Jon Tenuta Taking Defensive Coordinator Job At Illinois?

by Akula Wolf on Jan 2, 2012 9:22 PM EST

This rumor hit the tubes earlier in the afternoon, and while I have no clue as to the reputation of the website responsible for it, it's probably something worth keeping an eye on:

Illinois: We have been told that Jon Tenuta will be the defensive coordinator at Illinois.

[Update: This rumor was apparently first reported by CoachingSearch.com.]

Pack Pride had this to say:

We haven't heard anything yet on the Tenuta rumblings. He was also linked to the DC gig at Kansas under Weis.

So we'll see. I have to wonder how the fan base would respond if Jon Tenuta moved on for a DC job elsewhere while Tom O'Brien held on to whipping boy Mike Archer. Judging by the early response on Twitter, there aren't many people who'd have a problem with replacing Archer with Tenuta. There still is a lot of frustration bubbling under the surface despite a strong finish to the year, and it wouldn't surprise me if losing Tenuta increased the heat a bit on TOB heading into 2012.

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TOB needs to work to keep to Tenuta

I’m not sure how he got him on staff to begin with, unless it had to do with Bill Cowher’s connections with Chan Gailey.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jan 2, 2012 9:43 PM EST reply actions

I Thought...

there was some connection TOB had with Tenuta personally from a past coaching gig…we were losing our LB’s coach to GT and Tenuta’s tenure with my Irish didn’t end amicably so getting a DC position at a BCS school was probably out of the question…I think it was a right place, right time situation…the man has always changed jobs so if this pans out its no surprise…

The Tenuta case is very similar to the situation we will face in a couple of years when Bobby Lutz starts looking for HC positions again…if State performs well this year and the next…he’ll be looking for his ticket out as well…

But who can blame these guys for doing so?

by JEOHankins2 on Jan 3, 2012 12:35 AM EST up reply actions

if tenuta is so great, why havent

by PackMentality on Jan 2, 2012 11:32 PM EST via mobile reply actions

we had any good linebackers?

by PackMentality on Jan 2, 2012 11:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Screw this tablet. It ruined my joke. I was gonna be all like, “oh wait, our linebackers have been great!”. And you guys were gonna be all, “that’s so funny. He said one thing, but he meant the other thing!”.

by PackMentality on Jan 2, 2012 11:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Tenuta should've gotten promoted last offseason

Hard to let Archer go with the way we finished THIS season… although I’d wager that Tenuta had a lot to do with the schemes & packages. I don’t see any way we can let Archer go now… and it’s probably too late to keep Tenuta, based on the way it sounds. Terrible turn of events if true.

And Tenuta didn’t recruit the LB’s, Mentality… I think you have to look a bit more broadly than the LB’s to see his impact on the defense…

by wolfonthehill on Jan 3, 2012 6:51 AM EST reply actions

I read somewhere,

can’t remember where, that Tenuta was basically running the D in the 2nd half of the season or so. He would send plays up to Archer, and if Tenuta didn’t like the play that Archer would call then he would override it.

by SunDropDrinker13 on Jan 3, 2012 10:49 AM EST reply actions