Hutzler to South Carolina; staff shakeup coming?

After a 3-9 season many expected staff changes. But the first change finds BC losing one of its better staffers. On Tuesday, multiple reports announced that Coleman Hutzler is joining his old boss Will Muschamp in South Carolina. 

Although Hutzler was only at BC one season, his impact on Special Teams was noticeable. BC's coverage units were good and Walker proved to be a big surprise. Hutzler was also one of the younger staffers and more valuable recruiters.

The timing of the change was also predictable. The quiet period just started, so no coach can talk to recruits right now. This enables staffers to move without having to explain why they are leaving. Then when the quiet period ends, the Head Coach can recontact recruits and explain away the changes. I expect now that all the BC coaches are back in Boston, Addazio will make a few more staff tweaks.

Reading the tea leaves on the staff and other links

Wide Receivers coach Aaron Smith will not be retained by Addazio. We know that via a recruit's twitter. Blauds hints that McGovern may return but not as DC. BC has removed all links to the coaches bios from the roster page. I will wait to comment on McGovern or any other holdover once the staff is officially in place. I will stand by my belief that Addazio needs to clean house. I know Addazio has complete autonomy but there is always going to be pressure (real or implied) to keep certain guys. At BC that means Gallup, McGovern and Washington.

Crystal Ball Run was one national college football blog that killed Spaz every chance they got. They are cautiously optimistic about Addazio.

Another metric and another indicator of how bad BC's offense was under Spaz.

In case you missed it, here is the Globe's feature on Bates.

Spaz ill prepared for Rogers questions

Kevin Rogers did not leave BC last year due to health reasons. I said he was fired. Other rumored and unofficial explanations claimed he quit, had a breakdown and/or had a physical fight with Spaz. Regardless of where you think the truth lies, BC made a big mistake claiming he left due to unexplained medical issues. Covering up the truth only makes for awkward, tone deaf exchanges like this:

Boston College coach Frank Spaziani has been nothing but defensive when asked about Rogers, repeatedly insisting that Rogers' situation was nothing more than a personal health issue, and he was offended at the suggestion that there was more to it than that:

"What do you know about that situation?" Spaziani said in a recent interview. "Let me help you work through this, Heather. Why do you think we have a new offensive coordinator? What happened to the old one?"

HD: Did he get fired?

FS: Is that what you have?

HD: I have no idea.

FS: Well what were you told?

HD: That he took a leave of absence for health reasons in September, but I haven't heard anything since then.

FS: You were told he left because of health, right? Ok. So, does that explain a new offensive coordinator? I don't want to play games with you, but to me, it sounds very self-explanatory, that one.

Gene and Spaz set up the lie regarding Rogers because the truth would have raised more questions at the time. Who hired Rogers in the first place? Was he told that he would have autonomy on offense? Did he and Spaz share the same philosophy? Did Spaz do something to piss Rogers off? What did Rogers think of Spaz as a coach? What was the mood of the rest of the staff? BC wasn't comfortable answering those questions because they all lead to the obvious questions of who is really in charge and is Spaz fit to be a head coach. So instead they lied and perpetuating the lie continues to raise questions more questions than it answers.

Midseason firings happen all the time. Louisville fired their offensive coordinator midseason last year. BC fired Jim Turner during Spring Ball in 2007. The smart, secure thing to do is say there was a difference of opinions, both parties are going their separate ways and pay the assistant to keep his mouth shut. Instead Gene and Spaz took the more complicated route. If any of these guys had studied history they would know that the cover-up is often worse than the crime.

Kudos to Dinich for finally pressing Spaz on the matter. It was overdue, but with Rogers' new employment and BC's recent turnover, it is only fair to ask Spaz about the mood of his staff and Rogers recovery. The Heights asked Spaz about it the other day. He should have known more was coming and should have been less defensive in his approach. But one thing Spaz has made clear in his tenure is that he's not great in interviews when he has to go off script.

There are many reasons the BC football situation is a mess. Spaz isn't all to blame but he just happens to be in the middle of it. Although the coaching turnover wasn't his plan, I think it actually gives him and BC a fresh start. Let's hope that it is all a success and the staff has great chemistry, because that will mean no more questions about what happened to Spaz and Rogers during the UCF game.

Staff is finalized

It has been floating around the BC message boards for a few days, but BC confirmed that this will be Spaz's staff for 2012.

Doug Martin -- Offensive Coordinator and QBs coach
Jim Bollman -- Offensive Line (running game coordinator)
Ben Sirmans -- Running Backs coach
Ryan Day -- Wide Receivers coach
Sean Devine -- Tight Ends coach
Dave Brock -- Special Teams coach
Bill McGovern -- Defensive Coordinator and LBs coach
Mike Siravo -- Defensive Backs and Recruiting Coordinator
Jeff Comissiong -- Defensive Line Coach

Ben Johnson -- who served as the interim Tight Ends coach this fall -- will be moving on. Per NCAA rules, he cannot move back to his Graduate Assistant spot.

On paper, I think this is the best staff of Spaz's four seasons. We will see if the results on the field change. The best moving of the pieces might be what Gene and Spaz did with Brock and Devine. Both are valuable recruiters, yet had questionable results as OC and OL coaches. Now we keep them on staff, yet have a tactical and teaching upgrade at those key positions.

What's interesting is that despite all the rumored grumbling, that most of the guys stayed. BC certainly has its drawbacks, but the grass is not always greener.

Breaking down Spaz's new hires

BC and Spaziani finally announced two of his hires. They are Sean Devine and Dave Brock. Neither are household names, but I think both look to be very good hires. Here is my breakdown of the additions:

Offensive Line: Sean Devine
What he brings to the table: A great combination of youth, New England roots and an understanding of zone blocking. There was much speculation if BC would undue the system Jags and Bick implemented at the Heights. Not only is Devine of the Chip Kelly school of using zone -- he also teaches it at coaching clinics.
Connection to Spaz: I don't know if he has an immediate connection to Spaz, but the New England college football scene is a pretty small. I imagine Devine has been around BC for camps or Pro Days. I assume the conduit to the relationship was Ryan Day -- who played and coached at UNH.
Connection to BC: No prior connection.
Question marks: How will he work with Tranquill? Will Tranquill let him teach O Line how he wants? Where will he recruit? Does he have any recruiting connections outside of New England?
Overall Assessment: I really like this hire. It helps that he has a prior relationship with Day. I think those sorts of connections and recommendations are good indicators of Devine's ability and potential to fit in. It seems like he is a good teacher. If he can hit the road and recruit, this could be a very promising addition.

Tight Ends: Dave Brock
What he brings to the table: Another recruiter who has worked the northeast and recruited to ACC schools.
Connection to Spaz: None that I know of, but he did work with Tranquill at North Carolina.
Connection to BC: No prior connection.
Question marks: What is his experience with Tight Ends? How will he handle the transition from OC back to being just a position coach? Can he recruit at a school like BC?
Overall Assessment: Not to diminish any position on the staff, but Tight Ends Coach is low risk. You can piggy back off the rest of the offense and get to work with some of the more versatile/coachable guys on the team. In that sense Brock is overqualified. The real question is recruiting. He has experience, but I don't know what territory he will cover or how he will adjust to recruiting at a place like BC. Overall, I think he will be a good addition.

The Tranquill hire caught people off guard. These two were much more in line with what Spaz should be doing. They are outsiders who will bring in new ideas, yet they have connections to current staffers which should make the transition that much easier. I feel like both of these guys will be welcome and productive at BC.

Report: BC will promote McGovern

A smaller news site out of New Jersey reports that Bill McGovern will be our next Defensive Coordinator. It is probably true, but I am surprised it didn't break at one of the Boston outlets or on one of the BC message boards.

McGovern is a solid selection and helps with continuity on the defensive side of the ball. He briefly served as interim DC under Dan Henning more than a decade ago. McGovern has coached under three different BC Head Coaches and clearly likes the school and the area. He is also an important recruiter for us in northern Jersey.

There have been grumblings that McGovern felt neglected and slighted as BC took its time in naming him as Spaz' successor. Supposedly Spaz made a play for a few big names. In the end this move makes sense. The next question is how involved will Spaz be in defensive game prep and in-game play calling?

Speculating on staff changes

'Like sands through the hourglass...

The hardcore fans are debating the merits of Spaz's first hire and trying to read the tea leaves to figure out who is staying and who is going. Before I get into the speculation, let me restate what I said this weekend: 1. we won't get positive confirmation on returning staffers until after Signing Day and 2. if Jags gets hired you could see one or two guys join him in the NFL.

Topic 1: 'Oregon hired a WR coach, that means Ryan Day is staying at BC, right?'

It is a good indicator but doesn't assure anything. Once Mike Belotti steps down, another coaching spot will open up with the Ducks. Day will be a likely candidate then too. For a young guy he's got a decent network and a strong reputation so he'll have options. I hope he stays. In his case, I would say we won't have any positive confirmation until Signing Day.

Topic 2: If Yano is gone, why is he still listed on the team web site?
I would chalk it up to the site hasn't been updated. Bicknell is still listed and they haven't put anything up for Tranquill yet (outside of the press release).

Topic 3: What is going on with McGovern and the defensive coordinator opening?

There a few different theories floating around on this one. McGovern might still get the job, but if he was the prime candidate why wouldn't they have locked him in and announced it already? Occam's Razor would say they are looking elsewhere and he is the fallback.

Topic 4: We have three openings, when are we going to hear about new staffers and hires?

I think you'll hear names as they happen. BC might wait until after signing day as a courtesy to their current employers. As far as who they will hire, I think you can look at Jags' staff and Spaz's first hire as templates. Expect any new staffers to have a BC connection, Spaz connection or Gene D connection. The coaching fraternity does exist and they are likely to go with familiar faces.

Staff stuff

The Tranquill hire threw everyone for a loop. With 24 hours to digest it all, I still don't know what to think. Honestly, I am shaking my head...in part because of the age factor but also because, like so many things in this process, it never had to happen. Tranquill may bring a lot to the table. He may do a great job. He may be just what Spaz needs. But even if he is, he remains a risky, risky hire. Instead of taking that risk, Spaz probably could have brought him on in some capacity and then bestowed the OC title on a safer or more exciting candidate.

These curve balls have everyone speculating on what other staffers might stay or go. In my opinion, the only sure thing to return is Mike Siravo. I would say everyone else could leave. We probably won't have a certain staff until two things have happened:

1. We get through Signing Day. Once Signing Day is concluded, the staffers might be free to move on to other college jobs.

2. Jags figures out his 2009 plans. If Jags does get an NFL coordinator job, you might see a few BC names join him.