New Defensive Coordinator Clint Bowen

UNTLifer · December 20, 2019

9 hours ago, TheReal_jayD said:

Wrong finger.

UNTLifer · December 20, 2019

7 hours ago, All About UNT said:

Right? He was here one freaking season! The year before was actually just above 29 pts per game. Skladany's 1st year was 27.8...is there that big of a difference? Wouldn't you say that one and done Skladany would be, hypothetically, just as bad? I would. The next year the JS led defense held opponents to shy of 18 pts per game. There is no reason to think that Bowen couldn't have done the same but we just don't know. Two years in any program could make a ton of difference in results.

100% this.

Mean Green 93-98 · December 20, 2019

The stats don't tell the whole story. Anyone who watched those games saw a huge difference in the defense. The offense was pedestrian, and kept putting our D in difficult situations. Also, if you look at the year, we started off with several blowout losses, but things tapered off as the year went on. And we closed that year with that defensive beatdown--and Lance Dunbar beatdown--we put on the MUTS.

He may not be a "splash" hire, but I don't know why anyone wouldn't be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

UNT Texas Hooligan · December 20, 2019

8 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

He may not be a "splash" hire, but I don't know why anyone wouldn't be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Seriously. All these people that say "Bad hire, he will fail," so they want him to fail? If you think he will fail then why watch the team? Why wish a new hire to fail before they even set foot in Denton?

He has spent years studying and coaching against Big 12 offenses, including Leach air raid and some of the highest scoring offenses in college football history. C-USA offenses don't light a candle to some of those Big 12 offenses, so I'm sure he has seen everything and knows how to make adjustments. People also say he can't coach up players. Have they seen how many defensive players he has sent to the NFL? Just look at Twitter and some of the things players like Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are saying about him.

Wag Tag · December 20, 2019

What were our choices? A FBS DC or a P5 position coach? I believe Seth leaned from Reeder no more FBS. Again this is a coach with P5 position coach, P5 DC and a inter P5 HC. Why has KU kept him, maybe because he is a good coach and maybe because he is a good recruiter. The most important function for the DC at UNT is recruiting and evaluating talent. Congrats to all. GMG

ipd054 · December 20, 2019

So let me get this right. One of our biggest weaknesses on defense has been the secondary. Seth goes out and hires a guy with 15 years experience coaching either secondary or linebackers in the Big 12. Who was retained by Les Miles in the same position. So the hire sucks?

I do have green colored glasses, but I am looking at a guy that has had to prepare and game plan for some of the best offenses in the BCS. In a conference that averages 433.3 yards per game (259.6 yds/game in passing). Hell the worst team in the Big 12 averaged 321 yds/game and 248.7 in passing. In 2018 the Jayhawks let the Big 12 in turnovers and had the second best turnover ratio in BCS (16 interceptions). Overall the pass defense that Coach Bowen was most responsible for was top 5 behind Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU and KState this year. His Safeties accounted for 143 tackles as they took up the slack for a line that I could have rushed for 100 yards against. He is known as a recruiter. He also knows and has worked with Seth.

For those who say he sucked in 2011 so he still sucks. Really, if I took your first year at a new position and judged you on your results from 8 years ago...when you worked with a 1st year coach. Come on... he was hired to work with a ground and pound coach who consistently put the defense in horrible position. Oh and that team which was in my opinion led by the defense had the best record UNT has seen in 6 years and it regressed the next year after he left.

I have no idea how the hire will turn out but, on the surface this hire checks a lot of the boxes that we need. It fails to check a few but I can not expect a perfect candidate (they do not exist). All in all personally think that this was not an exciting hire but I do think it is a good hire.

Edited December 20, 2019 by ipd054

Cr1028 · December 20, 2019

11 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Could've fooled me watching them play defense.

Point is, the hire doesn't make sense. It doesn't feel like a plan A or even a plan B decision. It feels like a "he'll do" decision. The program is in a pretty vulnerable state right now. Making "he'll do" hires at this point feels dangerous. As another poster said, it feels like a Cosh hire. And that's not to say he'll be as bad as Cosh this go around, but there's nothing substantial to say he's going to get the defense humming.

If you think that Seth is going to risk his head coaching career by hiring a "he'll do" coordinator, you must not be thinking clearly. You do understand that if Seth continues to fail here, he will be stuck as a G5 OC or P5 position coach for awhile before he can move up again?

Sig381 · December 20, 2019

Y’all think any of the Kansas commits that haven’t sign will flip?

Rudy · December 20, 2019

On the fence with the hire, but willing to give it a chance.

p_phelps · December 20, 2019

13 minutes ago, Sig381 said:

Y’all think any of the Kansas commits that haven’t sign will flip?

https://247sports.com/player/brennon-scott-46042133/

We offered him and he hasn't signed yet

UNT Texas Hooligan · December 20, 2019

14 minutes ago, Sig381 said:

Y’all think any of the Kansas commits that haven’t sign will flip?

https://247sports.com/player/brennon-scott-46042133/

The only unsigned commit I see with that potential

Wag Tag · December 20, 2019

21 minutes ago, Sig381 said:

Y’all think any of the Kansas commits that haven’t sign will flip?

Or somebody that is available he liked that KU didn’t offer.

keith · December 20, 2019

I must have selective amnesia because I don't remember anything about his previous time here. Either that or I'm getting old.

El Paso Eagle · December 20, 2019

29 minutes ago, Rudy said:

On the fence with the hire, but willing to give it a chance.

Not us, thank goodness, but here is the type of hire that would be underwhelming to say the least

https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2019/12/25/texas-a-m-kingsville-hires-former-letterman-mike-salinas-as-head-coach?ref=article_preview_title

eulessismore · December 20, 2019

3 minutes ago, keith said:

I must have selective amnesia because I don't remember anything about his previous time here. Either that or I'm getting old.

I did check out our record for the 2011 season, when he was our DC, and we beat UL Monroe, where Reffett was DC, 38-21.

NorthTexasWeLove · December 20, 2019

1 hour ago, Cr1028 said:

If you think that Seth is going to risk his head coaching career by hiring a "he'll do" coordinator, you must not be thinking clearly. You do understand that if Seth continues to fail here, he will be stuck as a G5 OC or P5 position coach for awhile before he can move up again?

I do understand that.

Does this strike you as Plan A? Is this an upgrade from Reffett?

untbowler · December 20, 2019

11 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Not us, thank goodness, but here is the type of hire that would be underwhelming to say the least

https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2019/12/25/texas-a-m-kingsville-hires-former-letterman-mike-salinas-as-head-coach?ref=article_preview_title

I am sure for A&M Kingsville a D2 school with no relevance it is a great hire.

Your comparison is Apples to Grapefruits

TheReal_jayD · December 20, 2019

6 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Does this strike you as Plan A? Brent Venables wasn't leaving Clemson

Is this an upgrade from Reffett? Yes

rhyming leonardo dicaprio GIF

El Paso Eagle · December 20, 2019

4 minutes ago, untbowler said:

I am sure for A&M Kingsville a D2 school with no relevance it is a great hire.

Your comparison is Apples to Grapefruits

Just curious, why are they "no relevance"?

eulessismore · December 20, 2019

14 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

I do understand that.

Does this strike you as Plan A? Is this an upgrade from Reffett?

If you'll check the records of the teams where each coached, UL Monroe was much more successful in Sun Belt play when Reffett spent several years there as DC than Bowen was at Kansas in Big 12 play when he was DC there.

If you look at the careers of players each coached at those respective schools, Bowen is much more impressive in coaching players who went on to become drafted and otherwise succeed at the NFL level.

I find it kind of hard to compare those careers, but I honestly think Bowen is at least a step, maybe two, up from Reffett.

Edited December 20, 2019 by eulessismore

NorthTexasWeLove · December 20, 2019

Just now, TheReal_jayD said:

No one is trying to get Venables.

But, again, was this Plan A? As if you know. But I like to ask the question regardless. Because it doesn't feel like Plan A. And it's an upgrade in philosophy only. As we know and as his history suggests, it's not a result based upgrade.

NorthTexasWeLove · December 20, 2019

Just now, eulessismore said:

If you'll check the records of the teams where each coached, UL Monroe was much more successful in Sun Belt play when Reffett spent several years there as DC than Bowen was at Kansas in Big 12 play when he was DC there.

If you look at the careers of players each coached at those respective schools, Bowen is much more impressive in coaching players who went on to become drafted and otherwise succeed at the NFL level.

Honestly, I find it kind of hard to compare those careers, but I honestly think Bowen is at least a step, maybe two, up from Reffett.

Bowen will have better NFL prowess only based on the schools he's coached at. Reffett has been a 'G5' lifer.

TheReal_jayD · December 20, 2019

Just now, NorthTexasWeLove said:

No one is trying to get Venables.

But, again, was this Plan A? As if you know. But I like to ask the question regardless. Because it doesn't feel like Plan A. And it's an upgrade in philosophy only. As we know and as his history suggests, it's not a result based upgrade.

I'll ask again for the third time. What type of hire would have qualifiy as a plan A type hire?

NorthTexasWeLove · December 20, 2019

Just now, TheReal_jayD said:

I'll ask again for the third time. What type of hire would have qualifiy as a plan A type hire?

Dunno. It's like, not my job. But if this is the best UNT can do, then I guess it's the best UNT can do, right?

eulessismore · December 20, 2019

Just now, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Bowen will have better NFL prowess only based on the schools he's coached at. Reffett has been a 'G5' lifer.

Well, when a school is as perennially bad as Kansas, I think one has to look at how well individiual players have done to gauge the success of a coach. And some here would object to the perception of Sun Belt play as bottom of FBS barrel when Reffett coached there, but it was certainly a much lower level than Big 12, especially on offense.

Ok, think you've answered your own question as to whether Bowen is an upgrade from Reffett.