The 2021 off-season is underway with Big Ten programs making coaching staff adjustments.
I hear it quite often from those I would consider casual fans of college football that when it comes to recruits and coaches they play for, it’s the head coach that drives their decision on where to go. Why did recruit John Doe want to play for Ohio State? Well, because he wants to play for Ryan Day.
While at times that may very well be true, many of the relationships recruits have with a school and its staff are built through the conversations and interactions with the assistant coaches. Recent examples of the impact an assistant coach’s presence on a staff can have on a recruit would be Penn State’s recruitment of former Georgia, then Ohio State, quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields had originally committed verbally to play for Penn State in 2016, partly because of the relationship he built with and scheme that was run by then offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. When Moorhead eventually left in November 2017 to become the head coach at Mississippi State, it lead to Fields eventual decommitment in June from the program. Moorhead’s departure was not the sole reason for the decommitment, but Fields and his family have confirmed it was one of the key factors.
Who knows what Penn State would have looked like if Fields had remained committed to the program for these past few years.
Now that we are fully into the off-season, let’s take a look at five assistant coaching hires around the conference that may prove key this upcoming season and on the recruiting trail.
5: Zohn Burden – Receivers Coach – Maryland
Zohn Burden joins the Terrapin coaching staff after not coaching at all in 2020, so you may be asking, how could he be number 5 on this list? The answer would be for the potential impact he could have on the recruiting trail for Maryland. Burden does have experience coaching at the collegiate level as he spent 2015 – 2019 with the Virginia Tech Hokies serving first as the wide receivers coach, then the running backs coach. In 2020 he left the program to help run G.A.M.E Academy in Virginia where recruits were able to train and learn how to handle the recruiting process. Burden’s connections with coaches and recruits in the coastal regions of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina could go a long way in Mike Locksley’s attempt to establish recruiting pipelines in these southern states.
4: Deland McCullough – Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach – Indiana
Deland McCullough returns to the Hoosiers after previously working for Indiana between 2011 – 2016 as running backs coach. He returns to the program after spending the past three seasons at the NFL level with the Kansas City Chiefs as running backs coach, and after one season with USC as running game coordinator/running backs coach. McCullough’s first stay with Indiana saw the program set 19 rushing records and he received recognition as the top running backs coach in the Big Ten in 2014. His return should be most welcomed by the Hoosier fan base as he will attempt to fix a rushing attack that finished 114th nationally at 108.6 YPG.
3: George McDonald – Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers Coach – Illinois
As part of Bret Bielema’s initial coaching staff at Illinois he is bringing back to the program George McDonald, the former Fighting Illini wide receiver who played for the program from 1994-1998. McDonald spent the past six seasons with North Carolina State working at first as the wide receivers coach before ending his time as the passing game coordinator, assistant coach, and recruiting coordinator. Last year as the passing game coordinator, McDonald helped N.C. State finish 36th nationally in passing yards averaging 262.8 YPG. McDonald’s career has also seen him hold positions with Minnesota, Miami (FL), and at the NFL level with the Cleveland Browns. He is regarded as being an exceptional coach and possibly even better recruiter, which will serve Bielema well as he tries to rebuild Illinois.
2: Maurice Linquist – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach – Michigan
After extending Jim Harbaugh this off-season, Michigan has gone through a coaching staff rebuild bringing in younger but experienced coaches. Part of the rebuild was the hiring of Maurice Linguist, who comes from the Dallas Cowboys and will serve as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. He will share defensive coordinator duties with new hire Mike MacDonald who also comes from the NFL level, this time from the Ravens, as they attempt to improve a unit that finished 95th nationally in scoring defense at 34.5 PPG. While we don’t know much about MacDonald’s recruiting prowess, Linguist has developed a reputation for being a great, if not elite, recruiter.
During his time at Minnesota Linguist was able to convince Rashod Bateman, the former Golden Gopher receiver, to leave his home state of Georgia and commit to Minnesota. Linguist was also the primary recruiter for 5-star defensive back Jaylon Jones who committed to Texas A&M while he was on staff. Now, just this past February, Linguist has convinced 5-star defensive back Will Johnson to stay home and play for Michigan. It’s the type of recruiting win Harbaugh was looking for when he brought Linguist on staff as he attempts to bring the program back to the top.
1: Mike Yurcich – Offensive Coordinator – Penn State
Mike Yurcich is returning to the Big Ten after spending the 2020 season with the Texas Longhorns as the offensive coordinator. While with the Longhorns, Yurcich oversaw an offense that was seventh nationally for scoring offense at 42.7 PPG, 27th nationally for passing at 280.1 YPG, and 37th nationally for rushing at 195.3 YPG. Yurcich, who has had previous stops at Oklahoma State and Ohio State, will be in charge of improving a Penn State offense that finish 54th nationally in scoring offense, 40th in passing, and 55th in rushing. The offense Yurcich runs often is cited as “quarterback friendly,” and it’s hard to argue against that sentiment when every place Yurcich has been has produced a ton of points.
The reason though Yurcich is my number one hire of the off-season is because of what he brings on the recruiting side as well. According to 247 Sports, Yurcich has been the primary recruiter in landing some of the top offensive talent while at Oklahoma State and Ohio State. In fact, Yurcich has already made waves on the recruiting trail for Penn State when he and James Franklin landed the commitment of 4-star quarterback Drew Allar out of Ohio. It’s the type of commitment Yurcich was brought in to help snag, as it potentially can transcend that position for the Nittany Lions in the future.