Nick Eason New DL Coach

[slyinsocal 831]

Blessing in disguise. Eason is 14 years younger with far more NFL experience, and a ring. His youth should help him connect with today's recruits. And with that personality and enthusiasm? I'll take it. TR already has done a lot for Auburn. Helped the school win a Natty as a coach, and what, 2 SEC titles as a player? Well done Tracy. And leave it at that.

[looney 794]

18 hours ago, metafour said:

Here he is mic'd up at last year's Senior Bowl:

 

 

Dibs on Man Crush 2021.

[AuburnNTexas 7,151]

I read his resume , watched his video then read a lot of the comments both negative and positive.

My take:

1. Great NFL coach who can teach how to play the game

2. Great personality as seen in Video 

3. No Recruiting HS experience -  This is a legitimate worry 

You never know what type of recruiter somebody will be until they do it. I am sure this was a concern when they interviewed Coach Eason. I am willing to bet they asked some questions about recruiting. Then it becomes subjective after listening to his answers.  Is he going to be a good teaching coach and motivator the answer is yes as seen in his production in the NFL. Can he relate to young men in college as seen in the video the answer is yes. Is he outgoing and at ease the answer is yes, again as seen in the video. Is he comfortable talking to people (Student Athlete, Student's Parent, Student's Coaches) this is where it is subjective in the way he answered the questions during the interview. Does he feel he can sell himself, the program, and the school to Student Athletes, their Parents and their coaches again subjective based on the interview.

I have seen what I think is a methodical well thought out plan in selecting coaches for Auburn since Harsin was hired, I have seen a coach who understands the need for a top quality recruiting organization (not just the coaches).  Based on what I have seen so far I think this will turn out to be a homerun hire. My only fear is that this will be a short term hire and he will use Auburn as a step to becoming a DC in the future (this is a good fear as you want competitive coaches who want to advance).

 

[AUnCullman 601]

He had me at Zebra Cakes...💘

[homersapien 11,387]

It's funny but I care less about next year's W/L record than I do for seeing notable "qualitative" changes in culture - like toughness, resilience, focus, execution, hustle.

I am "all in" with this coaching staff, starting with Coach Harsin.  I am convinced the wins will come given a little time. 

I'd like to think we are on the verge of a new era for Auburn football, akin to the Pat Dye era.

[meh130 1,043]

People keep saying Eason has never coached in college, and never recruited.

He spent a year (2018) at FCS Austin Peay. Why does an NFL coach go to a FCS college? Because the Tennessee Titans' head coach, Mike Mularkey was fired after the 2017 season.

Austin Peay is in Clarksville, TN, 50 miles up the road from Nashville. Eason may have not looked elsewhere because of a desire for family stability.

Yes, Austin Peay has been pretty bad at football. But it does mean Eason has dealt with NCAA college football and recruiting rules.

Certainly, with only one year of college coaching experience, Eason will need to develop as a recruiter, but he has a the other members of the staff to help him with that.

[Hydro-Logic 49]

Seems simple to me; hard not to like this hire...

[cole256 17,084]

2 hours ago, slyinsocal said:

Blessing in disguise. Eason is 14 years younger with far more NFL experience, and a ring. His youth should help him connect with today's recruits. And with that personality and enthusiasm? I'll take it. TR already has done a lot for Auburn. Helped the school win a Natty as a coach, and what, 2 SEC titles as a player? Well done Tracy. And leave it at that.

This member is a keeper

[cole256 17,084]

1 hour ago, meh130 said:

People keep saying Eason has never coached in college, and never recruited.

He spent a year (2018) at FCS Austin Peay. Why does an NFL coach go to a FCS college? Because the Tennessee Titans' head coach, Mike Mularkey was fired after the 2017 season.

Austin Peay is in Clarksville, TN, 50 miles up the road from Nashville. Eason may have not looked elsewhere because of a desire for family stability.

Yes, Austin Peay has been pretty bad at football. But it does mean Eason has dealt with NCAA college football and recruiting rules.

Certainly, with only one year of college coaching experience, Eason will need to develop as a recruiter, but he has a the other members of the staff to help him with that.

The never recruited thing is dumb as hell to me. I wish somebody would explain it. Do you learn some secret code as you get older?

[Cardin Drake 1,834]

I have minimal concerns about his recruiting, although I do believe that it is the single most important quality for a college coach.  You can't stay in the NFL without an ability to build relationships with your guys and command their respect. His NFL experience is exactly what recruits are looking for. You only have to listen to him for a few minutes to realize he has a likeable personality.   He is going to be an ace recruiter, almost guaranteed.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

 Seriously,  I have never recruited or been recruited at this level. 

How hard can recruiting be?   

You are either a likeable, believable and charismatic guy with integrity  or you are not.   

Otherwise it is just:  "we are impressed with your ability to do  "x".  We think you would fit right in and be able to help with what we are doing at Auburn.  Here is what we have to offer..."

Just like in sales.  You buy from the salesman you like as long as all the perks offered are close to the same.  Auburn has a lot to offer.

 

So isn't recruiting 95% how charismatic and honest a coach is?

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, cole256 said:

The never recruited thing is dumb as hell to me. I wish somebody would explain it. Do you learn some secret code as you get older?

They might not be wired for that particular grind- going out and kissing hands and shaking babies, extra road trips on top of what you have to do during the season, checking in on kids that live 2 states away, just the whole sales aspect of it. I don't even know what all goes into recruiting, but I would imagine it's a completely different skill set and require different motivation than actual coaching. 

I know I'd be terrible at it. I'd be good at going to these kids' towns and eating ribs or jambalaya or whatever the local specialty is. But I wouldn't be good at any of the rest of it. 

[AUBourne 425]

When people talk about recruiting experience are they referring to evaluation of high school players? I'm not even sure how that is done anymore. I don't think it is like the '80s where coaches have to find the talent and decide if they are a good fit. Now programs have dedicated staff to do that don't they?  Coaches just have to build relationships and close? 

[cole256 17,084]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

They might not be wired for that particular grind- going out and kissing hands and shaking babies, extra road trips on top of what you have to do during the season, checking in on kids that live 2 states away, just the whole sales aspect of it. I don't even know what all goes into recruiting, but I would imagine it's a completely different skill set and require different motivation than actual coaching. 

I know I'd be terrible at it. I'd be good at going to these kids' towns and eating ribs or jambalaya or whatever the local specialty is. But I wouldn't be good at any of the rest of it. 

As long as I could get to talk to the kid I think I'd be fine. Set yourself reminders, I'd make a special account on Instagram and all the other social platforms and go. All you need to recruit is to be consistent, and have some type of positive to sell yourself. Like I coached this guy that guy, just anything that proves you halfway know what you're doing and have a solid brand you're working for or selling. A brand new guy nobody heard of could go to bammer and be a top 10 recruiter. 

 

[slot canyon 1,335]

14 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

They might not be wired for that particular grind- going out and kissing hands and shaking babies, extra road trips on top of what you have to do during the season, checking in on kids that live 2 states away, just the whole sales aspect of it. I don't even know what all goes into recruiting, but I would imagine it's a completely different skill set and require different motivation than actual coaching. 

I know I'd be terrible at it. I'd be good at going to these kids' towns and eating ribs or jambalaya or whatever the local specialty is. But I wouldn't be good at any of the rest of it. 

He may get kicked out of a recruits home if he gets caught "shaking babies".

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 minutes ago, cole256 said:

As long as I could get to talk to the kid I think I'd be fine. Set yourself reminders, I'd make a special account on Instagram and all the other social platforms and go. All you need to recruit is to be consistent, and have some type of positive to sell yourself. Like I coached this guy that guy, just anything that proves you halfway know what you're doing and have a solid brand you're working for or selling. A brand new guy nobody heard of could go to bammer and be a top 10 recruiter. 

I think most guys in his position could. I doubt too many true introverts go into coaching. 

But going back to what we were talking about before with Harsin recruiting the off-field guys, I think this is an area where they'll really help out and that's one of those things that the elite recruiting schools have been better at than us. I'm guessing. But those reminders and the social feeds and stuff... hell yeah... let somebody back at the shop handle all that. Let the coaches focus on the talking. 

[cole256 17,084]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

I think most guys in his position could. I doubt too many true introverts go into coaching. 

But going back to what we were talking about before with Harsin recruiting the off-field guys, I think this is an area where they'll really help out and that's one of those things that the elite recruiting schools have been better at than us. I'm guessing. But those reminders and the social feeds and stuff... hell yeah... let somebody back at the shop handle all that. Let the coaches focus on the talking. 

Absolutely. I always said you have to have something. You can't go at players and think saying we're Auburn and that's enough. 

Things are changing, guys aren't desperate to sign anymore. Players know their worth now. And if you just provide the tools super competitive kids will come because they want to beat bammer....they have to have the tools though. And I'm not saying everything has to be the best of the best but you can't have guys needing shoes....

As a matter of fact I don't see how people weren't more outraged about that. People were saying the culture stuff....how can our team care when the school don't. Why would they invest and the actual school wouldn't invest in them? You have the simple covered. Once we establish that stuff has changed recruiting will be much better. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

19 minutes ago, cole256 said:

As long as I could get to talk to the kid I think I'd be fine. Set yourself reminders, I'd make a special account on Instagram and all the other social platforms and go. All you need to recruit is to be consistent, and have some type of positive to sell yourself. Like I coached this guy that guy, just anything that proves you halfway know what you're doing and have a solid brand you're working for or selling. A brand new guy nobody heard of could go to bammer and be a top 10 recruiter. 

 

I'm not even going to pretend like I know what it takes to recruit, but I think we can safely assume the foundational elements that you've alluded to - effort, interest, attention, etc. Of course, social media is an important tool. 

Where I would struggle, are the games that players play. Was listening to JBoy talk to Mike Farrell about Rocker a couple weeks ago. Talked about the landscape being what it is in recruiting, and old school guys like Rocker getting really turned off at showing up to player's homes only to be immediately asked by the player (or his parents) "what can you do for me?" That, and the way these kids handle their recruitment - announcements, and videos, and top 5s and then top 3s, commitments and decommitments, and then recommitments. Personally, I would struggle with that aspect. 

[gravejd 3,270]

35 minutes ago, AUBourne said:

When people talk about recruiting experience are they referring to evaluation of high school players? I'm not even sure how that is done anymore. I don't think it is like the '80s where coaches have to find the talent and decide if they are a good fit. Now programs have dedicated staff to do that don't they?  Coaches just have to build relationships and close? 

I was thinking the same thing. It seems like a no brainer that Coach Eason will be able to recruit guys. Former player at the position and long time coach.....seems like a cool guy on what videos i have seen. No question he can convince guys to come play for him. The better question is can he evaluate HS players and pick out which ones have already reached their full potential and which ones are going to continue to grow and get better. The ones that want to be the best and want to put in the work. And does he even need to do that or is that decided by the recruiting support staff??

[Barnacle 9,064]

20 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I think most guys in his position could. I doubt too many true introverts go into coaching. 

But going back to what we were talking about before with Harsin recruiting the off-field guys, I think this is an area where they'll really help out and that's one of those things that the elite recruiting schools have been better at than us. I'm guessing. But those reminders and the social feeds and stuff... hell yeah... let somebody back at the shop handle all that. Let the coaches focus on the talking. 

Support has to be so important, in recruiting and in game preparation. Having everything set up logistically in recruiting - travel, expenses, lodging - and allowing a coach to simply recruit has to make the job easier. Everything is about efficiency, and Harsin seems to get that. Likewise, having analysts scouting other teams weeks in advance, or handle preparation for certain situations - short yardage, for instance - allowing coordinators to work on the things they need to work on, has to be huge. You have to give the people you hire the ability to do the things they do best. That kind of organization is also what allows a program to replicate success. Once you have systems in place, you can start to plug in play. 

[cole256 17,084]

7 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I'm not even going to pretend like I know what it takes to recruit, but I think we can safely assume the foundational elements that you've alluded to - effort, interest, attention, etc. Of course, social media is an important tool. 

Where I would struggle, are the games that players play. Was listening to JBoy talk to Mike Farrell about Rocker a couple weeks ago. Talked about the landscape being what it is in recruiting, and old school guys like Rocker getting really turned off at showing up to player's homes only to be immediately asked by the player (or his parents) "what can you do for me?" That, and the way these kids handle their recruitment - announcements, and videos, and top 5s and then top 3s, commitments and decommitments, and then recommitments. Personally, I would struggle with that aspect. 

Why would that be a problem? I don't really buy all the people saying rocker hates recruiting stuff. I used to but after seeing how inaccurate people are......But the school is coming saying what can you do for me. It's not as much as a secret anymore. Everybody knows that visit is bull.

It's either you perform or there's going to be problems. What can you do for me and what can I do for you. The best relationships are the ones where both sides gain something. You can't blame either side. In the past the school had an advantage because players didn't have a voice. People make up all those stories and people would just run with it and believe them.

It's not like that anymore. Now people can see what these coaches would and can try to do now. There's no more I owe the school my life stuff.

[looney 794]

I wonder if they have an app for that. Sort of like CRM in the business world. A record of every conversation, notes you've taken, photos, videos, what their mommas cooked for you on in-home visits, etc. that just pops up all of those key tidbits when you hop on a call with the recruit.

Man - if there's not - anyone want to work on dev/test with me?

[toddc 13,194]

56 minutes ago, cole256 said:

As long as I could get to talk to the kid I think I'd be fine. Set yourself reminders, I'd make a special account on Instagram and all the other social platforms and go. All you need to recruit is to be consistent, and have some type of positive to sell yourself. Like I coached this guy that guy, just anything that proves you halfway know what you're doing and have a solid brand you're working for or selling. A brand new guy nobody heard of could go to bammer and be a top 10 recruiter. 

 

Yep, and with the recruiting guys we’re putting together off field analyst etc... they probably do all the setup and names, bios etc for the coaches. Easy Peazy

[Barnacle 9,064]

25 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Why would that be a problem? I don't really buy all the people saying rocker hates recruiting stuff. I used to but after seeing how inaccurate people are......But the school is coming saying what can you do for me. It's not as much as a secret anymore. Everybody knows that visit is bull.

It's either you perform or there's going to be problems. What can you do for me and what can I do for you. The best relationships are the ones where both sides gain something. You can't blame either side. In the past the school had an advantage because players didn't have a voice. People make up all those stories and people would just run with it and believe them.

It's not like that anymore. Now people can see what these coaches would and can try to do now. There's no more I owe the school my life stuff.

I should clarify that the implication isn't what can you do to help me develop as a football player. The implication is that kids and their parents are commonly asking for other kinds of help that someone in Rocker's position can't offer, let alone speak about. I don't know whether Rocker hates recruiting or not, but I can imagine that he hates that aspect of it, and I don't blame him.

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

21 hours ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

 

LOL.

 

(obviously not directed at you 3G)

 

In a recent video  where the coach is mic'd up  you have to listen to coach Nick Eason  give a speech to some players and their teammates.     A lot of you have complained about having to listen to this speech.    During this speech Mr Coach Nick Eason

 used a bad word.   I am sorry you have to listen to that.  A coach should never yell at the team. 

 

 I want you to know that I do not take this lightly.   I already talked to my cousin Charles, and he is going to administration with his lawyer to get Coach Eason fired.   Because that is what you should do if something doesn't go your way. 

 

 I hope you or your kids will never have to play under such a terrible coach like  Coach Nick Eason.    Unfortunately it is too late for the 3  dozen NFL starters that used to play for him. 

 

I have also contacted the NCAA and they are investigating the situation and will decide if they will take away his Super Bowl Rings and his 100 career wins for saying a bad word one time.   Hopefully you or your kids will play with good coaches that pat you on the butt and give you high fives when you miss a tackle,  and also gives you a snack at the end of the game.

 

As a coach you are always trying to prepare your players  for the next level.  and of course the next level is always easier.  So,  let this be a lesson to all you coaches.  You should never say a bad word,  EVER.

I hope you don't think I was complaining. I know that what is effective for grown kids is different than what's effective for my 5 year olds in kindergarten. (I might feel like cussin' some days! 😄 I choose not to cuss, because I just don't think that reflects well on me, but I have definitely heard those words before. Please ask your "cousin Charles" to call off the lawsuit. 🤣