Els, Raymond: Technical Teachers That Bo Trusts

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Trust me on this one. Remember when Bo Pelini was hired as Nebraska's head football coach, and the theme was "Bo knows football"?

Well, after confirming that Ross Els, 45, will succeed Mike Ekeler as linebacker coach and that Corey Raymond, 41, will succeed Marvin Sanders as secondary coach, you can also say that Bo knows exactly what he wants in the defensive coaches who work for him.

In Els and Raymond, Bo trusts. That's why he went to such great lengths to hire a couple of coaches who may not be famous, but, he believes, will be just what the Blackshirts need this winter, spring, summer and fall.

Think about it. When Bo and his defensive coordinator brother, Carl, are the only ones in a room, you expect them to go straight to their Youngstown, Ohio, roots. You understand why they talk about football's universal truths - trust, talent and tenacity. That's why they believe in hiring team-oriented technicians and teachers more than household names.

Coaches Inherit Preseason All-America Players

Bo's and Carl's goal is not to create sizzle, but to keep Nebraska on the cutting edge of college football's dreaming, scheming and true meaning. The Huskers, after all, are taking on a whole new conference, and they have three possible preseason defensive All-Americans returning - Jared Crick at tackle, Lavonte David at linebacker and Alfonzo Dennard at cornerback.

With anchors like that, no one needs ego, and fortunately, Bo's style is based on what he considers to be that time-tested truth called trust, one of his favorite words.

Of course, everyone knows that trust is the easiest thing in the world to lose and the hardest thing in the world to get back, so Bo and Carl conducted and based their talent search on one of football's ultra-critical principles - bullet-proof trust - the kind that is earned, not granted.

Make no mistake. Bringing Els and Raymond out of relative coaching obscurity was a decision predicated on trust. Bo believes they've worked hard enough and smart enough to prove their worth just like brother Carl, John Papuchis and Ekeler did when they arrived at Nebraska with more determination than pedigree.

Truth be told, Bo was around Raymond long enough at LSU to trust him implicitly, and Carl was around Els long enough at Ohio to trust him equally implicitly. Whenever hiring seems complicated, trust simplifies the process.

Paying Their Dues, Recruiting, Life Commitment

Somehow, it seems important to consider the staples of Raymond's and Els' strengths that ring so true with their new head coach.

1)  Both have paid their dues. After starting four years at LSU and spending six years in the NFL with the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, Raymond coached three years at New Iberia (La.) High School. Then he spent three years as an LSU strength and cornerback coach, giving Pelini the opportunity to see how he inspires players and works with coaches. At the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Els' alma mater, the Lincoln native and son of former Lincoln Northeast High School Head Coach Bob Els was a strength and conditioning coach with academic and video coordinator duties. At Hastings College, where he was honored by the state's two largest newspapers as State College Coach of the Year, Els used his experiences as a recruiting coordinator, academic coordinator and sports information director to work his way up to head coach. Barney Cotton, Nebraska's offensive line coach, worked with Els at Hastings College, and Carl Pelini worked with him at Ohio, where Els just finished his sixth year as Frank Solich's linebacker coach and special teams coordinator.

2)  Both are considered excellent recruiters. In Division I, you better recruit every bit as well as you coach, and by all accounts, Pelini believes both new hires excel in each area. Raymond went into the NFL unheralded as an undrafted free agent, yet played in 90 games, intercepted 11 passes (one for a touchdown) and made 258 tackles. Any coach that has played in bowl games, been part of a staff that won a national championship and can relate to high school recruits and college athletes who dream about playing in the NFL is a recruiter that talks to eager ears. Raymond is your proverbial diamond in the rough pulled from Utah State via an abbreviated stop in Indiana. Els coached at Ohio after four seasons at New Mexico State, including two as defensive coordinator. He knows how to communicate, and the players he recruits know they can take him at his word. He makes no promises and gives everyone a realistic picture of what it takes to play and play well. Raymond and Els both relate well with recruits, bring out the best in them and maximize almost every ounce of their potential. Bo's rule is simple, but hard, tried and true .... bring the right kids into the program for all the right reasons. The coaches commit to them, and they expect an equal commitment in return. Raymond has great recruiting ties in Texas and Florida, and Els has great ties throughout Big Ten Conference states. Both can hit the ground running, and both can compete one-on-one with any recruiter out there.

3)  Both have the bandwidth to get young men to play at a high level and make an impact on their lives. This plays to Nebraska's mantra to succeed athletically, academically and in life. Raymond and Els are the players' daily psychologists and motivators in addition to their position coaches. Bo believes if you can't trust players in the classroom, you can't trust them on the field, so the daily grind goes well beyond the meeting room and the practice field. Raymond and Els seem to thrive on that aspect, and both preach the importance of accountability to every player they coach, day in and day out, 365 days a year. Bo sees lifetime development as the result of daily rigor, and his two new defensive coaches realize that they're preparing players for the next steps in their lives. To Bo and his staff, trust really is the key to everything they do and every decision they make. He believes Nebraska sells itself, and the best recruiters enable that to happen. They communicate Nebraska's history, its culture and the state's unparalleled fan support to attract well-balanced, highly competitive student-athletes. Bo hired Raymond and Els because he believes they epitomize everything he wants a member of his coaching staff to stand for. Character counts, and in the end, that's really what Pelini was searching for.

Seeing Lessons Learned instead of Mistakes Made

While Bo continuously seeks perfection, he is not a perfectionist in the truest sense of the word. He knows there will be mistakes, but he wants his staff to view them the way he does - more as lessons learned than mistakes made.

According to Bo, the most important thing is to be passionate about what you're doing, give it everything you have, trust your choices and believe that everything is possible. When you trust in what you love and remind yourself about that every day, it will take you wherever you want to go.

Bo sees the world that way, and that's why he feels really good about his newly constructed defensive staff. He believes strongly that this staff is well suited to take on every challenge in 2011-12 - from Tennessee at Chatanooga, Fresno State, Washington, Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa at home to road games at Wyoming, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan, not to mention the goal of playing in the first-ever Big Ten Conference Championship game in Indianapolis and whatever bowl game might emerge from that.

Obviously, the success of Bo's decisions to hire Els and Raymond depends on how well they mesh with the rest of the staff and how well each player responds to their respective styles and approach. 

The Bo that knows football - and the Bo that knows coaches - is confident in his own instincts, and no doubt will reinforce his trust in both new defensive staff members quickly and consistently.

Will Huskers' New Coaches Spur Spring Ticket Sales?

Nebraska's spring practice starts March 12. So far, Husker fans have bought more than 36,000 tickets to the April 16th Red-White Spring Game, including 1,500 in the last few days.

Some suspect that number might be connected to the new coaching announcements, and if it is, expect that pace-to-purchase to pick up even more.

When the weather improves, Husker fans tend to look ahead, and with two new offensive coaches joining the staff, the spring game takes on even more meaning.

Our next N-Sider will take a snapshot of those two new offensive hires - Rich Fisher and John Garrison - so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, remember the one who hired all four coaches.

Yes, it takes a special man to walk into the Nebraska head coach's office every day.

Trust me on that one, too.

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