New Gardner-Webb Head Coach

[EagleDawg]

gwuparents - I'm not sure I understand the basis for your question? If you think that this process should be respected and that loyalty to it voiced I question where you have been. This is your first post and you might find that if you read the entirety of my 230 posts that I have been very loyal to our guys that wear the uniform and yes I'm a parent. I've made every trip but one, never missed a home game, contributed to the program, etc. If you can point out where another program has suffered thru a similar process or find another roster with so few O-lineman then please share. Whether you can or not is besides the point really, it's not a formula that anyone in collegiate football would choose to follow to attain the best chance of success. That's all I want to see for our guys is success. I'm not bitching about our O-line at all. Our guys work hard, will soon be on their 4th OL position coach in 3 years and probably would like a little bit of stability. If wanting the best for our guys is bitching, showing lack of loyalty or not being respectful then I'm reading from a different dictionary than you my friend. Take a chill pill or better yet a cold shower. I believe I was seeking information from my good friend Bulldogdad and I can assure you he didn't take the tenor of my question as you have.

[gwuparents]

Our guys work hard, will soon be on their 4th OL position coach in 3 years
Are you saying there is going to be a change?

[EagleDawg]

GWUparents - I'm not certain there's going to be a change but most would think that the odds tilt that way. Coach King I believe will become an excellent coach with experience but this was his first year. A new HC may want to go with more experience. I personally like Coach King a lot and will be glad if he's retained but we should have already had an answer to that question. For that matter, there are several other assistants who should be given a good shot to stay on but no one should have an expectation that all or most will be retained. Can't say it won't happen but it's not standard procedure in situations such as these. Don't believe me just read the sports stories on retention/new hires at all other FCS or BCS schools that have undergone a recent head coaching change. My heart and wallet bleed red,black and white for my Running Bulldogs so please don't confuse my frustration, irritation and anxiousness with the slow slog to an announcement on the new leader of our football program. The last area FCS or BCS school to fire or lose and hire their new HC was Elon and they had it done before Christmas. By the way, I believe one of our targets committed to Elon. Don't know if our lack of an HC impacted the young man's decision in any way but it sure didn't help.

[EagleDawg]

SlyFox - Thanks for the kind words. I was thinking early on this week that if Scott Wachenheim were hired as the new HC at G-Dubb that not only did he have a great resume but being a former Liberty OC that he might help us slow you guys down a bit. I believe we have given up in excess of 100 points to the Flames the last two seasons and it's pretty dang hard to win a game when that happens.

[elcid83]

EagleDawg
when are you going to stop bitching about the O-line...the offense...recuiting...the hiring processes...this and that? Are you not a parent of GWU? If so how about you show somw respect and loyalty? I question your support?????????????

gwuparents,

Welcome to the GW online family! If you guys went to a game last year, you may have seen myself, EagleDawg and BulldogDad on the top of the hill under the trees behind the visitors' side. I hope you guys will join us next year. I second SlyFox's defense of the Eagle. No one is more passionate about their Runnin' Bulldog football than Eagle. He wants what all of us want - a successful GW football program and a great education for his son.

Very few GW fans believe that our current administration has pursued this process as diligently as they should have and that continues to cause our fans to be rightfully concerned about their willingness to hire the right coach and move our program forward. I am as guilty of that as anyone that has posted in this thread.

If there has been a benefit to this seemingly never-ending hiring process, it has been that many GW fans have taken an interest in our program and joined this site to share their feelings. I am also hopeful that it has resulted in the hiring of an exceptional young man to lead our team to the success that our players and fans deserve.

Gardner-Webb is a different school and we should all be very proud of the differences that we have that make our school special. Unlike several schools in the Big South, we do not actively pursue the FBS players that so many other schools chase after. Our athletes are expected to perform academically as well as athletically and our coaches keep tabs on their academic progress. Our coaches are expected to share religious growth with our athletes and that is not necessarily the case at all of the Big South schools.

I know that we are all concerned about recruiting. I am too. I do believe that our administration takes a different view of the recruiting schedule. We want to see what the signing class is going to look like on signing day and we want to compare our signing day class to other similarly situated schools. Anyone remember the names Preston Pemasa [2010 Big South Freshman of the Year] and Gianni Olivas? These kids didn't even know that Gardner-Webb existed on signing day last year. Where would our D have been without these kids? How about QB Chandler Browning. He didn't sign on signing day and he is likely our #1 QB heading into Spring Ball.

I guess we all need to prepare ourselves for a thin signing day class. But, that isn't going to be the end of the world for this year's recruiting class. At the same time, I fully suspect that Coach Dickerson expects to make an immediate impact at GW. I suspect he is already working hard to show all of FCS football why he deserves this job. I am looking forward to being pleasantly surprised by Coach Dickerson's efforts to take GW football to the next level. While I'm at it, thanks to Coach Patton and all of his past assistants for getting us to this point.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[EagleDawg]

ElCid83 - This is one Bartles & James moment! "We thank you for your support". I guess the big question that may come early this week is will part of the announcement of our new HC reference current staff retentions and/or new hires or just announce the new HC? Does anyone know if this last week of Official Visits was structured such that all prospects have been scheduled all along for this weekend or whether past weekends have been rescheduled pending an announcement of our new HC?

With this upcoming announcement I too want to again thank Coach Patton and all of the current assistants as well as those assistants who have already left to pursue other opportunities for getting us where we are from the D2 days as well as giving my son the opportunity to play for the Running Bulldogs.

Potential Snow Storm on the way for Tuesday, hope Coach Dickerson arrives early in the week, meets with the team and outlines his vision for our current guys and then quickly attempts to close the deal with some of our key prospects. I'm ready to discuss all things other than the hiring process. There have been few G-Dubb football threads that have approached 9 pages so that in and of itself suggests that many folks are very interested and that it's been a long road to this moment.

[Bulldogdad]

Bulldogdad - I was under the impression that our list of O-lineman available going in to Spring Ball consists of the following:

#59 Austin Sargent - Jr. 6'-3", 290
#67 Jamie Dunaway - Jr. 6'-4", 280
#71 Jeff Harris - RSo 6'-2" 290
#72 Zack Welch - RSr 6'-2" 290
#75 Dave McConnell - RFr 6'-5" 270
#78 Harrison Martin - RJr 6'-6" 290

I understand that Steve Demilio #79, RJr - 6'-5" 280 is coming off shoulder surgery and will not be ready for spring ball. I heard that Robbie Sanders #63 RFr - 6'-0" 280 was moved to the D side of the ball during the season. Jacob McQueen and Colin Dawes are 2 other OL that have left the program/school. There has been some discussion that Tyler Hough Jenkins could be moved to the DL and will have to add bulk from his RFr season of 255# to have the size likely necessary to stay at OL. C.J. Bryant, Patrick Wilson and Corey O'Daniel have all graduated. Those were all the OL designated on last season's roster. Have you heard of some DL being converted to OL?

The tough thing is that while Dunaway came in and made an immediate impact at OL that is the exception not the rule when it comes to freshman OL being factors in the playing rotation. When you look at the fact that of those 6 healthy bodies going in to Spring Ball and add in Demilio who will be fine for summer camp then we have 7 players of which 5 only have 2 years of eligibility left. We desperately need OL in this recruiting class and the next. I was thinking this HC hiring process has resulted in only 1 remaining weekend of Official Visits before Signing Day. A long stretch of recruiting since last season ended until an actual hiring announcement is made with no HC in place can't be a good thing for recruiting.

I hope we have our guy and that he absolutely is a fantastic coach who can turn a tough situation and one in my opinion that didn't have to be this tough into a positive one. Regardless the process has put the new guy at a decided disadvantage in recruiting and this recruiting class is one that we need help with to develop depth for the upcoming season and experience for the future. G-Dubb has been pretty lucky along the injury front with our OL and that good fortune can go away at any time.

Go Running Bulldogs

Didn't know that Demilio wouldn't make it for spring and hadn't heard about Tyler. Knew that McQueen and Dawes where gone.Wasn't Hollingshed moved to OL. Hope the new coach will retain Coach King seeing that he has a year under his belt. I believe this will help with stability at this position. My son likes him and I think he can relate well with the players. Would like to invite all the new posters to join us for tailgating this year at the top of the hill under the trees. Would love to meet all of them and they can see our true passion for GWU. Cant miss us, G-Dubb tents and a big ugly grill.

[g-webb1994]

Time to remove the embarrassing egg from our faces and rally behind Dickerson, and to also wonder aloud if we'll have more than 4 home games this fall, since I assume the Samford home/home starts on the road.....

[littlered]

I love to see the passion that has been shown on this site! I hope when football season begins that the same passion shown here will show up at the games. Let's pack the stands for our players and our coaches and show them the support that they so deserve! I plan on doing more tailgating this year and hope to meet more of our fellow players' parents. I don't think we should sit back and complain unless we plan on getting involved and be a part of helping to make a difference in the lives of our students. Go dawgs!!

[Bulldogdad]

I love to see the passion that has been shown on this site! I hope when football season begins that the same passion shown here will show up at the games. Let's pack the stands for our players and our coaches and show them the support that they so deserve! I plan on doing more tailgating this year and hope to meet more of our fellow players' parents. I don't think we should sit back and complain unless we plan on getting involved and be a part of helping to make a difference in the lives of our students. Go dawgs!!

Good post Littlered. We need to pack the stands and support our team. I think Elcid had a good post on this earlier with a lot of good ideas. Would love to see more support at away games. More students being bussed or whatever it takes. Saw some interest at away games 2 years ago but it seemed to fizzle away. We have a beautiful campus and plenty of room for tailgating. Bring on the crowd!

[dawgpound2012]

Gardner-Webb: We have confirmed that Ron Dickerson Jr. accepted the head coaching job at Gardner-Webb.

FOOTBALLSCOOP.COM

[longtimegwufan]

Bless you all and Coach Dickerson. Just bless...if you only knew

[longtimegwufan]

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Gardner-Webb: We have confirmed that Ron Dickerson Jr. accepted the head coaching job at Gardner-Webb.

FOOTBALLSCOOP.COM

Gardner-Webb: We have confirmed that Ron Dickerson Jr. accepted the head coaching job at Gardner-Webb.

FOOTBALLSCOOP.COM

Shocking...no really

[longtimegwufan]

Gardner-Webb: We have confirmed that Ron Dickerson Jr. accepted the head coaching job at Gardner-Webb.

FOOTBALLSCOOP.COM

Shocking..no really

[longtimegwufan]

Elcid, this must be eating you up that I knew and you didn't. That lawyer thing...oh well.

[elcid83]

Elcid, this must be eating you up that I knew and you didn't. That lawyer thing...oh well.

Longtime. I hope we get to enjoy each other's company at a tailgate during the 2011 season. Will you be there?

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[littlered]

Bless you all and Coach Dickerson. Just bless...if you only knew

Longtimegwufan, I was just wondering.... What do you mean by "if you only knew". Do you know anymore than the rest of us? You appear to be upset about something. Your posts have presented a sense of bitterness or resentment. What is your connection to GW? I don't know anymore about Dickerson than what I have read and researched, but I am glad that a decision has been made and I intend to show my support 100%! I do hope that he will maintain some consistency by keeping some of the assistant coaches (and yes, I do have my favorites), but that is in Dickerson's hands now and God's. Come on board with the rest of us and let's rally around the troops!!

[g-webb1994]

How long has longtime been at or involved with G-W? Just curious.....my handle pretty much tips off my date.

Throwing off on a players parent (elcid) like a four year old isn't impressive by the way.

[littlered]

How long has longtime been at or involved with G-W? Just curious.....my handle pretty much tips off my date.

Throwing off on a players parent (elcid) like a four year old isn't impressive by the way.

I totally agree g-webb1994.

[Visitor2000]

Guys, first post, and probably last. Longtime visitor and reader, but felt like I needed to add a few thoughts.

We as fans and alumni have tremendous leadership presently at Gardner-Webb academically and athletically. Dr. Bonner and Mr. Burch are both very competitive, creative people who are also first class men. I personally wouldn't want anyone else in their positions as decision makers. Solid gold individuals both of them. I take great pride in the way they do business.

The search has obviously been lengthy. But, if what is being reported is true, it has still worked out well for Gardner-Webb football. Best thing to do presently is to rally behind the new head coach and his staff and move forward, like I think I saw someone post earlier on here. I have been told by a friend at Ole Miss that if this has indeed worked out, our fan base should be excited.

I trust my sources on many fronts, and the consensus on campus in Boiling Springs among those connected to athletics is that Gardner-Webb football is on its way up for a variety of reasons. That excites me. The returning team has some talent, there is a renewed interest with a new head coach coming on board and the administration has made a commitment to improve several areas related to the program.

Lastly, don't pick on elcid83. First, he's a good guy, and Citadel men are normally tough as nails.

[huthuthut]

I was on this decision Thursday and said so here. In a way I was silently pulling for Ron. He is a strong personality. I met him 2 years ago and liked him. Ron Dickerson, Jr. is a good choice although I could make a good case for a couple of other applicants. In an earlier post I mentioned Bonner's desire to hire a minority and I do suspect that may have played a part. Not that there is anything wrong with that unless he had expressed a preference for a non minority. Then all hell would have broken loose.

I wouldn't fret about recruiting just yet. I've heard we've got some strong interest and some verbals. Ron has recruited the Southeast and has good contacts. I suspect we will soon find hometown names like Tupelo, Little Rock and Hattiesburg on the GW Roster.

[elcid83]

Guys, first post, and probably last. Longtime visitor and reader, but felt like I needed to add a few thoughts.

We as fans and alumni have tremendous leadership presently at Gardner-Webb academically and athletically. Dr. Bonner and Mr. Burch are both very competitive, creative people who are also first class men. I personally wouldn't want anyone else in their positions as decision makers. Solid gold individuals both of them. I take great pride in the way they do business.

The search has obviously been lengthy. But, if what is being reported is true, it has still worked out well for Gardner-Webb football. Best thing to do presently is to rally behind the new head coach and his staff and move forward, like I think I saw someone post earlier on here. I have been told by a friend at Ole Miss that if this has indeed worked out, our fan base should be excited.

I trust my sources on many fronts, and the consensus on campus in Boiling Springs among those connected to athletics is that Gardner-Webb football is on its way up for a variety of reasons. That excites me. The returning team has some talent, there is a renewed interest with a new head coach coming on board and the administration has made a commitment to improve several areas related to the program.

Lastly, don't pick on elcid83. First, he's a good guy, and Citadel men are normally tough as nails.

2000,

You should post more often. I agree with everything you said. I do think we have a super administration at GW [even though I have admittedly been critical of this hiring process]. I worry sometimes that they tend to be deliberate, but I respect that their jobs and well-being are on the line if they make a bad decision. When you grow up being a big fan of big time college football and you see how those guys go through the hiring and recruiting process, you want Gardner-Webb to do it the same way the big boys do it and they do things quicker. Of course, they also get to pick from the cream of the crop.

Thanks for the good guy comment. I don't know about tough as nails though. I hope you will stop by the tailgate next season while we celebrate our successes. That invitation goes out to all who have posted in this thread.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[EagleDawg]

Can anyone put some names with those verbals that we have received? I hope that have some good OL prospects interested or are part of the verbal commit list. At the FCS level you would like to see around 12-15 OL on the roster equally divided across the classes (Fr, So, Jr, etc.) so that graduation rates and injuries don't leave you depleted after or during a season. It was a tough deal that we only had 6 OL available at Stony Brook as Bulldogdad indicated earlier and one of those was playing with a cast heavily wrapped on one arm which looked more like a club. I take particular interest in the OL as all might surmise because it is one of the main keys as to how well an offense can perform. If you can't run block well it hurts the running game, if you can't pass block it hurts the passing game and if you can't do both without committing a ton of penalties it's hard to sustain drives. Our OL has done good to remarkable considering coaching turnover at the position, injuries and inexperience. We've got a current good young coach who will only get better if he is retained, we have a good blend of experience and size now with only one senior on the roster for this upcoming season and we just need to work on our depth. We may well even work in some power running formations with the new HC. G-Dubb has had very good talent on both sides of the ball but has not had the depth to overcome key injuries and we haven't yet had a complete game where special teams, defense and offense have played their best game at the same time. When we do that and I believe that we will we can play with anybody.

[horseman23]

Good to hear we finally have a HC, hopefully he can get to work guick and get some signees.

Also it seems ever year that we are low on O lineman for the spring so that should be nothing new to anyone on here if they have followed the program the last few years, the guys that are able to go will do fine even with the small numbers(just how it goes at that position some times) and hopefully we can add some freshman for the season.

[G-Webb 90-92]

Has anyone seen a formal announcement from the school yet?
It's still not on the Athletics website, on the school website, or anywhere else I have looked.