Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to Tennessee a "done deal," according to sources
by Kevan Lee on Feb 2, 2010 2:16 PM PST
in Boise State football
66 comments
Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox appears on his way to Tennessee to serve as the Volunteers new defensive coordinator under new head coach Derek Dooley. Multiple sources confirm that Wilcox's move is a "done deal" and that an official announcement is expected in the coming days.
After the jump, read more on this breaking story, including the frontrunner to replace Wilcox at Boise State and the decision's effect on Signing Day. And share your thoughts in the comments about what this move might mean to the Broncos going forward.
Thanks to MKingery and Drofdarb for being on top of things with the FanShots.
The details of Wilcox's move to Tennessee
J Bates of KBCI Channel 2 paints the clearest picture of Wilcox's impending departure.
The fourth-year assistant coach is expected to leave the Broncos in the coming days for the University of Tennessee to become their defensive coordinator.
Multiple sources within the Boise State athletic department say it's "a done deal."KBOI 2Sports has learned Wilcox heard last night from Tennessee, and made the announcement to the team Tuesday morning.
Wilcox has referred any questions to Boise State's Sports Information department, which refuses to confirm anything. VolunteerTV in Tennessee was one of the first media outlets on the story, and they have yet to get a complete confirmation either.
Opportunity knocks for Bronco defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski
Eventually, once the tears and Blizzard benders wear off, Bronco fans will need to turn their attention to who's going to fill the void at defensive coordinator. J Bates has the scoop on that as well:
It is expected that defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski will be named the new defensive coordinator at Boise State.
via image.cdnl3.xosnetwork.com
Kwiatkowski seems like an excellent choice to replace Wilcox. He is a member of the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame for his football exploits during his playing career.
A standout on Boise State's defensive line from 1984-1987, Kwiatkowski earned four first-team All-America awards in 1987 and honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press in 1986. He was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year in 1987, received first-team All-Big Sky honors in 1986 and 1987, and honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 1985.
From a coaching standpoint, Kwiatkowski is a well-rounded, experienced defensive orchestrator. He served as defensive coordinator during a six-year run with the Montana State Bobcats, and he has coached Boise State's secondary, linebackers, and defensive line during his tenure with the Broncos (1988-1996 and 2006-present).
As with any coaching change, there will be some questions. Here are the most notable ones if Kwiatkowski does indeed replace Wilcox:
- Will the Broncos change their base defense?
- How well will Kwiatkowski gameplan against teams like Virginia Tech and Oregon State?
Is being defensive coordinator at Tennessee really that much more than a lateral move?
I understand that Tennessee plays football in the SEC and that their stadium seats 100,000 and that five-star athletes tend to play there. But what about all this talk about college football parity and equality and the removal of the glass ceiling between BCS and non-BCS schools? I guess Tennessee is still Tennessee no matter how bad things have been there for the past several seasons.
I would be curious to know Wilcox's thought process because there are certainly a few reasons to leave for oranger pastures. However, at the same time, I think that there are some pretty valuable reasons in staying put.
Derek Dooley = homewrecker
Bronco fans, you are free to despise this man for the rest of his coaching career.
Dooley, the new head coach at Tennessee, made a pretty remarkable hire in sweet-talking Justin Wilcox out of Boise. I am happy for Wilcox and the opportunity for him to showcase his defensive expertise at the SEC level. I am burning Dooley in effigy tonight for breaking up what was the greatest coaching staff in college football. Anyone want to come over and watch?
Wave good-bye to Jeremy Ioane?
Wilcox was instrumental in wooing Hawaii high school DB Jeremy Ioane who will make his college decision tomorrow. With Wilcox gone, is Ioane gone, too?
Tennessee fans are skeptical, but can you blame them?
A great source for Tennessee feedback on this story will be SB Nation's Tennessee site, Rocky Top Talk. The conversation has already started in a FanShot. And by "conversation," I mean "creeping self-doubt."
I would be surprised by this. wouldn’t be my first choice.
Kind of a wait-and-see prospect for me. He is a young up and commer though, and he seems to be able to coach against the spread which would help against the gators.
For the most part, I believe that Tennessee fans will be pleased with this hire once all the dust settles. And once they beat Florida next year behind a Wilcox defense.
Did Wilcox just say yes to the Tennessee head coaching job in three years?
Here's something new to chew on: Is Justin Wilcox a better coach right now than Derek Dooley is?
Dooley did not have the on-field performance to warrant a big-time coaching position at Tennessee, which does not necessarily mean he will fail at his new job. However, I think he will fail. And when/if he does, the Volunteers would have an ideal head coaching candidate right under their noses with Wilcox. And with that, let the coaching rumor mill begin for 2013.
Safe to say that very few of us saw this coming
A good resource for this Wilcox situation is the post that I wrote three weeks ago about the possibility of Boise State losing one of its top coordinators. The comments section was full of denial that either Wilcox or Bryan Harsin would be out the door. We all decided that Wilcox would be the toughest to replace if one of them were to leave. Oh, we were so naive back then.
A lot can change in three weeks, huh?
Your turn
What is your take on the Wilcox situation? Do you feel confident with Kwiatkowski taking over? How might this impact the Broncos' chances in 2010? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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/sigh....
well. if it is true, good for him. he definitely deserves the accolades. here’s to hoping it’s not.
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Is it possible for me to hate Lane Kiffin any more than I already do?
I’d say a hefty YES.
bad words…
I have attended every home Boise State football game since 1992.
I'm going to stop coming around here...
if this is the type of news I will read. How about some of the following headlines instead?
“Wilcox rescues puppy from burning building, denies Tennessee rumors”
“Wilcox’s new tattoo: ‘Bronco 4 Life’”
“State of Idaho approves closure of University of Idaho, will channel funds to Bronco Football”
you get the idea.
i'd buy into that way of thinking.
especially that last one.
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Holy bad timing Batman!
What could be the possible benefit of leaving a top 10 school that is predicted to compete for a National Championship to head for a rebuilding middle of the pack, pressure soaked SEC squad. He had everything going for him. Of course I wish him well, I just don’t understand why we would leave now. Why not wait a year?
Won’t he fill sheepish when Pete and the boys are hoisting the crystal football.
My guess is...
a 200% – 400% pay raise. Monte Kiffin was making $1.2 million as the Vols DC. I doubt Wilcox starts that high, but Tennessee has shown it is willing to spend $$$ on assistants.
especially since he doesn't really have a lot of personal ties to boise
it makes it easier for him to move. i definitely don’t blame him, just sucks. oh well. hopefully whomever replaces him keeps it going.
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Assistant Contracts..
Im sure Wilcox will get a raise from his salary here, but part of the reason Tennessee hired Dooley is because he was willing to retain several assistance that Tenn still owed money to. I’d be shocked if its even close to $600,000-750,000 range. Not to sound like an ass, but this makes me want a NC even more this year.. just to throw it in Wilcox’s face.
by Drofdarb23 on Feb 2, 2010 3:42 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
WHY!!!!!!!!!
What does Tennessee have to offer except a couple more dollars. He’s not even getting a head coaching job. This is stupid if it is true. Why did he stay and help build this program for the last four years and then leave when were they almost to the top. He could have left after the 2006 season. Why was I not surprised when I read this though?
I am the BSU Guru. I know everything and anything about BSU, just ask me. Although I may need a minute…and an internet connection.
well this sucks!
i was really looking forward to keeping our coaching staff in tact as we made a (possible) run toward a NC this year. ugh… this is no bueno.
i have no doubt that Kwiatkowski will do a great job, because Coach Pete wouldn’t have chosen him if he was a bad coach…. but still… i’m seriously bummed out.
Thank you, Nick Adenhart. You will always be remembered. #34
dang
This makes me hate UT more than I already do…. I need to get out of Knoxville… Why do they have to take away from Boise? I think Wilcox should have atleast stayed another year. Boise is close to doing more amazing things, then this happens. But I will say, didn’t we all say this when Hawkins letf? “We are so close! now he leaves?”.. Look how far we’ve come since then….
that is a great point
i suppose we shall see come next year.
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
THANKS DOOLEY
Argh. This is a bummer. I can’t wait to hear the explanation from Coach Wilcox. But in the meantime nofriendzz hit it on the head. Hawkins was a god in Boise, we were all crushed when he bailed, and the next season all the Broncos did was win a BCS game.
I think the defense would be just fine in the hands of Coach K.
Perspective
We need to take the same perspective we take when losing a recruit to another school. We’ll be ok. Let’s look at head coaches; Allen,Nutt, Koetter, hawk, Pete. I thought our conditioning coach unde rhawk walcked on water-then we got Socha. We now have 2 coach Pete’s and this one is as Bronco as they get.OBNUG let’s face it; if Pete stays we’ll lose Harsin at some point.
tvmunson
it just sucks that
the timing is right before signing day. not sure if this will have any impact on what the recruits think. didn’t a qb from arizona change his commit once he heard an assistant bailed?
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Booo!
I agree with the sentiment of others on here.. Except for the $$ and the SEC conference affiliation – isnt this a lateral move at best? Tenn is a couple years away from even being a top-25 regular..
Should be interesting to see how Tennessee fares vs Oregon on 9/11/10 (had a pretty good game plan for the Ducks this year – will be interesting his results w/ Tenn compared to last years result here) to sand Florida on 9/18/10.
And here’s a big EFF-U to Dooley for stealing our DC! Couldn’t beat us on the field so he had to steal our coach.. (truthfully – I cant blame him. Dooley has first hand experience playing against a Wilcox coached D…)
I guess I’m just frustrated.. Will be interesting to see how Coach Kwiatkowski does..
Anybody a TINY bit more nervous for Labor Day now since we’ll be breaking a new DC in??
by Drofdarb23 on Feb 2, 2010 3:49 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Coach K
Reading through his Bio on the Bronco sports page revealed that he has DC experience at Montana 02 and 03 when he helped them reach the 1-AA playoffs. It’s a little more comforting that Coach K has some previous experience as a DC.
Jeremy Ioane
If Wilcox was the main recruiter of Ioane, I bet we do lose him. Hopefully some of the other coaches were proactive and have talked to him about the situation/transition. I’ll be surprised if Ioane commits tomorrow but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
I think Yates was the guy who went to the islands to woo Ioane...
Doesn’t matter anyway, his mind was made up before this decision
i don't have my hopes on ioane
he’s got an offer from ND. how can he refuse? though bsu could beat them right now, apparently kelly is going to work wonders over there. i dunno.
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
You might be surprised..
For the most part recruits are 17-18 years old. Rarely are things “set in stone” for some of these kids. Recruits flip their decisions all the time (even at the last minute) when a coordinator or the position coach that recruited them leaves. TCU just got a verbal commitment from a QB that was previously committed to Arizona. The QB said he decommitted because Sonny Dykes (OC) left for the La Tech HC job. That’s not to say that Ioane is that “type” of recruit, but you never know..
by Drofdarb23 on Feb 2, 2010 7:04 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
It is ok Broncos!
The last time we broke in a big time coaching spot we shocked the world, coach K(that has NC all over it) will be ready to step up, and we can all be happy after the Oregon State game(after we beat VT of course)
Kirby Moore for Heisman
If it's true?
I am surprised this broke before NSD. We at Tennessee know how it feels to have your props pulled out from under you at the worst possible time. We were all expecting to find out after NSD. For what it’s worth, I hope this rumor doesn’t hurt your recruiting class. I have to believe that Bronco football has grown to be more than about 1 coach and I think you will each keep and every commit you have on the books. Btw after reading all of the posts on here you are all a class act. God Bless!
with all due respect to tennessee
but dooley is a jerk!! course, your administration got jobbed by kiffin. man. i hate THAT guy even more now. grumble…
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
I think I will be going to the UT coaches dinner.
I’ll give him a hearty hello from Bronco Nation.
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
by Mikrino on Feb 2, 2010 4:38 PM PST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Haha
When is the Coaches dinner? Sounds like a great idea to me. Surely he will be surprised to see somebody from Bronco Nation!
by Drofdarb23 on Feb 2, 2010 7:12 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'm not exactly sure.
But I do know I have a spot if I would like to go. It’s mostly business politics, which I typically shy away from. Whattya think, should I go?
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
There is NO way...
he’s expecting to see a Bronco fan in Knoxville tomorrow morning at breakfast.. That alone might make the event worth it.
well, found out that its tomorrow after signing day. A breakfast, not a dinner.
Shows you how interested I was.
Apparently they’ll introduce the new coaches and announce this year’s recruiting class. I’ll let you know…
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
Ugh...grief.
Well in the past 3 hours i’ve gone thru the 5 stages of grief. Sucks to accept this, but besides the timing (really the day before NSD!?), it’s the probably the best for him and he deserves it.
Dooley's revenge
Seeing how he could never beat us on the field, this must have been his way of getting back at us.
Someday I hope to look in a mirror and see something special... something like a coach pete protoge'.
So.
I get on here to browse a few topics before immersing myself into a statics cram session. Then I find this!?!
BOOOOO. I’m THIS close to buying the domain www.burndooleyburn.com You all want to supply the graphics?
"Everyone counted us out. I don't know why they keep doing that." -- Kyle Wilson
Lateral Move...
…as far as the programs go, but not as far as the money. I’ve heard in the neighborhood of $600K which would almost triple his current salary.
It makes me sick inside to lose him. The only thing that would’ve been worse is losing Pete, but if another company in my industry offered me triple my current salary, I would jump ship regardless if that company was worse than my current one. So even though I’m not happy about it, I understand.
That being said, I BAD WORDS HATE DOOLEY! I really think the whole “Wilcox positioning himself for the head coach position in 3 years” idea is very possible. Dooley is an underachiever and Vol fans aren’t known for their patience. BAD WORDS YOU DOOLEY!
by MooreWalksOnWater on Feb 2, 2010 6:39 PM PST reply actions
this blows!
Very bad timing by Wilcox. Stay one more year, help lead the team to a berth in the NC game, and he would have had DC and HC opportunities coming out the butt! He also doesn’t seem the personality type for the crazy-ass, win at all costs SEC. Hell, the UT fans started a flippin’ riot when Kiffin left town! Don’t go, Justin!
Ugh
the timing is bad, particularly re: Ioane, and losing Wilcox sucks.
But, overall, good for Wilcox. This is better than a lateral move, at least for him. At least as far as coaching jobs go, he has a decent chance at getting a good 1-A head coaching job if he is successful at Tennessee. Unfortunately, very few 1-A schools will hire a BSU coordinator for their head coaching job – at least for now.
Agreed, BAD WORDS
However, it’s part of the business. Not something this team can’t overcome. Wilcox is a great scheme/strategy coach, but not sure if he couldn’t have done better in some of our games, such as Davis, LaTech, and Fresno (three identical 60+ yarders for 6 by the same guy.) Just sayin. He’s great, but his departure won’t kill us. Good guy and he deserves it, but maybe his heart already left after this years Fiesta Bowl. Good luck to him, unless we ever meet him on the field in the future.
We need to hold a vigil for Wilcox.
Someone get his address and we’ll meet on his doorstep at 5am tomorrow.
"Everyone counted us out. I don't know why they keep doing that." -- Kyle Wilson
Yes.
This means i’ll drive 4 hours to meet you there, missing my exam at 8am. “Instructor cough-cough I feel sick and won’t make it” while chats of “BOISE” “STATE” ring off in the background.
"Everyone counted us out. I don't know why they keep doing that." -- Kyle Wilson
Could he at least pressure UT to schedule a game with us before he leaves? A farewell present?
Maybe he’d rather not coach against a Boise State team. Can’t blame him for that.
Dooley...
Looks like he finally beat us at something.
Old enough to know better, too young to care.
by BustersBFF on Feb 2, 2010 9:19 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
If this holds up and it looks like it will be "official" soon enough...
…there is a small silver lining. Tennessee plays Oregon early in the season next year, and I look forward to Wilcox bottling up Masoli and company once again.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
by MKingery on Feb 2, 2010 9:23 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Don't know what to say, guys.
I’m at Tennessee for school (hence the bloggery for Rocky Top Talk that I do), but I always have a soft spot for the Rocky Mountain schools. If it consoles a small bit, UT is overall excited about this out of sheer respect for what Boise has done. And I do think that will continue, to be honest. Petersen is a smart guy and will find a worthy replacement. He’s one of the few coaches that I have that much confidence in.
definitely sad
but wilcox definitely put in his dues (kinda—getting his shot at 29 and only being 33). i sure hope he takes you guys through the SEC and have the 2nd best defense in the nation. ;)
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Good for Wilcox :)
Bad for Boise State :(
We want to build a university our football team can be proud of. -- Dr. George Lynn Cross
How to avoid stagnation?
I learned to attract top talent in business that there needs to be movement of staff. With Wilcox being gone all the people below him have more opportunity.
Have you ever heard the only way to move up in this company is for someone to die?
I think this will pump up the remaining staff even more. They now know what could be in their future.
Stagnation kills organizational growth.
Go UT,
Interesting perspective
I guess CFB is as much a business as anything else. I’ll have to mull this one over once I’m done wallowing in self-misery.
"Islanders fan, huh? Team of the future, I'd say." - Roger Johnson
Seconded
Dr. William Block: You gotta lose the arm, Joe.
Joe: Lose the arm? What do you mean, lose the arm? My arm?
Agreed.
But also, one of the things we (My company and our personnel) key on is that you must grow the people who work for you. Any business (and football is most-assuredly one of them) can only grow as fast as its people. And while attracting top talent and keeping the train moving is a key element, establishing and growing leaders is also a top priority. A little thing we emphasize is; “If you want to move forward, finding and training your replacement will be paramount.”
You see it all the time in sports. Bill Walsh was a great coach, but an even better teacher and leader. Look around football and see how many great coaches were created under his tutelage. I think Wilcox’s ability to mover forward is directly indicative of the program installed underneath him, of which, Coach Pete and staff and Bleymaier are responsible for.
While it pains us all to see him leave, it’s a compliment to Boise State’s football program. I think the Broncos will simpy keep on rolling.
Boise State - The best in all the land (The "land" being Idaho, and large parts of California, Oregon, and Nevada.)
It isn't ideal but...
I’m not really too worried about us having a drop off on the D side of the ball.
BSU don't need smoke and mirrors to get the job done, they got orange pants.
I'M LOST ON THIS ONE
My first though is goodbye NC game for BSU.
My second thought is…
is…
is… it about the money? It has gotta be about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for JW. I will be very interested to see what he is getting paid. I would guess around $750K. Is that to high?
Why Justin WHY! You had the National Championship in your sights. Didn’t you turn down a job at Alabama just 2 years ago? You could have written your ticket anywhere next season.
Puzzling indeed.
I will miss you. You ruled.
Come on PK. Be the genius I knew in school!
Sigh.
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