The new Syracuse football head coach, Dino Babers, has some decisions to make regarding his staff for next year. Who will he pick and who should he listen to?
I’m going to preface this little article by saying that I’m a Syracuse University graduate. I went to school there from 2000-2004 and didn’t miss a single football or basketball game in my four years there.
That being said, it really bothers me that former alumni have been chiming in and trying to tell Babers what to do with his staff. In case you hadn’t heard, a group of alumni have been clamoring for Babers and Coyle to keep Will Hicks, the current strength and conditioning coach for Syracuse football.
Let me give you a little background on Will. He has been at Syracuse University for the past 15 years. Since 2007 he has been the Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Performance. Before that he was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach from 2000-2007. Prior to working at SU, he was employed for 10 years at NC State in various roles. He started as an Athletic Improvement Coordinator and worked his way up to Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations in 1996.
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Hicks, aside from having lots of experience, is also loved by his former players, other coaches, and pretty much everyone up at Syracuse University. Everyone will tell you stories of how great he is and the loads of things he’s gone out of his way to do for his friends, family, and athletes. Basically, he’s a high-character guy who is likable and has lots of experience.
Given all that, you must be asking why I’d be opposed to alum sticking up for him and demanding he keep his job, right? Well, there are a couple reasons I feel that way.
First and foremost, I don’t think that someone should keep their job just because they are well liked. Scott Shafer was very well-liked, yet Mark Coyle pulled the trigger and fired him, and I can’t say I 100% blame him. Shafer had some excellent intangibles, but he also had some serious question marks as a coach in game situations. I was a fan of Shafer and I do wish he had been given another year to turn things around, but at the same time I completely understand the decision by Coyle to bring in his own guy.
This situation is no different. Babers is the head coach and he needs to have the person who is the absolute best fit for the incredibly up-tempo, “fastest show on turf” style offense he’s going to run. If Babers decides Will Hicks is the perfect fit, great! Keep Hicks. However, if he thinks that there is another candidate more suitable, such as the head of Strength and Conditioning from Bowling Green, then he needs to make the right decision and hire him. No one knows what the program will need better than Babers, who has done this before multiple times. He can’t be leashed by the alumni just because they like a guy.
Second, I just find it incredibly disrespectful that former players and alumni would even do this. And it’s not even so much request, but the tone from many of them.
Coach Hicks is not only THE best strength coach in the NCAA, but a father figure to all who play at Cuse. The alumni have spoken. #KeepHicks
— Justin Pugh (@JustinPugh) December 5, 2015
I’m fine with supporting your former coach and wanting him to stay a part of the program. What I’m not fine with is making comments like “The alumni have spoken”. I’m sorry, since when do you speak for all alumni? Last I checked, I was never contacted and asked my opinion on the matter. Nor were tens of thousands of other alums who might not agree. It just comes off as a really arrogant comment, as if the alumni should have more sway than the head coach. Sorry, that’s not the way it works fellas.
Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying they should fire Hicks. He’s been a dedicated member of Syracuse football for 15 years and he is clearly loved by many. So keep him on staff and give him a new position. It’s not like they haven’t done that before. I seem to recall Daryl Gross being moved around the University after his fall from grace as the AD. He’s now some random VP and Assistant to the Dean. I’m sure they could do something similar for Hicks, especially considering Hicks did nothing wrong.
The bottom line is, Babers needs to be able to do what’s best for his program without intervention. The whole reason we are bringing in a coach with actual coaching experience is so that we can listen to him and let him do what is necessary to turn our program around. Handcuffing him out of the gate is silly and a really unfair request from the alums.
I truly hope Babers gets to call all the shots. He deserves that much, and this is one alumni who would absolutely choose to trust in our new coach over past friendships. I’ll end this article on a positive note, as it looks as though Babers is not planning to retain Hicks at his current position. I’m glad it’s looking like he really does have control and isn’t just a puppet for the University, but I do hope that Hicks gets to stay on in a different role, as long as he’s qualified for it. We’ll know soon enough.
SU football staffing news: Strength and conditioning coach Will Hicks will not be retained by Babers, source close to the situation says.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) December 8, 2015