FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

How we doing everybody?  I've gotten so disconnected from the OAC the last couple years.  I'm sure I've missed 98% Mount Union chatter/2% rest of OAC talk.  Life's just been busy and coaching has definitely kept me swamped. I spent last fall double-dipping between HS varsity tackle coaching and calling the offense for girls flag which is growing as fast as any sport in the US.  Six of my seniors have gotten offers to play flag at the collegiate level (NAIA) as it is blowing up as a college sports as well.  I still lurk here from time to time but don't feel like I have much to contribute these days.  Hope everyone is well.

[D3fanboy]

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nick-sirianni-college-football-player-coach-mount-union-division-iii/721ec3e4e6947a3d04176770

Sirianni joined what at minimum could be described as an all-time staff at the Division III level. Candle was still the receivers coach and would later be the offensive coordinator.  Vince Kehres – Larry's son who would take over as head coach from 2013-19 – coached the offensive line. Matt Campbell – another former Mount Union star who is now the head coach at Iowa State – and Sirianni were on the defensive side.

Truly mind blowing to have that staff with a team that featured Kmic, Micheli, Garcon, etc.

And that's not even mentioning the loaded UWW teams and coaches of that era.  Truly the peak times of D3FB

[BillyRayJimBob]

How we doing everybody?  I've gotten so disconnected from the OAC the last couple years.  I'm sure I've missed 98% Mount Union chatter/2% rest of OAC talk.  Life's just been busy and coaching has definitely kept me swamped. I spent last fall double-dipping between HS varsity tackle coaching and calling the offense for girls flag which is growing as fast as any sport in the US.  Six of my seniors have gotten offers to play flag at the collegiate level (NAIA) as it is blowing up as a college sports as well.  I still lurk here from time to time but don't feel like I have much to contribute these days.  Hope everyone is well.

No ... Hope you are well, my Friend!
Been a while since enjoying beer, wings, and conversation with you in New Haven.
I still bleed Purple and White, my Johns Hopkins doctors don't know why, and it is not, as you suggest, a result of stout beer and beef jerky!
Give me a holler if in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area.

[Dr. Acula]

2% is generous, RC.  Glad you're well!

[WRMUalum13]

Congrats to Coach Sirianni! First UMU alum to coach a Super Bowl winning team (as a head coach) We didn't get a Stagg Bowl this year but an alum winning a Super Bowl is an excellent consolation prize

[D3fanboy]

Big congrats to Nick getting that monkey off of his back so early in his career. 

There was some very, old school Mount Union looks from the Eagles tonight. The roll pass/drag route TD to Brown and the killshot deep ball TD immediately after getting a short field on a turnover were vintage LK.

Hopefully someone was taking notes when, in a post game interview, Sirianni talked about how he loved calling plays but he needed to step back from that to be able to focus on leading the entire team

[Dr. Acula]

Sirianni and Ryan Day both gave up calling plays.  Just sayin.

[Raider 68]

Congratulations to Coach Nick Sirianni! Well deserved!

[#1OacFan]

Marietta Hires JCU Alumni to lead their Football Team. Tom Kaufman is the Next Head Coach at MC. This is a GREAT Hire by the Pioneers!

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Marietta Hires JCU Alumni to lead their Football Team. Tom Kaufman is the Next Head Coach at MC. This is a GREAT Hire by the Pioneers!

Great Hire!

[D3fanboy]

Marietta Hires JCU Alumni to lead their Football Team. Tom Kaufman is the Next Head Coach at MC. This is a GREAT Hire by the Pioneers!

he better hit the ground recruiting, pretty sure that the top underclass Pioneer is in the transfer portal.  All-American, top OAC LB award winner, etc Harley Hopkins

[#1OacFan]

If you're Harley Hopkins, how can you not wanna play for him! He is a D1 LB Coach, Hopkins will be back next fall. This is an absolute home run hire for MC. I'm not sure how you lose one of the most successful coaches in school history and somehow upgrade, but the Pioneers may have just done that.

[Dr. Acula]

While I agree it's a strong hire, thinking the Pios may have upgraded is a bit of a stretch to me at this point.  His predecessor was hired away because he had built the program up and won games.  Maybe Kaufman will continue to elevate the program.  I just don't want to discount what Waddle did there.  There's a reason stuff like that has only happened a couple times in the past 30 years.

[mc1983]

Great hire. Reality of today's world is that your first recruiting pitch is your current roster.

Hopkins and WR Jay Melchiori both in the portal. Prevailing opinion is that they may be Valpo bound to join Coach Waddle. But if there's any chance of keeping them, Kaufman should be reaching out ASAP.

There have amazingly been maybe 5-7 Marietta commits to a program without a head coach (hats off to the interim, Tom Hinkle). But Kaufman needs to be hitting the trail today! A lot of ground to make up.

[mc1983]

While I agree it's a strong hire, thinking the Pios may have upgraded is a bit of a stretch to me at this point.  His predecessor was hired away because he had built the program up and won games.  Maybe Kaufman will continue to elevate the program.  I just don't want to discount what Waddle did there.  There's a reason stuff like that has only happened a couple times in the past 30 years.

Fully agree. Kaufman has a great resume, but Waddle did the heavy lifting of building the program. Hopefully he can build on that success, but it's a lot easier to take over an 8-3 team than a 1-10 team.