Knudson: Brady Hoke vs. SDSU

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
August 5th, 2011

The upcoming Mountain West football season has a lot of intriguing match ups, headlined by Boise State v. TCU of course. But the most intriguing non-conference game could very well be the one that takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 24th.
 
That’s the day that Brady Hoke’s Michigan Wolverines will host Brady Hoke’s San Diego State Aztecs.
 
Actually, the Aztecs are now coached by Rocky Long, the former New Mexico head man and the Defensive Coordinator on Hoke’s staff at San Diego State. But most of the players who take the field that day wearing SDSU colors will have been recruited by Michigan’s first year coach while he was on the Mesa from December 2008 until the end of last season. Hoke went 13-12 in two years at SDSU, including leading the 2010 team to the school’s first nine-win season since 1971. That included a win over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl in the school’s first bowl appearance in more than a decade. Hoke is rightfully credited for lifting the program to the upper level of a very tough conference.  
 
All this adds up to 9/24 being a VERY emotional day.
 
Emotion is a part of football, of course, and feelings will be running extra high that day on both sidelines. Mostly on the Aztec side, you’d have to think. While current Aztec players haven’t said a lot about Hoke’s departure, one former Aztec star is ready for that particular kick-off right now.
 
Kyle Turley was an Aztec in the mid-1990’s. He went on to be a standout offensive lineman in the NFL for a decade, earning All-Pro honors in 2000. Obviously, he still bleeds red and black. During a recent national radio interview, Turley let it be known that he at least, isn’t too happy with the way Hoke left San Diego.

"I want that game bad,” Hurley told the country. “If they (the Aztecs) lose every game in the whole season, if they just go up there and whup Michigan, I'll take that.

Turley wasn’t close to finished. "It was ridiculous that that guy left the way he did. Michigan came down there with a private jet and flashed a few bucks in front of him, and he, basically, just abandoned the team. Didn't even say good-bye.

"I don't like people like that. There's a big personal vendetta against Brady Hoke. He's a good coach, and he rallied those guys, but then he did the worst thing he could possibly do: pull the rug out from under some young kids and make them say, 'Wait a minute, it is all about money.' And that's unfortunate."

That’s probably not a fair assessment, of course. Hoke was a former Michigan assistant coach, and it was no secret that going back to Ann Arbor was his “dream job.” He turned down overtures from schools like Minnesota to stay at SDSU, but when Michigan came calling, he could not say no.

Hoke didn’t leave San Diego and the furtile recruiting country of southern California on a whim. He knew the possibilities that existed when he left Ball State with two years left on THAT contract after the 2008 season. After inheriting what one close observer called a program with “rotting skeletons in its closet,” Hoke turned things around in just two seasons and thanks to his excellent ground work, SDSU is now considered a contender for the conference title. Known as an excellent recruiter, Hoke left plenty of talent for Long to work with. In fact, it could be argued that Hoke’s former team will be the more talented outfit when they meet in the Big House in Week 4. Can that translate into a big win for SDSU? Turley and the rest of us will be watching to find out.