Clark Lea comments on his first-year staff hires

[BrentVU]

Of the ten assistant coaches that Clark Lea hired two years ago for his initial staff, only four are still in place (OC Lynch, OL Blazek, ST Lustig, DL Haye). Of the six departures, five left for other jobs, while original OC David Raih "parted ways" with Vandy after being demoted in the 2021 fall camp (and to my knowledge has not gotten another coaching job).

I missed it when it came out, but the following quote appeared last May in a (premium) article in The Athletic by Pete Sampson. (Sampson, you may recall, covers Notre Dame for The Athletic but wrote a lengthy, brilliant, insightful inside piece about Clark Lea and Vandy during Lea's rookie year as head coach.) Sampson talked to Coach Lea about the challenges Marcus Freeman faces in hiring staff. Here's the quote:

“Once you elevate into the top seat, you’re totally dependent on the people you hire to be the echo chamber of your message,” Lea said. “You realize quickly that the ability of the staff to do that either dilutes the culture or strengthens the culture. And it’s every day, it’s a steady drip.

“Initially, I felt if you found qualified people, you could kind of plug them in and things run the way that you intend for them to run. What I learned was way more effort has to be put in to the chemistry around what you’re trying to get done. The chemistry on the staff bleeds into the chemistry on the team.”

Lea seems to be acknowledging that he made some hiring mistakes his first time around... he hired some guys with great reputations whom he hadn't worked with before. Guys like Inoke Breckterfield, Jesse Minter, and John Egorugwu had sterling resumes, but after a year, they were gone. Lea had worked with Raih before and had a hunch about him, but his hunch turned out to be bad. His second year, he filled out his staff with guys like Larry Black and Nick Lesynski, whom he'd worked with before; and the staff seems more coherent now. For Lea, culture and chemistry trump everything else. So far this off-season there's only been one departure: RBs coach Norval McKenzie.

But some would make a counter-argument that you really need experienced, expert tacticians, especially with your coordinator positions, even if they are a little hard to work with, and you pay them whatever it takes. (Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman were heavily criticized this week for being "unwilling" to spend the big bucks to buy out Utah OC Andy Ludwig, instead choosing to promote a guy from within.)

I don't know which approach is right... I just hope Lea ultimately succeeds... and if he does, I think it will be one of the most interesting stories in college football.

What do you guys and girls think?

[bornadore57]

I am constantly in awe of the effort and sacrifice young people put into being the best they can be through Vanderbilt football. It is a commitment I certainly have a difficult time comprehending. It covers every aspect of their lives - from what they eat to how they sleep; from how they spend every minute of every day to engaging in activities which are difficult for a body to endure. If it is only about four or five years, I'm not so sure it is worth it. If it is about a lifetime of an individual loving, living, and influencing a better world, then, yes, it is worthwhile. Therefore, I'm a big proponent of developing young men for life through the Vanderbilt football experience. Under Coach Lea, I think that Vanderbilt is developing one of the best programs in the country for that. But it has to be about culture and relationships. These young men have to believe in the men who are leading them and influencing them. Yes, football acumen is part of that. Perhaps, though, it is not the most important part.

Vanderbilt is the outlier in a cookie-cutter conference. We need good outliers in this world. I have no idea what Coach Lea and company will be able to produce on the field. I am, however, a strong believer of what they are accomplishing off of the field - at least what I sense, from afar.

Yes, I want wins - on and off the field. God bless Coach Lea for embracing both.

[Doreknox]

I have been in HR for a long time and have hired a lot of people. One thing that happens is you occasionally make a hiring mistake. Thankfully, Lea learned this lesson after his first season and moved to rectify his mistakes.

That being said, I cannot imagine how difficult it is for a first time HC to assemble a staff.

[BILTMORE]

I'm a big believer in culture, chemistry, and "good fits." The company where I work is all about it. But it's definitely balance. Certainly your position coaches and coordinators can't just be hired for their cohesive philosophies - they have to be able to bring the goods. But yeah, it seems both Mason and Lea had the same first year experience with experienced coordinators who weren't helping them much.
I would point out that both of Lea's current coordinators do in fact have demonstrated experience in their jobs and you can see positive signs from their efforts right here at VU. The fact that also are the right culture fit is huge.

On the Notre Dame side, I'm becoming a big believer in Freeman. I wasn't sure with his early games. He lost leads, failed to make adjustments, and lost to lesser teams - possible signs of a guy who's not a natural head coach. But his wins over Clemson and more notably South Carolina - made a big believer out of me. I think he's got the right stuff.

The late wins for VU over UF and UK also gave me some glimmers of what Clark Lea can be. Those were gutsy wins. He obviously has the belief of the team and coaches. And he got results.

[geeznotagain]

I'm sorry that Minter didn't stay, whatever the reason for his departure.