Iowa State is in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday. Coach Matt Campbell has done a phenomenal job with the Cyclones. It may be one of the toughest jobs in the country coaching Iowa State. He once had Tom Manning as his offensive line coach who’s now with the Colts in the NFL. He had Alex Golesh as a coach on his staff at Iowa State. Jason Candle the Head Coach at Toledo and has been sought after the past couple of years. The name popping up on the WR Coach Radar is Noah Pauley. Noah WHO? Pauley has coached at Iowa State, North Dakota State and Minnesota Deluth.
Why Pauley? He coached Christian Watson at North Dakota State. In 2019, Watson had 34 receptions and 732 yards-6 touchdowns. In 2020 Watson had 19 catches for 442 Yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch. In 2021 Watson had 43 catches for 801 yards and 7 touchdowns. Watson came from Tampa Plant and was very productive under Coach Pauley. This year at Iowa State he produced two 1,000 yard receivers. Jayden Higgins had 80 catches for 1068 yards (13.35 Avg) and 9 touchdowns. He also coached Jaylin Noel 67 catches for 1,013 yards and 6 touchdowns. (15.12 Avg). You can't argue with his production at the wide receiver position. There is no question that Pauley looks like an up incoming coach.
Why Not Pauley? He has zero history of recruiting top flight receivers. Now there are some who will look at his production and say the guy can be hired just on that alone. The reality is FSU can't miss on this hire. They need someone that can 1) develop a very young but talented roster of receivers, 2) someone that can recruit at a very high level, especially in the state of Florida. Pauley would be the fourth coach FSU has hired in the past week and none have strong roots in the sunshine state, which is a concern.
Final Thoughts: Not going to lie, the more you dig into this guys background he looks legit. I would really like to see Mike hire someone with ties to Florida. Maybe that comes with the LB hire. Maybe he brings in another QB Coach. If Pat Surtain goes to the NFL does he hire someone like Nick Munroe? At some point you must hire someone with ties to Florida. I do think Pauley would be a great hire from what he has done at two stops. Pauley would be a risk but the guy has proven to be a great on the field coach. If he is able to get one or more receivers on this roster to produce would that be enough to attract top flight receivers? We may find out. I was told Pauley has been offered the job, let’s see if it is true and he takes it.
Why Pauley? He coached Christian Watson at North Dakota State. In 2019, Watson had 34 receptions and 732 yards-6 touchdowns. In 2020 Watson had 19 catches for 442 Yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch. In 2021 Watson had 43 catches for 801 yards and 7 touchdowns. Watson came from Tampa Plant and was very productive under Coach Pauley. This year at Iowa State he produced two 1,000 yard receivers. Jayden Higgins had 80 catches for 1068 yards (13.35 Avg) and 9 touchdowns. He also coached Jaylin Noel 67 catches for 1,013 yards and 6 touchdowns. (15.12 Avg). You can't argue with his production at the wide receiver position. There is no question that Pauley looks like an up incoming coach.
Why Not Pauley? He has zero history of recruiting top flight receivers. Now there are some who will look at his production and say the guy can be hired just on that alone. The reality is FSU can't miss on this hire. They need someone that can 1) develop a very young but talented roster of receivers, 2) someone that can recruit at a very high level, especially in the state of Florida. Pauley would be the fourth coach FSU has hired in the past week and none have strong roots in the sunshine state, which is a concern.
Final Thoughts: Not going to lie, the more you dig into this guys background he looks legit. I would really like to see Mike hire someone with ties to Florida. Maybe that comes with the LB hire. Maybe he brings in another QB Coach. If Pat Surtain goes to the NFL does he hire someone like Nick Munroe? At some point you must hire someone with ties to Florida. I do think Pauley would be a great hire from what he has done at two stops. Pauley would be a risk but the guy has proven to be a great on the field coach. If he is able to get one or more receivers on this roster to produce would that be enough to attract top flight receivers? We may find out. I was told Pauley has been offered the job, let’s see if it is true and he takes it.
