Comments about ‘USU football: Utah State gets closer to finding new guy’

I think the Aggies should choose Walker for the head coaching job. It will be good for the program on many levels. Walker has been coaching and recruiting in the California area for many years, which means he knows how to recruit the area and that will be huge for brining new talent to Utah State. He would also be one of three or four African American coaches in Division 1 football - which would attract a lot of attention and press to Utah State. Last, he has coached there before, meaning he knows what he is getting himself into by moving to Logan.

Walker is just right on so many levels. Pick him up fast Aggies.

Walker would be an intriguing coach for USU.

But, Guy recruited California well. USU is the only college in Utah with more football players from California than Utah.

I hope USU can emerge to contend in the WAC.

all along you all said john L was a guarentee...

You are right it would attract a lot of attention to us, especially since 4 black coaches have been fired this year. It probably wouldn't hurt that he has been here before either. The only thing that is of concern is changing the culture. Utah state has talent, that isn't their problem. They are getting fine athletes from CA and other states. They just need to get a system to fit. They need players, media, fans, boosters, to buy into whatever they are selling. It is going to be tough to change the culture of losing. The seniors on next years team, they have won what, 10 games. That will be the hardest obstacle to overcome, regardless of who is the new coach.

I see no evidence from Walker's back ground that he will be the guy to turn around our program. Other than the "positive publicity" arguement by having an African-American coach. WHy would we hire him?

His UCLA offense is bad, real bad.

He will not build this program. Anderson is our best bet. He can and will recruit the state of Utah, which we really need.

I think either Chico or Walker would be a good choice. Both have strong ties to the USU football program, so they will have vested interest for the program to succeed and hopefully stay around. Thanks BG for laying the foundation to bring USU football back to respect!

Maybe you should look at Walker's background before you judge him. First of all, it's not HIS UCLA offense, since he is, of course, the DEFENSIVE Coordinator. He has coached at both USU and BYU, and has several years of NFL experience.

Unfortunately there will be too much emphasis put on his skin color and not on his resume.

BYU scored 59 points on his defense.

Looking at the advantages he offers helps him stand out. He understands USU, the State of Utah, and recruiting in the PAC10. It's a great fit for locals and players. USU wouldn't hire Walker for good PR because his qualifications stand up with or above other candidates who have been mentioned. It bothers me how quickly Anderson left SUU after he became their head coach. I don't want that for USU.

With the exception of John L. none of these guys have any experience or track record as a Division I coach. Yeah I know, I need to smell the coffee-USU will never fork-out big dollars for a proven coach so lets see if we can make an intellegent O/D coordinator hire. All I ask is to hire somebody with "proven" Division I success. That should eliminate Canales (the guy has a dynamic personality but has not done all that well on the field in the past four or five years at either at UA or USF). John L. will just take advantage of Brent Guy's recruits and leave town in two years. Don't hire a coach just because he's African American (I hope that's PC)and it's the "cool" thing to do. Of the remaining bunch, I would have to go with Kent Baer. The guy does have a proven record of success at the Division I level. But what makes him appealing to me is that he is an "Aggie" having played linebacker for USU, born and raised in Cache Valley, and by all accounts is a class act.

I think we should keep looking, take our time a little bit (but not too much), and see what else shakes out. How about Mississippi State's Croon? He had a decent record there, turned the program around, it's too bad he had to resign. I think he'd be a good catch.

So I have lived in Utah for about 8 months, does that mean I understand Utah? Walker coached here for two years, how does that mean he "understands" Utah? I went to a Ute football game once, does that mean I understand what it takes to coach them?

Canales or Walker would both relate to the players the best. Both are young and energetic. Walker has a great defensive mind and Canales has a great offensive mind. Additionally, as Walker would be one of a few African American D.1 HC's; Canales would be the only Mexican American HC in D.1.

We need a young coach that can relate to the players (see UofU and BYU); not an older coach the wouldn't.

Both coaches have been with successful programs and have developed many NFL players.

I hope you guys take Walker, Baer or Canales. I'm selfish and want to keep Gary at the U!

"Utah State gets closer to finding new guy". A new version of Brent Guy?

How true. They appear to be on the verge of hiring another highly-touted defensive coordinator who, after four years of seeing his team get steamrolled by top-10 teams in exchange for big paychecks for the athletic department, will be summarily fired for his lack of wins.