OFFENSIVE STAFF
Eric Kiesau - Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach
- Very good recruiter. Jury's still out as OC and QC. Team seemed to improve from game 1 to game 2, but still only scored 3 first half points against Toledo. Cody doesn't look any better so far.
Darian Hagan - Running Backs and Returners Coach
- Very good recruiter. Mixed bag with the position coaching and personnel groups. Returners have been inconsistent. Good job with his guys avoiding turnovers.
Dan Hawkins - Wide Receivers Coach
- Excellent recruiter. Wide Receivers seem to be playing pretty well. Very questionable that the best players are playing. Lots of dropped passes but hard to tell whether that's talent or coaching.
Denver Johnson - Offensive Line Coach
- Jury's still out on recruiting. Run blocking and pass blocking both looked better in game 2. Disappointing performances in both games, though.
Kent Riddle - Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach
- Above average recruiter. Special teams have been awful until this year. His history as a ST coach was good, though, and we seem to be better this year with the improved team depth. He might be ok here. Tight ends have been dropping passes and getting penalized when blocking. Veteran group so this shouldn't be happening. Fail so far as a TE coach.
DEFENSIVE STAFF
Ron Collins - Defensive Coordinator
- Zero recruiting. Has had some good performances as a DC (notably TTU, OU and Miami-OH). But overall the defenses have been rated among the worst in D-1 football and there have been performances (notably MU games, first 2 games this year) that scream "Fail".
Greg Brown - Defensive Backs Coach
- Average recruiter. He's pulled in some guys but he's hit or miss on recruiting (a couple DBs look like wasted scholarships). As a DB coach, he's earned accolades in the NFL and developed some players at CU from very raw recruits into stars. Seems to be a better CB coach than safety coach. Last year's secondary far outperformed expectations, but this year's has been a liability when it should have been a strength.
Brian Cabral - Inside Linebackers Coach
- Very good recruiter. He'll always ensure we get a long look from Polynesian prospects. Widely regarded as one of the top 5 LB position coaches working in college football. This year, however, our ILBs have given us very little pass rush when blitzing, have often been a liability in coverage, and simply aren't making a lot of tackles. How much of that is a defensive line that gets no pressure on pass plays and gets pushed back on running plays, I don't know. He's got the bona fides, so I give Cabral the benefit of the doubt and point the blame elsewhere.
Bob Foster - Outside Linebackers Coach
- Zero recruiting. His resume says that he knows how to coach linebackers and coordinate a defense. It's hard to see where he's helped with either. Collins looks like an even worse coordinator this year and the OLBs (Beatty & Rippy) looked better in the spring and seem to have regressed under him. Fail.
Romeo Bandison - Defensive Line Coach
- Ineffective recruiting. He has been responsible for a grand total of 0 defensive line commitments in 4 years. As a position coach, it's hard to say that Hypolite, Nicholas or Lucas improved under his tutelage. Backups didn't get game experience last year and this year we are inexperienced, lacking depth, and completely overmatched. D-linemen seem to catch blocks and don't show a wide variety of moves. Lack of stunting/twists/etc., but not sure whether that's on Bandison's coaching or Collins' coordination. Fail.