Wow...what a heartfelt and emotional press conference. The storied history of former Aggie players going on to become highly successful coaches continues.

Welcome home Tim Plough. Aggie Pride personified. Looking forward to the Shredville revival!

Just looked something up: despite only technically having one winning season as OC under Hawkins, Plough had a top 15 offensive rating in Massey each year, even after Doss graduated. Bodes well for the second Shredville era, especially if some of the key skill players stay.

I guess Chris Carter died in a freak traffic accident.

I like that Plough got emotional. Shows he really cares and wants the job. I like that Sochor was mentoring him and apparently had Sochor's confidence as he promised Sochor he would take the job some day. He seemed to say all the right things. Wants a championship but that is won by creating the right environment and that environment should keep our best from transferring. We will have uptempo offense but balanced between run and pass. We had never really made the transition from DII to FCS. Hawk completed that transformation and put us on the right path. We have a solid foundation now and hopefully Plough is the guy who can take it up one more notch and create the "championship program" that Hawk was striving for.

Hope he was referring to TT and LL when referencing players that have decided to stay put.
I haven’t seen such a publicly emotional presser in a long time. Must say that plough does have a heart.

I liked how he addressed the portal and NIL money. He was honest about us not being able to compete with the kind of NIL money many programs are offering to attract athletes so we have to be able to sell the quality of Aggie Athletics, the educational value of a UCD degree and being individually valued as a member of the Aggie family.

It's understandable that some Aggie athletes will have a hard time not transferring when they can earn significant money. For some, that money will not only help them but also help their families.

I liked how he "called out" some of the former Aggies in the crowd who have gone on to be very successful but aren't significant donors. There were some posts some years ago here about how a lot of former Aggies, who went on to earn big bucks as a pro or as a coach or were simply highly successful in their professions, do not give back much financial support to the program. I find that sad since a lot of their success can be attributed to their time as an Aggie athlete.

It sounds like there were quite a few former Aggies in the audience and, of course, several former coaches. I thought it was a great presser.

Getting to 500 $1,000 donors seems doable. The athletics department just needs to explain the needs of the team, their financial goal, what the funds will be used for, and communicate and honor donors often.

We likely have more guaranteed funds from registration fees than other programs. So understanding the whole financial picture might help donors.

Just got around to watching the press conference and what an outstanding introduction. You can really tell that Plough cares a lot about this program and wants to continue and exceed the success that Hawk has established. I'm very VERY excited that he mentioned the return of high tempo offense and increasing the complexity of offensive scheme to try to put games away early. Also sounded like a not so subtle dig at his situation in Boise where he mentioned that he was expected to call x number of runs etc. I know it can be a double edged sword that the Aggies recruit Aggies to coach, that maybe we don't cast a wide net, but Plough has me pretty stoked right now.

Includes Q&A:
https://www.youtube.com/live/gzDfVrKxgYo?si=MrhzUM5B_f9zNOla



"The team that won this conference has over 500 donors for football that give at least a thousand dollars. We have 75."

Cal's food budget is $1.5 Million... is that just for football?

Did he just let slip that there’s a new OC? Said in the Fox 40 interview that there’s an OC with Aggie ties he can’t name but is excited for.

I’ll echo the hope someone else posted that Mike Cody still remains working with the line or run game in some capacity

Yeah sounds like a new OC coming in, but that's exciting that Coombs is coming back as DC.

Mrs. Plough with the Zia's Deli call.

Possibly former Aggie QB Kevin Daft who is the OC at Dartmouth?

Kevin Daft was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in February of 2017. He arrived with more than a decade of collegiate coaching experience, most recently at his alma mater, the University of California, Davis.

Daft has been instrumental in Dartmouth posting a 38-12 record since arriving, including 35 wins in his first four seasons, the most over any four-season span in program history. In his first year, Dartmouth ranked in the top half of the league in scoring, rushing, passing and total yards while QB Jack Heneghan earned All-Ivy honorable mention before signing with the San Francisco 49ers after graduation. In 2018, he had the Big Green among the top 20 in the nation in rushing and scoring. He also successfully worked a tandem at quarterback with Jared Gerbino — an All-Ivy Second Team selection — leading the team in rushing and Derek Kyler ranking second nationally in completion percentage and third in passing efficiency.

The tandem of Gerbino and Kyler continued to excel in 2019, leading the Big Green to its 19th Ivy League title while setting school records for team passing efficiency at 173.08 — second only to national champion North Dakota State — and completion percentage (68.1, third). The offense also ranked among the top 10 nationally in third-down conversion rate (52.1 percent, third), fewest interceptions thrown (5, fourth) and fewest turnovers lost (12, seventh), helping Gerbino be named to the All-Ivy Second Team once again. Overall, the offense averaged 33.3 points a game, 24th in the FCS.

The offense didn’t miss a beat after returning from the pandemic in 2021, averaging over 30 points a game with two quarterbacks — Kyler and Nick Howard — becoming the first signal-calling teammates in league history to earn All-Ivy honors in the same season. The duo combined to produce the best completion percentage (school-record .688) and passing efficiency in the conference, ranking second- and seventh-best in the country, respectively. The Big Green were exceptional at taking care of the football as well with the fewest interceptions (3) and turnovers (8) by any team in the FCS. The passing game was complemented by the best rushing offense in the Ancient Eight, placing them 21st nationally at nearly 200 yards per game, which played into Dartmouth leading the league in third-down conversion percentage as well (14th in the FCS).

https://dartmouthsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/kevin-daft/9795

My cat and I saw the reference to Cal’s food budget for the football team. She looked at me and I saw the eyes. Why am I here with you? Yes guys, we have to step up and deliver a lot more support for the team. For one I will do the $1000. ASAP.

There's a short video included in the Sacramento Bee article about today's press conference and they talk with Daniel Fells. I think it would be great to see Fells as one of Plough's assistant coaches. He was a very special Aggie and had success as a pro.

https://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article282626623.html

Could he help recruit as a volunteer assistant?

Perhaps. I think there are a lot of athletes out there that would be stoked to be recruited by Fells.

Wow a professional-looking press conference!

Who is the coach he saluted after Biggs and Sochor?

I was there but not sure. Maybe Foster?
BTW, I was the guy who asked him about the high tempo offensive schemes.

No, he acknowledged Foster earlier. Thought he said "Coach Pete" or "Coach P"

I assume he meant Chris Petersen.

And Coaches Bronzan and Arp.

That was an emotional presser. It choked me up. I bet there wasn't a dry eye in the room. It's amazing how deep the ties to Aggie football are. It's a special program.

thank you for the hard hitting journalism, that was what I was hoping someone would ask

Yes, deep feelings especially how Sochor predicted he would be head coach “some day.” One observation, while the regulars were there, there was a number of older supporters who I haven’t seen at any games or functions.
I liked his comments regarding his vision of important factors, basically the Aggie way, but that he was a competitor and plans to win (paraphrasing). He got applause when he said a goal is a national championship. I like what i heard.

Your welcome. I hesitated before i asked. At the reception, there was some comment in private conversation that high tempo offenses keep the defense on the field longer, or give the defense less time to rest.

"Cal's food budget is $1.5 Million... is that just for football?"

But it's all kale, quinoa, and soy based "vegeterian meat" prepared in all-solar kitchens

bio-dynamic white wine