January 11, 2021 – Aberdeen, SD –
Coaching is something discussed in the offseason quite frequently and this goes for every sports league. Winning can buy a coach a couple of years while losing just lessens your chances of staying. This is becoming a reality for Coach Steve Heimann of the Presentation College Saints. After taking over as head coach in 2019, Heimann looked to put his two decades of experience between player and multiple coaching and coordinator jobs to use on a team that hasn’t been over .500 since 2016. He started his career with the Saints 1-9 in 2019 and that was to be expected with any new coach on a new team. In 2020, however, the team went 0-9 and now there is a serious question. Did the Saints hire the wrong guy?
Although this team went 0-9, there were a few highlights on the team. Austin Eggl had a nice season finishing with a 130 QBR and had 27 touchdowns to 14 interceptions while his top receiver, Logan Weisser, had over 800 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. So what went wrong? That was their entire offense. The next closest receiver had 376 yards with 5 touchdowns. This equated to half as many yards a game as Weisser was having and that made the offense predictable. It is absolutely imperative to have a number one receiver that you can rely on, but if that’s all you have to throw to, your quarterback is going to be under constant duress and that is what happened.
Another part of the lethargic offense is due to the lack of production from the running backs. Although between Nathan Jones and Edmund Jacobs, they averaged 18 carries a game, neither running back was able to rush for over 100 yards in a single contest. The other issue with the running game was the lack of scoring they produced. With 6 touchdowns combined between the 2 backs, that isn’t enough for a passing game struggling to find their number 2 receiver to divert defenses from Weisser. The game of football has been becoming increasingly favorable for the passing game, but the value of the running game can never be understated as it ultimately should set up the pass.
Eric Bell was a real bright spot for this defense that really had more disappointing performances than even just a decent performance. They gave up 21 points in 8 of their 9 games which didn’t help an offense that was already struggling to put points on the board. In fairness, when a defense is out there for as long as this Saints defense was, they are going to wear down over the course of the game. They also gave up over 40 points five times so it may not have even mattered how much the offense scored. The defense simply could not stop anybody.
So when you look back at this season, can everything really all come down to coaching or does some of this have to come down to poor recruiting? The answer is actually both, but they go hand in hand. Recruiting is something unique to college sports that professional leagues don’t have to worry about nearly as much. Where most professional teams have a cap space, college teams just go out and try to get the best players they can. These players are looking for a place where they can make an immediate impact and also win at the same time. A team that can barely win 1 game in 2 seasons does not scream “great opportunity” and much more of this losing can only hinder the Saints chances at winning in the future.
The question then lies in where Presentation goes from here. Much more of these winless or 1 win seasons could hurt the future of the program, but quick turnover could hinder a good coaching hire because it just looks like turmoil from the outside. In this scenario, the clock has to be ticking on Heimann. At some point, you have to even wonder how the mood in the locker room is. From my experience, it is harder to garner respect for a coach that isn’t producing wins than one than has proven he can at least get you to .500 football. Not too often do you see a coach struggle in 2 years and see something vastly different going after. If Heimann has similar results as his first 2 years, the Saints will have to start looking elsewhere because keeping him will only create more harm than good. 2021 may be an all or nothing year for Coach Heimann.
