While he lacks head coaching experience, I think this would be a good plan B. He is a dynamic recruiter, NJ roots and has taken the Ohio St. defense to new heights. With a strong group of assistant coaches, I would be optimistic going this route.
Per NJ.com, Hafley emerging as top candidate.
- Thread starter Drod629
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@bac2therac I like GS much more than you do. Come back down to earth. It's not a coincidence that the moment Hafley stepped on campus our recruiting picked up in 2011 and then in 2012 we land our first consensus top 25 recruiting class. Watch the video I posted. He has charisma pouring out of him.
He recruits EVERYONE when he visits. Even the kids who aren't D1. He's extremely likable and has been a lights out recruiter at every stop.
That's what we need here. A guy who can recruit, who knows NJ and knows RU. He checks off those 3 boxes.
But to be fair, the people who are characterizing Jeff Hafley as "Chris Ash 2.0" are out of their minds. Genuinely.
He was also recruiting lights out at Pitt. He landed their highest rated class. Rutgers nabbing him during the Wannstadt firing was a huge coup.
Let Greg bring Hafley on staff
Rutgers leadership is bumbling and clueless
They failed yet again
They are afraid of success
Rutgers leadership is bumbling and clueless
They failed yet again
They are afraid of success
I agree, a stipulation would be he has to start right away. They have a co-coordinator to take over.
with good assistants, maybe it could work. AND start as soon as season ends, not a month after.
He could end up being a PJ fleck type...or another Ash. Not saying i'm all in with Hafley, but he was a successful recruiter at RU and he was killing RU in recruiting at Pitt. Shows he doesn't need the OSU logo to actually recruit.
He could end up being a PJ fleck type...or another Ash. Not saying i'm all in with Hafley, but he was a successful recruiter at RU and he was killing RU in recruiting at Pitt. Shows he doesn't need the OSU logo to actually recruit.
The university will not do what it takes to win. No matter who they hire that is the main problem.
You don't just hand guys P5/Big Ten head coaching jobs for being a rising asst who can recruit. You make them earn it at a lower level college first. LIKE PJ FLECK DID. They better not make this move. Hafley has zero to do with any success OSU is having. Which are all Urban Meyer players by the way!
Many of you are falling for the okie doke again with this just like you did when Ash's name was leaked!
Many of you are falling for the okie doke again with this just like you did when Ash's name was leaked!
Other than the fact that they have experience as an OSU DC there is a huge difference between the two. Hafley as experience in the NFL, experience with NJ, and the "it" factor for recruiting. Ash had the personailty of a boiled potato. If no GS I'd rather roll the dice and go for Hafley with Jones a close second.
anyone acting like hafley is a loser ,is not credible or just has sour grapes--he would be a good choice and as with schiano there's no guarantees with anyone but he'd get players here--man some of you schiano guys, and I'M ONE OF THEM, need to think about what's good for RU after the fact --your loyalties are now in the wrong place
Nope. That’s why Schianos recruiting there means little. But Hafley is crushing it. Just like he did at Pitt and at Rutgers. He has a real track record to point to.
The man can recruit. That is not up for debate.
Somebody please compare and contrast Schiano and Hafley and let me know why Hafley is the better candidate.
Guys. no offense to hafley. great guy. we thank him again for what he did for us in 2012. but he is not the guy. if you have 32 mil for schiano, GO GET A PROVEN GUY. how hard is this? We finally are getting close to a full share of tv revenue. Butch Jones WANTED the job. Narduzzi in the past expressed interest in the job. Butch davis is at FIU making 1 mil a year and 23-14 with them in his three years there. proven coaches are out there; some that have expressed interest. u wanna rebound from the schiano nonsense (which i didnt want Greg back, and this is coming from a raiders fan who loved getting Gruden back but Gruden vs. Schiano is night and day - one won a super bowl, the other is greg schiano), you go spend that money on a proven commodity, not a top coordinator somewhere else. think small, be small. maryland did it with locksley, hows that working out for them? why can't we just get this right one fu&^^$#ing time!!!
If Hafley came on right away with one of his coordinators having HC experience I would sign on for this as the Plan B. I agree he is no Ash but the lack of being the top guy in charge of a program is a concern and always will be. If he has an associate HC type coordinator who has HC experience, specifically a program builder type guy then I would be curiously optimistic. But again this is a Plan B by a MIIIIIILEEEEE!
Since Schiano is no longer a candidate, it is necessary to compare them?
Schiano turned it down. Hafley is gettable. And he is fresh and new with far less baggage.
That’s the number 1 thing Rutgers needs right now. A recruiter. If he can get a good staff in place and pull in a few good classes, this can turn out to be a great hire.
Just going by the names in that NJ.com piece, Hafley would be far and away the most formidable choice. Bielema is a clown who got by at Wisconsin by having 350-pound road graders across his offensive line who grew up in that state wanting to play there, paving the way for good running backs. It was a cultural thing he thought he could take to Arkansas. Once he didn't have that anymore, he was done.
Campanile doesn't seem ready for a thing like this, but Hafley would be a strong hire. I would figure he'd have other head-coaching options, but if you can get him, you should. Yes, hiring a coordinator always comes with some risk, but he's been at Rutgers before, is from Bergen County, and has a record of recruitment that is top-shelf. If he can actually coach, his ceiling is higher than Schiano's. If he can't, you're still breaking about even.
Campanile doesn't seem ready for a thing like this, but Hafley would be a strong hire. I would figure he'd have other head-coaching options, but if you can get him, you should. Yes, hiring a coordinator always comes with some risk, but he's been at Rutgers before, is from Bergen County, and has a record of recruitment that is top-shelf. If he can actually coach, his ceiling is higher than Schiano's. If he can't, you're still breaking about even.
hafley would bust his ass to succeed here --even schiano loves and respects the guy --if schiano was AD he'd hire him
I'm a big advocate for offense as the path of least resistance to make some noise for a school our status. I'm with you but I've always thought coaches like Stoops and Patterson are the ideal....then you feel better that the defense won't go to hell hopefully. Get a strong offense and at least mediocre defense and I think you have a chance.
Also despite our troubles at OC....I think strong offensive coaches are more ubiquitous than strong defensive ones....hopefully he has enough connections to fill that spot more adequately than the last guy. Kevin Wilson anyone? Not sure who else he might know...but also maybe some suggestions from Day/Kelly.
For the places he’s been, if he’s smart he interviews, shoes interest and declines. Doesn’t sound like RU is willing to commit like other schools, so the “great recruiter “ thing is tougher to do with no facilities to support a kids decision
i'll support whoever is hired, but i'd like to see the budgets on this hire. This is a dice roll hire- sure his ceiling might be higher, but his floor could also collapse into the abyss. Depending on the contracts this could be a bigger mistake. I guess we'll see.
I have limited info here, but I can't share it. I can, however, give an opinion. Jeff just got to OSU. It's obviously one of the top programs in the country, and he's happy there. He just moved his family out there, and he's making really good money for a guy who's barely 40. Personally, I think it would take a lot to get him to leave his current situation. That's not inside info. That's just my perception.
I’m fine with Hafely if Rutgers is going to go cheap. Would have preferred a p5 coach but that won’t be possible at this point except for maybe Butch Jones. Just give him a large staff salary pool
Because no "proven guy" is coming here. It was Greg, more re-treads or an up and coming coordinator. Why is that hard to understand?
The people who say he will just be Ash 2.0 must have never seen Rutgers before when it was good. Schiano wasn't a great recruiter until Hafley came on board and suddenly Rutgers blow up and ended with a top 25 class after a couple of years, just because of him. He is also a great talker and a high energy guy with extremely strong NJ ties and is a lot lot like PJ Fleck 2.0 than Ash 2.0.
Reading twitter, most people think is a way too good for Rutgers and he would never take this job. They see him as the next great HC.
Reading twitter, most people think is a way too good for Rutgers and he would never take this job. They see him as the next great HC.
There is a difference between being a good recruiter as an assistant and running a P5 program. Much different responsibilities.
He is unproven. There will be slot of question marks. and he came in at the very end of Greg. He didn’t build anything.
I honestly see Hafley be Schiano 2.0 (and that's a good thing).
This is ridiculous. 2-3 million over 1 million. Hah!
We're talking saying no to millions.
Dabo didn't have it and neither did Fitzgerald and they've done okay....it doesn't mean Hafley would do well but I could see him be like a Dabo/Frankllin/Fleck type.....staff will matter but like I said he's liked very much by his colleagues so I could see some being attracted to working with him. If he could get a Kevin Wilson to join I think that would be great...if not him I'd hope somebody similar.
He would be a very good get for RU. IMO, the competition for Halfey is way stiffer than for Schiano. He'll have other options, and waiting a year will just increase his value more.
