The college football offseason began with a number of big coaching moves across the nation and while it took some time for the dust to settle the majority of coordinator and assistant roles have been filled as coaching staffs have been completely assembled. With the hiring process in the rearview mirror we can now take a closer look at the important changes and assess how each program did when it came to putting the necessary personnel pieces together. Here is a breakdown of the new assistant hires in the Big Ten.
Mike London; Scott Shafer, Maryland Terrapins
Associate Head Coach; Defensive Coordinator
Maryland had a lot of work to do this offseason and they were fortunate that D.J. Durkin was able to convince two more of his former staff to join him in Mike London and Scott Shafer. London will serve as the associate head coach and defensive line coach while Shafer will take on the defensive coordinator title. Both know the area well from their previous stops and their ability to recruit in the area and build game plans for will be tremendous assets.
Don Brown, Michigan Wolverines
Defensive Coordinator
Initially it looked as though the Wolverines suffered a major hit when they lost Durkin but then they convinced Brown to leave Boston College and suddenly it looks as though they have upgraded at the position. Brown led one of the most dominant defenses in the country at BC a year ago and he should help Michigan reach that next level as the defensive coordinator next season.
Jay Niemann, Rutgers Scarlett Knights
Defenisve Coordinator
Chris Ash is already an excellent defensive mind so the fact that Rutgers was able to add Niemann should be a solid add to help the first-year head coach make the transition. Niemann was a big part of building the Huskies in to a legitimate power in the MAC and he should be a solid addition for the Scarlet Knights moving forward.
Tom Allen, Indiana Hoosiers
Defensive Coordinator
There was some surprise when Allen left South Florida following such a successful first season as their defensive coordinator but the opportunity to return home was there for him and the Hoosiers capitalized by playing that card to lure him in. The Indiana-native has had success turning around awful defenses at each of his previous two stops and there is every reason to expect him to do the same as an excellent hire for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers defense was deplorable last season and they need to fix it before anyone starts taking them seriously in the Big Ten.
Mike Phair, Illinois Fighting Illini
Defensive Coordinator
This move was a pretty simple one for Fighting Illini head coach Bill Cubit after Tim Banks left for Penn State as he removed the “co-“ from Phair’s previous title as co-defensive coordinator as he will now take over the full-time duties. The Illinois defense improved after Phair was added to the staff last season and the expectation is that the progress will continue with another full year with him in that role.
Brent Pry, Penn State Nittany Lions
Defensive Coordinator
Pry is the other Big Ten assistant that was promoted to the role of defensive coordinator this offseason but he will have the “co-“ added to that title with Banks arriving from Illinois as the other co-defensive coordinator. Pry was the obvious favorite to help replace Bob Shoop as the defensive coordinator and he will have Banks by his side to help coach up this year’s group including working mostly with the safeties. Both coaches have solid reputations and they should make sure the Nitany Lions don’t miss a beat on that side of the football next season.
Ross Els; Marcus Freeman, Purdue Boilermakers
Co-Defensive Coordinators
The Boilermakers didn’t waste any time announcing their changes on the defensive side of the football with Freeman promoted from within after three years with the program and Els hired after coaching high school football in 2015. Neither move looks particularly outstanding on paper so that was somewhat of a surprise for a head coach that appears to be on the hot seat heading in to next season in Darrell Hazell.
