Whomever is hired as the new HC, Matlin really needs to get it done by next week (at latest)....because the Recruiting Dead Period ends this Thursday (January 16) which would normally be when UH would
either fly out to conduct a home visit with a mainland prospect and meet his family
or host an official recruiting visit to UH for a mainland prospect.
As it stands now, UH is already losing this coming January 17 - 19 weekend to conduct mainland home visits and/or host official recruiting visits to UH......leaving only 2 more weekends for mainland prospects to take official recruiting visits to UH before the February 5 NLI Signing Date (since local HS recruits & mid-year JC transfers were the focus for the December Early Signing Date).
Even if Matlin selects the new HC from among the current assistant coaches by next week (at latest), the new HC still probably won't have enough time to arrange the hosting of any official recruiting visits to UH for the following (January 24 -26) weekend either.....while he scrambles to assemble a coaching staff (preferably an OC and DC).....while hopefully retaining at least some of the current assistant coaches (who would be available and ready immediately to commence with recruiting efforts) in order to contact prospective mainland recruits and conduct mainland home visits.....which leaves only 1 weekend (January 31 - February 2) to host these mainland prospects to UH for an official recruiting trip before the Recruiting Dead Period re-starts on February 3 and before the February 5 NLI Signing Date. Hosting mainland prospects (probably at least twice as many an normal) to UH for an official recruiting trip all on the same January 31 - February 2 weekend (which would normally be spread out over 2 or even 3 separate weekends) will be logistically more difficult to arrange (especially with the better prospects already likely to have pre-arranged to visit another school....even a Wazzu…..for this same last available recruiting weekend).
Being that most of the Power-5 schools have already signed the majority of their available initial 25 scholarships on the December Early Signing Date (more so than they did the past 2 years from when the Early Signing Date was initially instituted), prospects who might have had early Power-5 scholarship offers but who didn't sign their NLI probably have less (if any) scholarship options for the February 5 NLI Signing Date. As such, I can see where these mainland prospects (especially from the West Coast) might sign their NLI with their best available MWC school option on February 5....especially if they had visited the school beforehand.
IF Matlin waits too long (beyond next week) to hire the new HC, then the new HC (whomever he is) might have to resort to offering & signing mainland players (who otherwise don't have any scholarship offers) sight unseen (before any mainland home visits are conducted and/or the mainland prospects even take an official recruiting visit to UH....since the Dead Period re-starts on February 3) based strictly on referrals, phone conversations and/or film evaluation) on the February 5 NLI Signing Date....which could result in a crapshoot as to whether the new signee is the right fit for UH....and vice versa.
kapakahi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 3:25 pmhttps://www.clarionledger.com/story/spo ... 465582002/
Mike Leach is taking his Wazzu Offensive Coaches (WR, RB, OL; except for TE) along with the Special Teams & Strength Coaches with him to Mississippi State.....which could mean that Rolo might offer assistant coaching positions to Andre Allen, Brian Smith, Mark Weber, Michael Ghobrial, and Dwain Bradshaw.....at minimum....to follow him to Wazzu. SInce Leach is his own OC and QB Coach, Rolo could also offer Stutz as his QB Coach (since a TE Assistant Coach is not needed).
The Wazzu website lists the assistant coaches that Leach didn't take with him to Mississippi State.
https://wsucougars.com/sports/football/ ... er-coaches
Also , Rolo will probably assemble the majority of his new Wazzu coaching staff....offering some (if not all) of his UH assistant coaches....at latest by next week too....since Wazzu still has some available initial scholarship spots that also need to be filled on the February NLI Signing Date. As such, each UH assistant coach might be forced into making a quick decision by next week (or even sooner).....
whether to follow Rolo to Wazzu…..
or to take the risk of being selected as the new UH HC
or even just to be retained by the new UH coaching staff as an assistant coach.
I just hope that Matlin understands the time constraints (and the potential associated consequences) that he is facing in order to select a new HC in a timely manner. Otherwise, the new HC will be hamstrung from the get-go in order to sign good players for the remaining openings to secure a decent 2020 Signing Class....to address defensive recruiting needs to add quality depth to the DL and DB positions.