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72 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED ing to be seniors at Lincoln Southwest High School in 2015-16. Could he really just stay there in Nebraska? Could he really turn down offers to immediately contin- ue college coaching? "It was not even a debate when my wife and I sat down and said, 'What should we do?' It was, 'This is what we're going to do. We're going to make it work and we're going to hope to God after this that something good will happen,'" Els said. "Obviously it did, but there was zero question." That "good" was Darrell Hazell's offer to become Pur- due's next defensive coordinator, which Els accepted in late December. For Els, it was the right time to move forward. But he doesn't regret for a moment his year away from college football. Because it still included his passions: Family, teaching, mentoring young men and football. "That year off was really, really nice," Els said. "It was a big refresh button for me." When Lincoln Southwest head football coach Mark King heard Els was staying in Lincoln, he reached out and asked Els to join his staff as an assistant. King and Els had known each other since 1984 — Els was on the football team when King was a gradu- ate assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha. King ultimately decided to coach high school, while Els forged a path in college coaching that'd take him to Iowa, Ne- braska, New Mexico and Ohio, forcing him to miss too many key moments in his kids' lives. But that didn't happen in 2015. He worked with Taylor's volleyball team in a conditioning coach sort of role over the summer and then attended her matches during the season — when there wasn't a conflict with helping to coach Bo's football team. It was, in a word, a "blast." "I know people don't believe it and they never did call, but if Nick Saban called and said, 'I want you to be the linebacker coach at Alabama,' the answer was going to be 'No,' " Els said. "I spent 27 years coaching other people's kids, it was time to coach my own. And I enjoyed it." With Taylor set to attend Northern Colorado to play volleyball and Bo headed to Morningside College in Iowa after the school year ends, Ross Els felt settled in a sense. But eager in another. An innately competitive person who loves challenges, Els was ready to see what awaited him. And Bo Pelini and Frank Solich had big ideas. Youngstown State coach Pelini, who hired Els at Ne- braska, and Ohio coach Solich, who ultimately promoted Els to his assistant head coach by Year 6, called Hazell unsolicited recommending Els for defensive coordina- tor, which had opened up after Hazell fired Greg Hudson at the end of the season. Though Els hadn't been a coor- dinator since 2004 with New Mexico State, it didn't take long for him to convince Hazell he could handle the job at a Big Ten level. Their interview was four-plus hours locked in a Chi- cago hotel room where Hazell put Els through the paces. Hazell had brought a projector and dry erase board to the meeting and peppered Els with questions, trying to trip him up on different scenarios. It didn't work. "He always had an answer," the offensive-minded S Y A W L A Y A T S T A E R G A Get everything you're looking for, all at a great price. We have what matters most to you, like a comfortable bed and a delicious breakfast, plus free Internet and free bottled water in your room, great local beer with Best Brews™ and much more. e t t e y a f a L t s e W n o t a r e h S y b s t n i o P r u o F E T T E Y A F A L T S E W / M O C . S T N I O P R U O F T A W O N K O O B 1 1 5 5 3 6 4 5 6 7 R O 8 0 8 9 7 7 7 0 0 8 L L A C R O . S L E T O H T A E R G . S E T A R T A E R G ©2011-2012 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved. Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Méridien, Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. For full terms and conditions visit fourpoints.com/westlafayette