Utah Hires Brian Johnson to be Offensive Coordinator

[OrangeUte]

We handed the reigns of the free world to a junior senator with a few years experience organizing some community activities. Giving BJ the OC spot is sure to work out at least that well.

Oh brother.

I am with JIC - okay with it, just not absolutely thrilled. Anyone with more than cautious optimism is drinking the koolaid. As long as BJ gets the players to play for him i am okay with it. He says that Dan Mullen is one of his biggest mentors - I sure hope that DM's enthusiasm and charisma rubbed off on BJ - maybe that's what KWhit sees.

[Blueintheface]

A Tokolosh sighting. IIRC, and Ute fans please correct me if I'm wrong, but back in my ufn days I recall Tok was one of a few if not only moderates on that board. Passionate yet links to everything BYU were not the norm.

Please stay, Tok. Ute fans need all the support they can get until spring camp opens.

[Parrot Head]

This has been a hilarious thread (based on the comments, not as a rub against the rival).

I'm confused by the hire, too, especially after the gro'in' pains that Doman experienced just to the south this year. And with that PAC-12 money in their pockets, I thought they'd go big time.

[LA Ute]

This has been a hilarious thread (based on the comments, not as a rub against the rival).

I'm confused by the hire, too, especially after the gro'in' pains that Doman experienced just to the south this year. And with that PAC-12 money in their pockets, I thought they'd go big time.

"Confused." I like that one. Works for me!

Ute fans like me------> :confused2: <-------Ute fans trying to be enthused

[Coastal Ute]

I do have to say I was particularly impressed by BJ's interview. Granted he is young and inexperienced I think he held his ground well. I do remember hearing before the hiring of Norm that Brian had no idea what he was doing- this coming from someone who has proven to be a credible source over the years.

I do wish b-ball was a better distraction so I wouldn't have to mull over this decision for the next 7 months....

[Tokolosh]

Oh brother.

Don't get me wrong. I'm squarely in the "Brian Johnson will be a great coach" camp. But I am concerned about giving him the offense too early. I hope he pulls a Sugar Bowl performance and has me leaping out of my chair a few minutes into the game but I'm concerned we get some painful growing pains. The BYU fans will watch and nod knowingly.

[LA Coug]

Don't get me wrong. I'm squarely in the "Brian Johnson will be a great coach" camp. But I am concerned about giving him the offense too early. I hope he pulls a Sugar Bowl performance and has me leaping out of my chair a few minutes into the game but I'm concerned we get some painful growing pains. The BYU fans will watch and nod knowingly.

The good news is he has time to figure it out and not a whole lot of pressure at the beginning. 14 points could very well beat all of the September opponents.

Then a bye and USC, and let's be honest, doesn't matter who Utah has at OC, USC probably wins that game.

[UtahDan]

The good news is he has time to figure it out and not a whole lot of pressure at the beginning. 14 points could very well beat all of the September opponents.

Then a bye and USC, and let's be honest, doesn't matter who Utah has at OC, USC probably wins that game.

That will be in the game that makes Barkley wish he had gone in the draft.

[DU Ute]

That will be in the game that makes Barkley wish he had gone in the draft.

[Scorcho]

I think some people are missing the obvious with this hire. Time for me to go all Jimmy the Greek for a minute. Whitt has mentioned time and time again that “recruiting is the lifeblood of any collegiate football program”, and much like the NBA, “it’s a player’s game.”

If you look at one of the primary reasons Utah has been successful since the McBride days it’s because Utah went hard after Polynesians. One of the reasons Utah continues to be good, especially defensively, is because of Polys. Kilani Sitake is a key figure in Utah being able to maintain a strong Poly Pipeline. Whitt stated that when everything was finalized with his OC Search, he was left with two possibilities, Arod and BJ. In today’s business environment, if you have two guys with similar talent and abilities, but one happens to be a minority who do you naturally hire?

If 2/3 of PAC-12 Football Players are minorities (I don’t know the exact %, just a guess) and your OC choices are down to Arod and BJ, isn’t the choice an obvious one? Arod can connect to the LDS Receiver of Scandinavian Descent from Davis High School, but is that what you need in the PAC-12?

[falafel]

I think some people are missing the obvious with this hire. Time for me to go all Jimmy the Greek for a minute. Whitt has mentioned time and time again that “recruiting is the lifeblood of any collegiate football program”, and much like the NBA, “it’s a player’s game.”

If you look at one of the primary reasons Utah has been successful since the McBride days it’s because Utah went hard after Polynesians. One of the reasons Utah continues to be good, especially defensively, is because of Polys. Kilani Sitake is a key figure in Utah being able to maintain a strong Poly Pipeline. Whitt stated that when everything was finalized with his OC Search, he was left with two possibilities, Arod and BJ. In today’s business environment, if you have two guys with similar talent and abilities, but one happens to be a minority who do you naturally hire?

If 2/3 of PAC-12 Football Players are minorities (I don’t know the exact %, just a guess) and your OC choices are down to Arod and BJ, isn’t the choice an obvious one? Arod can connect to the LDS Receiver of Scandinavian Descent from Davis High School, but is that what you need in the PAC-12?

There's your problem. A PAC-10 school doesn't have better options than this?

[Surfah]

There's your problem. A PAC-10 school doesn't have better options than this?

Also, if his argument were valid then why aren't there more minority coaches?

But really the issue is what you brought up and this should be disturbing to Ute fans. This school just hired Norm Chow, one of the greatest OCs in college football history. And then he left and you can't hire anyone better than Brian Johnson? The divide between these two offensive coordinators can't be any greater. I wish the kid well, because he seems to be a Ute fan favorite. I wonder how long a leash Utes are going to give him. I can already see the posts now, "Brian Johnson will always be one of my favorite Ute players ever. But he sucks as a coach." Oh, wait, that has already been echoed by Ute fans when he sucked as a QB coach.

[il Padrino Ute]

Also, if his argument were valid then why aren't there more minority coaches?

But really the issue is what you brought up and this should be disturbing to Ute fans. This school just hired Norm Chow, one of the greatest OCs in college football history. And then he left and you can't hire anyone better than Brian Johnson? The divide between these two offensive coordinators can't be any greater. I wish the kid well, because he seems to be a Ute fan favorite. I wonder how long a leash Utes are going to give him. I can already see the posts now, "Brian Johnson will always be one of my favorite Ute players ever. But he sucks as a coach." Oh, wait, that has already been echoed by Ute fans when he sucked as a QB coach.

Did he suck as a QB coach? Given what he had to work with, I'd say he did a decent job.

[UtahDan]

Did he suck as a QB coach? Given what he had to work with, I'd say he did a decent job.

I'd have to review what was said on that, but I think that as Hays began to play better and the Utes began to win we heard a lot less about how bad he was. Though it seems to me now that I'm thinking about it that most of that criticism came during the 2009-2010 season. That doesn't change all of the points made that it is a puzzling hire. I DO think there were other options available. I think all any of us as Ute fans can hold on to is the fact that Kyle has shoved all his chips to the middle of the table on this hire and we ought to trust him at this point.

[Blueintheface]

I think some people are missing the obvious with this hire. Time for me to go all Jimmy the Greek for a minute. Whitt has mentioned time and time again that “recruiting is the lifeblood of any collegiate football program”, and much like the NBA, “it’s a player’s game.”

If you look at one of the primary reasons Utah has been successful since the McBride days it’s because Utah went hard after Polynesians. One of the reasons Utah continues to be good, especially defensively, is because of Polys. Kilani Sitake is a key figure in Utah being able to maintain a strong Poly Pipeline. Whitt stated that when everything was finalized with his OC Search, he was left with two possibilities, Arod and BJ. In today’s business environment, if you have two guys with similar talent and abilities, but one happens to be a minority who do you naturally hire?

If 2/3 of PAC-12 Football Players are minorities (I don’t know the exact %, just a guess) and your OC choices are down to Arod and BJ, isn’t the choice an obvious one? Arod can connect to the LDS Receiver of Scandinavian Descent from Davis High School, but is that what you need in the PAC-12?

Worst self-convincing argument given yet.