Football Robb Smith set to return as Co-DC / Play Caller
- Thread starter Richie O
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Eh I don’t know. It seems like something was going on for sure, but perhaps not exactly what your describing. Seems like Elko may have had broader plans in mind with an eye on completely screwing Duke and looking ahead to that A&M job after their poor season in 2022. He snags A&Ms DC who he worked with before at A&M knowing full well that if he produced another good season he’d be the frontrunner. Something tells me the push out had very little to do with Smith performing poorly. How could it? The D went from 127th ranked to 31st ranked.
That’s not what I’m saying at all. Sounds like he was forced out from Duke. Don’t know the reason but sounds like Elko wanted Santucci bad and with one year removed from A&M had more cover.
The issue is that Smith has not moved any further than analyst in 2 years and here we are hiring him as DC 2 months into a search. I don’t hate Smith. I hate that like the guys that run this site say on their podcast. That we keep getting fooled that a true search actually happens and that it is anything but retread after retread.
By giving Sparber the Co-DC title it allows us to give him more money.
No one. The only limit on coaches is the number you can have recruiting. As going on the recruiting trail was not Smith's strong point, this is a win-win.
Past 2 years at PSU?
That's going to ruffle some feathers around here.
If Rutgers fans shouldnt even prefer PSU to win a championship (over non-Big Ten team) then hiring someone who willingly went to PSU after what happened is much worse.
rutgers.forums.rivals.com
That's going to ruffle some feathers around here.
If Rutgers fans shouldnt even prefer PSU to win a championship (over non-Big Ten team) then hiring someone who willingly went to PSU after what happened is much worse.
Rank the remaining 8 teams wrt your personal preference for winning the NC
1) Oregon; I have no beef with the Ducks. They have never won a title, and it would be nice for the Big Ten to win two in a row. 2) Boise St; One of the best of the mid majors for years. It would be nice to see them have their "Hoosiers" moment. 3) ASU; a former PAC also ran. Even if they...
rutgers.forums.rivals.com
You’re selling me on this. I guess I was looking for a fresh perspective with this hire. But if Smith and GS can mentor and bring along a young coaching talent, I’m all for it.
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sounds like this,sounds like that---if you really don't know shyt about the hire, speculate all you want, what's disturbing is that the speculation generally is always a negative.. We have inbred trolls when it comes to RU.
Goes against what was said on the podcast. The coaching staff was at max capacity prior to Smiths hiring and that there would need to be attrition.
I just listened to the podcast. I don’t remember Smith being that bad when he was here in 2021. He started right after Covid. From ground zero. Maybe he didn’t do enough to warrant a raise per a new contract and he had an opportunity to go work for Elko. So he leaves. The podcast conveniently fails to mention the success Duke had while he was there. The team was better in 2022 than 2023. Maybe Elko is entirely responsible for the success and not Smith but if anything his performance would’ve been a neutral nothing at worst - not “bad”. The team went from 3-9 to 9-4. There’s nothing bad that could be said about that.
Greg is good at coaching D. He likes to be involved and isn’t one who can easily take a back seat when it comes to areas he is knowledgable. He’s not the kind of head coach a flashy hire everyone had in mind is a good fit with. Hafley could well have been plan A.
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It seems like the guys on the podcast just had a vision for something else and are disappointed. It’s a major exaggeration to say that there was lots of noise calling for Smith to be fired here in 2021. The D started off pretty well that season until the OL was depleted to a point where we couldn’t compete at all. It was 3 and outs over and over again leaving the D out there all the time after that Michigan game. The podcast guys point to averages but outside of a handful of bad games the D was pretty good that season all things considered. I don’t know that he necessarily deserved a raise and a new contract at the time, but I also don’t think his performance was awful. Gleeson deserved to be canned when he was far more than Smith not being renewed.
Yea again I have no issue with the hire. Kind of what I expected. Don’t understand why it took 2 months to get a retread and slap the retread with a co title. I wish him well. We know what to expect at least.
Sorry that response regarding podcast was meant for spanky. Podcast said the staff was at max capacity and that there would need to be attrition or retitling to analyst by someone.
I agree with whay PSAL said: "Reading between the lines - we probably wanted Sparber as the linebackers coach. Sparber and Smith have the relationship from Duke and this arrangement was constructed. It allows Greg to roll the dice with an up and comer while retaining steady stability at the same time in bringing Rob back. I’m not why anyone should be upset."
I also think despite the firing Greg and Robb are friends and loyal to one another.
This gives Sparber a mentor as he learns the DC position at P-4 level and Smith can benefit from a good season this year when programs start hiring DCs for the 2026 season.
Seeing Smith spent the last 2 years as an analyst , he might not have been in demand as a DC and now
he might get back in the DC hunt if the RU D looks good in 2025
I also think despite the firing Greg and Robb are friends and loyal to one another.
This gives Sparber a mentor as he learns the DC position at P-4 level and Smith can benefit from a good season this year when programs start hiring DCs for the 2026 season.
Seeing Smith spent the last 2 years as an analyst , he might not have been in demand as a DC and now
he might get back in the DC hunt if the RU D looks good in 2025
The numbers of coaches is unlimited now (previously 10 then 11).
You can still only have 11 coaches "recruiting off campus".
So they may have to swap in and out who is "off campus recruiting" at any given moment.
But the number of coaches is fine.
I'll start a separate thread but we now have:
defensive HC
6 defensive coaches (Co-DC, Co-DC/LB,DE, DL, CB, S)
only 5 offensive coaches (OC/QB, RB, OL, TE, WR).
Yea that’s what I thought regarding staff. That’s what the podcast guys must have meant regarding max capacity. Off. Campus recruiting.
Seems to me we did a thorough search, but Greg didn’t find the flashy coordinator he was looking for that fit our system. Or if he did, that guy wasn’t interested or took another offer. The bottom line is he wasn’t looking to reinvent the wheel on D. We had some bad luck with injuries last season but overall he’s happy with the direction our D is headed and he’s confident in his own ability to pitch in on that side. He knows he doesn’t need a home run. A single will do. So he’s not going to risk striking out on a trendy up and comer who he might clash with personality wise or bring in someone whose style doesn’t match the guys he’s recruited.
Agreed. Onward and upward! Yea. I come from a slow to hire fast to fire managing mantra. I guesss Greg takes that mantra to the extreme. Hahahab
I think is the best the staff has looked in some time.
Yes he had made it over the LOS but because of the late release he went over the LOS standing erect and defenders had assembled en masse and crunched him up. OL, RB, FB - you want to cross the LOS in lower position to take sure hits. Running high because your QB was propping you up was asking for trouble
Isn’t this string about our defense and the next coach? Why the discussion about an injury to an offensive player?
Exactly. That’s why I don’t get all the noise about this on the podcast and some posts on here. The last thing we need right now is the defensive equivalent of Drew Mehringer. Recruiting is on a major roll and all of that happened without a DC in place. The kids are buying in to Greg and his existing position staff. We want someone whose going to jump right into that fold not someone who feels a need to do bold things early to assert himself.
He has run with high shoulders his entire career. He is a great back, but his high shoulders is his MO and something I have discussed long before his injury. He also stops leg drive and makes contact driving his shoulders up and not forward.
This has zero to do with the play.
Usually there’s a tangential relationship to the OP at least. Maybe I missed that here but this seems akin to someone jumping in to explain why Dial is their least favorite brand of hand soap in a chat started to debate the best brand of laundry detergent.
Because he had a bad take, and now is trying to justify it instead of simply saying he was wrong.
It’s actually the opposite his guys are all over the NFL and College not sure what you are looking at. It’s actually amazing the talent he has grown under his wing.
Also, the "guys don't want to work for Schiano" is a little confusing.
I'm sure it's true - I don't know any better.
I'm not talking to coaches or sources.
But then why are guys coming back to Schiano?
I would imagine the guys must likely to not want to work for Schiano are guys who already had to "endure" Schiano micromanaging them.
I had read Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were micromanagers and I'm sure there are other successful football Head Coaches that the same can be said of them.
Not saying Schiano is in the same category with Urban and Nick when we consider top coaches, but saying his coaching style doesn't made RU FB a loser.
I feel Schiano's style helps build programs from a loser to a fairly good one, but Greg's game-day coaching and setting boundaries on how the offense should play keeps the football program from being a constant top 25 team and being considered elite an impossible mission.
I also feel Greg like a lot of other HCs have a personality and coaching style that turns some assistants off and makes them look for the exit, but he also has assistants that are loyal to him because they see what he's trying to do and agree with what he's doing along with knowing Greg has the same loyalty and respect towards them and though he might be stubborn he willlisten to what they think the program needs.
That's why they are willing to return to work under him and why he's willing to offer them employment time and time again
Interesting point.
Maybe it looks worse from the outside than it really is.
The guys who have been through it know how to handle it and are willing to come back.
Hahaha. Or maybe DC Smith (I'm not trying co-DC everytime) just has Stockholm Syndrome!
I think it’s being blown massively out of whack by the guys on Podcast and those following suit to jump on the bandwagon. The suggestion that Greg not bringing Smith with him to the NFL in 2012 was some kind of red flag is ridiculous. The HC and DC jobs were great opportunities for Flood and Smith respectively. Better than what Greg could’ve given those 2 guys at that point in their careers at the next level. Smith had a great year as DC in 2012 and then Schiano brought him to Tampa to be LB coach.
In 2020 when brought back to Rutgers, he took over the 98th ranked defense and improved it to 84th during COVID. The following year it improved to 56th. I’m not saying that was great or anything but it wasn’t eye popping awful. He had an opportunity to work for Elko at Duke, and Schiano was okay with moving on - he wasn’t renewed. It wasn’t exactly a “firing” as being described.
Right now - the D doesn’t need to revamp its vision. It needs someone to pick up where it left off and build on it. Hopefully not deal with the same level of injuries next year. I understand not being excited about the hire, but at the same time it makes sense for where we are right now. Greg brought in someone he trusts to run the D the way he wants. He’s good at D. No problem here. Why spend money for the sake of money for a bigger brand name?
some people said that about him in GS 1.0 he was young , fiesty, determined to make RU succeed and was supper motivated and passionate. not all coaches felt that way , for some it was a gig nothing more.
Before the NCAA Settlement and revenue share, RU couldn't pay athletes directly. Unlike the cheaters, the major commitment from the University could only find an outlet in things like coach salaries. RU spent where they could. Now that RU can pay the players directly, and is basically obligated to spend $20 mil just to keep up, coach salaries are more likely to be competing directly with players in the total salary pool. So the Smith hiring might be indicative of the fact that RU doesn't have as much for coaching, or rather isn't compelled to just spend on coaches vs. players.
My guess is it was a blend of factors. Greg might’ve had a few flashy names in mind of guys he thought could be a good fit. Those guys may have been out of our price range or simply were not interested in the role. I highly doubt a wide net was cast though. Greg likes to be involved with the defense. He should be involved with it. That’s his thing. He should, and has, step away from decision making around the offense. I think he lets Kirk do his thing for the most part. They have a prior relationship, and he likes that Kirk shares his risk averse philosophy of prioritizing ball protection. Beyond that I think he mostly lets Kirk do his thing despite what guys like Shelby say. There’s no reason for him not to be involved with the D. I would’ve preferred Hafley for the recruiting but I’m otherwise fine with this hire.
Three names that Schiano wanted were Anthony Campanile Tem Lukabu & Chris Hewitt, all took NFL jobs
