MVC Coaches on the Hotseat

[Nashville Cat]

As the new season is right around the corner I thought it'd be a good time to discuss MVC coaches. I think we're fortunate to have some outstanding head coaches in the league but they all have something to prove.

1. Are any coaches on the proverbial hotseat?
2. Are any coaches on the cusp of promotion with a breakout year?

With the new(er) coaches in the conference I look for 2 years of relative stability.

[Da Coach]

Darian DeVries would be the most likely to get better job offers if they finish at the top. And a bigger school might see a package deal with his son.
I don't see any MVC coaches who are at risk this season. 3 teams that will be picked near the bottom, Evansville (Ragland), Illinois State (Pedon), and Indiana State (Schwartz) all have new or relatively new coaches, so they are safe. Same with Yaklich at UIC and Prohm at Murray State. Valpo coach Matt Lottich has a contract through 2025, so I think he's safe, though Valpo has underachieved so far under him. The others- Casey Alexander (Belmont), Wardle, Ford, Jacobson, and Mullins have done enough winning or are well-liked enough to withstand a down year, IMO

[egib52]

Darian DeVries would be the most likely to get better job offers if they finish at the top. And a bigger school might see a package deal with his son.
I don't see any MVC coaches who are at risk this season. 3 teams that will be picked near the bottom, Evansville (Ragland), Illinois State (Pedon), and Indiana State (Schwartz) all have new or relatively new coaches, so they are safe. Same with Yaklich at UIC and Prohm at Murray State. Valpo coach Matt Lottich has a contract through 2025, so I think he's safe, though Valpo has underachieved so far under him. The others- Casey Alexander (Belmont), Wardle, Ford, Jacobson, and Mullins have done enough winning or are well-liked enough to withstand a down year, IMO

I agree with this, but the only caveat would be if Wardle has another year like the COVID year with player issues, or any of the coaches have a McCarty type situation obviously could change in a hurry.

[Fetz86]

I think if Ford can put the pieces together and have a run he’d be looked at by bigger programs as a hot item. Being able to recruit and reload from the portal will be important on resumes.

[Nashville Cat]

I think if Ford can put the pieces together and have a run he’d be looked at by bigger programs as a hot item. Being able to recruit and reload from the portal will be important on resumes.

Seems like recruiting the portal and re-recruiting your own players to keep them out of the portal is becoming more important than high school recruiting these days.

[BraveBird]

I see it very similar to how Coach laid it out. Regarding Coach Wardle, IMHO, his seat is not even warm at this stage.One down year should not be a major concern. If the Braves stumble this season, given the expectations of this team, then the following year does take on some concern. My definition of success for this group is a top 4 finish during conference season thereby getting a bye into Friday in St. Louis and then at a minimum, get to the semifinals. If that occurs, his seat is just fine.

[️ Fanatic]

I agree --- MVC should see some stability with the coaches... like Coach said, DeVries is most likely to move on. If I had to pick the warmest seat, I would say Mullins has the most to prove this year... I think expectations for SIU are higher than results, a below .500 year could turn up the heat a bit. Yet, I think everyone is safe & solid. Looking forward to some MVC basketball