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The idea that San Jose State could be in a 2024 New Year’s Six Bowl is hard to picture – scratch that – it’s unfathomable. SJSU has finished in the Associated Press Top-25 poll once and may not return nine of its 10 All-Mountain West honorees from last year.
And yet, newly minted SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo said that was his goal in his introductory press conference Tuesday afternoon.
But Niumatalolo’s lofty goals shouldn’t be be the topic of conversation right now. Rather, the focus needs to be on whether or not Niumatalolo can build a sustainable winner in San Jose without the triple-option.
Sep 10, 2022; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo walks through the bench during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
He used it as a head coach for 15 years at Navy en route to winning 109 games – 55 more than any other coach – and from 2015-19, was selected as American Athletic Conference coach of the year three times as the Midshipmen finished in the Associated Press Top-25 poll four times. This was all done while recruiting smaller, less talented players who had to meet the Naval Academy’s high academic enrollment standards. Plus, players would have to serve after their playing career so he couldn’t recruit to offering players the chance to play in the NFL.
The answer to this conundrum? Running the triple-option.
But then came the 11 combined wins from 2020-22 which led to athletic director Chet Gladchuk Jr. relieving Niumatalolo of his duties.
The downturn was a byproduct of the Navy being unable to offer NLI (name, image and likeness) deals, utilize the transfer portal and players weren’t granted an extra “Covid Year.”
Now at SJSU, Niumatalolo can access all of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ken-niumatalolo-must-prove-succeed-015138602.html
Author : Mountain West Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-24 01:51:38
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