Anybody interested in Elmhurst job there is a email in article below. 

https://elmhurstbluejays.com/news/2025/1/13/football-murray-resigns-as-head-football-coach.aspx

So let me see if I've got this turn of the carousel correct:

* Millikin hires a new head coach;
* Millikin's new head coach swipes Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator and tabs him to be the new DC for the Big Blue;
* Elmhurst's head coach resigns (jump-or-be-pushed is my guess) and is hired as Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator to replace the guy whose moving van just headed south on US 51 to Decatur; and
* Elmhurst now has to hire what will be its seventh head coach in 23 years.

Interesting off-season thus far.

Jereme Ombogo isn't just good at football.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on January 13, 2025, 10:20:15 PMSo let me see if I've got this turn of the carousel correct:

* Millikin hires a new head coach;
* Millikin's new head coach swipes Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator and tabs him to be the new DC for the Big Blue;
* Elmhurst's head coach resigns (jump-or-be-pushed is my guess) and is hired as Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator to replace the guy whose moving van just headed south on US 51 to Decatur; and
* Elmhurst now has to hire what will be its seventh head coach in 23 years.

Interesting off-season thus far.

No jumping or pushing.  He's an IWU alum, has worked as the DC with the new coach before and simply loves the school.  New coaching era allows him the opportunity to return home. 

I mean ... that is jumping, nonetheless.

Mike Murray was not pushed out at Elmhurst.  If anything Elmhurst would praise Mike Murray because he has helped Elmhurst attain more wins and started to rebuild the program.   

IMO- Elmhurst needs a strong recruiter more than anything.   North Central is dominating the DuPage and Chicago suburbs the last 10-15 years.   3 rings will do that        But added to this rise in NC and before that Wheaton,   Elmhurst is still "too close to home" for many kids.   So, many whammies and obstacles will be faced with whomever signs on.   It's a tough gig.  Many have tried and very few have had success

Murray has left Elmhurst on the upswing.  The next HC needs to pick up where Murray left off and continue to build the foundation.     

One other note,  I'd be in favor of a Elmhurst football Alum to take the reigns.  I.e. Spencer, Scott,  somebody who has donned the blue & white, left it all on Langhorst Field during their playing days, etc. and truly loves Elmhurst. 

Quote from: devildog29 on January 14, 2025, 11:19:48 AM

Quote from: Gregory Sager on January 13, 2025, 10:20:15 PMSo let me see if I've got this turn of the carousel correct:

* Millikin hires a new head coach;
* Millikin's new head coach swipes Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator and tabs him to be the new DC for the Big Blue;
* Elmhurst's head coach resigns (jump-or-be-pushed is my guess) and is hired as Illinois Wesleyan's defensive coordinator to replace the guy whose moving van just headed south on US 51 to Decatur; and
* Elmhurst now has to hire what will be its seventh head coach in 23 years.

Interesting off-season thus far.

No jumping or pushing.  He's an IWU alum, has worked as the DC with the new coach before and simply loves the school.  New coaching era allows him the opportunity to return home. 

As far as Mike Murray is concerned, I'm not saying that IWU was responsible for the jump-or-be-pushed. "Jump-or-be-pushed" refers to an ultimatum given by a superior to an employee to either resign in order to save face, or else get the pink slip. In other words, it's about Elmhurst, not IWU.

But if what you're saying is that he's jumped of his own accord by leaving the head coaching job at Elmhurst without being coerced, for the specific purpose of being hired as an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan -- which is obviously a step backwards career-wise (dunno about financial-wise, since I don't know what EU head coaches and IWU F-T assistant coaches make) -- it seems counterintuitive, even though he's returning to his alma mater. The fact that Murray is an Illinois Wesleyan graduate also makes me wonder if he applied for the IWU head coaching job in November and didn't get it. As both a former Titan and Norm Eash's peer within the CCIW head coaching fraternity, wouldn't Norm's job be the job he originally wanted? If that's the case, this would be the first time I've ever heard of a head coach applying for a job, not getting it, and then deciding to make the career-reduction move of quitting his current head-coaching job in order to settle for a position as the underling of the guy who'd beat him out for the job he'd applied for earlier.

I'm not trying to stir up trouble. I'm just saying that at the very least the optics are odd.

Quote from: 79jaybird on January 14, 2025, 12:36:13 PMMike Murray was not pushed out at Elmhurst.  If anything Elmhurst would praise Mike Murray because he has helped Elmhurst attain more wins and started to rebuild the program.

Well, Mark, you have inside connections within Elmhurst that none of the rest of us have, so if you have definitive proof that Murray wasn't forced to resign I'll certainly take your word for it.

I think you're overstating Murray's accomplishments. When your predecessor goes 2-28, 2-25 over the course of his three seasons, ending with a winless campaign, you've got a pretty low bar to hop over. Murray went 5-15, 4-14 in his two seasons at EU. That's not epically horrible by Elmhurst's historical standards (or certainly by the historical standards of my alma mater as well), but it's not exactly conclusive evidence that he's been following in the footsteps of Mike Budziszewski or Kyle Rooker.

But, since Murray only had two years on the job -- too short a period for any realistic assessment of his program-building capability -- I wonder if the issue isn't wins and losses but rather recruitment and retention. The 2025 roster is already up on elmhurstbluejays.com, and it has 59 players on it. Sticking with the comparison to Budziszewski and Rooker, Carroll and North Park have 90 and 86 players, respectively, who are eligible to return in 2025. Of course, when the 2025 rosters for the Pioneers and Vikings are posted sans incoming freshmen and transfers, there won't be 90 and 86 players on them. But there'll be a whole lot more than 59 returnees apiece for CU and NPU, I'm sure. I hate how D3 athletics has become so driven by enrollment numbers (now more than ever in this demographic drought), but, given Elmhurst's fiscal struggles, my guess is that Bluejays football recruitment and retention are more meaningful than ever in the eyes of the EU administration.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on January 14, 2025, 04:09:54 PMIf that's the case, this would be the first time I've ever heard of a head coach applying for a job, not getting it, and then deciding to make the career-reduction move of quitting his current head-coaching job in order to settle for a position as the underling of the guy who'd beat him out for the job he'd applied for earlier.

Marcus McLin did the same a couple years ago when he did not get the UW-Whitewater head coaching job, for what it's worth.

Didn't know that. Thanks, Pat.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on January 14, 2025, 06:17:05 PMDidn't know that. Thanks, Pat.

It was super interesting when he did it as well!

Well, if Thorne wants to get back into coaching....Elmhurst would be the logical destination.

Interesting fact, Elmhurst's OC (Joe Furco) is the COO for GoRout. Thorne works for GoRout as a sales rep.

Good points Greg.  Sadly the bar for Elmhurst historically has never been very high.
Look at how long Elmhurst kept Paul Krohn.  Greatest man you'll ever meet, but the Wins were not there for most of his tenure. 

IDK-  Going to be interesting to see what Elmhurst will value the most for the prospective candidate and whom they will select. 

Furco would appear to be a solid, leading candidate. 

He certainly meets your criterion of being someone who donned the blue & white and left it all on Langhorst Field during his playing days. Furco's name is featured prominently all over the passing categories of the Elmhurst football record book.

JJ Watt had a segment on the Pat McAfee show today. I had to do a double take when I saw what he was wearing. His segment starts at 25 minute mark.