Change Continues on Football Staff

So, BG is continuing to adapt it's football staff.  You saw a couple weeks ago that Brian VanGorder had "retired from college football" and Jacob Shoonover had left to go to Kansas, leaving BG with some spots to fill.

I continue to think that Loeffler is doing a good job getting coaches to come here.  Time will tell and the whole package has to deliver, but it just seems to me that he is bringing good people here to coach.

For DC, he promoted Eric Lewis from CB coach to DC to replace VanGorder.  I'm sure there are people out there who wanted to see BG go get more of a marquee name, but Lewis has been a DC before, including in the MAC.  I think he might bring some youth and enthusiasm and a fresh approach to a defense that never was talent-challenged but also never seemed to punch above its weight either.  The key now is player development.  We must get these young guys into being top players.  (His Father is Sherm Lewis, if you didn't know, which I did not).

Now coaching special teams and safeties is Bob Ligashesky.  A familiar name to BG football fans, he coached at BG from 91-99, all but one year of the Blackney era.  That's a back-back MAC Championship era--28-2-2 over the first four years--followed by some disappointment.

He left BG to head to the NFL, where he coached for 16 years, much of the time coaching special teams.  He went to Illinois with Lovie Smith, obviously was available now and is going to be at BG.  You know that this blog values special teams and if BG's going to win they are going to need good special teams.

He won a Super Bowl with the Steelers.

The other new assistant is Cato June, a standout performer at UM.  He was a sixth-round draft pick, was second-team All-Pro and won a Super Bowl with the Colts.  He is going to Coach OLB and be run-game coordinator.

Honestly, the turnover has continued but I think BG has found a combination of youth and experience and people who should be able to recruit.

It's tough without any real visible signs of progress--and 2021 has the potential to be another really tough year.  I certainly hope we're moving things in the right direction.  We do seem to be softening our stand on transfers, which could just be the new reality in college sports, like it or not.