Last week, we opened our new series breaking down the most impressive new staffs of 2023 with a look at Charlotte at the #10 spot.
Moving on to #9 on our list, the focus shifts to Lance Taylor and his staff at Western Michigan.
As we shared previously in this series, there's no exact formula for putting together a staff that is going to put a successful product on the field Saturdays in the fall. So generally speaking, coaches look for a mix of guys they have a prior relationship with, or have worked with coaches they have ties to and trust, or are excellent recruiters, have a ton of experience, have learned under some of the most respected coaches in the game, or retaining guys that have an intimate understanding of the roster.
Really, any mix of all those and so much more go into building a quality staff, and all while being able to do it with the salary pool allotted.
In his first crack at being a head coach, Taylor has built his staff with an impressive mix of up-and-coming talent, along with retaining some key pieces of the previous staff that have crushed it in recruiting for a program that expects to contend annually in the MAC.
COORDINATOR RECAP
In a league that is dominated with offensive-minded head coaches like Joe Moorhead, Jason Candle, Mike Neu, Scot Loeffler and Jim McElwain, one could certainly argue that being in Taylor's shoes as a first-time head coach his defensive coordinator hire was as important a hire as any.
Taylor opted to retain defensive coordinator Lou Esposito, who has been the program's defensive coordinator since the spring of 2019. A strong recruiter who has developed great relationships with high school coaches in-state, Esposito had the Broncos defense ranked 2nd in the MAC in scoring last season, and also ranked second in both rush defense and passing defense as well.
On the other side of the ball, Taylor decided to bring in a standout FCS coordinator in Billy Cosh to bring the Air Raid to Kalamazoo.
Cosh spent the last few years leading record setting offenses at Richmond (FCS - VA) and VMI (FCS - VA), where his uptempo approach led to a Spiders quarterback completing 90% of his passes during a playoff victory while throwing for over 3,600 yards on the season.
BIGGEST HIRE
While the retention of Esposito fits the bill as the biggest hire in my opinion, I think the continuity on the defensive side of the ball could prove to be the most impactful decision for the Broncos moving forward under Taylor.
Defensive line coach David Denham will enter his third season working alongside Esposito this fall, and has done an impressive job developing their defensive front. Last year, the Broncos led the league in sacks with 19 total, and a number of those players landed Power Five opportunities in the transfer portal the past few months.
With Denham working with the defensive line, we understand Esposito will work with the linebackers, forming a formidable duo coaching the front seven.
Tim Cooper (safeties) and Donald Celiscar (corners) round out new additions to the defensive staff
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
The MAC race seems as wide open as any conference in college football. Take a look at the last four championship games (winners in bold):
Miami (OH) 26 - Central Michigan 21
Ball State 38 - Buffalo 28
Northern Illinois 41 - Kent State 23
Toledo 17 - Ohio 7
Not only has there been a different champion each year, but there's been a different runner up as well.
The Broncos finished the year ranked dead last in the MAC in scoring at 19 points per game under former head coach Tim Lester.
Cosh brings a fast and exciting brand of football in, but there's a big difference in the offensive philosophies between last fall and this fall, and how the offensive staff meshes and teaches the new schemes going in is going to be paramount.
Eric Evans will coach the tight ends and is the lone holdover from the previous staff, and he has offensive coordinator experience from a few seasons ago with the program.
Offensive line coach Trevor Mendelson brings some familiarity from a few different levels. He previously worked with Taylor while the two were at Notre Dame, and also has familiarity with Cosh after briefly coaching the tight ends at Richmond in 2021. He also brings experience working under Dave Clawson at Wake Forest.
MOST UNDERRATED HIRE
One of the first additions to the staff for Taylor was GM Gaizka Crowley, who is widely regarded as one of the top young support staff pieces based on his work at UNLV and Southern Illinois.
In Vegas, Crowley held roles that ranged from director of player personnel to football operations before ascending to a chief of staff role. That type of movement goes to show his versatility and value, both areas that will be on full display for Taylor in Crowley's new role in Kalamazoo.
Before SIU and UNLV, Crowley previously spent five years as the midwest director of recruiting and scouting for XOS Digital.
KEY SUPPORT STAFF ADDITIONS
Associate AD for football Mike Parrish, a finalist for our Director of Football Operations of the Year Award back in 2015, is another key behind the scenes piece in Kalamazoo that was retained from the previous staff. Brought onto the staff in February of 2020, Parrish wears a number of hats for the program and previously spent time at Arizona, Michigan and West Virginia.
Also, new director of strength and conditioning Grant Geib brings unique Big Ten experience with him to the staff after spending the past five seasons at Purdue as the sports science coordinator.
After facing off against his son in a homecoming game last year as the co-defensive coordinator at Hampton (FCS), Chris Cosh is listed on the same staff with Billy as a senior analyst for the program. Cosh has been a defensive coordinator at eight FBS programs including Michigan State, Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, and Kansas State and will bring invaluable experience to the game planning process, on both sides of the ball.
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