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Monday, March 24, 2008
Five ACC assistants who will make a difference
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spring practice is where new coaches begin to have their impact on a program. Here are my top five new assistant coaches in the ACC who will have the greatest impact this spring:
1. Dave Wommack, defensive coordinator, Georgia Tech: It’s going to be strange not having Jon Tenuta up in the box driving opposing quarterbacks (and offensive coordinators) crazy. But Wommack is a 27-year veteran who knows what a good defense is supposed to look like. In the late 90s his defenses at Southern Mississippi were very good and put the Eagles in position to beat-or scare-a bunch of SEC teams. His 2000 defense at USM was No. 2 in the nation in total defense. He was let go at Arkansas in a staff shakeup by Houston Nutt in 2004. Steve Spurrier did not renew his contract at South Carolina in 2007. Now Wommack is a coordinator again with something to prove.
2. Bill Young, defensive coordinator, Miami: Miami’s defense finished seventh in the ACC and gave up 5.1 yards PER PLAY last season. Young was at Kansas in 2007 where the Jayhawks were No. 4 nationally in scoring defense (16.4 ppg). He has a reputation for getting the most out of his talent and turning average players into good players and good players into great players.
3. James Franklin, offensive coordinator, Maryland: Franklin earned a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country when he was at Maryland from 2000-2004. But then he left and did a stint with the Green Bay Packers and then went to Kansas State, where he tutored a big time quarterback in Josh Freeman. Head coach Ralph Friedgen brought Franklin back and named him offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. This guy is sharp and will be a head coach sooner rather than later.
4. Entire Duke staff: After years of struggling, Duke has finally decided that it wants to get back in the football business. They have not only invested in head coach David Cutcliffe, they have stepped up and paid the money necessary to hire a very good staff. When Cutcliffe was interviewing for the job, he told Duke that he wanted $2 million for his staff, which is more than a lot of SEC schools pay now. And he got it. There are a bunch of guys on this staff who can recruit. Jim Collins worked for Steve Spurrier at Duke and then went to Florida. Matt Luke was recruiting coordinator at Tennessee. Kurt Roper also came from Tennessee. Zac Roper worked for Cutcliffe at Ole Miss and then spent some time at Cornell. As recruiting coordinator he’ll understand the academic pool in which Duke will recruit. Marion Hobby, the defensive coordinator, played at Tennessee and has NFL experience.
5. Everett Withers, defensive coordinator, North Carolina: He’s only 44 but has a very impressive resume that includes stops at Texas, the Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints. Everywhere that Withers has coached, the team has gotten better. He is a North Carolina native who played at Appalachian State and has a reputation for developing players. The Tar Heels were No. 43 nationally in scoring defense last season, giving up 24.5 points per game. Withers will make them better.
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