DEVELOPING: Trotz To Caps, MacLellan To GM

((HT: CSNWashington))

Brian MacLellan was promoted to Senior VP and GM of the Washington Capitals as Barry Trotz is now the new head coach of the franchise.

Trotz was on board with the search and was okay with the MacLellan promotion
Chick Hernandez talks to CSNWashington Caps insider Chuck Gormley


The next set of questions will center around the new relationship between Trotz and Alexander Ovechkin. Ovie had a great scoring year for the Caps, a horrible plus-minus, and an owner who wanted to have a fresh set of eyes for his new head coach.

MacLellan has been with the team since the 2000-01 season.
The HQ would like to know how this qualifies.

The defense and goaltending are issues that needed to be addressed in the off-season and it will be interesting to see how this evolves as we head into the summer. The team has very little cap space at present ($1.198M before the new cap adjustment) and 6 players are under UFA status this season- Halak (who left already to the Islanders), Penner, Stoa, Strachan, Brouillette, and Grabovski.

That knocks a little over 11-million off the books, but how you fill the space will be the interesting moves for Ted Leonsis, MacLellan, and Trotz- who will be working with more money in DC than he ever did in Nashville.

Charlie Ward... High School Football Head Coach...???

((HT: pnj.com/Blakeney))

Charlie Ward could be the next head football coach at Washington High in the Pensacola, Florida area. He was one of 49 candidates and is reported to be one of the four finalists as well as a local Pensacola coach.

Ward resigned last month from his head coaching position at Westbury Christian School in Houston to find a job closer to his family in Florida and Georgia.

Head of School Greg Glenn said in a release on the Westbury website: “We would love to see him stay, but we respect his desire to focus on his family. We can never truly replace Charlie, but, thanks to his influence, Wildcat football has a bright future ahead.”

Here's a segment from CSTV's "On The Road" where they caught up with "high school football coach" Ward a few seasons back...


So, it would be a chance for Chah-lie to get closer to Coach Bowden...

And they might need help in a very tough region...

Last year, District 1-6A had only team that finished over .500- Escambia High...and they finished third...

Washington finished last in the standings with a 3-7 (1-4) overall- a game behind Pine Forest and Pensacola High

Vanderbilt Hires Their New Head Coach And It's Derek Mason

Derek Mason, thanks AP-Damian Dovarganes

[HT: The Tennessean]

And those of us in the OSG HQ think Vanderbilt made a great choice.

Derek Mason is the new head coach at Vanderbilt.  The Tennessean cites Vanderbilt donor and search committee member John Ingram who confirmed the hire.

Vanderbilt is expected to make the formal announcement Saturday morning at a press conference.

For the past three seasons Mason has been the defensive coordinator at Stanford.  Mason led the Cardinal defense to a top 20 finish nationally in total defense and third in the NCAA against the run giving up less than 100 yards per game.

The first order of business for Mason will be to save Vanderbilt's recruiting class which has been gutted following former head coach James Franklin's departure to Penn State.

Here's early returns out of Nashville...
((HT: WTVF-TV))
NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

"Derek Mason is the leader we trust to continue the challenging but exciting work that has elevated the Vanderbilt football program to unprecedented heights," said Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. "He embodies integrity, strategic thinking and a demonstrated commitment to success. He understands the important role that athletics plays in the life of a vibrant university, and that outstanding scholarly pursuits and top-notch sports are integral parts of the Vanderbilt experience. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Vanderbilt community."
"I am so excited to be at Vanderbilt," Mason said in a release. "This university combines the best of what's good about college athletics and academics. We expect to be competitive and look forward to competing for an SEC East crown."