Mr. Hank Hughes was the defensive coordinator of the 2014 UC Bearcats. During his first and only year at UC the Bearcats defense was not exactly a statistical masterpiece, giving up 439 yards per game. The defense ended the season ranked 98th in the country (ouch!). Although the D got better as the year progressed, Hughes arguably cost the Bearcats any chance of beating Ohio State, Miami (FL), and Memphis.
News broke this week that Hughes was leaving to join Mike Riley at Nebraska as the Cornhuskers’ new defensive coordinator. While this was unexpected, it is not necessarily the worst news for UC.
Who will replace Hughes next year? Your guess is as good as mine. Whether Tubs promotes internally or looks elsewhere, the new D coordinator has to produce a better defense long-term than Hughes. The only issue is the short-term transition for next year.
Stay tuned.
By Andy Smith