As everyone knows by now, the IU running backs coach Gerald Brown has left the team and is heading to become an assistant coach in the NFL for the Falcons. Congratulations to Coach Brown, as we wish him the best for his future. The Hoosier nation will be watching.
What this does is leave an open position for Coach Lynch to fill, and fill it he has. Last Thursday (2/14/08) Dennis Springer was named as the new running backs coach. Springer played two years for Lynch at Butler, was a graduate assistant for 2 years, then an assistant at Ball State for 8 years.
In his 8 years as a full time assistant at Ball State, Coach Springer was the wide receivers coach for 4 years, linebackers for 2 years, and his final 2 years at Ball State he was the DB coach. Notice that he was NOT a running backs coach.
After leaving Ball State, Coach Springer got a position as a Running Backs coach for the Bowling Green State University Falcons. He started his campaign as RB coach in the 2003 season. At the end of the season BGSU had averaged 196.4 yards per game on 4.7 yards per carry to gain 2750 yards and score 29 TD’s. Looks very impressive huh? It would be until you look at 2 years later, his 3rd season as RB coach where they averaged 143.7 yards per game off of 3.8 yards per carry on their way to 1581 rushing yards and only 19 TD’s. His next and last season he was the Safeties coach for BGSU.
This last season he spent as the DB coach for Western Kentucky University, a team who gave up 184.6 passing yards per game last year.
So let me recap, we have a former player and assistant who is a friend of Coach Lynch who has 13 years of coaching experience, only 3 years experience at the position he has been named.
While Coach Springer is well respective by his peers, and has been slated as a very solid recruiter, I personally am not sold on him in this position. I mean if you’re looking for an assistant, there is a better qualified assistant on the Western Kentucky staff in Kevin Wright, the Hilltoppers’ Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks’ coach.
For those of you who are not familiar with Indiana High School football or with Coach Wright, I will give you a short background of why he would have been a better pick. Kevin Wright is the son of Indiana High School Football legend Larry “Bud” Wright, the 9 time (and past 3 straight) Class 1A State Champion coach of the Sheridan Blackhawks.
Kevin Wright made a name for himself when he took Warren Central (Indianapolis) from whipping boy to State Champions. They won 3 straight under Coach Wright, and their 4th straight the season after Coach Wright moved on. His predecessor who was the coach for the 4th state title has since been fired just 2 years removed from Kevin Wright.
Coach Wright and his ties to football in the state of Indiana and especially the factory that is Warren Central would have made him an extremely valuable member of the staff.
However, Coach Springer is now our man, we need to rally behind him, and hope he does the best job for our running backs, and hopefully makes the push to make Thigpen a slot receiver and concentrate on Payton and Willis as the two feature backs.
Go Hoosiers!
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