Ticats to name McMaster HC Stef Ptaszek as OC: good for them, painful for Mac

Less than a month after offensive coordinator Tommy Condell suddenly resigned, citing family reasons, it looks like the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have found a replacement, and from a surprising source that's even already in the same town. Scott Radley of The Hamilton Spectator reported Wednesday that the team appears set to name McMaster Marauders head coach Stefan Ptaszek as their new OC. While there would be a learning curve for Ptaszek in both transitioning to the CFL and adjusting to head coach/vice-president of football operations Kent Austin's offensive system, this could be a great move for Hamilton given the success Ptaszek has found at the university level and the offensive innovation he's shown there. It could also be a benefit for CIS football as a whole, showing that coaching success there can translate into success in the professional ranks (something we haven't seen much historically, but it has been trending up a bit over the past few years). However, this could be a significant blow to the powerhouse Marauders, especially coming this late in the offseason.

The details here don't appear to be finalized yet, but this does look like it's happening. Radley's initial report was largely based around Mac AD Glen Grunwald (the former Toronto Raptors' GM and NBA executive)'s non-denial denial, with Grunwald saying "At this stage, I think we should let the situation play out" and adding that he wanted to be respectful to the Tiger-Cats, and Radley's Spectator colleague Drew Edwards tweeted that he can confirm Ptaszek's hire. It's also interesting to note, as 3 Down Nation's Justin Dunk did, that Ptaszek has connections to Hamilton GM Eric Tillman; back when Tillman was the GM of the B.C. Lions in 1994, he chose Ptaszek (then a school-record-setting receiver from Wilfrid Laurier University) with the ninth overall pick of the CFL draft.

Ptaszek only played four CFL seasons, but he's been very sucessful as a coach. He won back-to-back Yates Cups as Ontario champions in 2004 and 2005 and the 2005 Vanier Cup as national champions when he was Laurier's offensive coordinator, then took the Marauders' head-coaching job in 2006. (Interestingly enough, that was only a few years after Greg Marshall left McMaster to become the Ticats' head coach following the 2003 season.) Ptaszek brought McMaster back to the success they found under Marshall and helped the Marauders to even greater heights, particularly with the three Yates Cups they've lifted (in 2011, 2012 and 2014), the three Vanier Cups they've been to, the CIS-record 21-game winning streak they posted from 2011 to 2012, and the epic Vanier Cup they won against Laval in 2011. McMaster went 6-2 in OUA play last year too, and while they were upset by Laurier in the playoffs, this is not Ptaszek fleeing a bad situation. It's him leaving a good situation for a potentially-better one.

Unlike the frequent NCAA to NFL moves (especially at levels below head coach) we've seen south of the border, Canadian university coaching hasn't often been a pathway to the pro ranks. CIS has produced excellent football and top-notch CFL and even NFL players, but while there have been some coaches to go from the university ranks to the CFL ones, they've been pretty rare in the last few decades, and what moves have happened have often been for lower roles. We are seeing more CIS to CFL transitions in the last few years, though; a couple include current Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters, who joined the Blue Bombers in 2010 (as their special teams coordinator) after a stint as Guelph's head coach, and current Toronto special teams coordinator Kelly Jeffrey, who joined the Argos this offseason after finding success as Mount Allison's head coach.

It's interesting to see a CIS guy jump right into an offensive coordinator's role, but it makes plenty of sense in this situation. The Ticats had a vacancy late, and they had a very qualified candidate who already lived locally and who they're already familiar with. Ptaszek won the Frank Tindall Trophy as CIS national coach of the year award in 2012, and he's received lots of praise from those who have experience working with him, too. Here's what current TSN Radio 1150 Hamilton host Marshall Ferguson, who played quarterback for Ptaszek at McMaster, tweeted about him Wednesday:

It's easy to see why Ptaszek would jump at this job. While he was in a pretty good situation at McMaster,  being a CFL offensive coordinator probably pays more than being a CIS head coach, and it comes with a much greater opportunity. If he's successful in this role, he easily might be considered for CFL head coaching jobs down the line. That likely wouldn't have been the case if he stayed with the Marauders; all the CIS success in the world doesn't necessarily get CFL teams to look at you, at least for the head job. (Marshall is one of very few exceptions there, and his CFL tenure wasn't the greatest.) Thus, if it does come to pass, this is a logical career move for Ptaszek, and it could even be a boost for CIS coaches in general if he does well. It's at least a short-term blow for the Marauders, though, as Radley writes:

Indeed. The McMaster program is unlikely to suddenly wither and die overnight (it's notable that fellow powerhouse Calgary still put up an undefeated regular season this past year despite Blake Nill's offseason departure for UBC, even if Nill's Thunderbirds got the better of them in the playoffs en route to a Vanier Cup win), but this will be a substantial blow for them, especially given the timing. They'll have to make a move fast with the season approaching, and it seems likely they'll probably have to name an interim coach from within for at least this year. That could work out well, but it's not as desirable as if they had the time for a full coaching search. The Marauders will also have to work to reassure Ptaszek's recruits, and they'll have to develop different game plans for this fall. McMaster will still have plenty of great players, but this coaching turmoil will make things difficult for them for at least this year. The Tiger-Cats' gain seems likely to be the Marauders' loss.