looking for opinions on college FB coaches

[dawgfan]

As most of you college FB fans know, the UW and Keith Gilbertson announced his resignation yesterday, effective at the end of the season. Washington is now in the market for a new head coach. There have been a bunch of names thrown around out there, some less plausible than others. Some of these guys I'm pretty familiar with and already have an opinion on; others I only know from reading their official bios and checking out their coaching histories. Here are some of the names being thrown out there right now - I'd be curious to hear feedback from others on what they think of any of them:

Urban Meyer - Utah
Bobby Petrino - Louisville
Les Miles - Oklahoma State
Chuck Long - OC at Oklahoma
Brent Venables - DC at Oklahoma
Randy Shannon - DC at Miami, FL
Randy Edsall - Conneticutt
Brett Bielema - DC at Wisconsin
Charlie Strong - DC at Florida

Other names thrown around are:

Jeff Tedford - Cal
I think Tedford is one of the best coaches in the country, I hope the UW goes hard after him (and I think they will), but I don't have much hope they'll succeed. He doesn't seem particularly motivated by money; he's already built up Cal into a national power, and while the UW has a better football tradition, he'd have a significant rebuild job ahead of him; Cal may be an easier place to recruit to than the UW if he's given full support by his administration in Berkeley; while he may be frustrated that promised facilities improvements at Cal are behind schedule, the UW also needs some major renovations to Husky Stadium and to their weight room complex, renovations that are being talked about but are a few years away from being started; his wife is from California and loves the Bay Area, isn't that fond of the PNW and he has kids still in H.S. that he may not want to uproot.

Gary Pinkel - Mizzou
Before this season I would've had Pinkel at or near the top of my list based on his success at Toledo and in rebuilding Mizzou and his great coaching philosophy resemblence to his mentor Don James, but the Tigers disappointing season thus far this year has dimmed his lustre for me and many other Husky fans. He might yet turn out to be a great coach, similar to how it took Nick Saban 5 years to break through with Michigan State before leaving for LSU, but at this point Pinkel looks like a decent but not great coach.

Dan Hawkins - Boise State
Hawkins is a local favorite based on his success at Boise State. He may well be a great candidate, but I have a few concerns - the Bronco program was already in pretty good shape when he inherited the job from Dirk Koetter (who hasn't exactly been spectacular at Arizona State) and a lot of credit for Boise State's success is given to Hawkins' OC Chris Pederson who's unlikely to follow Hawkins to a new job - he wants to stay in Boise for personal reasons and would likely replace Hawkins as Head Coach if he left.

Any opinions from those that have observed any of these candidates? The guy that's really starting to grab my attention is Les Miles - it can't be easy building up a really good program at Oklahoma State in the shadow of Bob Stoops and the Sooners, and I believe he's the only coach that's beaten Stoops twice.

[Franklinnoble]

Mike Price - UTEP

Countdown to Jeebs meltdown in 3.... 2.... 1....

[Franklinnoble]

Seriously, a few comments:

1. I don't think Tedford is leaving Cal, at least not yet, and not for that job. He'll need big money at a big-time program to get him to move.

2. Hawkins may have the same problem as Koetter. Koetter has actually done fairly well at ASU (not like it's easy for him to win the conference there), but let's face it - Boise State isn't playing a schedule anything like that of a Pac-10 school.

[DeToxRox]

Neuihesel won't go to Washington, but it'll be awesome to see if Tedford goes to Florida, and Neuheisel goes to Cal, and then just owns Washington in the pac-10 every year.

[The_herd]

Randy Shannon is overrated as Miami's DC. He really doesn't do much at all. They run a base defense and rely on talent to prevail. The fact that Miami fails to adjust when teams find something that works is evidence to this.

[digamma]

I've heard Hawkins name mentioned in connection with UW for a while. Pederson isn't the same OC he had at Williamette, is it?

[HornedFrog Purple]

I doubt Bobby Petrino goes anywhere but Florida. It would be a lateral move from UL to UW with Louisville becoming a BCS team next season.

If I had to pick, I would go with Urban Meyer or Watson Brown, a Brown that can actually coach.

[dawgfan]

...and Neuheisel goes to Cal, and then just owns Washington in the pac-10 every year.

Is this before or after he gets the Bears on NCAA probation? Neuheisel has proven to have initial success at programs following tough, old-school coaches - Neuheisel provides a fun breath of fresh air in comparison - but the longer he stays at a school the softer and less disciplined they get. He also can't seem to help himself from breaking NCAA rules. While he has a pretty good offensive mind and is probably a pretty good QB mentor, he doesn't show much evidence of having any kind of well-thought-out plan in building a program.

[dawgfan]

I doubt Bobby Petrino goes anywhere but Florida. It would be a lateral move from UL to UW with Louisville becoming a BCS team next season.

With all due respect HFP, I find it extremely hard to believe that Louisville to Washington would be a lateral move. Are Louisville's facilities anywhere close to Washington's? Does Louisville football have anywhere near the same kind of support from both boosters and upper campus administration that Washington has?

[pbot]

Paterno, Joseph.

Please.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Urban Meyer - UtahNotre Dame could come calling, considering that I've heard rumblings about Ty's job security.

[HornedFrog Purple]

With all due respect HFP, I find it extremely hard to believe that Louisville to Washington would be a lateral move. Are Louisville's facilities anywhere close to Washington's? Does Louisville football have anywhere near the same kind of support from both boosters and upper campus administration that Washington has?

I didn't quite mean it like that sorry.

I have just read that Florida has expressed interest in him. If I was a hot commodity head coach, choosing between Florida and Washington at this moment would be a no-brainer to me.

Louisville is moving to the Big East where they have a pretty good chance to win the BCS slot for the forseeable future.

Louisville is of course a basketball school, but their facilities are the best in C-USA and their football program is gaining a lot of momentum. Momentum=money.

Louisville's last coach went to Michigan State, a school currently on par with Washington football performance-wise.

It's not really a diss of UW, but unless UW ponies up a significant amount more money (if that is what Petrino wants) then I believe he stays in Louisville.

Add the fact he turned down Auburn already last year and I just don't think he ends up in Washington.

[dawgfan]

It's not really a diss of UW, but unless UW ponies up a significant amount more money (if that is what Petrino wants) then I believe he stays in Louisville.

Given Dr. Emmert's history at LSU (former Chancellor of LSU, new President of UofW) and his hiring of Nick Saban from Michigan State with a contract that included clauses that would make him the highest-paid coach in the country if he won the NC, I suspect that money won't be a big obstacle for hiring a new coach.

Any opinions on Les Miles from those that watch the Big-12 on a regular basis?

[JeeberD]

Mike Price - UTEP

Countdown to Jeebs meltdown in 3.... 2.... 1....

Sorry for my being late, but Mike has already said that there's NO chance of him going to U-Dub...

:)

[dawgfan]

Notre Dame could come calling, considering that I've heard rumblings about Ty's job security.

That very well could be - Ty has been on the hot seat since last season and I believe one of the schools in Meyer's contract that he has an out-clause for is Notre Dame.

I think Willingham survives this season though. The big wild-card is what happens in Florida - does Spurrier come back? If so that leaves Washington as probably the next best job. If not, which big name will Florida nab?

[dawgfan]

Sorry for my being late, but Mike has already said that there's NO chance of him going to U-Dub...

:)

There would be a lot of resistance by UW fans and boosters to Price simply due to his history as the Cougar coach. Besides, I really don't see Price leaving UTEP anytime soon - I think he's genuinely grateful for the 2nd chance they gave him and I don't see him ditching them. Given his age, he probably retires there.

[JeeberD]

Given his age, he probably retires there.

Lord how I hope you're right...

[dawgfan]

Lord how I hope you're right...

Well, I think Price really feels like he owes a big debt of gratitude to Bob Stull and Dr. Natalicio - I can't imagine he'd leave anytime soon. And given that he's 58, if he doesn't leave soon for a big-time school it probably won't ever happen.

Never say never, but I'm guessing Price stays with UTEP until he retires.

[JeeberD]

Well,some joker on the UTEP board is saying that Illinois is going to make a run for Mike. I feel like you do, dawg. I think MP is extremely grateful for his second chance and isn't going to go anywhere...

[MrBug708]

Tedford *could* go to UW, but he's most likely NFL bound. Cleveland perhaps? I think Carroll and Chow are off to San Fran this next year which would help the PAC-10 as a whole.

Personally, I think it goes Tedford, Meyer, Hawkins, and Petrino with them taking Hawkins. If they wait long enough, they could grab Butch Davis

[DeToxRox]

Well,some joker on the UTEP board is saying that Illinois is going to make a run for Mike. I feel like you do, dawg. I think MP is extremely grateful for his second chance and isn't going to go anywhere...

I think Price making UTEP a legitimate BCS contender would do for his legacy then going to a school like Illinois and redeeming himself with a few decent seasons.

He'd turn around a school and his legacy in a heartbeat.

[MrBug708]

BCS *raises eyebrow*

HE won't leave til Ebell is gone ;)

[JeeberD]

Hopefully the NCAA will give us a second year of Ebell... :)

[MrBug708]

I doubt it, though Tinkerbell doesnt have much shot at the NFL

[HornedFrog Purple]

Any opinions on Les Miles from those that watch the Big-12 on a regular basis?

Solid recruiter. Runs a good scheme and develops players. Would be a very good catch for UW.

I have read that he really loves the area where he is right now though and has a rather large buyout.

[scooper]

From what I've heard, but I could be wrong, Tedford has an out if the university does not meet certain standards for improving facilities. I'm not sure if he'd ever invoke this if they keep winning like they are, but it could play a part. I'm sure Washington's facilities are far superior to Cal's at this point and I'm pretty sure the fan base and possibly the university is more behind the program.

I love Urban Meyer and it scares me that some rival of Notre Dame will get a crack at him some day before the Irish do. However, I do have some reservations because his offense is kind of gimmicky and Alex Smith is like a member of Mensa or something of that nature. It's a great offense, when run by a talented, quick, and most importantly smart QB. It is a great way to neutralize talent differentials, but would it work over an 11-12 game schedule against BCS caliber defenses?

Petrino would be a great fit, but if Spurrier doesn't pan out, he would be a better fit for Florida. Even with the big east, Washington would still be a step up for Louisville, but momentum is the key. Louisville has a newer BCS caliber stadium. I'm not sure about the rest of their facilities. It is a university that values athletic prestige and being on a big stage. I predict big things from them based on that committment. They also have a strong talent base. KY as state is not loaded, but Louisville and Lexington have a handful of strong high school programs that are starting to play up against some of the big boys in Ohio. Louisville is getting a stronghold on those programs that have netted talents such as Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, who could both play a lot for most top 25 teams. They also have done a nice job of recruiting in Ohio, especially NE Ohio. There is a lot of talent there and Ohio St. can't take all of them.


On the Notre Dame issue mentioed earlier, after the firing of Zook and the resignation of Gilbertson, both hired the same year as Willingham, a chane is not out of the question, but it would take two embarrasing losses meaning either two blowouts to Tenn and USC or one blow out and a loss ala Boston College at home to Pitt. This team is so Jekyl and Hyde, it would not surprise me. Ultimately, it could be Ty's loyalty to some top assistants that does him in. If that happens, I wouldn't be surprised to see the AD feel some hot water as well, especially after the complete botching of the last hire to begin with.

I really like Ty. I'd trust him with my son (see other tread) but I don't know if he's inthe right place. A lot of the excuses and rhetoric are starting to sound Davie-esque. Not to mention he now has as many 20 point losses in three seasons as Bob Davie and Gerry Faust had in 10 combined. I know the talent is down somewhat, but it's not that bad.

[Mr. Wednesday]

ND's pass defense has been very underwhelming this season, and I'd put that down as the reason they lost by 20+ to Purdue (the only 20+ loss so far this season). The secondary tends to get burned, and against the better OLs the front four has been unable to generate pressure on the QB.

I'd expect USC to hang a big number on the Irish, I don't think the Irish have the personnel and/or schemes to contain Leinart considering how badly they were dissected by Purdue and even BC. Tennessee, I'm not sure. We'll see what happens this weekend.

[scooper]

ND's pass defense has been very underwhelming this season, and I'd put that down as the reason they lost by 20+ to Purdue (the only 20+ loss so far this season). The secondary tends to get burned, and against the better OLs the front four has been unable to generate pressure on the QB.

I'd expect USC to hang a big number on the Irish, I don't think the Irish have the personnel and/or schemes to contain Leinart considering how badly they were dissected by Purdue and even BC. Tennessee, I'm not sure. We'll see what happens this weekend.
The secondary is young and I think guys like Zbikowski, Parish and Richardson could develop into fine players, but I agree, they have been a weak spot this season. But I don't think the offense has done the defense any favors. I abhor Bill Diedrich's philosophy and play-calling. The o-line, built on big high school all americans has matured a bit and there is talent in the backfield, yet he fails to build a respectable running game. The running game has no consistency, imagination or committment. Not to mention he is very impatient. Two Quinn picks against BC should have been ND field goals at least but Diedrich once again called for the home run too often.

ND's offensive stats are misleading as it has usually been home run or nothing. BC, on the other hand, showed ND how to put together a drive with short to medium passing, a committment to running the ball mixed in with an occassional shot downfield. That, along with ND's inability to keep the offense on the field, wore down ND's defense in that game.

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I read somewhere that Bill Diedrich was once demoted at Washington for failing to develop a running game. Is this true Dawg fans?

[scooper]

I don't think the Irish have the personnel and/or schemes to contain Leinart considering how badly they were dissected by Purdue and even BC.
While neither Cal nor Stanford beat USC, both put themselves in position to do so. I'd contend that ND has the defensive talent to stack up with either of those teams, if not better across the board. You hit the nail on the head with schemes, though. Not to mention the offense to help them out as I described above.

[Franklinnoble]

Sorry for my being late, but Mike has already said that there's NO chance of him going to U-Dub...

:)

I know, I was just twistin' your titties.

[scooper]

I know, I was just twistin' your titties.

Oooh me next.

[MacroGuru]

Notre Dame could come calling, considering that I've heard rumblings about Ty's job security.
Urban has 4 schools with no buyout clauses in them.

I know 3 of them are Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State, I do not know where the 4th one is.

However, his contract is 6 or 7 years, and if he leaves Utah to move on, it will be a small price for a school to pay, to get a great coach. I like Urban a lot, he has that blue print for success he carries with him everywhere he has been.

[vex]

Go after OC Chuck Long at Iowa. Just leave the one at OU alone;)

[JeeberD]

I know, I was just twistin' your titties.

Really? I didn't know that the "Countdown to Jeebs meltdown in 3.... 2.... 1...." meant that you were joking... ;)

[Noop]

Please Please Please take Jeff Bowden...

[Huckleberry]

Greg Davis - OC Texas! Sharpest mind in offensive football today!!! OMG you can't pass this guy up!!!

[Noop]

Greg Davis - OC Texas! Sharpest mind in offensive football today!!! OMG you can't pass this guy up!!!
No. No. No. Jeff Bowden the son of the famous Coach Bobby Bowden in fact you can take them both along with the Florida State offensive staff save Billy Sexton...

[dawgfan]

Go after OC Chuck Long at Iowa. Just leave the one at OU alone;)

Whoops - I guess I have a hard time not associating Chuck Long with Iowa.

[HornedFrog Purple]

Greg Davis - OC Texas! Sharpest mind in offensive football today!!! OMG you can't pass this guy up!!!

Key word: offensive. :D

[dawgfan]

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I read somewhere that Bill Diedrich was once demoted at Washington for failing to develop a running game. Is this true Dawg fans?

I don't know what the real story is, but the folklore around here is that part of his demotion stemmed from the loss the Huskies suffered at Oregon in '94 (the game that propelled the Ducks to the Rose Bowl and spawned their current era of success). Washington was trailing 24-20 with 2:40 left in the 4th quarter. They drove down to the Duck 8-yard line with about 50 seconds left. Rather than give the ball to Napoleon Kaufman (who had 102 yards rushing in the game and 1,016 in the first 6 games of the season leading up to the Oregon game) Diedrich called for an out-pattern pass at the goal-line on the far side of the field. Damon Huard's pass was picked off by Kenny Wheaton who went 97 yards for the TD the other way.

Fans and boosters were furious with the play call, and a couple of seasons later Coach Lambright replaced Diedrich as Offensive Coordinator with Scott Linehan (now OC with the Minnesota Vikings).

Diedrich had a great running game at the UW with Napoleon Kaufman and later Rashaan Shehee leading the way, so I don't know if it's accurate to say he was demoted for not developing a rushing attack, though it may be that some thought he should've emphasized the run even more.

[dawgfan]

I have read that he really loves the area where he is right now though and has a rather large buyout.

He does - I believe the figure I saw was $875K. I don't think money will be a major stumbling block in the UW's search, but by comparison Tedford's buyout drops to $500K on December 15th since Cal won't have broken ground on their promised stadium improvements. Gary Pinkel has a $1M buyout, and combined with the mediocre results the Tigers have had this year, that probably rules him out.

[scooper]

Rather than give the ball to Napoleon Kaufman (who had 102 yards rushing in the game and 1,016 in the first 6 games of the season leading up to the Oregon game) Diedrich called for an out-pattern pass at the goal-line on the far side of the field. Damon Huard's pass was picked off by Kenny Wheaton who went 97 yards for the TD the other way.

Diedrich had a great running game at the UW with Napoleon Kaufman and later Rashaan Shehee leading the way, so I don't know if it's accurate to say he was demoted for not developing a rushing attack, though it may be that some thought he should've emphasized the run even more.
This sounds like Diedrich at ND. He just seems to be way too impatient. It seems if the running game doesn't work in the first series, he uses that as justification to scrap it for the entire game. This happened against BYU. Or in the case of a game like Boston College, they have some success running the ball, but he gets tired of slowly moving the ball and calls an ill advised pass downfield that gets picked. I'm in no way advocating not taking downfield shots. Big plays can break open a game, not to mention opening up the run game and help recruiting. It's just that you can almost predict when watching a game, the point where he will get impatient and go for it all.

[panerd]

We will give you a package of Gary Pinkel and Quin Snyder right now. Please steal them away from us right now!

[scooper]

Well, the competition for the top candidates just heated up.





Steve Spurrier Withdraws Name From Hiring Process
Thursday November 4, 2004
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Gainesville, FL

Steve Spurrier has withdrawn his name from consideration in the process to select a new head football coach at the University of Florida.

Coach Spurrier's Statement:

"I have informed Jeremy Foley, our athletic director, that I am withdrawing from consideration for the head coaching position at my alma mater.

"When I departed three years ago there were several reasons why I believed it was time to move on. Other than simply wanting to coach in the NFL someday, I also believed that 12 years at Florida was probably long enough. Many people in football believe that around 10-12 years in the same job is about the maximum time a coach should stay.

"We Gators had a wonderful run for 12 years, seven division championships in 10 years, seven SEC championships and the ultimate, the l996 National Championship. As the Gator coach I simply believed I'd had my day in the sun and I've had my nights in the domes, the Georgia Dome and the Superdome, where we had five championship celebrations.

"I have had an excellent relationship with Jeremy Foley for many years. He called me several times this week trying to set up a meeting after the season with him and President Machen. They were obviously making an effort to meet with me.

"I personally thank all our Gator players from l990 through 2001, our assistant coaches, our staff, the alumni and students, and all Gator football fans for their role in making all these championships a reality.

"I have not been offered any coaching job by any team, and I'm not searching for one. My coaching career with the Gators ended at the Orange Bowl on January 2, 2002. "I feel it is time to clear the air and support Athletic Director Jeremy Foley and President Bernie Machen as they search for the best coach available to lead the Gators back to the top of the Southeastern Conference. Go Gators."

[The_herd]

Rumors here in the San Antonio area are saying that Spurrier would love to get the Texas job if Mack Brown ends up getting fired.

[dawgfan]

Spurrier pulling out of the Florida search definitely complicates things. There's a lot of speculation that Urban Meyer will become the top target for the Gators - the current Florida President hired Meyer at Utah. There's also speculation they'll make a run at Tedford as well, and Bobby Petrino may make a lot of sense.

The biggest wildcard is whether Dr. Emmert at the UW tries to pursue Spurrier. Unlikely given that the PNW is hardly ideal golfing weather, but intriguing to think about...

[Noop]

Spurrier pulling out of the Florida search definitely complicates things. There's a lot of speculation that Urban Meyer will become the top target for the Gators - the current Florida President hired Meyer at Utah. There's also speculation they'll make a run at Tedford as well, and Bobby Petrino may make a lot of sense.

The biggest wildcard is whether Dr. Emmert at the UW tries to pursue Spurrier. Unlikely given that the PNW is hardly ideal golfing weather, but intriguing to think about...
I believe Butch Davis will take the Florida job or they may hire from within to save recruiting. Urban would have to go ahead and reconnect with his old Florida Highschool contacts from his days with Notre Dame. But from what I have heard Meyer wants the Notre Dame job.

[scooper]

But from what I have heard Meyer wants the Notre Dame job.
If he's patient, he just may get it. Patient may mean one or two years. It may mean three weeks.