USA Today: Ranking CFB Assistant Hires

[Mavric]

6. Nebraska defensive coordinator Bob Diaco

Diaco will bring his 3-4 expertise to Nebraska, a move that may not be as dramatic as one might expect. The Cornhuskers are built for a shift to that style, with a nice list of linebackers but little pass-rushing talent at traditional defensive end. Diaco will also bring a mean streak — and a sense of energy — largely lacking on defense during Mike Riley’s first two seasons with the Cornhuskers.

Link

 

[mnhusker]

Nice to see this much respect for the hire, can't wait to see what he will do.

 

[lo country]

Not bad. Good positive read IMO. I am sure a lot more than 10 were hired....Orlando was already with Herman, Sark was with Saban.... Not really sure about the other guys. As has been said before, outside of the elite coordinators, how many names do you really know.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

The Leavitt hire should be higher. So should the Diaco one, for that matter.

 

[Savage Husker]

That's great to see Diaco up there. Hope he can prove his worth and then some.

What do you take out of the fact that none of the former Nebraska assistants who made a move this offseason are a part of this list? Terry Joseph, Charlton Warren, Tim Beck, Brian Stewart, etc.

 

[Mavric]

Bob Diaco, defensive coordinator, Nebraska: Diaco's three-year stint as head coach at UConn was remembered more for his bizarre invention of a rivalry with Central Florida than any actual on-field success. Whether he's cut out to be a head coach remains to be seen because the UConn job is not an easy one. Still, there's very little question that he's one of the top defensive minds in the game, as he proved at both Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Diaco is more than a little off-center personality-wise, but his players usually respond to him. He could be the key for Nebraska to get back to its Blackshirt tradition of tough, physical defenses.

ESPN

 

[lo country]

Bob Diaco, defensive coordinator, Nebraska: Diaco's three-year stint as head coach at UConn was remembered more for his bizarre invention of a rivalry with Central Florida than any actual on-field success. Whether he's cut out to be a head coach remains to be seen because the UConn job is not an easy one. Still, there's very little question that he's one of the top defensive minds in the game, as he proved at both Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Diaco is more than a little off-center personality-wise, but his players usually respond to him. He could be the key for Nebraska to get back to its Blackshirt tradition of tough, physical defenses.

ESPN

Nice to see them focusing back to his time as DC. Some guys make the transition and others don't. Getting a tough physical defense will go a long way in improving our status and record.

 

[Mavric]

Wilson is an excellent choice and a shrewd hire by Meyer. But I feel like the Buckeyes were going to be good on offense regardless. That’s why I’m going to pick Nebraska’s hiring of Bob Diaco to be defensive coordinator because the Cornhuskers need someone to bring that unit up to championship standards.

Diaco knows how to build elite defenses, as he did at Notre Dame. That stint included the 2012 season in which the Fighting Irish finished second nationally in scoring defense and made the BCS title game. That’s why Nebraska made him the highest-paid assistant in school history, with a reported 2-year, $1.7 million contract. The Huskers finished just 73rd in total defense last year, numbers that don’t even fully illustrate how that side of the ball faded at the end of the season, and 64th in the FBS in 2015. The program’s primary mission will be to improve the talent; Nebraska hasn’t a first-team All-Big Ten performer on defense since Randy Gregory in 2014.

But Diaco’s quirky personality and fiery style can help maximize what’s on hand. The Cornhuskers need something to help get them over the hump in the Big Ten West, and this hire is a great step in the right direction.

ESPN

 

[Red Five]

I'm biased, but DWill has to be one of the better non-coordinator hires just for his recruiting chops

 

[NoLongerN]

Diaco knows how to build elite defenses, as he did at Notre Dame. That stint included the 2012 season in which the Fighting Irish finished second nationally in scoring defense and made the BCS title game.

ESPN

Hey, I'm on board with Diaco, however, I still don't get the credit he gets for Notre Dame.

You could take some like Matty Ice and give him these recruiting classes:

2006 - 4

2007 - 6

2008 - 1

2009 - 15

I promise you, Matty Ice is gonna put together one he'll of a defense with those kinds of recruiting classes.

For me, I will watch with anticipation what he does with #25-35 ranked recruiting classes. I will be pleased with a better defense ... but I don't expect to see ranked defenses as high as what Notre Dame had in 2010 without the 4 and 5 star stud.

Go Big Red!

 

[Mavric]

Diaco knows how to build elite defenses, as he did at Notre Dame. That stint included the 2012 season in which the Fighting Irish finished second nationally in scoring defense and made the BCS title game.

ESPN

Hey, I'm on board with Diaco, however, I still don't get the credit he gets for Notre Dame.

You could take some like Matty Ice and give him these recruiting classes:

2006 - 4

2007 - 6

2008 - 1

2009 - 15

I promise you, Matty Ice is gonna put together one he'll of a defense with those kinds of recruiting classes.

For me, I will watch with anticipation what he does with #25-35 ranked recruiting classes. I will be pleased with a better defense ... but I don't expect to see ranked defenses as high as what Notre Dame had in 2010 without the 4 and 5 star stud.

Go Big Red!

Yeah, I think anything will be better but I'm hopeful that it works out well. He's a very good hire - especially given the circumstances - and I think a 3-4 could be a very good fit.

But I don't quite get all the love for 2012. I remember everyone talking at the time about how their schedule wasn't all that tough so I'm not sure how their SOS looks so good. Perhaps it got that much of a boost by playing Alabama (and they got blown out)?

Here is their schedule, record and Total Offense rank:

Navy - 8-5 - 78

Purdue - 6-7 - 58

Michigan State - 7-6 - 97

Michigan - 8-5 - 79

Miami - 7-5 - 36

Stanford - 12-2 - 86

BYU - 8-5 - 60

Oklahoma - 10-3 - 12

Pittsburgh - 6-7 - 71

Boston College - 2-10 - 100

Wake Forest - 5-7 - 120

USC - 7-6 - 41

So they basically played two good teams: Stanford who finished #7 but had pretty poor offense, and Oklahoma who finished #15 and was really the only really good offense they played. Oklahoma was the only Top 35 offense they played and they also played the #78, 97, 79, 86, 71, 100 and 120 offenses. With all that talent, they definitely should have been able to put the clamps on most of those offenses. To some extent it was the same way our defensive stats looked better this year than they actually were.