Fresno State makes strong hire in Kalen DeBoer – but it’s the timeline that’s telling
Fresno State made the best possible hire to replace Jeff Tedford as the new boss of Bulldogs football. Still, only time will tell if Kalen DeBoer will be successful in his new job. That’s the nature of coaching.
What can’t be equivocated is how athletic director Terry Tumey mashed the accelerator on the search and what that tells us about the Bulldogs going forward.
Hint: It’s more good news.
On Dec. 6, when Tedford announced he was stepping down for health reasons, Fresno State appeared to be the victim of terrible timing in addition to losing a top-notch coach and leader.
That’s because Cal State University policy dictates all job openings must be posted for 14 days before a hire can be made. And in the two decades I’ve covered the Bulldogs, that policy has been strictly followed.
Even if that meant followed straight over a cliff.
Waiting 14 days to make this hire would’ve resulted in a situation where Fresno State didn’t have a head football coach in place Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period when 80% of the nation’s top prospects ink their letters of intent.
That’s not a situation any college football team wants to find itself in. Especially those desperately needing to bounce back from 4-8 seasons.
During Tedford’s farewell news conference, Tumey answered questions about the 14-day posting period by indicating CSU policy would be followed.
However, the accelerated nature of Tuesday’s announcement – 11 days after Tedford officially stepped down – tells us Tumey must’ve found a way around standard operating procedure. It also tells us university administrators including President Joseph Castro recognized the situation the Bulldogs were in and supported Tumey’s maneuverings.
“We weren’t trying to find a loophole,” Tumey said following DeBoer’s introduction at Save Mart Center. “We went to our CSU governing body and really understood how these processes work, staying compliant, of course.
“What we did determine was that there could be a little bit of a speed-up of that process with the circumstances that were involved and the fact that it was an equitable search. That was the key to it. It has to be equitable in all facets.”
Bulldogs fans should be happy
This may not seem like a big deal. It very much is.
Over the years I’ve heard several Bulldogs football and basketball coaches grumble about Fresno State’s insistence on adhering to the 14-day rule and how much it hurt them with respect to assistant coach hires. Those comments were always made under their breath and off the record, for fear of angering some human resources muckety muck, and always left me with the impression that not everyone inside the university was pulling on the same end of the rope.
This isn’t to say 14-day job postings are a bad idea. Waiting two weeks is perfectly acceptable if you’re trying to hire an assistant trainer or math department instructor. But no matter how many people apply for the position of head football coach at an FBS program, only a handful are truly qualified. Of those, even fewer are both interested in the job and meet what the AD is looking for.
In other words, potential applicants didn’t get screwed over by the Bulldogs hiring a football coach three days before CSU policy dictates. And in this case, waiting until Friday had the potential to wreck this year’s recruiting class.
I’m happy Fresno State recognized this. Bulldogs fans and boosters should be happy, too. It tells me the university’s “executive leadership” (Tumey’s phrase) is working together toward a common good rather than at cross purposes. Which, believe me, is a relatively recent development.
“There was no way as an athletic director I could figure all those questions out,” Tumey said. “I needed help from our administration, and I needed help from the CSU system.”
DeBoer has eye for talent (example: Josh Allen)
From the moment Tedford’s heart problems forced him to the sideline, DeBoer was the Bulldogs’ top target. Which made all the sense in the world. DeBoer has a strong track record during three stops as an FBS offensive coordinator (Indiana, Fresno State and Eastern Michigan) and a sterling record (67-3, three national titles) as an NAIA head coach.
Besides having first-hand knowledge of what it takes to succeed at Fresno State, DeBoer offers continuity. I presume he’ll retain most, if not all, of Tedford’s coaching staff. He also possesses a keen eye for talent. Besides Wyoming, the only FBS offer Josh Allen received following his lone season at Reedley College came from DeBoer and Eastern Michigan.
If Tumey wanted continuity in addition to a bright young coach with an engaging personality, DeBoer was definitely the guy.
“We are going to win football games, and we’re going to do it the right way, with integrity,” the 45-year-old South Dakota native said. “You’re going to be proud of us in the Valley.”
Again, whether DeBoer can match Tedford’s success remains to be seen. Though signs are encouraging, nothing is assured. This is DeBoer’s first shot at this level.
What can be said for certain is Fresno State, under Tumey, found a way to circumvent standard university policy to hire the guy they wanted in the most beneficial timeline – rather than get stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire.
If this is any indication of how the Bulldogs pull together going forward, there’s even more reason to be encouraged.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 4:14 PM.
