Sunseri The Next DC?
Apparently we are "closing in" on him according to this link. He was mentioned in the excellent article by MattDNole.
8 months ago
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Sunseri vs Smart
How much confidence is there in Sunseri relative to Smart?
I think thru and thru posted this
Sunseri = great coach, good recruiter
Smart = good coach, great recruiter
I’m gonna be happy with either. I really do not want Foster or any of the other names out there. If we get stuck with Hudson I will be especially disappointed.
by tdchrisdavis on Dec 7, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
And it is safe to say we already have some pretty recruiters on board
I am starting to warm up to the idea of Sunseri a lot more
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
I am too...
Assuming thru & thru’s assessment is correct, I think Sunseri would be the ideal candidate. We don’t need a great recruiter (we have one in Coley and we will have one in Gran). What we really need is a great coach who can take the available talent and produce the best results on the field. Something that I think Sunseri or Smart could do.. Only difference is that Smart would probably take off after a year or two for a HC position, whereas I would imagine Sunseri would stick around a little longer (hopefully).
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be thrilled with Smart. I’d be equally thrilled with Sunseri. Can’t wait to find out if we land one of them!
Well, you could argue...
that Sunseri is a more proven coach and has less time to work with in attaining a HC position somewhere. So, Sunseri may only be here a couple of years as well.
Correction:
He’s a great POSITION coach. He can certainly teach techniques.
But is he he master strategist and change agent that we need to revamp and lead an SEC-level D?
His 24 years as an assistant suggest to me he’s not.
But what do I know.
Work is blocking the content of the article...
Can anyone give me a quick synopsis of what the article is saying?
Florida State is zeroing in on Alabama associate head coach and linebackers coach Sal Sunseri as a leading candidate for the defensive coordinator vacancy on new coach Jimbo Fisher’s Seminoles staff.
Sunseri is expected to interview as a possible successor to retiring Seminoles defensive chief Mickey Andrews, and a deal could be announced as early as this week, multiple sources have told the Press-Register.
Andrews plans to coach Florida State’s defense through the Gator Bowl. That means if Sunseri is offered and accepts the FSU job, he would likely be in a position to stay on with the Crimson Tide’s staff through the BCS national title game against Texas.
Sunseri was set to make $325,000 in his first year on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, with the total set to increase to $340,000 next season. He coached the outside linebackers and edge rushers, filling the on-field role vacated by Lance Thompson. Sunseri has never been a coordinator at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
Fisher and Saban are friends going back to Fisher’s tenure as Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU. The Seminoles had initial interest in current Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.
while he's not been a DC at the FBS level
his bio says he has been a DC at a couple of lower level schools.
I think if you add in his other time under Saban and six years coaching in the pros, he should be ready for this kind of move.
by Wild@Heart Nole on Dec 7, 2009 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
Company is owned by "offshore" clients
So therefore a lot of stuff gets blocked. Anything containing fantasy, video games, God, etc… It’s a real blast.
Sunseri would be a terrible hire IMO
and we will be looking for a new HC in 4 years if that is the direction Jimbo decides to go.
Disagree
He coaches the OLB and edge rushers for Bama, has coached D line in the NFL and coaches on Saban’s staff which all points to him being able to teach fundamentals and being able to shore up the weaknesses we saw on defense this year. With the kind of talent we can bring in year in and out he should be able to field good units every year.
by osceolafan850 on Dec 7, 2009 12:54 PM EST up reply actions
After i watched the SECCG i wasnted anyone on Bama's D Staff.
It was so amazing to see players tackle…
I'm not really a fan
What has he done to prove that hes FSU DC caliber? Also if we want Smart then why take Sunseri. I’d rather get someone from another program altogether than take second fiddle.
great point Polk
We dont need a FSU DC caliber guy we need someone that can coach. We dont need a great recruiter we have them. We need someone that can teach X’s & O’s right now. MA was on of the best DC ever and look at us now. FSU offense will score we need someone to help them out so we can out score other teams and get us to about 60th in Def. we will win game that way. If they can get us to about 25 we can start to look at the NC again.
Why is the sky blue? Because, God Loves the Infantry
We haven't been a top 15 team in years.
If we end up in the top 15 next year, I will be very excited about our future.
What does our national ranking have to do with the quality of coach we need to hire?
We are a top 15 type program.
I'm not really a fan either
I’d rather have a DC who’s done a lot with a little (Jeff Casteel?) than a guy who benefited from being around Julius Peppers and Nick Saban (and has never been a d-1 DC himself).
This “going for a splash” technique of hiring coaches is silly (See Notre Dame’s failures).
So is the “Saban imprimatur” tactic. How are the Belichik disciples doing lately (Weis, Mangini, Josh McDaniels)?
I just can’t get that excited about a guy who’s only been a position coach.
I love your sample size
We are not asking this person to come in and run a football program (i.e. Weis, Mangini, McDaniels)
How is Sunseri any more flashier than Casteel?
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
Well,
I don’t have a strong opinion one way or another, but I don’t think the concern is without reason.
you do understand that
Smart if looking for HC job soon. YOu would have him at best 2 years.
"The goal is to be a champion," Saban said. "I didn’t say to win a championship. I just said be a champion. That’s our goal here. That’s what we want to do."- Nick Saban
Yep and that is fine by me
Although personally I don’t know if Smart could turn this defense around* in less than 2 years.
- - By turn around I mean back to a top 25-30 defense
it took Saban/ Smart only 2 years.
"The goal is to be a champion," Saban said. "I didn’t say to win a championship. I just said be a champion. That’s our goal here. That’s what we want to do."- Nick Saban
good point...
"The goal is to be a champion," Saban said. "I didn’t say to win a championship. I just said be a champion. That’s our goal here. That’s what we want to do."- Nick Saban
If Smart comes in for 2 years then we get another DC the players will have to learn a new
system. Im not a fan of that. Smart would still be a great get if we could but I would rather someone who will stay at least 4-5 years maybe longer. The days of BB and MA are over and DC and OC moving up to HC are the hot thing. Money talks.
Why is the sky blue? Because, God Loves the Infantry
I would say
Saban’s guys have done very well so far. Keep in mind, we are not hiring him for head coach, but DC. Pelini has done very well at Nebraska, Muschamp has done well at TX, etc. 7 years in Carolina should help Sunseri, if that’s who it is, with scheming defenses also. I hope you learn to trust Jimbo in the years to come.
i agree on this
just not sure one year as an outside LB coach translates into being a Sabanite d-coord. i’m also just very conservative when it comes to prioritizing track record and results when analyzing a resume.
but i do trust jimbo and will support whoever he picks.
also
i like how sunseri walked on at pitt, then became an all-america selection. shows he didn’t get by on talent, but had to learn to be great.
I would not be surprised if Greg Hudson's name is back in the mix sometime soon.
>-----:----:------>Spear 'em then Scalp 'em
Until someone publicly
comes out and says they’re not in the running, I’m going to assume everyone is still in the mix. Too many “insiders” and “sources” have been hearing all different things.
Yeah one of those quirky coaching scoop sites....
are saying that Sunseri contract negotiations have hit a snag and Jimbo has contacted Greg Hudson.
Sunseri has never been anything more...
than a position coach wherever he’s been. Unless you count his short stint as the DC at Alabama A&M. While I won’t dispute he’s a great position coach, fact is, there’s alot of great position coaches out there. Jimbo needs to land a proven commodity (ie Stoops – Zona DC, Carl Pelini, Muschamp, Smart). By all accounts, Sunseri is not a very good recruiter as well. He had help from other guys on Bama’s staff landing guys like Keenan Allen.
FSU has to make a statement with this hire. I don’t think guys like Joyner, C Jones, Elam and Luc for the matter will be impressed we hired a LB Coach from Bama. My .02
We will get him elite prospects thanks to Coley and Gran
Once they are here they need to learn how to PLAY football and we need someone who excels at that like Sunseri.
As osceloa said in the thread below, beggers can’t always be choosers and we are not in a position to go out and get whoever we want.
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
Indeed
Getting a proven DC from a D-1 school over to FSU would take nothing short of a miracle. Which means we’ll have to take a chance on someone—and Sunseri isn’t a very big risk in my opinion.
Couldn't you make that same argument about Steele before he went to Alabama?
He was HC at Baylor but never DC until he went to bama.
Similar to Muschamp too
He was only a DC at Auburn for 1 year before Texas grabbed him and made him the highest paid assistant ever.
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
Isn't it safe to assume that Sal is a better recruiter than the D coaches we have now?
Why are people making it out as if he has some off the wall personality that doesn’t allow him to recruit. At the very least he has NFL pedigree to sell.
Need to be very careful here
Some people are starting to sound like ND fans or UGA fans with some of this talk. We haven’t been a power house team in almost 10 years. There is next to zero reason for any successful DC at a successful program to jump ship and come to FSU. Outside of a personal relationship with Jimbo or if we had an alum who was a great DC somewhere why would someone leave a top 15-25 team to come here if you look at it objectively. Top flight coaches are not going to come running just because FSU has a job opening.
by osceolafan850 on Dec 7, 2009 2:44 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
I just want to know why we haven't called Rex Ryan with the Jets.
I mean, that guy knows defense. And he has NFL coaching experience. We can really sell that: “Hey, we got Coach Ryan to leave his job in NY as the head coach of the freaking NEW YORK JETS to come down to Tallahassee to coach him some defense!” That’s the kind of coach Fisher should be after.
/Delusional Fan
Why?
So that we can go 6-6 and talk like we’re 12-0?
Making fun of delusional fan.
Loves me some Rex Ryan hate.
Now if Sanchise can just blow his own knee out, the annual Jets schadenfreude will be in full swing.
Agreed we won;t get a top DC.
But I think at this point I’d rather have an up-and-coming bright young mind similar to Jimbo/Smart,someone who’s ready to take the next step—-than someone who’s as old as I am and for all that time never made it past the position coach stage in D-1 ball. Too much of a risk with that track record to assume he’s a diamond in the rough.
I'm not sure there is alot of risk with Sunseri...
though maybe the upside is more limited than a younger coach.
His stint in the NFL was lengthy and would have sidetracked his plans for DC at the college level, assuming that’s what he is after.
I’d prefer to have some solid NFL experience on the coaching staff.
The balance of the defensive staff will be the key. I wonder who Jimbo is looking at for the other coaching vacancies:
HC: JF
OC: Coley
OL: Tricket
RB: Gran
WR: Dawsey
TE: ??
DC: ??
DL: Haggins
LB: ??
DB: ??
ST: Gran?
WOW, don't know how I did that
Yes Gran as RB, then where does Craig fit in?
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
Special teams for one...
but not quite sure other than that. I think Jimbo still takes the QB’s, Coley the TE’s, so I don’t see where Craig fits in. Do we have a coach just for ST that doesn’t coach another position?
I don't see why not
UF doesn’t have a STC in title but then USC has a STC as his only title
I guess I don’t know enough about Craig to even make an educated guess
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
age
It always seemed to me that guys who become OCs and DCs at a young age are the head coaches of the future. Guys who get the positions later in their careers tend to be career assistants. Not that anything is wrong with that because there are a lot of coaches on the college and pro levels who make great OCs and DCs but horrible head coaches.
I think Sal can be a good DC for us because he should be big on fundamentals coming from Bama and the NFL. Even if he parrots Bama’s playbook and isn’t as innovative as Saban it would still be a massive upgrade for us because it would be a modern defense.
by osceolafan850 on Dec 7, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
Nailed it Osceola
Make it green
"I got a PBS mind in an MTV world"...Jimmy Buffett
by The Ryno and I Know on Dec 7, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions
F-stick!
I thought I hit reply first. D’oh
"I got a PBS mind in an MTV world"...Jimmy Buffett
by The Ryno and I Know on Dec 7, 2009 4:53 PM EST reply actions
I Wonder if Romeo Crennel's is truly a canidate or is intrested
That’s another guy who runs a 3-4 defense.
weird, think it's age?
seems like a good fit if money’s not an issue with him. A Bellicheck desiple with sucess as a cordinator (SB w/NE) and he even manage 1 good season as a HC with the Browns.
He has been a great D-Line Coach and at Bama he coached the Rushing Backers.
Would probably be the same way if he came to FSU, coach our DE’s and outside (rush) linebackers. It’s been mentioned in another thread somewhere about how D-Line coaching involves a lot of fundamentals but not much scheming, and that D-line coaches a lot of times don’t make great DCs. I am sure during his time in the Pro’s and College he has picked up a lot of what they did defensively in those organizations but I have to say I would be happier with someone who has proven themselves as a full time DC over Sunseri. With that being said I have no reason to doubt whoever Jimbo picks as he has done everything right up to this point. I will trust him to make the right hire for our team and hope that whoever it is can help us get back to relevance as soon as possible.
Sunseri isn't a done deal!
They’re still trying to finalize a contract, so until then, other candidates are still in play.
Kirby was Jimbo's first choice...
but they couldn’t reach an agreement so Jimbo turned to Sunseri.
What are the odds...
…that we could land both Smart and Sunseri? This was brought up on the Jeff Cameron show today.
Some people seemed like Smart was a done deal
I thought people on the boards were saying put it in the bank lol
I am sure Sunseri will have to present a portfolio if you will, some designed schemes, etc to show Fisher during the interview, then break them down for him. That is why they have interviews. If he is not good at coming up with actual schemes or plays Fisher should be able to figure it out and weed him out. Compared to what they ran in the NFL though college scheming should not be too complex for him. Sounds like he would definitely have them executing better up front and execution is what is hurting more than schemes right now.
This was already brought up
But it seems like The Hammer, Jimbo, and Gran are all stellar recruiters. We know this. We’re seeing it in play right now.
Smart is young, and energetic, but not proven. People say he’s a great recruiter, but who the hell can be a BAD recruiter for a team like Alabama and a coach like Nick Saban?
Sunseri has that NFL experience that kids will look at. “You wanna get to the league? I was there. This is what you have to do. Come play for us, and I’ll show you.”
I know Smart is good and seems like everyone’s top choice, but the widsom of Gran/Sunseri could be a great compliment to Jimbo/The Hammer.
I’m 100% OK with Sal, if that’s what Coach Fisher believes will help FSU. He hasn’t made many bad decisions as of late, and we as fans should trust his judgement. After all, it’s not like he can hire his son or anything….
PS. If you do not know who “The Hammer” is, consult the fanposts. It’ll do you some good.
How reliable is footballcoachscoop?
They are reporting:
Florida State:
Sources tell us that Head Coach Jimbo Fisher has talked to East Carolina Defensive Coordinator Greg Hudson as a contract for Sunseri might not be
finalized to Sunseri’s liking.
They rip stuff off of every site out there
and then claim FIRST TO REPORT THE BREAKING NEWS
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
So is the Sunseri contract issue not a problem?
I hope not…
I would much rather have Sunseri then Hudson….
I think it is all speculation at this point
Remember Jimbo had contract issues as well
It's a beautiful day in Tallahassee
Some insight on Sunseri
Thought this would be a good read about the coach….comes from when he was hired by bama
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/125153373751740.xml&coll=2
The article isn't showing up?
Anyways I think that the article I’ve been waiting to link if Sunseri indeed becomes the new DC. It will definitely give you some perspective on Sunseri and what he might bring to FSU.
Wheather it’s Sunseri, Hudson or whoever, I think will have pretty good idea sometime on Tuesday.
full link
Aricle on Sal Sunseri that DJ was trying to link
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." Vince Lombardi
Thanks Rishi
I need to work on my link posting skills!
Smart vs. Sun
Besides his time as DC at Alabama Smart only had one season as a DC at VSU, Sunseri has had two Stints as a DC at Alabama A& and Illinoi St. Smart was not made DC until 2008, in which Sun was still with the panthers. Bama had no pass rush until this past year when Sun got to bama and helped implement some concepts and schemes from the pros. in short I will go out on a limb and say that the addition of Sun by Saban was to help the Bama D evolve to the next level(and boy did it take a step, this years Bama D made Bamas 08 D look a hot mess). When looking at this, reading some articles and talking to a few of my dads former high school players who play at bama now, I think there are some on here who grossly underestimate the brain on Sun and the ability he has to develope a D and prepair for an opposing offense. I can understand why JF would go for him.
by DJ82585 on Dec 8, 2009 1:36 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I was curious, Sunseri is listed Asst. Head Coach at Bama...
Something neither of the coordinators are, though there is an Associate Head coach on the Offense. I was just wondering if Saban held him in high regards, enough to give him that title or if like FSU where everyone seems to be an asst/associate/executive coach it means nothing really.
Also, do asst head coaches actually do anything in addition to their normal duties or are those titles normally just merit based/political based things?
See, that whole mess about the titles at FSU
was not really unique. Other schools do that also.
varies from school to school
If you look at the dreaded Gators and Charlie Strong, he is their Asst head coach and Meyer pretty much have given him Free Range on the D allowing him to make head coach like decisions(besidse when it comes to disciplinging players). At most other schools the Asst. Head Coach plays a vital roll in player personel decisions on their side of the ball and are considered the SME on what is going on when the head coach needs details on whats going on. Unfort at FSU it was not the case, they just threw the title around like yellow starburs(seems to be the only flavor in the pack).
Varies from school to school
If you look at the dreaded Gators and Charlie Strong, he is their Asst head coach and Meyer pretty much have given him Free Range on the D allowing him to make head coach like decisions(besidse when it comes to disciplinging players). At most other schools the Asst. Head Coach plays a vital roll in player personel decisions on their side of the ball and are considered the SME on what is going on when the head coach needs details on whats going on. Unfort at FSU it was not the case, they just threw the title around like yellow starburs(seems to be the only flavor in the pack).
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