Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OGDEN — Coaching is a volatile business, and it’s like a snowball.
Whenever one move happens in the coaching world, it can influence dozens of related moves that turn into a huge ball — moves that wouldn’t have probably happened in such a way if the first move hadn’t taken place.
For instance, look at Nebraska football. When Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst fired Bo Pelini, it prompted Oregon State coach Mike Riley to leave for the Cornhuskers. In response, Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen left the Badgers for the Beavers. Andersen’s move then caused moves with position coaches, as Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki left for Corvallis, opening positions at Utah.
The open positions at Utah almost caused moves for another local school, as there were discussions between Weber State coach Jay Hill and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham about Hill returning to his alma mater to be the defensive coordinator. While the two had broad discussions about the position, Hill ended the discussions.
When Hill’s decision to stay with the Wildcats was announced last Wednesday, no man breathed a bigger sigh of relief than Weber State Athletic Director Jerry Bovee.
Bovee, who has hired three football coaches at Weber, said Hill’s announcement to stay in Ogden is a testament to Weber State.
"What you do is make the environment as good as you can," said Weber State athletic director Jerry Bovee, referencing his approach as an FCS athletic director.
“We work hard to bring the right people that fit and that have the integrity and mindset that fit our environment,” he said. “At the outset, it says everything about (Jay). As a department, it validates some things that maybe we’re doing a few things right. But you can never sit back and say you’ve arrived.”
FCS football is a building ground for coaches, often helping them to refine their skills before taking over an FBS program. The money is usually less, the resources are usually scarcer, and the challenges are usually different than FBS football.
When coaches move to schools, they generally reference security and stability as important things in a program, and Bovee said the security Weber provides is a defense against coaches leaving.
“Years in a contract can be part of it,” he said. “If you’ve got a contract that gives you some security for seven, eight years when you’ve earned that right, that adds value over money, in the long run. There’s not a lot of patience in this industry sometimes — sometimes staying the course and saying, ‘Hey, I like where we’re at. I like what you’re doing here” — we have confidence that’s going to sustain itself over time, so getting some years on a contract I think can provide security.”
A good working relationship with administrators is important for a coach at any level. In an interview with 1280 AM in Salt Lake City, Hill said he ended conversations with Whittingham because he enjoyed working at Weber for Bovee. While the Weber athletic director said he appreciated the comment, he said the culture within the athletic department is what should be credited.
“What you do is make the environment as good as you can,” he said. “You create a culture where they’ve got the freedom to do their jobs and not have all of the drama that some of the departments might have.”
Hill was a wanted candidate this offseason, and with Utah State basketball coach Stew Morrill announcing his retirement last Friday, there is speculation that Wildcats coach Randy Rahe, a longtime Morrill assistant, will be a front-runner for the position.
Bovee said he tries not to focus on what other programs are doing, as it affects what’s happening with his department.
“It’s part of the business, so you try not to get too excited about it,” he said. “You think of it and it crosses your mind. You look for the ties, and when you know there’s ties there, you’d be foolish not to think that there might be some discussions or some interest, especially if they’re really good.”
Still, the threat of good coaches leaving the program always hangs over an FCS program. For instance, the Weber State football program has had its struggles ever since Ron McBride retired, with former coach John L. Smith leaving the program for Arkansas right after the spring game in 2012 — a move Bovee said he foresaw potentially happening after former Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino left the SEC school.
Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, Bovee said he focuses on what he can do to build an infrastructure that entices good coaches.
“It’s an approach you can take as an administrator, where when you have a coach walk in, you can get in this mindset of saying no,” he said. “At some point, if it’s always no, they stop coming. I’m looking for ways to get to yes. Once we’re on the same page with what our goals are, they come in and they’re not asking for things outside the realm of what we should be able to provide.”
In an odd way, Hill being offered a higher-paying job at his alma mater, and then turning the job down because of loyalty to the Wildcats, has excited the fan base.
Bovee said there has been a lot of goodwill directed toward Weber State football since Hill announced he is staying in Ogden.
“By the end of (Wednesday) when (Jay) went on the radio and said I’m staying, their top recruit had committed,” he said. “Was that the reason — maybe it was a part of it. But it provided a boost of stability.
“It has a big effect on your donor base,” he said. “Our boosters and our supporters of football have been through a lot in the past few years, and there’s been a lot of disappointment. I had a couple calls from people saying, ‘How can I help? I like the fact that we’ve got a good person in the chair; how can I help them be successful?”
