Football's Strategic Plan takes one big step forward

And simultaneously, a new staff member comes forward.

Quote:

---

Kent McLeod, the assistant athletic director for football operations at Ole Miss, has accepted a similar position at Duke under former Rebels coach David Cutcliffe.

McLeod said the hiring won't be official until after Jan. 1, once everyone gets back from the holidays, but that an agreement had been reached. McLeod has been at Ole Miss for seven years and was hired by Cutcliffe in 2001. He was vital to the recruiting efforts under former coach Ed Orgeron.

McLeod said he had an opportunity to work under new coach Houston Nutt but decided to follow a familiar face. Nutt had mentioned in a press conference earlier this month that McLeod had a large role in holding together the program during the coaching transition.

"It has nothing to do with coach Nutt," McLeod said. "He was great and it would have been a good job. But I'm comfortable with coach Cutcliffe and he gave me my first job at Ole Miss, so we've got a history."

---

According to his profile at the Mississippi website, McLeod's duties at Ole Miss included being "responsible for all day-to-day operations of the recruiting office, on-campus recruiting activities, academic evaluations of prospective student-athletes and all NCAA compliance paperwork.As recruiting assistant, McLeod helped in all areas of recruiting, including maintaining all correspondence with prospective student-athletes, assisting in official and unofficial visits to campus, maintained the prospect database and assisted in the organization of football camps."

Mississippi's incoming '08 class is currently ranked 31st nationally, with one five-star prospect, two four-star prospects, and twelve three-star prospects.

McLeod can also take credit, in part, for helping Ole Miss lure Eli Manning and Michael Oher to Oxford. Manning is well-known, and Oher is one of the top offensive linemen in the country. He is the subject of the acclaimed book The Blind Side by NYTimes Magazine contributor Michael Lewis.

More importantly to Duke fans, however, is that McLeod has spent the last few seasons working alongside one of the nation's top recruiters, Ed Orgeron, who was instrumental in building the current juggernaut at Southern Cal before taking over for Cutcliffe at Mississippi.

Is the Strategic Plan published anywhere? It's been discussed extensively, but I don't recall ever seeing a copy.

Whatever the Strategic Plan might be, this guy sounds like a great hire. David Cutcliffe seems to be thought of very highly by most everyone who has worked with him.

Not yet, Duvall. Don't quote me on this, but I believe that will be changing sooner rather than later.

The crux, however, is that multiple shortfalls of the football program were pointed out, and multiple remedies were recommended. One of those shortfalls was that Duke didn't have a recruiting coordinator, and that it needed one badly. That position is now filled by McLeod.

That's precisely the kind of dedication from the administration Duke needs to continue righting the ship of Duke football.

Gee, a professional staff to assist the coach.

Who would've thunk we needed that?




(Apparently, most AD's got that memo a long time ago).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OldPhiKap

Gee, a professional staff to assist the coach.

Who would've thunk we needed that?




(Apparently, most AD's got that memo a long time ago).

---

Is that sort of like getting a professional to help in the search for a football coach?????

Great - first hire the new staff and then start working on those new bathrooms at Wally Wade!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Devil in the Blue Dress

Is that sort of like getting a professional to help in the search for a football coach?????

---

The more I hear about it, the more amazed I am between where we have been and where major programs are.

My new year's resolution is to be more positive. So starting a few hours early, I'll embrace the bright side and state how happy I am that we have a major program coach with major program experience, and that our administration has apparently assured our major program coach that he can work towards establishing Duke as a major program.


At this rate, we may even get a band that has enough members to spell all four letters of our school name at the same time!!


(And yeah, Carlos -- it would also be nice to show folks that we do have modern indoor plumbing in this part of North Carolina).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OldPhiKap

The more I hear about it, the more amazed I am between where we have been and where major programs are.

My new year's resolution is to be more positive. So starting a few hours early, I'll embrace the bright side and state how happy I am that we have a major program coach with major program experience, and that our administration has apparently assured our major program coach that he can work towards establishing Duke as a major program.


At this rate, we may even get a band that has enough members to spell all four letters of our school name at the same time!!


(And yeah, Carlos -- it would also be nice to show folks that we do have modern indoor plumbing in this part of North Carolina).

---

There is more activity in the band program. The current director has begun to turn things around especially within the past year. Expect to see major steps.... literally and figuratively. Better review the words to the alma mater and the fight songs!

Hey, if they'll let me transfer to Duke I'll be in the band!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike Corey

Not yet, Duvall. Don't quote me on this, but I believe that will be changing sooner rather than later.

The crux, however, is that multiple shortfalls of the football program were pointed out, and multiple remedies were recommended. One of those shortfalls was that Duke didn't have a recruiting coordinator, and that it needed one badly. That position is now filled by McLeod.

That's precisely the kind of dedication from the administration Duke needs to continue righting the ship of Duke football.

---

You answered my question, this is a new position not one that is replacing someone who is already there.

I've heard grapevine talk that the staff is just about hired. Any other names popping up?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Acymetric

Hey, if they'll let me transfer to Duke I'll be in the band!

---

Hey, if they'll let me transfer to Duke, I'll actually be at a school that has football!;)

... and yes, devildeac/OZZIE, I'd attend a few fall games.

Cheers,
Lavabe

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lavabe

Hey, if they'll let me transfer to Duke, I'll actually be at a school that has football!;)

... and yes, devildeac/OZZIE, I'd attend a few fall games.

Cheers,
Lavabe

---

1 if by land, 2 if by sea (3 if by air-from Michigan or California?)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OldPhiKap

Gee, a professional staff to assist the coach.

Who would've thunk we needed that?

(Apparently, most AD's got that memo a long time ago).

---

They are trying to bring the program up to where it should be. People may think its late in coming, but its coming. Can't we cut them some slack?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bluedawg

They are trying to bring the program up to where it should be. People may think its late in coming, but its coming. Can't we cut them some slack?

---

Sure. I'm just surprised that we have been so out of step with how other programs run things. Perhaps our performance over the last twenty years or so hasn't merely been a matter of having a limited pool of student/athletes. Perhaps it is an administrative problem we've been having.

And, to take things full circle, fans like me have been part of the problem too. When I went to Duke, we were listed in Playboy's 20 worst teams in the country. (I only read it for the articles, of course). I kind of resigned myself to the fact that we had a good hoops and soccer team, and that we just didn't have a good football team. My complacency -- and those of countless Duke students/fans such as myself -- allowed us to sink to where we are without demanding more from the administration.

Coach Cut, for me, is kind of like the guy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes. Until you see how someone who really "gets it" runs a football program, you are blinded as to how bad things really had been. While I am happy that we have finally made the decision to run our program like a real Div-I school, I am shocked that it was allowed to get to that point.

I am overjoyed with the fact that we are finally on the right path and that we are starting to do the right things. It does, however, point out some fairly obvious shortcomings in past years which should be examined so they do not happen again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OldPhiKap

Sure. I'm just surprised that we have been so out of step with how other programs run things. Perhaps our performance over the last twenty years or so hasn't merely been a matter of having a limited pool of student/athletes. Perhaps it is an administrative problem we've been having.

And, to take things full circle, fans like me have been part of the problem too. When I went to Duke, we were listed in Playboy's 20 worst teams in the country. (I only read it for the articles, of course). I kind of resigned myself to the fact that we had a good hoops and soccer team, and that we just didn't have a good football team. My complacency -- and those of countless Duke students/fans such as myself -- allowed us to sink to where we are without demanding more from the administration.

Coach Cut, for me, is kind of like the guy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes. Until you see how someone who really "gets it" runs a football program, you are blinded as to how bad things really had been. While I am happy that we have finally made the decision to run our program like a real Div-I school, I am shocked that it was allowed to get to that point.

I am overjoyed with the fact that we are finally on the right path and that we are starting to do the right things. It does, however, point out some fairly obvious shortcomings in past years which should be examined so they do not happen again.

---

Well put!