DETROIT - With a new commissioner and five new football coaches in the Mid-American Conference, this year's media day could have been marketed as a meet-and-greet.
Jon Steinbrecher took over at the helm of the conference from Rick Chryst in March, after the last of five new coaches was hired in the conference. The turnover is the most experienced in the MAC since 2005.
Stan Parrish, Ball State University's new head man, is the only new coach who was on staff at a MAC school last year.
Ball State's MAC West rivals Eastern Michigan University and the University of Toledo have new coaches, as well as Miami University and Bowling Green State University.
Parrish, Toledo's Tim Beckman and Miami's Mike Haywood each have experience coaching in the conference. Beckman spent seven seasons as Bowling Green's defensive coordinator, including two under the University of Florida's Urban Meyer. Haywood spent two years at Ohio University and two seasons at Ball State in the early 90s.
All the coaches have impressive schools on their résumés. The group spent time at schools like Ohio State University, the University of Texas, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan.
With 10 years of experience, Central Michigan coach Butch Jones is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the conference. He said the new group will fit in well.
"We're trying to learn their identity as coaches," Central Michigan University coach Butch Jones said. "You have to get a feel for them schematically."
The MAC has long been known as the "Cradle of Coaching," developing many future national champions including Ohio State's Woody Hayes, Michigan's Bo Schembechler and Lloyd Carr and Florida's Meyer. The opportunity to join that list was part of the attraction to the conference, Eastern Michigan coach Ron English said.
"It's a great league," English said. "It's well respected not only in this part of the country but throughout college football."
The seven years Beckman spent at Bowling Green gives him the most MAC experience of the new coaches. Though Beckman left the Falcons five years ago for Ohio State and then Oklahoma State University, he said his time in the conference is an advantage.
"I know the landscape because I spent seven years in it," Beckman said. "I've got a lot of ties in Ohio and it's going to be good to be back home."
Haywood spent two years in Muncie, coaching the Cardinals' receivers in 1993 and running backs in 1994. He said the league has changed significantly since then.
The MAC has since gone to a two-division format and expanded the conference. But for Haywood, the most important thing is the similarities in the athletes he will recruit at Miami.
"The students are a lot like me," Haywood said. "I've always looked at Miami and had a great deal of respect for them."
Those changes make it imperative for all the new head coaches to get a feel for the league, whether they're returning or coaching in the MAC for the first time.
English worked five seasons down the road at Michigan, but has no MAC experience. He said he wants to get to know his opponents very quickly.
"I'd like to know this conference right now," English said. "I've coached against some of these teams, but it'll take a while to know how we match up."
All the new coaches can create problems for the rest of the conference as well, since only Parrish and Bowling Green's Dave Clawson have head coaching experience. Most coaches said they were fortunate to not see a new coach on the opposite sideline for a few weeks.
"In most cases you'll have at least three or four games to go off of," University at Buffalo coach Turner Gill said. "We don't play a new staff until the middle of the year."
For Ball State a Sept. 19 game at Army will start a three-week stretch of opponents with new coaches. After facing Rich Ellerson's Golden Knights, the Cardinals will travel to Auburn University where Gene Chizik took over for 10-year veteran Tommy Tuberville. They will close out the stretch with their MAC opener against Toledo.
"You don't have two or three years of info on these guys," Parrish said. "Some are offensive; some are defensive, so you know their style and what they do. But in this conference you see everything pretty much every week."
The five new coaches will have to learn how to deal with so much diversity in the conference, but Jones said they bring a lot more to the MAC than new schemes.
"They're all great coaches," Jones said. "There's a new energy in the conference."
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