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FSU's Approach Has Worked Out For Wisconsin So Far

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By TONY FABRIZIO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 7, 2007

TAMPA - Florida State's apparent move to secure offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as a future head coach is unusual, but it isn't original.

Wisconsin took a similar approach with then-defensive coordinator Bret Bielema before the 2005 season, naming him to succeed Barry Alvarez as head coach the following year.

That one has worked out pretty well so far. Bielema led Wisconsin to a school-record 12 wins and was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year in 2006. In his second year, Bielema has the 9-3 Badgers poised to meet Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

The respective coaches and athletic directors from Wisconsin and Tennessee were at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night for a media availability and contract signing party.

"I can't speak to Florida State and how they're doing it; all I know is it was absolutely the best thing we could do," said Alvarez, who has remained Wisconsin's athletic director after making Bielema his handpicked choice. "There were no negatives that I could see in what we did, other than being criticized for not interviewing anybody else. But I did interview people unofficially."

The situations at FSU and Wisconsin aren't exactly the same. Fisher would be signing on for a job he may not get for a few years if Bobby Bowden decides to continue coaching. Bielema knew he would be head coach for the 2006 season.

By naming a successor early from his staff, Alvarez assured a relatively easy transition, although Bielema points out that he replaced seven of the nine assistant coaches. He did that, he says, because "I needed to have guys that were buying into what I wanted to do and the vision I thought were going to take for us to have success."

Bielema notes that being named the future head coach while he was still defensive coordinator gave him a head start on the job.

"I learned some things that I didn't pay attention to as a coordinator or as an assistant - dealing with the media, dealing with the administration, dealing with the medical people," he said. "You think differently as a head coach than as an assistant."

The biggest advantage is in recruiting. Bielema says Wisconsin had commitments from seven athletes when he was named the future head coach, and within two weeks, the staff was able to secure all of them. And then he added to it, calling during the season with the clout of being next season's head coach.

After Wisconsin's victory against Auburn in the 2006 Capital One Bowl, Bielema delayed taking the head coach's title until after national signing day.

"As an assistant coach, you can go out on the road as many times as you want," he explains. "As a head coach, you're only allowed to go once. So I was a head coaching going into some kids' homes on a weekly basis - unique to all of college football. I gave up a month's salary as a head coach, but in the long run, it was worth it."

Alvarez points out that with most coaching changes, the previous coach was fired or left for another job at the end of the year, and the uncertainty about who's taking over hurts recruiting. Wisconsin avoided that by lining up Bielema ahead of time, just as FSU is trying to do with Fisher.

"You look at Michigan, and it's three weeks there since Lloyd Carr retired and they still don't have a coach in place," Alvarez said. "They're losing commitments. Nebraska, I think they were done recruiting and they had twenty-something commitments when Bill Callahan was released. A lot of those kids have jumped ship.

"So, most of the time, when a new coach comes in, he's scrambling, trying to keep those old commitments and then start a new base of recruiting. It can really set you back."

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