Buh-yea? Dykes Pegs Andy Buh As Cal's Next DC

News broke Sunday morning that Sonny Dykes has hired Wisconsin LB coach Andy Buh as Cal's next defensive coordinator. Buh spent some time as a graduate assistant under Tom Holmoe in 2000-01 before moving on to bigger and better things.

And now Buh, a California native, is coming back to Cal.

Buh's credentials are pretty straightforward:

• 2008-2009: Stanford co-defensive coordinator
• 2010-2011: Nevada defensive coordinator
• 2012: Wisconsin linebackers

To put it simply, Buh made an awful Stanford defense into a below average one and an even worst Nevada defense into an average unit.

So what to make of this hire?

First off, I have to admit it's a letdown to to hear that Dave Aranda (Utah State) is not coming to Cal. Aranda was clearly the best option on the table for a program of Cal's caliber and from various reports out there, Aranda was offered the position earlier in the week (which shows that Dykes is serious about fixing this defense).

While I wasn't surprised that Aranda turned down the Cal position, especially given the reasons we listed in the blog post below, what makes this news sting is that Aranda is supposedly going to Texas Tech (which makes me think that Cal missed out on a coach that they realistically could've had).

Hopefully this is the last we will see of Buh wearing red (Wisconsin athletics)

 Having said that, Buh is a very good second option. I don't have any sources out there anymore so I won't pretend like I know what I'm talking about, but I do know a couple people who have worked closely with Buh over the years and they love this hire for Cal.

Word on the street describes Buh as a severe detail oriented coach who is part workaholic, part competitive psycho. I don't really know enough about Buh's defensive philosophies to make a concrete assessment, but having covered recruiting in a past life, I can honestly say that Buh is one hell of a recruiter. Combined with the rapid enthusiasm that Tony Franklin has exhibited, Cal will have two coordinators whoa re constantly out there in the trenches doing their best to get kids to come to Berkeley (which is a great, great change of pace from previous regimes).

With all the talent running around here in California, I'm positive Buh is itching to hit the recruiting trail. Buh also has some strong relationships in Texas as well, which is another big positive.

On the field, I really like the fact that Buh has coached in three different conferences. While his time as a defensive coordinator weren't the greatest (statistically speaking), the hope here is that Buh has experienced and learned a great deal from his past jobs, especially this past season working under Bret Bielema and the rugged, traditionally defensive oriented Big Ten.

Reading around the different websites, I've also seen a lot of questions wondering why Buh (a Nevada alum) left his alma mater to become a LB coach. I've read a lot of if he is so good, then why ... ? remarks. Two notes on that:

1. Nevada athletics pay its coaches pennies compared to other programs (true)
2. Buh, as a grown man, needed to do what grown men need to do from time to time and feed his family (speculative on my part)

Much like the Dykes hire, Buh's placement as Cal's defensive coordinator is not without risk. There were certainly safer choices out there (DeWayne Walker being the prime example) but I think both Dykes and Buh are going to work out well for Cal in the long run.