Jason Welch new head coach of San Francisco State (D2)

[Glane18 73]

Great hire for them in regards to CA ties.  J seems like a coach who builds positive relationships with his athletes and is there for them.  Bringing in his pedigree helps a lot.  I hope he can transition to head coach well.  

 

 

http://www.sfstategators.com/news/2017/8/28/san-francisco-state-tabs-jason-welch-as-head-wrestling-coach.aspx

[TobusRex 2,108]

He's still pretty young, great gig! I always enjoyed his wrestling style.

[iGranby 221]

Awsome! I was a big fan of his when I was in HS. I've been getting more into D2 recently with a lot of high level kids from our area attending D2 schools, It'll be interesting to watch the program grow.

[IronChef 1,134]

The school did not treat the outgoing coach very well. Rather than fire him, they used his evaluation to let him know the position was being opened up and that he could apply for the job he already had. I don't know enough to say what kind of job he had been doing; I just think it's a crappy way to treat someone who had worked there for 33 years.

 

http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18287

[iGranby 221]

The school did not treat the outgoing coach very well. Rather than fire him, they used his evaluation to let him know the position was being opened up and that he could apply for the job he already had. I don't know enough to say what kind of job he had been doing; I just think it's a crappy way to treat someone who had worked there for 33 years.

 

http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18287

 

Well, that's a little concerning lol. 

[FATMANROLL 54]

Lars got a raw deal and I have lost all respect for SFSU. I hope the treat Welch better than they did Lars.

[tightwaist 390]

I always loved watching Welch wrestle.

 

 

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[Tofurky 633]

Big loss for Northwestern's middle weight guys, even with Howe there!

 

GREAT luck to Jason. He's a nice kid and I hope he and his teams perform well there.

[olddirty 347]

The school did not treat the outgoing coach very well. Rather than fire him, they used his evaluation to let him know the position was being opened up and that he could apply for the job he already had. I don't know enough to say what kind of job he had been doing; I just think it's a crappy way to treat someone who had worked there for 33 years.

 

http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18287

 

Lars got a raw deal and I have lost all respect for SFSU. I hope the treat Welch better than they did Lars.

I would say I am fairly in the loop with that program.  On a scale of 1-10, how would you evaluate his effort and success in critical job functions as a university coach?:

 

Recruiting

Community and university presence

Athletic results

[AZCO 7]

I am also fairly in the loop with that program (both from a coaching and competitive standpoint). IMO one issue with college wrestling is coaches often get a pass for average results. Don't get me wrong, Coach Jensen did a heck of a lot for that program in his prime...they even won a DII title back in the late 90's. But the thing is they have not been very competitive on a national level for many, many years. SFSU is really affordable (although COL is obviously high in SF), in a pretty attractive location recruiting-wise, and should be a perennial top DII team. Especially in a state with now 0 DII programs outside of SF State. I think it was pretty nice to offer him the opportunity to apply for the position instead of firing him outright- although the writing was likely on the wall. Many coaches in virtually every sport across all divisions are not afforded that opportunity. It would have been cool for them to offer him another position within the college or dept., but with budget cuts across the country and SF being an expensive place to live it's not too far fetched to believe that this was not an option from a budget standpoint. Facts are facts, and to answer Old Dirty's questions for you (and yes, I am 100% clear on the DII mission and model of "life in the balance" and focusing on more than just athletics), although it is difficult for me to rate those on a number scale I'll give my rating:

 

Recruiting: 3-6?

Community and university presence: 1-4?

Athletic results: 1-3 (for example, they didn't even have a national qualifier this year)

 

EDIT: "In the loop" could be considered a stretch, as I was never directly tied to that program. 

Edited September 6, 2017 by AZCO

[silver-medal 670]

School should have just said--"we appreciate your years of service but no longer feel you're effective.  We will be hiring a new coach."  Better to be honest than play this game of re-application.

[IronChef 1,134]

School should have just said--"we appreciate your years of service but no longer feel you're effective.  We will be hiring a new coach."  Better to be honest than play this game of re-application.

This was my main issue with it. Fire the guy or keep him. Don't leave him dangling in the wind like this.

 

I'd be interested to know what sort of "CA ties" Welch has, given the he left California in 2008 at age 18. He's certainly got the name and the hometown, but it's easy to overstate the recruiting ties of someone who has lived his whole adult life in the Chicago area.

[GoNotQuietly 1,175]

This was my main issue with it. Fire the guy or keep him. Don't leave him dangling in the wind like this.

 

I'd be interested to know what sort of "CA ties" Welch has, given the he left California in 2008 at age 18. He's certainly got the name and the hometown, but it's easy to overstate the recruiting ties of someone who has lived his whole adult life in the Chicago area.

 

Jason was still involved at Wrestling Prep and running his own wrestling / surfing camps in Cali.

[FATMANROLL 54]

Its my understanding that the school was not giving the program much support, I think at time there was talk about dropping the program.

 

Hard to be successful in an environment like that.

 

 

 

The team Lars won the title with might have had 2-3 times the scholarships available than what he had in his last few seasons.

 

 

Its hard to compare D2s to D2s as there is such a huge disparity in scholarships available( not just wrestling has these issues)

 

I know of some schools that compete with less than 1 full instate scholarship and others that have the 9 rides as allowed by the NCAA

[silver-medal 670]

Re-building a program is usually a young man's game.  SF State could be fantastic with the right coach and if he can get support for the university.