Looking at Buddy Wyatt from an Alabama perspective
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December 19, 2006 by
The news of the Huskers hiring former Alabama defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt may have some fans asking, "Who is this guy?" We asked Pete Holiday from the Alabama Fanhouse for his perspective on Wyatt's performance as a coach and recruiter.
What is Wyatt's reputation in Alabama?
Pete Holiday from Alabama Fanhouse: Like most things in college football, this depends on who you ask. I would advise against spending too much time reading tide message boards for two reasons: first because no matter how well Alabama plays, they consider the vast majority of the team to be "underperforming" add to that the "if he left, then good riddance, we don't want him" mentality and it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Most fans, at this point, will look back and say that they've always thought that the D-Line has been underperforming, but over his tenure he hasn't been griped about very much.
Over all, though, except for the most die-hard fans (most of whom should be wholly ignored when it comes to football advice) he's pretty unknown. He's universally regarded as a class act, though.
How successful has he been as a D-Line coach?
Pete: A lot of folks will gauge this by pass rush and run-stopping ability of the line itself. Sacks and TFLs haven't exactly been high on the list of achievements of our DL over Buddy's tenure. BUT.. he had a tough job. The 3-3-5 makes it hard to do anything flashy on the line and most of the focus is on the backers. The bottom line is that without solid D-Line play, you're never going to put up "top defense" numbers in a conference like the SEC, but Coach Wyatt has been a part of some top-5 defenses in his time here.
As a recruiter?
Pete: One of the strongest criticisms of Wyatt is his evaluation of talent. On the other hand, recruits tend to like the guy. He's displayed a lot of class and integrity here at Alabama and he's a good guy once a target is picked out. Some just question his ability to find the right guys to recruit. I have my doubts about some of those criticisms based on their source, but I don't spend my days reading up on high school football players, so I might not be the best guy to ask about recruiting.
What is the impact to Alabama's program?
Pete: Truth be told, there's no way to estimate the impact on 'Bama's recruiting because we don't know if he'd have a job next season. In order for this to actually have an impact, we'd have to hire a guy who doesn't have a D-Line coach coming with him. In hypothetical land where Shula is still coaching and Wyatt jumps ship for Nebraska, this is a loss, but not one impossible or horribly difficult to overcome.
Over all, this might be a bit of a gamble for Nebraska if they put the emphasis on the D-Line, but it's difficult to say that Wyatt hasn't done well because he's done everything that's been asked of him at Alabama. At the end of the day, a team has limited resources with which to recruit, and if you expect your LBs to be your playmakers, like Alabama does, you're going to spend more of those limited resources on the LBs than the DLine... and that's going to impact how much of a splash the line can make. If Nebraska's scheme is backer-heavy, he should do just fine.
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darren Dec 19 06
Interesting interview. Some really good context there.
I had not studied 'bama enough to know they run a hybrid like the 3-3-5. That says a lot to me because "unique" schemes like that require particular kinds of players. A 3-4, for example, requires a keg-shaped nose guard and end/LBs that are very multiple. So, I imagine the evaluation of the talent needed was a bit unique too.
In Cosgrove's more traditional 4-3 front, maybe this won't be as much of an issue. Conversely, I hope it is not a sign that we are considering a switch to a 3 down-lineman front. I'm not a fan of that in the college game.