I threw this together rather quickly, but hopefully this serves as an update for those of you who were not able to listen to Snyder's interview on the KC sports stations this afternoon. I was able to listen to the interview conducted by Kevin Kietzman on 810 WHB and thought I would offer up a brief synopsis of what was discussed.
I've also gone a little further and have given you a quick take on the coaching staff that Snyder is assembling. Hit the jump to enter Camp Snyder.
Before I get too far, I should clarify that while I agree with my colleagues TB, and Panjandrum, that Bill Snyder returning could damage K-State football down the road, I know there were many other options that would have proved disastrous for this program. I think Bill has the ability to get us back to respectability, but he can't just wave the magic wand and restore the order.
With that said, Snyder seems fired up for his return to the sidelines. Throughout the entire interview with Kietzman he was compelling and even fired off a couple of shots at some of his rivals. More on that in a second.
Following the obligatory questions and answers of what he had learned since retiring, and how many hours he was working, Kietzman jumped to the questions we've been waiting for: Who is going to be on your coaching staff?
Obviously, Snyder did not formally announce any members of his staff, he did say the staff would be announced very quickly. My guess is that we should hear something by Monday or Tuesday of next week, after the conference championships have been played and bowls announced. He supposedly has all of his coaches in place except for a few on the offensive side of the ball.
One interesting nugget in this pile is that Joe Bob Clements was said to have taken a position at K-State earlier this week. This came to light after a recruit Clements was interviewing told a reporter that he was no longer in contact with JB, since he had taken a job at KSU. This report was confirmed later today by the KSU Athletic Department. However, when asked about this on Kietzman's show today, Snyder just laughed and said "Would I do that? I wouldn't take a coach from one of my friends, would I?" Let's just say it was very tongue-in-cheek and I loved it. I'm not big on Joe Bob as a recruiter, though I do think he will be a good addition back on the K-State staff, especially since he has spent some time behind enemy lines.
A true highlight of the conversation was when Snyder confirmed that he is looking very hard at coaches with ties back to Kansas State. This followed the question of whether or not Vic Koenning was going to return to Manhattan to be the new Defensive Coordinator. Once again, Bill refused to comment on coaches (or recruits, which would have been illegal and is a post in and of itself).
So, after this enlightening conversation - I know, I know, I don't do it justice with my cumbersome and short synopsis - where do we stand with the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators for next year's Wildcats? Here are my thoughts.
Defensive Coordinator - All signs point to Koenning, especially since he was released by Clemson last week, making a move to another school very easy. As an added bonus, if we land Koenning, he will most likely bring with him Malliciah Goodman, a 5-star DE.
Offensive Coordinator - Rumors abound that Snyder will go after either Dana Dimmel or Chuck Long to fill the OC role. My bet is that this is Dimmel's job to turn down. If that's true and Koenning is the new DC, then we will have two former D1 head coaches on our staff. Not sure yet whether that is good or bad.
As far as the rest of the staff, there may be too many rumors to sift through, but we do know that Joe Bob Clements is coming back as the Defensive Ends coach. Others have mentioned Mo Lattimore staying on as D-Line coach, and I wouldn't be surprised considering Mo's been with the program since Jesus was in knee-highs.
Everything else is mostly speculation, but there is definitely people in place. Let's just hope the staff Snyder is building can help rebuild the house that bears his name.