to say it was just a title, but it was about the raise and reflecting the raise in a better title; a title that was deemed deserved. The title itself was good for the resume. And it is.
We know that this is a 'new' thing because Stoops wouldn't have promoted Ansley if he knew he was leaving. That's not great P.R. How long did Ansley know Alabama would be open for him? That I'm not sure of. I do know, from the pretty reliable word of some, that it was well-established that Bama was likely to come after him. I have always heard that Nick Saban thinks highly of him. One question has been whether Ansley would end up a DC or remain a position coach at a more prestigious SEC school. Probably not quite paid enough dues to be a DC yet, although some close to him believe he's ready.
Assistant coaches can't stay at one place for too long. It's not that he's afraid of being stuck on a sinking ship, although that's a risk you run everywhere as an assistant coach in the SEC, where every head coach is one bad year away from the hot seat (well, most). It's more: 1) Spending a year or more with Nick Saban as a defensive position coach is going to look fantastic on Ansley's resume for the rest of his life; he already had a history with Saban, but this will firmly mark him as part of Saban's coaching "tree" which could come with a greater likelihood of DC or even HC jobs down the road, 2) Alabama offers a greater likelihood of quick advancement to an unquestioned DC role somewhere, and 3) Assistant coaches just don't like to stay one place too long in most cases.
There are some exceptions to that. Bud Foster, Mickey Andrews, etc. Some coordinators are coordinators, some position coaches are position coaches. Personalities, relationships with the head coach, etc. I don't think guys like Vince Marrow, Eliot or John Schlarman, for various reasons, are looking for a quick ticket to the next job on the ladder. But someone like Ansley is not quite as synonymous with Kentucky or Mark Stoops as those guys. Eliot has a 20-year history with Stoops, Marrow's his friend from childhood and in his ace zone, and Schlarman's a Kentucky guy coaching his unit with some great young guys.
Ansley's in a position where he is almost set up to succeed without much possibility of failure. He's going to have the nicest toys to bring to every playground with five-stars at every position in the secondary. So, really, it's tough to imagine him not parlaying this into a very nice DC gig in the not-too-distant future. Maybe even positions himself as next in line for bigger jobs at Alabama, and he still has connections with Kirby Smart and others in the SEC.
I have no clue as to who Stoops might pick as a successor. I asked and wasn't given an answer or the sense that it was urgent at all. The timing is such that there's no race to shore up relationships before Signing Day. There's no race for the eval period because coaches had been on the road for a long time. It's not a coordinator job. And for perception it's not all that urgent because Stoops is known as a great DB coach and he's got great young talent.
The impact on Jordan Griffin? Same as probably with the other new freshmen. Not thrilled. Would be surprised if anyone tried to leave over it. This stuff happens all the time. I understand a player being upset when this happens right after Signing Day. But this is how stuff happens. Conspiracy theorist could imagine collusion between Kentucky and Ansley on the promotion to keep the class together before Signing Day, knowing full well he's really leaving, but that is not at all the sense I got. Ansley is leaving on good terms but doesn't seem like this job has been in the works so specifically for him.
He's a very good coach, no doubt. Don't exaggerate the significance of a position coach's X & O impact on the team's game performance. I'm not saying it doesn't matter. How they teach technique, communicate terminology, motivate their players, etc. ... That's all very important. There is a big difference between the best position coaches and the worst.
But if you're inclined to worry then just consider that most people are optimistic (or want to be) about what seems an upgrade on the offensive side of the staff, and Stoops hired them. He also hired Ansley in the first place. Sure, he hired some that didn't work out. But he's demonstrated he's capable of hiring people who prove to be wanted by other schools, so why not again? And at this position the margin for error is greater than at others. There are some good characters and personalities in the secondary (and coming in) so they aren't going to be a group full of head cases, either. That'll help.
Assistant coach turnover rate is high at literally every school in the country. If you've got a good staff the good assistants will have opportunities to leave and most of the good ones will. Most people who get into coaching do so without any illusions of longevity, stability or a peaceful life without U-Haul trucks and frequent house shopping. So do their families. That's because they love coaching, because college coaches get paid nice money, but also because they're ambitious and the wide-reaching network that is the coaching fraternity makes for an impressive ladder with moving parts all the time. And if you want to climb the ladder you have to keep moving. Keep networking. Keep building the resume and jockeying for the next big gig. The end game for some coaches (not all) is a head coaching job. Most people have the right head coaching job in mind. I think Ansley could end up somewhere pretty special in his career, and coaching DB's at Alabama while linking his resume more closely with Saban is a darn good idea. Not to mention all future job applications he sends in to places will have the promotion to Co-DC attached. There is a possibility it hurts him a little if he's seen as leaving right after the promotion, but I don't sense ill-will in Lexington. Was seen as inevitable and if not when.
Derrick Ansley's move to Tuscaloosa.
First, why? After all he was a co-defensive coordinator just promoted on a staff that he clearly had a respected place on. He was getting a raise. He would still be coaching the defensive backs, which he obviously loves to do, and he'd be coaching more talent than ever. Chris Westry and his deep, talented band of pals in the secondary could make a lot of coaches look good in the years coming up. He was a hot and rising young coaching star in the profession in Lexington even if he said no.
But he was never going to say no. We reported a little while back that he was likely going to be offered a job at Georgia or Alabama, and that he would likely accept. It's not a surprise at all. He's got a history with Alabama and a history with Nick Saban. That matters.
What's more, being a "co-defensive coordinator" is not exactly being a defensive coordinator. From what I was told Mark Stoops is being very serious when he said that Ansley's promotion was not a demotion for D.J. Eliot. Eliot would still have retained the same authorities and decision-making role in every respect on the defense. I don't want to say it was just a title, but it was about the raise and reflecting the raise in a better title; a title that was deemed deserved. The title itself was good for the resume. And it is.
We know that this is a 'new' thing because Stoops wouldn't have promoted Ansley if he knew he was leaving. That's not great P.R. How long did Ansley know Alabama would be open for him? That I'm not sure of. I do know, from the pretty reliable word of some, that it was well-established that Bama was likely to come after him. I have always heard that Nick Saban thinks highly of him. One question has been whether Ansley would end up a DC or remain a position coach at a more prestigious SEC school. Probably not quite paid enough dues to be a DC yet, although some close to him believe he's ready.
Assistant coaches can't stay at one place for too long. It's not that he's afraid of being stuck on a sinking ship, although that's a risk you run everywhere as an assistant coach in the SEC, where every head coach is one bad year away from the hot seat (well, most). It's more: 1) Spending a year or more with Nick Saban as a defensive position coach is going to look fantastic on Ansley's resume for the rest of his life; he already had a history with Saban, but this will firmly mark him as part of Saban's coaching "tree" which could come with a greater likelihood of DC or even HC jobs down the road, 2) Alabama offers a greater likelihood of quick advancement to an unquestioned DC role somewhere, and 3) Assistant coaches just don't like to stay one place too long in most cases.
There are some exceptions to that. Bud Foster, Mickey Andrews, etc. Some coordinators are coordinators, some position coaches are position coaches. Personalities, relationships with the head coach, etc. I don't think guys like Vince Marrow, Eliot or John Schlarman, for various reasons, are looking for a quick ticket to the next job on the ladder. But someone like Ansley is not quite as synonymous with Kentucky or Mark Stoops as those guys. Eliot has a 20-year history with Stoops, Marrow's his friend from childhood and in his ace zone, and Schlarman's a Kentucky guy coaching his unit with some great young guys.
Ansley's in a position where he is almost set up to succeed without much possibility of failure. He's going to have the nicest toys to bring to every playground with five-stars at every position in the secondary. So, really, it's tough to imagine him not parlaying this into a very nice DC gig in the not-too-distant future. Maybe even positions himself as next in line for bigger jobs at Alabama, and he still has connections with Kirby Smart and others in the SEC.
I have no clue as to who Stoops might pick as a successor. I asked and wasn't given an answer or the sense that it was urgent at all. The timing is such that there's no race to shore up relationships before Signing Day. There's no race for the eval period because coaches had been on the road for a long time. It's not a coordinator job. And for perception it's not all that urgent because Stoops is known as a great DB coach and he's got great young talent.
The impact on Jordan Griffin? Same as probably with the other new freshmen. Not thrilled. Would be surprised if anyone tried to leave over it. This stuff happens all the time. I understand a player being upset when this happens right after Signing Day. But this is how stuff happens. Conspiracy theorist could imagine collusion between Kentucky and Ansley on the promotion to keep the class together before Signing Day, knowing full well he's really leaving, but that is not at all the sense I got. Ansley is leaving on good terms but doesn't seem like this job has been in the works so specifically for him.
He's a very good coach, no doubt. Don't exaggerate the significance of a position coach's X & O impact on the team's game performance. I'm not saying it doesn't matter. How they teach technique, communicate terminology, motivate their players, etc. ... That's all very important. There is a big difference between the best position coaches and the worst.
But if you're inclined to worry then just consider that most people are optimistic (or want to be) about what seems an upgrade on the offensive side of the staff, and Stoops hired them. He also hired Ansley in the first place. Sure, he hired some that didn't work out. But he's demonstrated he's capable of hiring people who prove to be wanted by other schools, so why not again? And at this position the margin for error is greater than at others. There are some good characters and personalities in the secondary (and coming in) so they aren't going to be a group full of head cases, either. That'll help.
Assistant coach turnover rate is high at literally every school in the country. If you've got a good staff the good assistants will have opportunities to leave and most of the good ones will. Most people who get into coaching do so without any illusions of longevity, stability or a peaceful life without U-Haul trucks and frequent house shopping. So do their families. That's because they love coaching, because college coaches get paid nice money, but also because they're ambitious and the wide-reaching network that is the coaching fraternity makes for an impressive ladder with moving parts all the time. And if you want to climb the ladder you have to keep moving. Keep networking. Keep building the resume and jockeying for the next big gig. The end game for some coaches (not all) is a head coaching job. Most people have the right head coaching job in mind. I think Ansley could end up somewhere pretty special in his career, and coaching DB's at Alabama while linking his resume more closely with Saban is a darn good idea. Not to mention all future job applications he sends in to places will have the promotion to Co-DC attached. There is a possibility it hurts him a little if he's seen as leaving right after the promotion, but I don't sense ill-will in Lexington. Was seen as inevitable and if not when.
