Ashland's Lee Owens to retire?

[UFOILERFAN]

Ashland has a good enough brand to attract someone better from outside. Seems like schools would rather make a bad choice than take a chance on change.

[chargerblue]

Lafleur returns to Ashland. Harbaugh to the Packers.

[gmacking98]

Ashland will announce today that offensive line coach Doug Geiser will be the new Head Coach. Honestly I don't know what to say. This is without a doubt the worst coaching decision I have ever seen any program at AU make. Geiser might be the worst coach in the GMAC next year. I think there are 5 other guys on AU's staff right now I would have picked over him. Tough day to be an Eagle.

trust that if Fankhauser is still the head coach next season at Walsh, Geiser would be the 2nd worst.

[GLIAC Fan]

Thought Ashland would take a stab a Wheelings coach. He did a lot with a little, imagine what he could at Ashland with their resources.

[eagler927]

Ashland went after former NFL QB Charlie Frye who was a football analyst at Penn St. Charlie played at Akron and would have been a popular choice. I have to believe the money wasn’t there and he took the OC job at Florida Atlantic.

Myself and all AU fans need to give Doug a chance to prove himself, but let’s be honest…he wasn’t Ashland’s first choice. He may have been their second choice. Geiser has been at Ashland for almost 20 years. If he was the obvious choice it would not have taken weeks for him to be offered the job.

I’ve heard from more than one person the way the hiring process was handled wasn’t good, and there are some influential people at AU that are not happy about how things transpired. Geiser has a good roster, top 10 facilities. Now he has to prove he was the right man for the job.

[Brandon]

Geiser has ......... top 10 facilities.

In the GMAC? In SR1? In D2?

[chargerblue]

I heard former OC Mike Bath was in the mix as well. He's at Indiana State currently.

[unc4life]

In the GMAC? In SR1? In D2?

For sure in the GMAC, easily top 10 in the SR1, and probably just outside top 10 for overall D2. Between the on campus stadium, player areas (lockerooms/lifting/meeting rooms), and now the new indoor practice facility, not many D2 schools have all of those areas covered.

I will say this about the coaching hire. Geiser has one big move that will make or break his time at AU and that's who he is going to get to run the offense. If he gets that right, it might work. I just hope he gets it right. Hard to hire a guy at this level who has never been a head coach at any level. I wish him the best.

[Brandon]

Good post.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For sure in the GMAC, easily top 10 in the SR1, and probably just outside top 10 for overall D2. Between the on campus stadium, player areas (lockerooms/lifting/meeting rooms), and now the new indoor practice facility, not many D2 schools have all of those areas covered.

I will say this about the coaching hire. Geiser has one big move that will make or break his time at AU and that's who he is going to get to run the offense. If he gets that right, it might work. I just hope he gets it right. Hard to hire a guy at this level who has never been a head coach at any level. I wish him the best.

IUP did a similar thing 6 years ago. Paul Tortorella was an assistant here for nearly 20 years. He was (is) a players' coach and the team was thrilled when he got the job. So, it can work.

See you for Round 4 in 8 months.