"Truth be told, this type of season has been coming for a while now. Boise State is depleted in the trenches on both sides. The defensive line is thin at skill and experience, and the offensive line has been a bugaboo for four or five years now. And don’t even get me started on the linebackers. Outside of the receivers, the defensive secondary, and sometimes the running backs, BSU no longer has the most talent in the Mountain West.
Why? It boils down largely to former head coach Bryan Harsin. Don’t get me wrong, the current coaching staff is to blame for the game day hiccups and lack of attention to details, but the lack of talent at the two most important position groups on a team can be directly traced back to Harsin and his staff.
For years we have heard rumors that he is a jerk and difficult to work for. The revolving door of assistant coaches who have worked for him, the emails obtained through FOIA requests, and the comments from former coaches all confirm this point. The way he treats the media is confirmation enough.
When you can’t keep coaches on the staff because you are miserable to work under, you have to keep hiring new coaches. And when word gets out that you’re not a nice person, people don’t want to apply for your job opening. And when the applicant pool is shallow, you end up with guys like Brad Bedell, Winston Venable, and Eric Kiesau on staff.
And when you have coaches who can’t quite hack it on staff, your recruiting suffers, and your player development lacks. It has become clear the recruiting misses at positions of importance are directly related to the coaches on staff. This is how Boise State ended up with one of the worst-performing offensive lines in the country, and certainly the worst ever at the school."
"Yes, I am saying Harsin built a house of cards and bailed when he saw wind begin to blow."
Why? It boils down largely to former head coach Bryan Harsin. Don’t get me wrong, the current coaching staff is to blame for the game day hiccups and lack of attention to details, but the lack of talent at the two most important position groups on a team can be directly traced back to Harsin and his staff.
For years we have heard rumors that he is a jerk and difficult to work for. The revolving door of assistant coaches who have worked for him, the emails obtained through FOIA requests, and the comments from former coaches all confirm this point. The way he treats the media is confirmation enough.
When you can’t keep coaches on the staff because you are miserable to work under, you have to keep hiring new coaches. And when word gets out that you’re not a nice person, people don’t want to apply for your job opening. And when the applicant pool is shallow, you end up with guys like Brad Bedell, Winston Venable, and Eric Kiesau on staff.
And when you have coaches who can’t quite hack it on staff, your recruiting suffers, and your player development lacks. It has become clear the recruiting misses at positions of importance are directly related to the coaches on staff. This is how Boise State ended up with one of the worst-performing offensive lines in the country, and certainly the worst ever at the school."
"Yes, I am saying Harsin built a house of cards and bailed when he saw wind begin to blow."
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