Wow, this seems quite the coup for Pitt. Not a great look for the NWSL to lose one of its coaches to a college program that has been woeful for years. I assume the pay isn't great in the women's pro league--or maybe Waldrum was just eager to get back to the college ranks.
Re Waldrum, many do not recognize that at the time he left, Notre Dame had been in something of a decline. And, it had transitioned to the ACC -- he left after they had been there for one year. As is the case for some other hires, this looks like it could be a good one, but we'll need to let some time pass -- maybe 5+ years -- before giving it a good evaluation.
Basically any hire would have been an improvement on Miller but man that is a game changer for Pitt. Not sure about national prominence or anything of that nature but having a competitive ACC program that is respectable should be achievable as Waldrum does his thing. I think that’s an amazing hire.
They were in somewhat of a decline. Everything is relative though. A decline for Notre Dame would have been an improvement for many teams. But, IMO Waldrum lost his focus there. Maybe him and his wife wanted to get back to Texas and their new born granddaughter at the time? As some may remember, I used to post quite a bit here for many years as a ND fan. I haven't done so recently as I shamefully admit I lost some interest in the ND women's program after Randy left. I used to be at Alumni Field old and new every Sunday from 1995 until a few years ago, religiously. One reason was because I was confident in Waldrum's recruiting and that Notre Dame will make it to the College Cup or have a good chance of making it under Waldrum every year. Chris Petrucelli brought the UND women's soccer program to the top with a National Championship in 1995 and Waldrum continued it without missing a beat for 14 years. I can still rattle off the names of former Irish players during those grand years. Man they were fun! My only question is, why Pitt? If you're going to come back to the cold north, why didn't you just stay at ND? Why not wait for a Texas school job to open up? I personally was hoping he would somehow end up back at ND. Maybe Randy Waldrum wants to get back into the ACC and renew his rivalry with Anson Dorrance which during the 2000's in my opinion the Notre Dame vs North Carolina women's soccer rivalry was the best in the Nation. Anyway, good luck Randy Waldrum in your new job. I will keep a closer eye on the ACC than I have been in the last few years. I will try to be at the game when you return to Alumni Field in South Bend, but it will be weird seeing you on the other bench.
Question. If you were the AD of Portland and had the choice of Waldrum or French, who would you hire?
Moot point. . He didn’t apply. And have you ever asked yourself why no Texas team has hired him? Maybe it’s his insistence on having his son as assistant again.
Waldrum to Pitt is the best hire of the off season so far. He has won at every college job he has had...May take time but he has the experience to do it.
Randy also tried to get Houston & Kentucky last year, ECU this year, and I'm sure he called others. I do not think it was the case of Pitt begging him as their first choice to please come save them. On another note, this will be an interesting year to follow coaches that were hired with 4 hires being hired from outside the college game. Just with the changes in NCAA rules in the last 4 years it won't be as easy as just jumping in to things. I give ECU and UMASS the notch on best hires so far for immediate impact. M&W I think will end up being a great hire once she adjusts. Pitt and Portland TBD.
Why Pitt - what desperate p5 program had the money he wanted and was willing to give him whatever control he negotiated (choice and salary for assts?). There's only 1 option this cycle. Waldrum is a good coach and Pitt should be happy...but he complained when he left ND that he was tired of recruiting 15 year olds and sucking up to club coaches. Well, have fun with that Randy... (Easy prediction he'll go strong for internationals right away and is making calls right now.) As far as best hire, maybe we should reserve judgement until they are all in. I'd like to sort that list again by 'most likely to make the NCAAs in 3 years" after we see all the names filled in. It might take Pitt 3 years to get to .500 and that's close to a bid in the ACC. W&M might be my pick but lets see who others get. No one took my question on Tab Ramos? Zero college experience who would be celebrated as a fantastic hire at a school like Portland.
I don’t think recruiting has ever been her issue. Her demeanor and on field coaching are the areas where she underwhelms. She has managed to take a top 5 program and turn it into a top 25 program in just a few years. That is no easy ask of someone. She will be gone in another year or two, as the expectations at ND are much higher than irrelevancy.
W&M made a terrible hire. Did you see my post about her track record at Princeton? If she struggled to find consistent success at a school people are falling over to get into, how do you think she will succeed at W&M?
I think this is a good question. If I were the AD and had a choice, it would be French, easily. The Waldrum problem is that he seems to have been at loose ends for a while about what he really wants to do. I'd feel like I couldn't rely on him to be making a long-term full commitment. And, I'd be wary of his results with the Dash, although I'd not put too much emphasis on that. On the other hand, I'm not the AD. But, if I'd made recommendations to him they would have been Lauren Orlandos Hansen, Shannon MacMillan, or Michelle French, each for different reasons.
What's the deal with Waldrum's accent? This hire is short term, 61 year old unemployed man. see if he can establish ~anything~ to bring in better candidates in a few years. I'd guess he applied (rather than been contacted) and it was either him or Dr. Ted Flogaites.
Waldrum’s name alone will make the Pitt program more attractive this is an awesome hire. He’s a big name in college Soccer so I don’t see a negative to this appointment. I don’t see how the assistant can be compared with someone of Randy’s history. Pitt has been a train wreck for years; Miller took over from a really bad coach and did the impossible by making a terrible program even worse. Finally having a competent head coach will help that program take several steps in the right direction. Looking from the outside in is there really a bigger hire Pitt could have made from people who would have been interested?
I should say, I agree generally with this. If Waldrum really is ready to be back, it's great for Pitt. Aside: There must be something about the name "Pittsburgh" that has a magnetic attraction for Waldrum.