| BSB/SB Alabama Hires Brad Bohannon as new Baseball Coach

[Max]

It’s early in the college baseball coaching cycle, and early in the University of Alabama’s coaching search. First-year director of athletics Greg Byrne is looking for his first coaching hire after firing first-year coach Greg Goff on Wednesday.

Alabama has one of the nation’s best facilities and a strong baseball tradition to sell to candidates. On the other hand, the coach will be Alabama’s third in as many years, inheriting a program that missed the SEC tournament this season, and trying to guide UA back to the College World Series for the first time since 1999. The NCAA limit of 11.7 scholarships and Alabama’s lack of a state lottery that could supplement that number is also well-known in the baseball world. There’s reason to be optimistic, but the Alabama job also has real drawbacks that coaches will consider.

The following list should be considered speculative. Byrne said on Tuesday he wanted a coach with college experience, but doesn’t necessarily require head coaching experience. He purposefully left himself with a broad pool to draw from. Byrne also won’t be limited by geography; his career began in the Pacific Northwest, but was athletics director at Mississippi State and Arizona before Alabama. He made baseball hires at both stops, and both head coaches took their programs to Omaha.

It’s too early to narrow down a list of candidates. For now, we’re listing candidates alphabetically.



Brad Bohannon

Current position: Auburn assistant coach/recruiting coordinator since 2016

Resume highlights: Kentucky assistant (2004-15). Wake Forest assistant (2002-03). Baseball America’s 2015 assistant coach of the year.

Bohannon is a veteran SEC assistant who will be in his sixth NCAA tournament this season. He may have a relationship with Byrne from a brief period where their tenures at Kentucky overlapped. He’s a strong recruiter and well-respected around baseball circles.



Scott Brown
Current position: Vanderbilt pitching coach

Resume highlights: Vanderbilt pitching coach (2013-present), St. John’s pitching coach (2004-12)

He helped Vanderbilt win a national championship in his second year, and the Commodores were College World Series runners-up in 2014. Vanderbilt is an annual contender in the SEC and St. John’s was a strong performer in the Big East during his tenure there. The Red Storm made the NCAA tournament seven times in nine years when he was an assistant, but have otherwise made it just once since 1997. Vanderbilt has different opportunities and strengths in recruiting than Alabama but Brown has earned his keep in Nashville.



Mark Calvi
Current position: South Alabama head coach since 2012

Resume highlights: NCAA regional in 2013 and 2016 with the Jaguars. South Carolina pitching coach (2005-10), including an NCAA championships in 2010.

It was a little bit of a surprise that Calvi wasn’t a more serious candidate last time around. South Alabama could earn another NCAA bid this season, but he made his name at South Carolina. The Gamecocks were a powerhouse during his tenure with one of the league’s best pitching staffs. South Carolina also won a national championship in 2011 and were runners-up in 2012 thanks in part to players he recruited or developed.



Alan Dunn
Current position: LSU pitching coach

Resume highlights: LSU pitching coach (2012-present), Baltimore Orioles bullpen coach (2007-10), Orioles pitching coordinator (2011), Chicago Cubs minor league coach/coordinator (1993-2007), Vanderbilt assistant (1991-92)

The only Alabama alumni on this list might have ended up in Tuscaloosa last time around, but it was more likely to be as an assistant in a package with another head coach. He has major league experience as a player and coach. His LSU pitchers have major league pedigree as well; 14 have been drafted in five years. LSU has made the NCAA tournament every year he’s been in Baton Rouge and reached Omaha twice.



Gary Gilmore
Current position: Coastal Carolina head coach

Resume highlights: Coastal Carolina head coach (1996-present) with 2016 national championship, USC Aiken head coach (1990-95), including College World Series appearance in 1993.

If you want to aim big, how about the guy who won last year’s national championship? Gilmore will be hard to pull away from his alma mater, but he’s amassed a staggering record in 22 seasons there. The Chanticleers have made 14 of the last 16 NCAA tournaments. Expect his name to be connected with other major-conference openings as well.



Jay Johnson
Current position: Arizona head coach

Resume highlights: Arizona head coach (2016-present), Nevada head coach (2014-15), San Diego assistant (2006-13)

Johnson has the most direct tie to Byrne on this list, because Alabama’s athletics director hired him at Arizona. He took the Wildcats to the final game in the College World Series in his first year before falling short of a championship. His entire career has been on the West Coast and recruiting the southeast may be a challenge, but he’s proven that he can win.



Nick Mingione
Current position: Kentucky head coach

Resume highlights: Kentucky head coach (2017-present), Mississippi State assistant coach/recruiting coordinator (2009-16), Western Carolina assistant coach/recruiting coordinator (2008), Kentucky assistant (2006-07)

Byrne and Mingione spent time at Mississippi State together from 2009-10. The Wildcats have been a surprise in Mingione’s first year, finishing third in the conference after missing the NCAA tournament last season. He is believed to love Lexington and UK broke ground on a new $49 million baseball stadium in March, but his $375,000 salary might make him a possibility.



Other names:
Scott Berry (Southern Miss head coach) – He’s not a young up-and-comer, but Berry has been more than solid in eight years in Hattiesburg. He’s never had a losing record never finished worse than third in the conference. This year might be his best coaching job yet. The Golden Eagles are 44-13 and ranked in every major poll.

Casey Dunn (Samford head coach) – Dunn wasn’t a finalist a year ago but there was some support. It seems unlikely there will be much momentum for him this time but don’t totally rule it out.

Cliff Godwin (East Carolina head coach) – Bill Battle confirmed that Godwin was among his finalists last year, and there was strong interest from both sides. Byrne is his own man and this is his search, but Godwin has SEC experience as an assistant and took ECU to a Super Regional last season.

Bobby Pierce (former Troy head coach) – Troy hasn’t dominated the Sun Belt during Pierce’s tenure but he’s been very consistent and made four NCAA tournaments. Pierce is a former UA player and assistant coach. He may have reached out to Alabama about the position last year, but was not a finalist.

http://www.rolltidebama.com/forum/index.php?forums/fansights.76/create-thread

 

[rammerjammer]

A lot of good names on the list.....For some reason I really like the idea of Scott Brown from Vandy. Seems to have a good Pedigree. I also like Alan Dunn (Bama Alum).

I know a lot of folks are don't like Casey Dunn because of his Barner ties, but the guy can coach. The biggest advantage to Dunn, IMO is he played HS baseball in Alabama, coached HS baseball in Alabama and has a ton of contacts throughout the HS ranks. I think that would help a great deal with our limited number of scholarships.

 

[OldPlayer]

I'm not buying the lack of a lottery as a reason for Alabama's scholarship (and therefore performance) woes. Mississippi doesn't have a lottery and MSU and Ole Miss don't seem to have an issue. Alabama's enrollment has grown tremendously since Saban arrived, primarily from out-of-state students who pay more (it costs the same to teach an out-of-state student as it does an in-state student). Last year's freshman class had more out-of-state than in-state students. That growth in enrollment and fees leads to more money for academic scholarships. Is Alabama recruiting below average students that don't qualify for academic scholarships? If a lottery were approved, the state and/or school can't/won't earmark the funds for baseball scholarships.

 

[TerryP]

I'm not buying the lack of a lottery as a reason for Alabama's scholarship (and therefore performance) woes. Mississippi doesn't have a lottery and MSU and Ole Miss don't seem to have an issue.

You're right, Mississippi doesn't have a lottery.

They do give out of state kids in-state tuition which is a almost $11,000.

You may not buy the lottery having an impact. Yet, college coaches have said it does. Schools are using in-state grants to add in addition to the 11.7 among other things.

IF this was happening in football, we'd have seen a change years ago.

 

[TerryP]

I know a lot of folks are don't like Casey Dunn because of his Barner ties, but the guy can coach.

Based on what? He's been head coach there 13 years and has taken the team to the CWS regionals one time.

 

[rammerjammer]

I know what you're saying, but I think his connections would take him a long ways in the state. Stallings had a losing record as a HC before coming into the right situation at Bama. I think, he has the same potential to bloom, much like Stallings. Right situation, right job. Granted there are better candidates on the list, but it's not like we are a destination job in the realm of baseball.

 

[TerryP]

@rammerjammer I can't speak for you here, but it's my opinion we wouldn't hear the name Casey Dunn if it wasn't for Alan--and I'm not a fan of hiring him, to be honest. I am not saying Alan would be a bad hire. I am saying there's a reason Cohen didn't hire him at Mississippi State and it's my belief it falls back to scouting/evaluation experience. Alan would require having a fantastic staff, in my opinion.

If there's one box I would like to see checked on the future coach's resume it's "pro-scouting background" or something very akin.

These "lists" breaking in the last few days seem to be what we saw last year--just a few minor details changed like the date of the article, or where a coach is today.

 

[TerryP]

These "lists" breaking in the last few days seem to be what we saw last year

And, one more opinion here.

These list compiled by Bama beat writers ...

We've seen Byrne say if a candidate talks to the media, he's not a candidate (sic.) So, what good does it do for a BAMA beat writer to put lists like this out considering the outcome is going to be media members asking them about the job.

Counter-productive in my eyes.

 

[OldPlayer]

You're right, Mississippi doesn't have a lottery.

They do give out of state kids in-state tuition which is a almost $11,000.

You may not buy the lottery having an impact. Yet, college coaches have said it does. Schools are using in-state grants to add in addition to the 11.7 among other things.

IF this was happening in football, we'd have seen a change years ago.

Alabama has the same ability to offer in-state tuition. Why doesn't it? How many total players on the team? How many could it be offered to? What's the financial impact to the school? It's like throwing a deck chair off of the Titanic.

 

[TerryP]

Alabama has the same ability to offer in-state tuition. Why doesn't it?

Pardon the pun, but that's the elephant in the room. I don't know and it seems no one has a explanation. It's well within the rules of the NCAA to use other grants to supplement scholarships in baseball--just another huge difference in team count and head count scholarship rules.

There is no doubt the 11.7 needs to be looked at, in detail, when it comes to baseball.

**A few years ago I read a comment by one of the LSU coaches about how much they benefited from that "loophole." At the time LSU, and a few of the other schools like UGA (HOPE,) were carrying as many as 40+ on their rosters.

 

[Mark Inabinett |]

On a night devoted to football, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne talked about four other sports during a brief meeting with reporters before the 23rd annual DEX Imaging Reese's Senior Bowl L'Arche Football Preview in Mobile on Thursday.


Any time you go through a coaching change like this, it's a tough time for everybody involved, most importantly, the coaches and their families," Byrne said. "Then you want to make sure the guys on the team are OK.".

Byrne said he had no timetable to name Goff's replacement because he wanted "to be very respectful" of coaches and teams still playing.

"The reality is we feel confident there's going to be a lot of really good baseball coaches who are interested in our opportunity," Byrne said. "Alabama's a very special place. We've got some great resources and great tradition and a very passionate fan base and a lot of really good high school talent in the state of Alabama. But on top of that, our brand of the University of Alabama allows us to recruit nationally as well.

"Actually, I've been spending a little bit of time studying our past rosters of some of our top teams, which is actually what I did at Arizona, too, when I hired the baseball coach there a couple of years ago. I wanted to look to see when teams had success, where were those kids coming from, and actually we've had some pretty good national success in recruiting in the past at Alabama, and I think that's something that we'll keep in mind as we look at what our options are this time."

Continue reading...

 

[BAMANEWSBOT]

CECIL HURT: How patient will Alabama baseball fans be?

In his first major act as University of Alabama director of athletics, Greg Byrne received Oscar-level reviews. He has been described as “bold” and “decisive,” praised for not being a penny-pincher or a procrastinator. He certainly projected a strong, professional image at Wednesday’s press conference to announce the firing of head baseball coach Greg Goff.

As drama goes, it’s a role that Byrne hopes he never has to play again in a sequel.

That’s not to say that Goff is the last coach Byrne will ever have to remove at Alabama. Byrne would certainly like that to be the case, but that’s not the way of modern-day college athletics. It’s a tough, competitive world. Still, this was such an unusual set of circumstances that even Byrne couldn’t help falling into the paradox that inevitably accompanies the firing of a head coach less than a year into his tenure.

Part of Byrne’s presentation was to discuss the firing of Goff after one year. Another part was to discuss the future of the baseball program. It sounded like this:

“I really think it’s important as a program, as a University and as a fan base (that) whoever our next coach is, that we’re patient through the process,” Byrne said. “We have to have stability in our coaching staffs going forward. That’s very important. This is very unique, but this is very important going forward that we have that in mind going forward in what we do.

“Coaches are going to make decisions that sometimes aren’t going to be popular to everybody. They might not be popular to the team, the fan bases or the families — and that’s OK. There will be some of that as well, and we need to be patient through those processes.”

There’s a good bit to ponder there, but there’s not much argument that it’s a precise description of exactly what did not happen in Goff’s case. Why was that? What exactly triggered Byrne’s decision that this situation was “very unique?”

Asking the question doesn’t mean Byrne was automatically wrong in firing a coach after one season. Part of his job as the athletic director is to conduct triage, with the overall goal of saving the program even at the cost of a drastic cauterization. There has been a great deal said about Goff’s tenure off the field, much of it revealed through diligent work by Tuscaloosa News reporters Ben Jones and Aaron Suttles. Those issues go beyond the boxscore, or wins and losses. Byrne didn’t just randomly mention the concerns of “the team, the fan bases or the families.” Clearly, he heard from all those groups and listened to them. Just as clearly, he sent a message that they won’t be calling the shots in the future.

How much fan patience will there actually be, as Alabama brings in its third baseball coach in three years? Next season, the new staff will get a free pass on anything, even if they don’t win a game. There’s already a building buzz that the talent level, which was assumed by some to have been that of a .500 team in SEC play without “terrible coaching” is now so bad that a single league victory will be progress of sorts. But it doesn’t matter if Alabama fields a team wearing oven mitts and rompers next year, as far as criticism goes. After all, even if you acknowledge that this firing was a “very unique” circumstance, the odds of two “very unique” circumstances in a row are incalculable. So will it be two years, or three, or four before fans start to squirm? Given all the current restrictions on baseball scholarships (and the new rules about cutting players that Alabama intends to follow) and the might of the SEC in baseball, it could easily take that long. But “a long time” is better than “never.” Byrne clearly thought that baseball prominence was never going to happen with things as they were, nor was he going to play “wait-and-see” with an unpopular coach that he did not hire.

 

[TheChief]

I was talking with several high school coaches Friday, and of course the topic was Tennessee's future hire - since, you know, I live behind enemy lines. Several of the coaches were talking about what a joke "scouting" talent was. One of them said, "Really, how hard is that? A kid can play or he can't. Easy." I think I can spot talent too, but convincing that talent to play for me...maybe another story.

I've always thought I'd like to see Bama hire a coach from the minors. The same group of coaches (the ones up here in this God-forsaken hell-hole state) gave me lots of reasons those guys don't jump to college, even for substantially more money. They've played pro and don't need a little more money is one reason. They don't want to recruit and would rather just coach. Their career goal is to progress and become a big league manager. All valid points. If a coach had a deep connection and for many reasons wanted to come home, then the story might be different. Names of former players gone pro are popping up for Tennessee. Can I dream about John Mangum returning?

The "list" of potential hires does nothing to pique my interest. When I heard Saban for football? When I heard Avery for basketball? There is no name being mentioned that makes me excited about Bama baseball's future.

 

[TerryP]

Several of the coaches were talking about what a joke "scouting" talent was.

That has to be one of the stupidest things you've ever heard. It certainly ranks up there for me.

In the league, there may be one or two teams that have 20 or so scouts. The last I heard the Yankees had 150 or so. I realize we're talking MLB to college here, but still, the evidence shows that's just simply not true. Look no further than Mississippi State for an example this past season.

 

[RTB Twitter Bot]

 

[TheChief]

That has to be one of the stupidest things you've ever heard. It certainly ranks up there for me.

In the league, there may be one or two teams that have 20 or so scouts. The last I heard the Yankees had 150 or so. I realize we're talking MLB to college here, but still, the evidence shows that's just simply not true. Look no further than Mississippi State for an example this past season.

Maybe so, but having more scouts only provides opportunity. It stands to reason that if there are that many scouts, it must be much easier than coaching since the numbers are so disparate. The coach that made the comment played at UCF and for the Marlins organization.

I do sort of agree with you though. Years ago, I was umpiring high school baseball, and a nearby team had a player who was highly regarded. Very highly. I heard comments like "He's so athletic. Have you seen him dunk a basketball?" (I have yet to see a goal in the outfield.) He ended up being drafted, if memory serves, in the early second round. Once a year, we each had to travel and umpire a game at a small school, literally in the middle of nowhere, with a small field. Terrible pitching. Run-rule game if you could ever get it to end. So, highly scouted player hit two homers that were no more than pop ups off terrible pitching. He hit ten homers for the year; I saw two and added together they probably weren't 400 feet total. Anyway, he was drafted and played only one year.

In all though, what have you got in baseball? Speed. Easy to scout that. Arm strength. Easy to scout that. Fielding. Other than velo, not much difference in any level. So, hitting. Level of competition makes a tremendous difference as the above story illustrates. Pitchers - I can see the difficulty, but if a guy has great arm strength, fair control, and movement...

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I know a lot of folks are don't like Casey Dunn because of his Barner ties, but the guy can coach. The biggest advantage to Dunn, IMO is he played HS baseball in Alabama, coached HS baseball in Alabama and has a ton of contacts throughout the HS ranks. I think that would help a great deal with our limited number of scholarships.

The reason auburn passed him up a couple of hires back? Jacobs (and others) didn’t like that he was a Bama fan. I don’t think Bama will hire, or probably even show interest in Dunn this time around, but they could end up doing much worse (though I don’t think they will as Byrne is much more capable at this than Battle was).

 

[bama alum]

A lot of good names on the list.....For some reason I really like the idea of Scott Brown from Vandy. Seems to have a good Pedigree. I also like Alan Dunn (Bama Alum).

I know a lot of folks are don't like Casey Dunn because of his Barner ties, but the guy can coach. The biggest advantage to Dunn, IMO is he played HS baseball in Alabama, coached HS baseball in Alabama and has a ton of contacts throughout the HS ranks. I think that would help a great deal with our limited number of scholarships.

I agree with you. Dunn would be a really good hire!

 

[TerryP]

Alabama has the same ability to offer in-state tuition. Why doesn't it? How many total players on the team? How many could it be offered to? What's the financial impact to the school? It's like throwing a deck chair off of the Titanic.

A little more on this, OP.

Here's one key difference. Mississippi waives out of state tuition for kids from Memphis so it's not a benefit only baseball players are receiving--within the rules of the NCAA because it's a benefit regular students receive as well.

That changes the picture a little bit.

 

[OldPlayer]

A little more on this, OP.

Here's one key difference. Mississippi waives out of state tuition for kids from Memphis so it's not a benefit only baseball players are receiving--within the rules of the NCAA because it's a benefit regular students receive as well.

That changes the picture a little bit.

I know kids from Atlanta that received in-state tuition as a part of their academic scholarship. It's happening, but not for baseball.