Report: Wyoming hires Tim Polasek as offensive coordinator

The shot-callers at the University of Wyoming got a good long look at Iowa’s offensive line as the Hawkeyes manhandled the Cowboy defense on Sept. 2, 2017.

They saw Akrum Wadley and James Butler combine for 150 yards. They watched a young Nate Stanley complete just 8 passes to 3 players for 3 touchdowns with Josh Allen sitting on their sideline—observing as his team got dealt a 24-3 loss to a Hawkeye squad that would go on to win seven more games and finish tied with Purdue for third in the unimpeachable Big Ten West.

They saw Tim Polasek’s goatee and said, “yeah, we want that.”

And so, after three years in Iowa City, Polasek is heading to Laramie to run the Cowboy offense, a job he hasn’t held since he was at NDSU.

He’s filling the shoes of Brent Vigen, who also was with Bohl and Polasek in Fargo. Vigen took the head job at Montana State Monday.

It’s difficult to gauge Polasek’s success at Iowa, in part because he wasn’t around long, and because, well, Iowa always has a good offensive line.

With Polasek, it was particularly good. NFL players he coached include first round pick and Super Bowl champ Tristan Wirfs. James Daniels learned under Polasek for one year and went to the league as a junior. Ike Boettger is on the Bills and got a year of Polasek. And Ross Reynolds is on the Patriots roster after making the league as a UDFA in 2019.

And don’t forget Alaric Jackson this year. (And maybe Cole Banwart?)

Iowa’s two highest-rated recruits in the class of 2021 are 4-star offensive linemen. And it looks like his 2019 class will have three starters on this season’s line.

All this is to say: best of luck to Tim Polasek. I hope he goes on to flame the Mountain West, but dammit I’ll be upset if and when he takes the next step as a sexy hire back in the P5.

Bonus content: guys whose names I saw on Twitter

• AJ Blazek. It makes too much sense, but this would be the third job Blazek accepts in two weeks, which is ripped right from my playbook.
• Whoever the Northern Illinois OL coach is.
• Whoever the UNI OL coach is.
• Mike Devlin.
• Jeff Duvendeck.
• Brian Ferentz to OL, David Raih to OC.
• James Ferentz.
• Just kidding, but not really.
• Marshall Yanda.
• Bonus bonus content: I don’t think this is the only position coach we’ll see leave this offseason.