I'm hoping they are waiting on the new hire, b/c this group, if it remains intact, has the ability to challenge for another natty! My guess is that they want Mike Bristol. (14 year MK asst) I can't think of another name out there that would make them go wow! Can you?
You would have to think that the new coach is named in the next few days, otherwise I’m afraid the wheels may begin to fall off
Yeah, I’ll worry if they don’t announce someone soon because likely to lose players. Also would suggest to me they are having trouble hiring someone. Given how the negotiations played out, admin knew this was a possibility. Not a good sign if it takes them a while to fill.
I agree with that Sweepsit but the real issue for this program going forward is that we have no evidence that the AD really cares about any program that doesn't make him money.
It seems that some posters here have access to the transfer portal. If you have access we would appreciate it if you could tell us who the seven players from FSU are who have entered the portal. Thanks so much.
Brian Pensky is no longer listed as the Tennessee Head Coach on their site and I heard he was interviewed by FSU.
In my short perusal of his record, it seems his post season accomplishments are not as impressive as his regular season accomplishments. I'm uninspired, but hope to be proven wrong!
Yeah... Mark's post-season record is truly unmatched in the modern era. Don't expect it will be replicated at FSU. Hopefully Pensky can take the next step and get his teams to perform to their potential at the right moments. Mark had some magic there. That streak of elite 8s and final fours is stunning.
Pensky is a ball of stress that rarely looks happy. Check out some Youtube of his postgame interviews. Mark had that look too but he seemed more like patient genius. Pensky is more like cocky schoolkid but he now looks 60 years old. He had a terrible start at UTenn and has burned through very many pretty good recruiting classes on his way to finally a decent record. Will be interesting to see how it transpires.
The real initial answer will be how the current team responds. Do they come back to make another run, or do they split and run!
I'm a Tennessee alum and fan, and have followed its soccer program closely. It's taken him 10 years, but Pensky had got the program into a really strong position in a competitive conference. UT had an excellent team last year and was positioned to be even stronger this year, with all but one starter back. No, he's no Krikorian--who is? He hasn't had anywhere near the same type of post-season success. But he is an excellent recruiter: he brought in 3 freshman last year, one of whom was Taylor Huff, was not only became immediate starters but were all-SEC-level performers. He also landed Bunny Shaw out of junior-college. He's a very intense guy during games but seems like a player's coach, otherwise. I'm sure money was one big reason he took the job--his FSU salary will probably about nearly double what he was making in Knoxville--but it's a risky move for him--and would be for anybody who'd follow Krikorian. I view it as a "be careful what you wish for job"--as I don't think anyone could maintain Krikorian's level of success. At the same time, I wouldn't discount him. He didn't recruit international players at Tennessee as Krikorian did--he brought in a few--but he's capable of keeping the talent level quite high. As for his soccer-coaching style: He was a big 4-3-3 guy for years but last year switched to a 4-4-2 with great success. My one complaint about his coaching style is that he's not a huge possession guy like Krikorian, who was almost possession oriented to a fault at times (bring the ball forward, pass it back, bring it forward, pass it back, on and on...). Pensky's team's have tended to be more direct--but as he has increased the talent level at Tennessee there has been more good possession soccer, but I don't see the Noles under him kicking it around as much. I'm a bit bummed, frankly--and can only hope the talent Tennessee now has will stay in Knoxville!
He did start slowly. Angela Kelly had a lot of early success at Tennessee--but for reasons unknown her recruiting really fell off and by the time she left for Texas the talent cupboard, as they say, was bare--empty. It took Pensky 5 years to develop some real momentum. It's ironic that he's taken this big ACC job as the Vols are scheduled to open with UNC and Duke this fall. Ugggh.
L'orange, Thanks for the info. I'll wait to see how the returning players respond! Who would want to follow Krikorian? It's like following Saban at Alabama.
Exactly. I gotta give Pensky credit for having the rocks to take the job. It would be risky for anybody, frankly, as it wouldn't take much of a falloff in performance to see FSU suddenly not faring so well against the other blue-chip ACC programs. The margins are small--typically 1-0, eh? He did coach Maryland prior to taking the Tennessee job, so he's familiar with the rigors of the ACC. My sense is that maybe FSU won't be as impenetrable defensively but might be a touch more exciting in attack. I'm bummed he's left the Vols in the lurch!
Respect your opinion, but I dont see it that way. How is it risky? He gets well paid and has a platform to implement his vision. What is the risk?
The risk is that if he doesn't measure up to the high standards MK set, especially if the team falters early on in his tenure, he could be out of a job. There is also the matter of 7 players in the portal. So if he has a rough first season (even if it is no fault of his own), it could be hard gain credibility with future recruits.
I assume the high standards you refer to are winning titles. If the AD valued that the same way fans do, MK would have gotten everything he wanted no? If he fails there what is the risk to him? He will have made more money, gained new experience and still be very hirable. I dont see players in the portal as a reflection on him. As far as credibility with recruits, he was able to get in front of some of the best US and International players in the country at Tennessee. I don't see FSU being less credible no matter how he does in his first season.
The players in the portal are definitely not a reflection on him. By all accounts they went in the portal before he was hired. If he gets fired from Florida State 5 years from now, he will not land a job as good as Tennessee out of the gate. That is not how it works. I am not saying he should not have taken the job. Certainly money was a likely attraction, and perhaps he wanted a change of scenary personally and for his family. I am just saying that there are risks involved. The AD may not care about soccer, but if there is a lot of backlash about a program falling backward, he may be forced to pay attention. Especially, when the AD was personally the cause of that downward trend. This is all hypothetical. I was just agreeing with the other poster that there are risks involved in this move. Credit to him for taking on the challenge.
What will it say? I don't know the ambitions of the players, but for most, the education they are getting and the relative cost is important. If a player wants to go pro and thinks that BP is the best coach to enhance that probability, then go for it. Pro soccer for women is competing with other career paths that pay more, offer more security and growth. Players may follow a coach to another program for many reasons.
Pro soccer is starting to pay well for the upper tier players. Trinity Rodman doesn't have a college degree, yet she signed a contract for over $1 million. Yes, she is on the upper end, but the league's CBA is going to move salaries forward.
8 FSU players are on the portal now. But 7 of them are Gilchrist, Madril, Roque, Robbins, Zipay, Horton, and O. Smith have Do Not Contact listed. My guess is they wanted to get their names on the portal before the May 1 deadline in case they wanted to test the waters. So maybe there is a decent chance they don't go anywhere now with FSU making a decent hire. M. Smith looks as the only one perhaps seriously transferring as she doesn't have that designation.