Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker addressed the media today regarding the ongoing coaching search to replace former head football coach Neal Brown.
Below are his comments.
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--It was a difficult couple of days and a difficult decision. Coach Neal Brown is a tremendous colleague and in many ways everything you'd want from a leader. Tremendous job with the infrastructure and developing with 5th Quarter and the Chambers. The class integrity he showed over a couple hard days, he handled it classy. He has talked to him several times since the decision and on behalf of everybody here they are appreciative.
--Wren wanted to thank Chad Scott. He has an infectious enthusiasm and the players will rally around him. The staff has been tremendous.--Baker met with coach Brown on Sunday and determined how they would move forward. Yesterday, Baker met with the team and staff and called some of the recruits. Everybody here has done a great job moving them forward.
--After today, Baker will send all calls to voicemail. They will narrow a wide net down and get it down to a handful over the next few days. He won't establish a timeline. There are a lot of things that will affect the timeline.
--Baker said that from a profile standpoint they will be pretty open. They won't be limited to just coordinators or head coaches. They want a proven leader and somebody that understands roster construction. From a revenue sharing perspective they do expect to be at or near the full allotment. Understanding how to use a salary cap is important. They want a leader and not just a coach. Academic and life enrichment is still important. They want somebody with integrity and it's a non-negotiable.
--Baker said several analytic programs that will tell you efficiency in all three phases. You want to look at where head coach candidates' teams are now and if they've lost coordinators have they been able to replace them with equally talented people. For Baker, data and analytics are very important. It's a way to make sure you're not getting into making decisions off emotion.
--Baker made the decision Saturday night into Sunday to fire Neal. He wanted to make sure he looked at all data points. You're evaluating everything but considering all data points. When he had some time to evaluate it and where they were at he decided to put them in the best position moving forward.
--The impact of every game played a role in this decision. Each data point and how they fit together matters to move the program forward in the best position possible. The path to success it to compete in your league.
--Baker said that he does value head coaching experience. Baker knows the transition to being a head coach because he has been one. What's different in football is when you've had somebody that's been a coordinator they are the head coach on that side of the ball and it's important to dig in on what side they are involved in and how their vision. Head coaching experience if there is a tie it's important but he doesn't view it exactly the same as basketball.
--Baker said that it didn't come up to coach the bowl game with Brown but once you're at the end it's more emotionally draining to do that then not to do that. He asked his opinion on interim leadership and he felt that Chad Scott would be great. He is focused on the football side. Mike Joseph is handling the non-football stuff on who is there for weights and academically.
--Baker said once he starts narrowing things down he will talk to a lot of people because it's a big decision and it's important for the health of the university financially. He will not leave a stone unturned. Baker will make a lot of phone calls during this process by the time he is done.
--Baker said that it's fascinating with the timeline with the signing day on Wednesday and the portal opens Dec. 9. There is a bowl game that they are hoping they can play in an earlier bowl game because the kids are excited to play in it. That's all a factor and you have to realize that you can't control those factors and have to put them in the best position to make a decision. Baker expected that all of the jobs that have opened outside maybe UCF have opened. Baker has a job to make sure all of the puzzle pieces are on the table for who they hire. The candidates are not one of one and he is very comfortable that he has a good process. He can't guarantee they'll all be a success, but he feels really good about the process.
--Baker said that they will treat people with class and won't be throwing anybody out. There are different contracts with lengths on those. He asked the current staff to do what's right by the kids and he will do right by then. They've all been honest about that. Baker believes that they will have a good signing day and that took a bunch of people assuring this program is in a right place. Baker said that as long as the assistants are employed by West Virginia to do the best job they can and to keep them updated on any opportunities that come their way. When a new coach is identified if they want to keep those people, that's great.
--Baker said that it's an attractive job because of the fans. Everybody made a big deal about the attendance at the last game, but go back and look at that game historically. But other than that one week, when they open the gates people are coming and there aren't many programs in the country that can say that. People know the passion of the fans and people know that. When you look at the Big 12, everybody knows that it's open. Being a geographic outlier has some travel disadvantages, but it also has one advantages with recruiting. People know it's a history-rich program and the Big 12 is wide open and the fan support is great and it means a lot to people. There are challenges to the job, but most coaches understand that every job has it's challenges. There's enough here to be highly successful.
--Baker said he always used be quick but don't hurry with the hiring process and the threat of the transfer portal. The quicker they can get this search done, the better position they put the new staff in but you can't misfire because you rushed. They're going to take the time it takes. The men's basketball coaching hire was less complex than this one. You want to retain some talent, they have some great players and great human beings. But look at basketball, they assembled a roster and only have one player from last year. He won't feel rushed to do it.
--Baker said there is a reason that legendary coaches are hanging it up because it's different with how much it's changed. He said it does complicate the search and you can't just get somebody that knows schematics in football anymore. You have to understand capology and understand how to staff talent evaluators and economic people that will help you realize you need to spend on certain players and position groups. It complicates it, but it exists for everybody at every school.
--Baker said that he loves the fans and has felt endeared to the people here. His family loves it here, but fans are not necessarily rational, reasonable people when it comes to coaching decisons. That's what makes sports unbelievable. You can work an 8-5 Monday-Friday job and then come and act a fool at games and tell the refs how bad they are. Baker wants the fans to be happy after every game, but you can't run an athletic department after fan sentiment after every game. He does a good job of blocking that stuff out. When times are good he tries not to overreact. You have to let fans be fans and stay away from the emotion of it.
--Baker said that every time they felt there was a chance to get some momentum, they couldn't get there. They didn't play well against Penn State in the opener. That Pitt loss certainly hurt and when you have some opportunities to get back at home they weren't able to seize those. You had chances to get back to momentum and race for the conference title and they couldn't. Put everything else aside, staying in that race people want to know Baker will never do anything with coaching changes during the season unless there is something illegal. You will never see him do that.
--Baker said there is a lot of things that go into it. He knows the data of everything they have with head coach pay ranks, assistant pay ranks, budgets, etc. He has it for every sport and where they are in every sport. If you look at where they're at they're in the 10, 11 or 12 range in most of those categories, but the expectation is to be in the top third of the league. That becomes really tough and something they are making sure they do in terms of revenue sharing is to be in the top third. It's by far the most important part to be consistently competitive and maintain rosters.
--Baker said they have the lowest number of premium seats in the Big 12. They will roll out some renovation plans and very seriously trying to fix that. In the interim will be the revenue sharing piece and it will be the focus to allow them to compete.
--Baker said that the interview is a little different for the FCS coaches and they would have to go into detail with their plans. It doesn't mean it disqualifies the candidates, but they have to have a very detailed and specific plan if they haven't had to address things that they would have to address in this job.
--Baker said his job is to find the best candidate for the job. If the best candidate has West Virginia ties great. If they aren't the best candidate that's still the wrong decision. What's really important is you hire somebody who has a desire and a heart to come in and really embrace West Virginia because it really is important here. Both bye weekends in football, he traveled the state and it's important that he gets everywhere. It's important for people to understand this is the state's pro team and it means a lot to the state. You're going to have one of the most prominent positions in the state and you have to embrace that everybody wants you to know where they live and how important it is to them.
--For some people, they can handle the pressure on gamedays, but can't handle the pressure of being the most recognizable person in the state.
--Baker said they are working with their general counsel and outside counsel to make sure they are doing things as they divide the revenue share that they are doing it for non-discriminatory reasons and comply with Title 9. The settlement is based off the last financials which they are submitting now so there is some unknown. He has been giving the coaches, particularly football and basketball, what they can expect. He is conservative.
--Baker is using a search firm. He does a list every year whether he needs it or not to be prepared for it when it comes to coaches. The search firm is very good at getting background information and will dig up things. Two, they always are working a step ahead of you. Search firms are involved in a lot of searches and you get leveraged less in those situations than if you're dealing with an individual coach. Parker Search is the company.
--Baker said that it's all relative to who you're targeting and you have to be competitive. When you talk to agents on what you have to pay, they'll show you all the salaries in the league and incentive packages. Baker believes they've done a good job of hiring people and being fair. If you don't guarantee certain money for hires sometimes you won't get candidates because others will. If you bring somebody in that has a lot of success, it puts you so far behind. There is a little bit of trust, trying to do the right thing and what the market is dictating when working on buyouts.
--Brown's contract is going out over four fiscal years. You spread that out and there's some methodology to that. Cash today is worth more than cash four years from now. The extension last year for Brown was very fair to all parties involved.
--There's not sure thing in college athletics. Look at Florida State, this year and last year. There are no guarantees and you have to make the best decision you can with the best information you can. You take all the data you can, survey the landscape and make the best decision you can.
--Baker won't talk individual candidates when asked about Rich Rodriguez and Jimbo Fisher. They will cast a wide net and follow their process and hire the best individual for the job. People have to understand, Baker, Gordon Gee and the board are ultimately accountable for this.
--Over Baker's 20 years of doing this what inspires fans is wins. He isn't worried about winning a press conference or a press release, he wants somebody that will win. Baker said he'd rather be winning and having people excited. There is a direct correlation in the Big 12 with the strength of schedule and where the teams are. He has that information for a fact. Rather than saving he wants somebody on defense, offense or charisma, he wants somebody who can sit with the search committee and convince them to build a program that can win and sustain winning.
--Baker said you always want to make sure you're talking to people who are knowledgeable and who have a lot of love for the program. There comes a point you have to shut that down because if you're taking those calls it leaks and then it causes issues with candidates. They're reaching out to a lot of people to tell them the plan and process. It would be foolish not to talk to Don Nehlen who had a lot of success here. Baker had a conversation with Pat McAfee and they've developed a relationship and he appreciates how much he loves his school and university.
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