From Illinois to Steubenville — and back: DiAngelo doing what he can with Fighting Illini during pandemic
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STEUBENVILLE -- Mike DiAngelo is feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on football, just like every collegiate coach and analyst is doing right now.
The 2002 Steubenville High School graduate was hired on Feb. 1 to be the University of Illinois' offensive analyst -- specifically with quarterbacks -- for the upcoming season. He began right before the pandemic hit the United States and worked for five weeks before returning home to Steubenville. After that, all meetings were virtual until the end of June. The team met in person a handful of times beginning in July and later went back to Zoom.
Fair to say, it was an odd time to transition to a new school.
"There was a coaching staff change at Ole Miss in early December, so I was looking for a job because the offensive staff was let go," the former Big Red quarterback said. "I kept my eyes and ears open for an opportunity elsewhere. I knew the offensive coordinator (Rod Smith) from my Arizona stop. He called me up and offered me a position. It was kind of a no-brainer because I have a really good relationship with him. It was an easy transition.
"I was living with him when I was only there for five weeks, then in a hotel for a couple of days. Then COVID hit and I came home. It was a weird five weeks."
This year will be DiAngelo's eighth in Division I. Last season was his only one with Ole Miss as a player personal analyst, while 2013-18 was spent at Arizona (first a defensive assistant graduate, then an analyst).
"It definitely was a great experience (at Ole Miss). The SEC definitely is a different conference, a different style of play. It's a different atmosphere as far as recruiting, the players, games, staff wise, everything," DiAngelo said. "You're working with three guys who were head coaches for a long time, so you try to soak in as much information as you can. I wasn't expecting to only be there for a year, but you learn a lot. It's something I'm glad that I did."
Prior to 2013, DiAngelo was at Washington and Jefferson for six seasons, splitting time between being a wide receivers coach and a defense/special teams coordinator. After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace in 2005, he spent 2006 as a quarterback coach with Concord University.
Despite the limited experience in Illinois to this point, everything has lived up to DiAngelo's expectations so far.
"There's a brand new football building that's a year old and will definitely help with recruiting. There are a lot of good people on the staff. It's a great working environment," he said. "It's more of a family atmosphere.
"It's been an interesting start back up to football. Coach (Lovie) Smith put everything on pause the day that (the Big Ten) canceled. He basically gave the players the option to go home or they could stay all the way up until school starts, which is on Monday."
DiAngelo plans on being at the university on Monday. Currently, he is back in Steubenville with his parents, sister and fiancee. He will depart on Sunday for the six-plus hour road trip.
"We had quarterback meetings last week. We're going back to get a game plan," he said. "I'm not sure if they're allowing 20-hour weeks. If you wanted to, you can go two hours of practice a day, an hour of weight and an hour of film. I'm not sure what's in store. I heard maybe getting ready for a spring format where you'll get like 12 or 15 practices.
"There are so many unknowns and uncertainties, and it's changing every day. That's why coach Smith put it on pause and said, 'Let's hang tight, get back out there in two weeks and figure out a plan moving forward in the fall.'"
During his time back home, DiAngelo is keeping up with high school sports and heard Gov. Mike DeWine's decision Tuesday to move forward with them this fall. He knows first hand the importance of Big Red football and what the decision means for the city.
"That's a tough one. It's a whole different world," he said. "Football obviously is a big deal around here. I thought the commissioner at every different level made the call from the top down. I won't say I disagree with the decision, but I'm a little surprised considering the circumstances."
When he returns to his job on Monday, DiAngelo does not know what to expect. He and the coaches will get a plan in place, but that could change daily. With Big Ten football postponing the football season already, maybe they will plan on the spring.
DiAngelo and his staff know one thing for sure. Illinois football being postponed was not due to a lack of following the guidelines and protocols.
"The Illinois bubble was interesting because our testing measures and protocols were, I think, different than anywhere else," he said. "We were testing every day since the end of July. Then once a week we would do a nasal swab. It was kind of assumed that other schools were doing the same or similar things. When you figured out what they were doing, you kind of get a bead on player safety compared to other schools.
"I thought our school did a great job with it. You just didn't know what other schools were doing with it. Once the doctors and others were meeting, they kind of found out that testing was not the same at every school."