Sunday Slam: Jackrabbit Re-Start Puts Palatine's Bobbit on Fast Track to College Football Coaching Success
Fremd Grad Bullen Leaves NFL for Illinois Coaching Staff; Hersey Wrestling Legend Smith Hits Iowa Coaching Milestone
Jesse Bobbit had an impressive Jackrabbit re-start with the South Dakota State football program in 2022.
And his return to where he played and coached last January was just one part of a whirlwind year. He got married to his wife Shelby (Bauer) in July. The honeymoon continued as the Jackrabbits took off on a historic run capped by their first Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national title three weeks ago.
Then, a little more than a week ago, SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier decided to go out on top and retired after 26 seasons and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jimmy Rogers was chosen as Stiegelmeier’s replacement. One of his Rogers’ first moves was filling his previous position by promoting Bobbit from his role as coach of the safeties and recruiting coordinator.
“It’s all pretty surreal, but I couldn’t picture it happening any other way,” the 28-year-old Bobbit said last week as he was out on the recruiting trail in Nebraska. “It was a leap of faith in 2019 when Rogers asked me to come back (as a graduate assistant).”
One where the big reward finally came three Sundays ago in Frisco, Texas, for a program with five trips to the FCS semifinals in the last six seasons and a heartbreaking 2-point loss in the spring 2021 title game to Sam Houston State. This time the Jackrabbits raced past perennial FCS title contender and rival North Dakota State 45-21 to finally reach the pinnacle. Their only loss in 15 games was 7-3 in the opener at Iowa.
“It was very special and very emotional,” Bobbit said of winning at his alma mater with a big contingent of family in attendance. “It’s something, with coach Stig having been here for 30 years, and for Rogers and a couple other coaches who have been here, we wanted this so badly for so long for each other and for coach Stig.
“The best part of the entire weekend was after the game on stage and being able to look out and see 300-plus alums who had been to practice the day before. To see all those faces, there are so many memories that come back to you. It was definitely tears of joy and happiness.”
Those emotions are why it’s no surprise Bobbit, a 2013 Palatine graduate and two-time Daily Herald All-Area pick, chose to go into coaching after a standout career at SDSU ended in 2016. His dad Kevin was a long-time assistant coach and teacher at Palatine who also had a successful three-year tenure as a head coach at Lisle (17-12 with a playoff appearance from 1994-96).
Jesse Bobbit first went to Omaha, Nebraska to teach at an elementary school and work as a high school assistant track and football coach. But his two years as an assistant at Washington State, in between his stints at SDSU, have fueled his passion for coaching at the college level.
“I really enjoyed it (coaching high school), but I love coaching football because of the impact you have on young men and the relationships you can build are so strong,” Bobbit said. “At the college level there’s a different amount of time you can spend with these guys and develop such strong relationships. That’s why I do it. I’m a relationship-type guy. It would be hard to see me not coaching college football.”
Bobbit was the youngest of four brothers from an athletic family at Palatine with JT, Chad (now coaching and teaching at Palatine) and Cody (played baseball at Wichita State). Jesse Bobbit was a four-year starter, two-time all-state pick, Mid-Suburban West defensive player of the year and Palatine record-setter for career interceptions with 17 when he took another leap of faith that led him to his current home.
Bobbit initially thought he would play in the Big Ten with a lot of early recruiting interest from Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana. But that dropped off and his primary scholarship offers came from FCS schools North Dakota, Western Illinois and Illinois State. Then SDSU contacted him and he took a visit to Brookings, which is about nine hours from Palatine in the east central part of the state.
“I didn’t know anybody but I went here and it felt different than all the other places I had been to,” said Bobbit, who was hosted by former Marmion standout T.J. Lally. “Coach Stig is one of the most caring people I’ve been around. He is a true mentor, not just in football but in life.
“I went up without my parents and said after the first night I wanted to commit. They said, ‘hold on,’ but I came home after the second night and called and committed. It’s a special place. The vision and goals of Coach Stig and the AD (Justin Sell) are visions we’re now having as reality. Even when I was elsewhere the Jacks were always my team.”
Bobbit finished his SDSU career at linebacker with 306 tackles. He had 110 as a senior when he was team captain and a second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection as the program went to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time. Rogers was Bobbit’s position coach then and suggested he stick around as a graduate assistant.
But Bobbit wasn’t sure if the college coaching lifestyle was for him and he also wanted to follow Shelby to Nebraska. Rogers told Bobbit these opportunities wouldn’t always be there.
“It was a hard decision, but a leap of faith with my future wife, to best chase my dreams and goals,” Bobbit said.
Fortunately for Bobbit, after a year of coaching in high school, there was another opportunity as a grad assistant at SDSU, which he accepted. After two years at Washington State, where he was promoted to linebackers coach, the departure of SDSU’s defensive coordinator for a head coaching job opened another door to return home.
“Stig and Rogers wanted me so it was a no-brainer to be part of the Jackrabbit family again,” Bobbit said.
Now Bobbit has a bigger role in helping lead that family’s defense.
“I have full trust in him. I believe in him, I coached him and we hold a lot of the same values,” Rogers said at his introductory news conference.
“He has complete trust in me and I have a very good understanding of the defense at all positions and all levels,” Bobbit said. “Obviously I have some growth to do pretty quickly but it was cool when it actually happened.”
Bobbit had a solid foundation that started with his dad’s coaching background, his mom Nancy’s support to chase his dreams and the leadership, passion and intensity that were a big part of everyone in his family. Palatine coaches Tyler Donnelly, Rick Splitt and Sergio Lund were also influential mentors.
Donnelly was Palatine’s head coach and called Bobbit “something special” after his senior year all-area selection. Splitt was Bobbit’s defensive coordinator before going on to a successful run as the school’s head coach. Lund, who was Bobbit’s position coach, was the 1997 Daily Herald All-Area co-captain at Palatine and then played for and worked as a grad assistant for Urban Meyer at Bowling Green.
“Donnelly trusted me to play as a freshman on varsity,” Bobbit said. “Sergio told me about his experiences and that may be when it sparked my interest in coaching at the college level. Sergio’s style of coaching is what I try to represent, where he’ll push you and get on you, but he’s there for you. It’s very similar to how I go into things.
“Splitt helped me through some tough times and good times. He’s always supportive and he’s a big part of how I treat people as a coach and leader.”
Even though Bobbit is just getting started in his new high-profile role, he can see the possibility of using his coaching and leadership skills in the highest position of a college program.
“I wasn’t thinking about that initially because as a GA it felt so far away,” Bobbit said. “It’s about building relationships and being a head coach is all about leadership and relationships. As a defensive coordinator I’m excited for the challenge. I love X’s and O’s, but even more I love the people and love the relationships.”
Bullen Market in Champaign
Charlie Bullen is coming home. Or much closer to home for the 11-year NFL assistant coach who played at Fremd and Harper College.
Bullen was announced as Illinois’ outside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator Saturday by head coach Bret Bielema. Bullen spent the last four years with the Arizona Cardinals and seven years with the Miami Dolphins. MSL Legends and Beyond was first tipped off to Bullen’s move late Friday night by retired Fremd Director of Football Operations Mike Brown.
“I am fired up to be joining the #famILLy back in my home state of Illinois," Bullen said in a release from the school on Saturday. "I am grateful to Coach Bielema and Coach (new defensive coordinator Aaron) Henry for the opportunity to assist with the continued rise of this great program. Ready to get to work!"
Bullen spent the last three years as the Cardinals’ outside linebackers coach after joining their staff as an assistant linebackers coach in 2019. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired Jan. 9 after going 28-37-1 with one playoff appearance in four seasons and general manager Steve Keim permanently left the organization to focus on health issues. No decisions had been made with the rest of the coaching staff.
The Cardinals ranked fifth in the NFL in sacks in the 2020-21 seasons with 89 and 50 came from Bullen’s outside linebackers. Chandler Jones went to the 2021 Pro Bowl with 10.5 sacks as he became the all-time franchise leader with 67 and was second in the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting as he was named first-team All-Pro with 19 sacks, a career-high 8 forced fumbles and 7 strip sacks.
In 2020, Haason Reddick had a career- and team-high 12.5 sacks and was the only player in the NFL to rank in the top five in sacks (fourth), tackles for loss (third) and forced fumbles (second).
Defense was a big part of Illinois’ turnaround in Bielema’s second season in charge as it was the Division I leader in points allowed per game (12.8) and was third in total defense (273.5 yards allowed per game) and turnover margin (plus-15). The Fighting Illini were ranked as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press polls and finished 8-5 after a 19-10 loss to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl for their first 8-win season since 2007.
"I couldn't be more excited to welcome Charlie Bullen and his family to Illinois,” Bielema said in the Illinois release. ”Charlie has a wealth of NFL coaching experience, including coaching some of the elite pass rushers of the NFL, plus a background in the Big Ten. I look forward to watching Charlie continue to develop our outside linebackers and pass rush, while growing our defense in 2023.”
Bullen started with the Dolphins as a defensive assistant in 2012 and then split the next six years as an assistant defensive line coach and assistant linebackers coach. He also got five seasons of college experience at his alma mater Iowa as a student assistant with the quarterbacks (2007-08) and as a grad assistant with the defensive backs (2009-11).
The irony of Bullen’s career path is he was a quarterback at Fremd and his only time with the varsity defense was some practice reps in the secondary for Mid-Suburban League career victories leader Mike Donatucci. He was also a quarterback on Harper’s 2003 non-scholarship school national champion and at St. Norbert College. Bullen transferred to Iowa, worked with the quarterbacks for a year as a volunteer at Iowa City High School, and then tried walking on with the Hawkeyes at the suggestion of ex-Libertyville star Santino Panico.
“(Quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe) politely told me I wasn’t good enough to play here,” Bullen said with a laugh in a 2013 interview during his second season with the Dolphins, “but he offered me an undergrad position with him.”
That put Bullen on a much different path than he initially imagined.
“I always thought I wanted to coach but I probably envisioned coaching in high school more,” Bullen said in 2013. “I knew I wanted to coach but I didn’t know how it would unfold.”
A friendly MSL rivalry is already developing within the Illini coaching staff between Bullen and Bart Miller, a 2002 Daily Herald All-Area pick at Elk Grove who is entering his third year in charge of the offensive linemen. Miller tweeted “EG vs. Fremd should be a fun week in the building. Let’s Go! Excited to have him and his NFL expertise on staff.”
Hersey Mat Legend Makes Iowa History
Brad Smith is among the greatest wrestlers in Illinois history as his consecutive undefeated state titles at 126 pounds in 1971 and at 132 in 1972 also led Hersey to back-to-back team titles under head coach Tom Porter. Smith went on to become an NCAA champion at Iowa and then embarked on an incredible high school coaching career in the wrestling-crazy state.
Smith, who is in his 45th season as a high school head coach, added to his Iowa record of dual meet victories with his 700th just a few weeks ago. Smith is currently in his second stint at Lisbon, a Class 1A school 19 miles east of Cedar Rapids, and he also spent 21 years at Iowa City High (Class 3A).
Smith’s teams have won 19 state titles - 12 in traditional state tournaments and 7 in dual state tourneys and 14 at Lisbon and 5 at Iowa City. He received a big honor when he was chosen to lead the Grand March into the finals of this year’s traditional Iowa state tournament Feb. 15-18 in Des Moines.
“It’s a neat situation for me because I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Smith told prep and wrestling writer K.J. Pilcher for a Jan. 12 story in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “That is a really neat experience just to be able to lead those kids in that parade of champions. I’m looking forward to it.”
Hersey’s Eidle Nominated for Gatorade Repeat
Hersey girls basketball standout Katy Eidle has been nominated for the 2023 Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award. The Michigan-bound Eidle won the Gatorade award last year and this year’s winner will be announced March 8.
Eidle was recognized by Gatorade last year as she averaged 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.9 steals a game and for the second time received Class 4A first-team all-state and Mid-Suburban East Player of the Year honors. She also worked with Hersey’s Big Game program helping special needs students play basketball and she held a weighted 3.48 grade point average. She is on the verge of reaching the 2,000-career points milestone.
Stevenson’s Ambrose Hits 500 Milestone
Congratulations to Stevenson boys basketball coach Pat Ambrose, who picked up his 500th career victory 47-38 over Mundelein on Friday night, and not surprisingly did his best to deflect the attention elsewhere. One of the class acts in coaching came to Stevenson in 1999 after a stint as an assistant coach for Bill Wandro at Hoffman Estates and has won an impressive 73 percent of his games (500-187).
Ambrose has led Stevenson to a complete set of state trophies with a title (2015), second (2013) and third (2014) with current New York Knicks standout Jalen Brunson to go with a fourth-place finish (2007). Also impressive is the Patriots, now 17-4 and tied for the North Suburban Conference lead with Libertyville at 8-1, have never had a losing season under Ambrose.
Retiring Simeon coach Robert Smith also won his 500th career game last week.
Oakton College Baseball Ranked Sixth in NJCAA D-III
Expectations are high as usual for Oakton College baseball under head coach Bill Fratto as it was ranked sixth in the NJCAA Division III preseason poll. The Owls, who won the D-III title in 2018, finished 34-28 last year.
Fratto is also approaching the 600-victory milestone with a 576-326 record since he took over the program in 2006. Oakton’s home opener is scheduled for March 23 against Joliet, which is ranked 13th. Dallas-Enfield received the No. 1 preseason ranking.
Copeland Has Illinois-Springfield Ranked Ninth in NCAA D-II
The University of Illinois Springfield, coached by former Elk Grove star Ryan Copeland, was ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II baseball preseason poll of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA). UIS, which advanced to the NCAA D-II Baseball Championships for the first time last season, is also ranked No. 1 in the NCBWA D-II Midwest Region poll.
UIS and Quincy, which is ranked 20th nationally, were the only Midwest Region teams in the NCBWA top 25. UIS returns four all-Great Lakes Valley Conference picks, including catcher Brandon Bannon from Richmond-Burton, from a team that won its second Midwest Regional tourney and its first NCAA Super Regional.
Palczewski, O’Connell in East-West Shrine Bowl
Illinois offensive lineman Alex Palczewski (Prospect) and Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell (Stevenson) get another chance to showcase their skills in the 98th East-West Shrine Bowl at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Las Vegas on the NFL Network. Palczewski could end up trying to protect O’Connell as both are on the East squad.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Palczewski earned first-team All-America honors by The Sporting News and tied the FBS record for career starts at 65. O’Connell rose to second-team All-Big Ten by league coaches for his last two seasons from the bottom of the Purdue depth chart as a walk-on.