Dave Bartoo discusses head coaching options at South Carolina
Dec. 03, 2020
College football coaching search consultant Dave Bartoo made an appearance on the Luke Mauro Midday Show to discuss the process that goes into making a new hire at a major program, while also touching on a few candidates in the South Carolina head coaching race.
Bartoo is the founder of Matrix Analytics, a company that uses data to advise athletic directors and head coaches on the risk and reward of potential hires when navigating through a coaching change. He’s been in the business for more than a decade, helping with the search process at several major college football programs around the country, including a few in the SEC.
SHANE BEAMER
We’ll start with Beamer, the presumed leader in the clubhouse. Beamer comes with risk, as he’s never been a head coach or coordinator at the collegiate level, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be successful.
The success of the hire, Bartoo says, is “100% dependent on the staff he’s bringing in.” He states that there is uncertainty with Beamer, as he’s got no past track record to pull from, but says that there shouldn’t necessarily be pause in making the hire, so long that the potential head coach can confidently identify his targets at the coordinator positions.
Bartoo compares this to the situation at Arkansas just a year ago, where the Razorbacks took a chance on Sam Pittman, a lifelong assistant that had no previous head coaching experience. Pittman made homerun hires at both the offensive and defensive coordinator positions, and is reaping the immediate benefits.
The key for Gamecock administration is being able to envision what a staff under Beamer would look like, having him lay out his top three options at both OC and DC in the interview process. If Ray Tanner and Co. like what they see, then the hire may not be as risky as some think.
BILLY NAPIER
Napier, Bartoo says, “checks all the boxes.” The Louisiana head coach seems to be the safest bet of the bunch, as he’s proven that he can both win and recruit at a high level. Bartoo draws on data from the last two seasons, where the Ragin’ Cajuns have ranked in the top 25 nationally in both offensive and defensive scoring efficiency.
Louisiana has also experienced its best recruiting since Napier’s taking the job, finishing first in the Sun Belt Conference each of the last two years. They’ve won 26 games since the start of the 2018 season, and are currently ranked inside the top 20.
Another point in the case to hire Napier is his ability to both hire and replace assistants when poached from his program. Napier hired Rob Sale as offensive coordinator upon his arrival to Louisiana, which has obviously worked out great. His unit currently ranks second in the Sun Belt in scoring.
He also hired defensive coordinator Ron Roberts in 2018. Roberts has now moved on to the role of defensive coordinator at Baylor, but the Ragin’ Cajuns have seen no drop off under his replacement, Patrick Toney, whom Napier promoted earlier this year.
Napier’s ability to “coach, hire, replace, and recruit” could offer the Gamecocks the complete package.
Dec. 03, 2020
College football coaching search consultant Dave Bartoo made an appearance on the Luke Mauro Midday Show to discuss the process that goes into making a new hire at a major program, while also touching on a few candidates in the South Carolina head coaching race.
Bartoo is the founder of Matrix Analytics, a company that uses data to advise athletic directors and head coaches on the risk and reward of potential hires when navigating through a coaching change. He’s been in the business for more than a decade, helping with the search process at several major college football programs around the country, including a few in the SEC.
SHANE BEAMER
We’ll start with Beamer, the presumed leader in the clubhouse. Beamer comes with risk, as he’s never been a head coach or coordinator at the collegiate level, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be successful.
The success of the hire, Bartoo says, is “100% dependent on the staff he’s bringing in.” He states that there is uncertainty with Beamer, as he’s got no past track record to pull from, but says that there shouldn’t necessarily be pause in making the hire, so long that the potential head coach can confidently identify his targets at the coordinator positions.
Bartoo compares this to the situation at Arkansas just a year ago, where the Razorbacks took a chance on Sam Pittman, a lifelong assistant that had no previous head coaching experience. Pittman made homerun hires at both the offensive and defensive coordinator positions, and is reaping the immediate benefits.
The key for Gamecock administration is being able to envision what a staff under Beamer would look like, having him lay out his top three options at both OC and DC in the interview process. If Ray Tanner and Co. like what they see, then the hire may not be as risky as some think.
BILLY NAPIER
Napier, Bartoo says, “checks all the boxes.” The Louisiana head coach seems to be the safest bet of the bunch, as he’s proven that he can both win and recruit at a high level. Bartoo draws on data from the last two seasons, where the Ragin’ Cajuns have ranked in the top 25 nationally in both offensive and defensive scoring efficiency.
Louisiana has also experienced its best recruiting since Napier’s taking the job, finishing first in the Sun Belt Conference each of the last two years. They’ve won 26 games since the start of the 2018 season, and are currently ranked inside the top 20.
Another point in the case to hire Napier is his ability to both hire and replace assistants when poached from his program. Napier hired Rob Sale as offensive coordinator upon his arrival to Louisiana, which has obviously worked out great. His unit currently ranks second in the Sun Belt in scoring.
He also hired defensive coordinator Ron Roberts in 2018. Roberts has now moved on to the role of defensive coordinator at Baylor, but the Ragin’ Cajuns have seen no drop off under his replacement, Patrick Toney, whom Napier promoted earlier this year.
Napier’s ability to “coach, hire, replace, and recruit” could offer the Gamecocks the complete package.
