Brady Hoke Brings Big Changes to Oregon Ducks

Last weekend, Oregon Head Coach Mark Helfrich brought in a new Defensive Coordinator by hiring Brady Hoke, but is he the right fit for the Ducks?

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After two years of Dom Pellum at the helm of defensive coordinator, the Ducks are going in a different direction. With the hiring of Brady Hoke, who looks to add stability to a defense, that was dismantled through the air, and one of Oregon’s worst in recent history. The former Michigan Head Coach hiring, brings a man who has had success at three different college programs as a head coach. The biggest change for the Ducks will be that Hoke prefers a 4-3 to anchor the defense.

Brady Hoke has a of list of accomplishments that few can match. Like many who got into coaching, he had experience playing the game first at Ball State as a linebacker. Hoke got into coaching after his playing career was over at the college level. He served as defensive line coach at several different colleges, including Oregon State. He coached the defensive line at Oregon State from 1989-1994, with 1990 being the lone exception when he coached the inside linebacker position.

Hoke would get his big break with Michigan, when he was hired as defensive end coach. Hoke held three different positions that included, defensive line coach, associate head coach, over seven years at Michigan. His alma mater Ball State hired him as head coach in 2002, a position he started in the 2003. Hoke however wasn’t an instant success as his team struggle to find wins. His first winning came in the 2007 season, when Ball State finished with a 7-5 record. 2008 found Hoke, lead Ball State to a 12-0 record, it was also the first time Ball State was ranked in the Top 25. The Cardinals season however ended in disappointment, as they lost the MAC championships. Ball State however was the MAC west division champs and Hoke was awarded MAC coach of the year.

His next stop as head coach was San Diego State, another program that had problem finding wins. Hoke had a rather dismal first season at San Diego State, but like Ball State the following year, the wins outnumbered the losses. The Aztecs finished the season 9-4, the highlight of the season was winning the Poinsettia Bowl. Brady Hoke added another coach of the year to his trophy case this time from the MWC.

Hoke’s success of turning losing programs into winners, caught the eye of a storied program in Michigan. As he was hired as head coach in the 2011 season. His first season was a success as he led the Wolverines to 10 regular season wins. A 11th was his biggest bowl game win, when Michigan won the Sugar Bowl. He again was awarded coach of the year this time in a competitive Big Ten conference. After a big 2011 season, the Michigan Wolverines wins began to get less and less every year. The worst coming with a 5-7 record in 2014, Hoke was fired and didn’t coach in 2015. His overall record is 78-70 and 2-3 in bowl games.

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Although Brady Hoke is a defensive minded coach, this is his first season as a defensive coordinator. He signed a three year deal, so hopefully he can bring his expertise in to shore up Oregon’s weaknesses. He was coached several different positions on defense, so that is also a plus for Oregon. Oregon defense next year is going to look a lot different and it’s all for the better.

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