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Ron Crook gets away

January 9, 2017 by Mike Casazza
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Ron Crook, allegedly nuts about peanut butter, sees you scratching your head. He’s the new offensive line coach at Cincinnati, a sudden and perhaps unexpected transaction Saturday night, and it’s apparent that does not unequivocally compute.

… wait, he’s leaving for that job?

It is interesting. Crook told me last year he left a good job at Stanford so he could bring his family home. He is from Parkersburg, after all, and he’s coached at a couple of schools in the state, but he also said his kids were growing up in California without much of a relationship with their grandparents in the Mountain State. He didn’t like that, so he fixed that.

But it’s not like Cincinnati is three time zones away. And I think some of the above hit on the larger point.

He also left Stanford so he could be the offensive line coach. He was coaching tight ends and offensive tackles for the Cardinal, and then he was in charge of the entire line and responsible for some major philosophical shifts at WVU. How many times in the past few seasons did Dana Holgorsen credit the improved running game and the use of a fullback and pulling guards and under-center snaps to Crook’s input?

That changed this past season, though, when Holgorsen hired Joe Wickline. He’s a famed offensive line coach. Cooks and broth, you know?

Crook’s contract was up, and WVU had always taken care of him, so I’m not sure he was fired or not retained or however you want to put it. I talked to someone yesterday who said in a text message, “I guess he wanted to coach OL by himself again.” It might be just that. A guy once wanted to be the guy, and he was the guy until the guy was again a guy, at which point a guy wanted to be the guy again. (If you’re keeping score, Crook’s replacement, or whoever takes Crook’s locker, will be the 27th assistant to work for Holgorsen.)

I don’t think Cincinnati will have a hard time matching or topping Crook’s salary. That’s an annual worry for WVU and its assistants. Other schools can pay, and they’re also willing to give multiple-year contracts. We’ll see. Crook was a valuable recruiter in Ohio for the Mountaineers, so the Bearcats likely spotlighted and will reward that.

As for replacements, it’s Wickline. I don’t know that, but I think we know that. It was a weird arrangement, and I don’t know if Holgorsen can find a person out there to make it work again. I also don’t think WVU will try to hire a new offensive line coach or an interior line coach given how particular and successful things are. Blending ideas worked before by adding Crook … but it worked. Mission: Accomplished. Now keep it moving.

Handing the offensive line to Wickline means WVU can do that and also keep Mike Burchett, a graduate assistant the previous two years who was essentially the quarterbacks coach under Holgorsen’s wing. He could fill Crook’s spot. It’s a simple fix, and we know things aren’t always so simple.

As for the rest of the staff, receivers coach Tyron Carrier, defensive line coach Bruce Tall, cornerbacks coach Blue Adams, safeties coach Matt Caponi and defensive assistant/special teams coach Mark Scott all have expiring contracts. WVU has a bunch of receivers coming back who took to Carrier in his first season, and Holgorsen rather likes Carrier. I can’t say I’ve heard what’s going to happen to him. Word I’ve received is WVU plans to have its entire defensive staff back.