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May 1, 2022
The opening Head Coach round sees 26 job offers appearing in Graham Sims' mailbox. One of them, and only one, is worth commenting on.
Penn State has fired Benedict Balch after six seasons, only one of which saw him lead the team to a winning record; his 2019/20 Nittany Lions went 18-17. Last year, the team went 7-11 in Big Ten play, and that's as good as their conference record has ever been.
The Nittany Lions' prestige is 56, and their Facilities score is 40. Neither of those scores are close to Lafayette's.
Still, this job intrigues me. I wonder if Coach Sims has taken the Lafayette program as far as it can realistically go. The Leopards are, far and away, the premier program in the Patriot League. We've won at least 26 games for nine consecutive seasons, and we've won the conference championship in each of those seasons. Only two active coaches have a higher career winning percentage than Graham's .790. Graham has earned Legendary status on the Lafayette campus.
But how much does the lowly status of the Patriot League hold the Leopards back from their fullest potential?
Penn State, on the other hand, is among the Big Ten's weaker teams. Only Michigan and Iowa are less prestigious, and their facilities are the worst in the league. But the fact remains that the Big Ten is a Level 4 conference. The Nittany Lions have a lot of catching up to do, but how high might their ceiling be?
The Penn State AD wants the new coach to avoid finishing last in the conference. Their recruiting class ranks #56 in the nation, comparable to Lafayette's incoming class.
Is it time for Graham Sims to make a move?
What do you think? Please feel free to offer your opinions!
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