Paul Chryst doesn’t get the respect he deserves
By Steven Tondi
Paul Chryst looks to cement his name into the elite group of coaches by winning a Big Ten and National Title.
With no football being played life may seem pointless. There is nothing to fill the void of the happiness and excitement that comes along every fall, Saturday morning. The days leading up to the Wisconsin Badgers football season are saturated with team, player and coach rankings. I find myself diving into each one day after day until the season starts.
The most recent ranking I invested my time with was a ranking of Big Ten coaches done by Athlon Sports. Once again the lack of appreciation for the Wisconsin program prevails with Athlon placing Chryst sixth among his Big Ten peers. Chryst is understandably behind coaches like Urban Meyer and James Franklin. Being behind Pat Fitzgerald and even Jim Harbaugh are head scratchers.
The Beauty of Chryst
There may not be a better match than Wisconsin football and Paul Chryst. Both can be described as dependable, disciplined and consistent. When most of the country wants to light up the scoreboard by passing for 500 yards, Chryst would rather grind out an ugly 10-7 victory filled with three-yard rushes.
Both pass up glitz and glamour for substance and results, except when Chryst ratchets up the flamboyance for bowl games.
People around the country take a look at Chryst and are reminded more of their older uncle rather than the fifth-winningest coach in college football over the past three seasons. You would think a mark of 34-7 would earn Chryst some national respect, but he is consistently overlooked.
The national media would rather focus their attention towards the annual hiring/firing of half the coaches in the SEC. Where ESPN is enamored by dynamic uniforms and turnover chains, Chryst gets energized finding ways to perfect the fullback dive.
Legacy
College football coaches are defined by championships, an accomplishment yet to be conquered by Chryst as a head coach. The absence of a championship is an unfair excuse to hold over Chryst’s head.
Related Story: Chryst's crewneck sweatshirt brings warmth to him on sidelines, our hearts
Chryst has had more success with “worse” (based on recruiting rankings) players than most of the coaches who bring in higher rated recruiting classes. However, Wisconsin’s 2019 class (currently 25th by 247 Sports) is shaping up to be one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. Giving Chryst more talented players than he has ever had will keep opposing coaches up at night.
The “experts” will continue to sleep on Chryst and Wisconsin until they win a national championship. This will give this team more motivation to dominate and launch itself into the upper echelon of college football.
The Wisconsin fan base will gladly take continuous double-digit win seasons as they are led by their savior. Paul Chryst will be mentioned among the elite, but for now I will cherish the second coming of Chryst.