Lemming: 'It takes four years to build'
Tom Lemming has heard the calls for Tim Beckman's ouster. After one season at Illinois.
The CBS Sports Network college football recruiting expert, however, doesn't believe the right way to help Illinois recruit is by letting Beckman go.
"It's been unfair to Beckman," Lemming said. "He's only been there one year and people are already on his case. It takes four years to build a program. The reason they fired Ron Zook is he wasn't getting the job done at Illinois and recruiting-wise. When that's the case, it takes about four years to develop that back. If you want to keep pulling the trigger on firing coaches, they're going to keep having this perpetual rebuilding. At Ohio State, Jim Tressel gets fired and there's still talent there, but that doesn't happen at many places."
Even with the 2-10 season Illinois put together in 2012, Lemming said the upcoming Class of 2013 Illinois has assembled is "very good."
"Considering the season they had, it's an outstanding group," he said. "I knew they were going to recruit well. He's an aggressive, personable guy, and he's got a staff that is that way, too. It's a very athletic class, and that's what they needed. They needed to get more athletic. They've just got to hang on to their players."
Lemming said the loss of former offensive line coach Luke Butkus might affect recruiting in the Chicagoland area.
"I was impressed with his recruiting," Lemming said of Butkus. "He would go at it, and he was a real hard worker. Plus, he has that name Butkus, which is magic on the South Side and the south suburbs."
Despite the loss of Butkus, Lemming said Beckman and his staff have an organized approach to recruiting, an aspect Lemming said shouldn't be overlooked.
"I noticed that from the beginning," he said. "They haven't won a lot of games. That's what's maybe hurting a little bit of the recruiting, but overall, it's a very big class coming in with some talented players like Aaron Bailey, Kendrick Foster and Caleb Day. That's what they sorely needed."
Lemming said the 10 players that are already on campus — five junior college transfers and five high school seniors who graduated early — is a necessity. Plus, the JUCO players Illinois has brought in will need to contribute in significant ways next year, Lemming said. If they don't, talk will most likely surface again next winter of if Beckman should stay on the job.
"At schools where a coach takes over and he realizes the talent is bare, you have to bring in junior college players," Lemming said. "They need older guys who can come in and take the place of what was lacking in the upperclassmen. That's smart. That should help pave the way for a better season. It's inevitable they'll have a better year next year. These guys should lead the way and then develop the younger players for even greater success in three or four years."
It has zero to do with Beckman rebuilding anything. The guy can't coach. I'm sorry but what disgust me about him as a coach is his play-calling and style not his recruiting abilities. The guy has ONE offensive formation and terrible situation play calling. You give him 3 more years here and he might grab 3 more wins.
Give the guy a chance... Beckman has made significant changes on the offensive side. Let's see what happens once the season starts. Granted the first year was BAD... but given what was left after Zook left, I don't think any other coach could have done any better.
Good article Tom... maybe this will help the moral of those in C-U.
You might be right but we won't know until he has had a chance to show it with his own guys. I'm not sure why people have gotten so upset since we haven't had a decent football coach in years. Thomas has had an awefully good track record so I trust his judgement, far more than Guenther.
Does anyone remember how bad Ron Zook's first 1-3/4 seasons were? Toward the end of the second year, it was clear the defense the next year would be something special -- and it was, and we went to the Rose Bowl the third year. I am not suggesting that will happen Beckman's 3rd year, but he did not do the horrendous play-calling -- or was it "play-executing"? -- last year, even though all the responsibility does fall on the head coach. But he took that responsibility by the horns in changing his offensive co-ordinator. Personally, many disagree, I thought that the defense got much more "with it" the last few games, though the NU game was such an unmitigated disaster I suspect there was Thanksgiving hangover. If we do not see some gelling toward the end of this coming season, I will be disappointed, but it is talent that wins, and whether we shall have enough to be competitive is an open question. But I suspect Lemming understands much better than we impatient ones that it does take time, and that uncertainty about whether a coach will "be there" when a recruit arrives is a definite tool used against us in recruiting -- just ask Lou Henson about his last year!
I thought the same thing throughout the year. However, he did have some success at Cinci so who knows what happens when he gets his players in the fold. Personally, I believe our offense and special teams will continue getting better while our defense continues to decline, so I am in agreement but am also willing to see what he can do. The next two seasons are already over anyway but let's see how we progress and whether we show any signs.
... so if I understand you correctly, you're saying that the 119th (out of 120) FBS offense will not get worse, but the 53rd FBS defense will continue to slide.
The 107th FBS Kick returning team and 118th Punt returning team will also improve.
Well, that's certainly encouraging...
Now we've lost our 2 best defensive coaches in the last decade: Koenning and now Gilmore. Disappointing to see Gilmore leave last week, but I hope for their sake they do great things out there in North Carolina. Was really happy to have them around as Illini coaches.
It would be ironic if the B1G brings in NC as the 15th or 16th team in the next few years.
Drats that it is another 6+ months before the season starts. Looking forward to a new QB. I have always beleived that the great QB's make the receivers, not the other way around. How many of Bret Favre's receivers made the ProBowl (if they didn't break their fingers first)? I still think Nathan should play defensive back so he has a start on a possible NFL career.
Tom Lemming is full of lasagna. It took Mike White less than 2 years to rebuild (rebuild a program that had 6 wins in three seasons).By the way, has anyone asked Lemming about Beckman's handling of Reilly O'Toole? Just a few years ago, O'Toole was the second coming of Chuck Long.
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