NSIC Staff Changes

[Stanger86]

AU James Schrenk is a high energy guy who has reeled in some great recruits over the years. He has a young family and hangs his hat on his Christian faith much like his head coach does. Schrenk's offenses speak for themselves, although he has the luxury of very good players. I've thought Augustana would lose him through a promotion eventually.

I think my only fear with him is the unknown, especially the fact that he wouldn't have the budget in Marshall that he does in Sioux Falls. Still, his ability to recruit and coach up players seems pretty impressive.

Not sure how much of a factor it would be (probably not much), but of course SMSU "interim" AD Bruce Saugstad has connections to Augie at the same time as Schrenk was making his rise up the coaching ladder there.

[Stanger86]

Do you think Brad Salem would take an NSIC job or is he too high in the ranks now?

[Stanger86]

Another name I'll bring up that hasn't been mentioned: Morningside coach Steve Ryan was a finalist at Missouri Southern last year.

[oldyellaHer69]

Another name I'll bring up that hasn't been mentioned: Morningside coach Steve Ryan was a finalist at Missouri Southern last year.

Brad Salem & Steve Ryan to SMSU=not a chance

[vikingfaithful]

Do you think Brad Salem would take an NSIC job or is he too high in the ranks now?

Brad Salem resigned from Augustana as their HC in 2009 to coach at Michigan St. After working his way up the ladder he lost his job when MSU hired Mel Tucker as HC. He made $518k in 2020. Now he is a position coach at Memphis St. Certainly he took a big pay with the move. He is a Sioux Falls native and who knows if he would like to be close to home. Cory Sauter made about $114k

[Stanger86]

For the record, I wasn't necessarily only talking about SMSU with those two guys.

[Matt Witwicki]

Brad Salem resigned from Augustana as their HC in 2009 to coach at Michigan St. After working his way up the ladder he lost his job when MSU hired Mel Tucker as HC. He made $518k in 2020. Now he is a position coach at Memphis St. Certainly he took a big pay with the move. He is a Sioux Falls native and who knows if he would like to be close to home. Cory Sauter made about $114k

I think everyone probably sees this as very doubtful. Kudos to Brad in his moving up considerably since leaving the NSIC.

Steve Ryan and MSide play in Durham NC in a week and a half against Grand View (Des Moines) in the NAIA chip. I wouldn't be shocked if Winona had a coach by that time or is finishing up..and SMSU might be well along the way also. I'm fairly surprised Ryan hasn't gotten the D2 jobs he's expressed interest in. The massive success he's had at MSide is very impressive and there isn't much a between the level he's got MSide and the level played by D2 squads. Feel like he's been short-changed a bit as an "NAIA Coach"....well....an NAIA coach just took controls at the U of Washington. I would think he'd be a pretty nice look candidate for solid D2 schools, not just under .500 ones and such.

I'm wondering if we see a list of finalists for the Winona job or if they move right into a hire without that. I get every impression each school here (WSU and SMSU) want a guy hired by Christmas/End of Year.

[Stanger86]

I looked up MWSU history because I was curious. He took over MWSU in a much better position than SMSU is currently in. He basically continued what McGarvey started before him. Some improvement no doubt, but doesn't seem like it was substantial growth under him. Maybe a MIAA mind can offer more insight there, but I feel like we need a bigger jump and not just a little growth.

I'm curious what has him being so interested in NSIC jobs as of late. Winona I understand, but Minot and Southwest are more curious to me. Has he worn out his welcome in the MIAA (for someone third all-time in MIAA wins, that seems surprising)? Maybe he feels he can make an impact up north, in which case I just would be curious to just hear his mindset about his interest in these jobs.

[Purple Mav Man]

I looked up MWSU history because I was curious. He took over MWSU in a much better position than SMSU is currently in. He basically continued what McGarvey started before him. Some improvement no doubt, but doesn't seem like it was substantial growth under him. Maybe a MIAA mind can offer more insight there, but I feel like we need a bigger jump and not just a little growth.

I'm curious what has him being so interested in NSIC jobs as of late. Winona I understand, but Minot and Southwest are more curious to me. Has he worn out his welcome in the MIAA (for someone third all-time in MIAA wins, that seems surprising)? Maybe he feels he can make an impact up north, in which case I just would be curious to just hear his mindset about his interest in these jobs.

[Stanger86]

I completely understand and expect that sort of response from an outsider. We haven't done much, especially in the last few years. Our funding isn't up to par with the rest of the league either. Which is exactly why I question if Partridge is the right profile to target. It's nothing to do with his abilities and success as a coach. I can't speak to his recruiting track record either. I'm just thinking about what I believe it takes to be successful here as a recruiter and coach.

Take away the last couple years, and I actually believe Sauter did about as good as he could in Marshall. Maybe a win here or a win there difference, but he did raise the bar here. That type of profile actually makes me more open to looking at a younger guy like Schrenk, even with his inexperience. Schrenk is 34 (will be 35 by next season). When Sauter came, he was 33 when hired as coordinator and 35 in his interim season. I think Eidsness was a similar age when he was hired too. I think it requires a youthful energy to be successful in Marshall. You can even look at other sports, most of the coaching hires trend younger.

[Purple Mav Man]

I completely understand and expect that sort of response from an outsider. We haven't done much, especially in the last few years. Our funding isn't up to par with the rest of the league either. Which is exactly why I question if Partridge is the right profile to target. It's nothing to do with his abilities and success as a coach. I can't speak to his recruiting track record either. I'm just thinking about what I believe it takes to be successful here as a recruiter and coach.

Take away the last couple years, and I actually believe Sauter did about as good as he could in Marshall. Maybe a win here or a win there difference, but he did raise the bar here. That type of profile actually makes me more open to looking at a younger guy like Schrenk, even with his inexperience. Schrenk is 34 (will be 35 by next season). When Sauter came, he was 33 when hired as coordinator and 35 in his interim season. I think Eidsness was a similar age when he was hired too. I think it requires a youthful energy to be successful in Marshall. You can even look at other sports, most of the coaching hires trend younger.

[Stanger86]

Very true. If someone has a D2 track record and is young, they likely wouldn't even consider SMSU because the goals are set higher. The only hope of filling both boxes would be to go the NAIA/D3 route for someone trying to take the next step up, and even that might be a stretch to get them interested in Marshall depending on the situation.

[vikingfaithful]

Mel Tjeerdsma of NWMSU fame was a small-town kid from Springfield SD who was a high school coach before getting a job at NAIA Austin college in TX where he went 59-39. His 1st year in Maryville he went 0-11, over time he built a powerhouse in a farming town with a population under 12.000 and still is. Maryville is about the same distant from KC as Marshall is to the TC. and frankly Marshall a more prosperous community than Maryville. NW was not scary program before Mel as was their BB team until recently. If the Mustangs can find a Tjeerdsma kind of coach funding will get better and more attendance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with SMSU location.

[Purple Mav Man]

Very true. If someone has a D2 track record and is young, they likely wouldn't even consider SMSU because the goals are set higher. The only hope of filling both boxes would be to go the NAIA/D3 route for someone trying to take the next step up, and even that might be a stretch to get them interested in Marshall depending on the situation.

I hope they find a good fit. A 10-15 year coach that shows growth would be fantastic there. Might be a better situation if they were the only opening in the conference as well.

[Stanger86]

I hope they find a good fit. A 10-15 year coach that shows growth would be fantastic there. Might be a better situation if they were the only opening in the conference as well.

This is a good point. I wonder the effect multiple openings has on the candidate pool.

Sauter was here 10 years....only Gary Buer stuck around longer. Only problem was the program declined over the last few years of his tenure instead of being on the upswing. Sauter didn't sustain the success we had early when he was capitalizing on the new stadium vibes.