Defensive Line Coach to East Carolina

Hummell · Post by **Hummell** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:12 pm

Thoughts?

http://www.witntv.com/sports/headlines/7772782.html

A source close to the East Carolina University football program tells WITN that Vernon Hargreaves will be named the new Defensive Line Coach replacing Donnie Thompson.

Hargreaves comes to ECU after spending a season at Bowling Green and the previous season at Florida International University. Prior to that, he had a successful eight-year stint at the University of Miami. At FIU, he coached Lombardi Award nominee Keyonvis Bouie. At Miami, Hargreaves is credited with molding some of the nation's finest linebackers, including 2000 Butkus Award winner Dan Morgan and 2004 first-round draft choices Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams, as well developing the UM defense into one of the nation's top units over the last five seasons.

For six consecutive years at Miami, one of his linebackers led the team in tackles and in 2003, Hargreaves shaped a unit that produced two of the 11 semi-finalists for the Butkus Award. Hargreaves went to UM after 13 seasons on the staff at the University of Connecticut, where he was outside linebackers coach from 1985-89 and inside linebackers coach from 1989-97. While there, Hargreaves was crucial in the development of linebacker Paul Duckworth who was a sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1994.

A native of New Haven, Conn., Hargreaves attended UConn and received a bachelor's of science degree in sociology in 1986. He was a star linebacker for the Huskies from 1980-83, and was recognized as an All-American twice, earning honorable mention accolades in 1982 and third-team honors in 1983. Hargreaves was a two-time All-Yankee Conference first-team selection and tri-captain of the 1983 Connecticut team. He ranks fourth on the UConn career tackles list and holds two of the top-10 single-season tackles marks. One of only six Huskies to register 20 tackles in a single game, he signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns and played professional football in Italy. In 1998, Hargreaves was named a member of UConn's 100th Anniversary Team commemorating the greatest players in the football program's first century. Hargreaves and his wife, Jackie, are the parents of three children: daughter Carina, son Vernon III and daughter Channelle.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:21 pm

You got to be kidding me. Tell your media source, however, that he did not coach a season at BG--he coached in the spring game, and that was it!

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:28 pm

It's a shame.... the paint on his office wall was *this* close to being dry.

(On second thought, the paint on ALL coaches office walls is *this* close to being dry, I guess... but I stick by my comment.

)

Hummell · Post by **Hummell** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:32 pm

Well...how did the D-line look in the spring game?

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:39 pm

He was supposed to be our LB's coach...WTF?

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:01 pm

Is a D-Line coach at ECU a step up over a LB coach at BG?

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:06 pm

If this turns out to be true, the revolving door in the football coaches' office now looks more troubling than Dan Dakich's challenge keeping recruits in the program.

Hummell · Post by **Hummell** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:11 pm

BGDrew wrote:Is a D-Line coach at ECU a step up over a LB coach at BG?

A LB coach at ECU is a step up over a LB coach at BG, in my opinion.

ScourgeOf7seas · Post by **ScourgeOf7seas** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:04 pm

BGDrew wrote:Is a D-Line coach at ECU a step up over a LB coach at BG?

Vernon will be coaching LBs at ECU. Is it a step up? I don't know. I do know that Hargreaves and Coach Holtz have a history together.

Heck, we have one coach that left a Big Ten DC position to take the DC position at ECU. Our OC just left a Big 12 school to join the ECU staff. Our DB coach was a SEC DC at one time. We also have a WR coach that has a head coaching job and the Louisville OC position on his resume.

In other words, this move by Coach Hargreaves has nothing to do with Bowling Green's perception as a program.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:06 am

I'd say it's a step up in $$$ and if there's a personal relationship in place with the HC...I guess it;''s understandable.

Odd timing for an opening to occur.. I hope we can plug in a guy with some ties to Florida... Hargreaves could have been a huge help recruiting there.

JoeFalcon · Post by **JoeFalcon** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:51 am

Moves like this just aren't kosher even with all the perfectly understandable reasons mentioned. This might actually be a blessing in disguise considering he'd have probably bolted after the season anyway. At the very least, it gives Brandon a head start on bringing in someone who wants to be here.

Now we're going to have to do the exact same thing and poach a coach from another program a la John Lovett in 2005, where he left Louisiana Tech after just a couple months to become our defensive coordinator.

ScourgeOf7seas · Post by **ScourgeOf7seas** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:10 am

The Pirates didn't want to be searching for a coach this time of year either. We had to fire our former D-Line coach for fraudulant expense reporting. He was a heck of a coach and a world class recruiter. It was a big loss.

ScourgeOf7seas hates that the domino effect has put y'all in a bad spot, but hey, its the unfortunate nature of college football these days. Dog eat dog.

JoeFalcon · Post by **JoeFalcon** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:31 am

ScourgeOf7seas wrote:The Pirates didn't want to be searching for a coach this time of year either. We had to fire our former D-Line coach for fraudulant expense reporting. He was a heck of a coach and a world class recruiter. It was a big loss.

ScourgeOf7seas hates that the domino effect has put y'all in a bad spot, but hey, its the unfortunate nature of college football these days. Dog eat dog.

Arrrrrr matey, this be a scurvy situation no doubt. We gave quarter to dat ole Buccaneer Hargreaves, but he saw ye fine treasure and booty and bid Ahoy! Dem landlubbers want Brandon to walk the plank, and this be givvin' dem more ammo.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:32 am

JoeFalcon wrote:This might actually be a blessing in disguise considering he'd have probably bolted after the season anyway. At the very least, it gives Brandon a head start on bringing in someone who wants to be here.

I'm willing to take the job.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:50 am

Sheese. He wasn't here long enough for a cup of coffee.

Hopefully Coach will land a quality replacement.

92 days....