Next Gopher Coach

[60's Guy]

Just like to put a list in one place.
First Tier
Petersen
Harbaugh
Patterson
Belotti
Leach
Richt

2nd Tier
Sumlin
Ken of Navy
2.5 Tier
Calhoun
Mullen
Hoke
Golden
Shannon
Trestman
Jerry Kill
Edsall



3rd Tier Don't Fit
Fulmer
McCarney
Edwards
Gruden
Dungy

Who has been mentioned that I forgot? Do your tiers differ? Can't give anyone in tier 2 a long contract or 2 plus million dollars per year can we? If we have any fiscal responsibility or common sense in the decision.

Nobody in the 2nd tier is a "proven" winner with any track record. Many have their wins versus lousy teams with no signature victories to speak of. I'm not a Sumlin backer but out of those choices for several reasons he emerges on top for me.

 

[Tricks]

I wouldn't think we would give them 2 mil+ in the 2nd tier beyond maybe Mullin to draw him away from Miss. St.

I'd also consider Calhoun, Golden, and Mullen to be as good or better candidates than Sumlin or Niumatalolo. Just my opinion.

 

[howeda7]

Pipedream Tier: Harbaugh, Petersen, Patterson, Dungy, Gruden, Leach

Tier 1: Richt, Bellotti

Tier 2: Golden, Calhoun, Mullen

Tier 3: Fulmer, Bowden, Shannon

Tier 4: Hoke, Ken of Navy, Kill, Sumlin

Tier 5: Edsall, Shiano, Cutcliff

Shoot me tier: Trestman, Chryst, McCarney

 

[stevedave23]

Pipedream Tier: Harbaugh, Petersen, Patterson, Dungy, Gruden, Leach

Tier 1: Richt, Bellotti

Tier 2: Golden, Calhoun, Mullen

Tier 3: Fulmer, Bowden, Shannon

Tier 4: Hoke, Ken of Navy, Kill, Sumlin

Tier 5: Edsall, Shiano, Cutcliff

Shoot me tier: Trestman, Chryst, McCarney

This mirrors my list almost exactly.

 

[dpodoll68]

Pipedream Tier: Harbaugh, Petersen, Patterson, Dungy, Gruden, Leach

Tier 1: Richt, Bellotti

Tier 2: Golden, Calhoun, Mullen

Tier 3: Fulmer, Bowden, Shannon

Tier 4: Hoke, Ken of Navy, Kill, Sumlin

Tier 5: Edsall, Shiano, Cutcliff

Shoot me tier: Trestman, Chryst, McCarney

This list is just about perfect. The only subtle changes I would make are to remove Bowden altogether (don't understand why anyone would want someone who coached a decade in the ACC and couldn't even win one title), and bump Schiano up to tier 3.

Since we're not going to get anyone from Pipedream or Tier 1, any of the the 3 from tier 2 would make DP a happy guy. I'd prefer Golden, but would honestly be elated with any of the 3.

 

[Seniorsmoke]

This mirrors my list almost exactly.

It is a good list, but wondering what anyone might seen in Shannon? Not trying to flame, just don't see how someone who has never coached anywhere other than Miami and hasn't exactly brought the program back to prominence, would be an attractive option.

 

[Gopherphile]

Pipedream Tier: Harbaugh, Petersen, Patterson, Dungy, Gruden, Leach

Tier 1: Richt, Bellotti

Tier 2: Golden, Calhoun, Mullen

Tier 3: Fulmer, Bowden, Shannon

Tier 4: Hoke, Ken of Navy, Kill, Sumlin

Tier 5: Edsall, Shiano, Cutcliff

Shoot me tier: Trestman, Chryst, McCarney

swap your tier 4 for your tier 3 and you've really got something. although richt and bellotti certainly have a lot of cachet, my personal favourites come from your tier 2: golden, calhoun and mullen are all excellent candidates, imo.

 

[tikited]

Good list. I'd put Mullen in the top tier though. I'd do a back flip if he was coming here, and I don't know how to do a back flip.

 

[dpodoll68]

It is a good list, but wondering what anyone might seen in Shannon? Not trying to flame, just don't see how someone who has never coached anywhere other than Miami and hasn't exactly brought the program back to prominence, would be an attractive option.

Read this article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/austin_murphy/09/22/miami-hurricanes/index.html

It really changed my opinion of Shannon after reading it a few weeks ago.

Here's the 4 big bullet points I took from it:

1) Recruits high-character players (1 arrest in almost 4 full seasons, and that was minor vandalism)

2) Takes the "student" part of "student-athlete" seriously (highest APR among BCS coaches)

3) Has improved the team every year (5 to 7 to 9 wins, though they may backslide a little this year)

4) Wants his players to be athletes, not celebrities (banned use of Twitter by players)


There are other coaches I'd prefer, but there are a lot of things to like about Shannon. People pretend that he was taking over the Miami of their prime, but he wasn't. They were seriously backsliding under Coker, and Shannon has stabilized the program tremendously. He may not be winning as much and as soon as some people want, but he'd obviously rather do it the right way, which may take a little longer. I have a ton of respect for that.

 

[Governor Sibley]

Paul Rhodes?

 

[gopherguy]

*******
1st Tier
Harbaugh
Patterson

2nd Tier
Mullen
Richt

3rd Tier
Golden
Belotti

4th Tier
Calhoun
Ken of Navy
Hoke
Edsall
Jerry Kill

No Thank you Tier
Sumlin
Shannon
Trestman
Fulmer (too old)
McCarney
Edwards
Gruden (was a benefactor of Dungy)
Leach (The U doesn't even consider people with a controversy, deserved or not)

 

[FireDaveLee]

I think the tier's is pretty spot on.

Does anyone think there's a chance that we do go the coordinator route?

I know after Brewster, head coaching experience is preferred, but I think we'd be leaving a lot off of the table, whether it be Venables, Malzahn, Holgorsen, or Kirby Smart. I think a good coordinator has just as much a chance of getting it done here as does a head coach in tier II, or even Richt or Petersen. I just hope that a coordinator is something that's considered.

Re: Chryst: He's definitely not my top choice because it's been said he's more of an X & O guy than a recruiter, and we definitely need the latter to be a key component. But why is everyone absolutely NO WAY on the guy? Is it because he's a Badger & a friend of Maturi? I love Chryst's offense's and my personal opinion is that we could do A LOT worse than Paul Chryst. I'm curious to know.

 

[Seniorsmoke]

Read this article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/austin_murphy/09/22/miami-hurricanes/index.html

It really changed my opinion of Shannon after reading it a few weeks ago.

Here's the 4 big bullet points I took from it:

1) Recruits high-character players (1 arrest in almost 4 full seasons, and that was minor vandalism)

2) Takes the "student" part of "student-athlete" seriously (highest APR among BCS coaches)

3) Has improved the team every year (5 to 7 to 9 wins, though they may backslide a little this year)

4) Wants his players to be athletes, not celebrities (banned use of Twitter by players)


There are other coaches I'd prefer, but there are a lot of things to like about Shannon. People pretend that he was taking over the Miami of their prime, but he wasn't. They were seriously backsliding under Coker, and Shannon has stabilized the program tremendously. He may not be winning as much and as soon as some people want, but he'd obviously rather do it the right way, which may take a little longer. I have a ton of respect for that.

Interesting read, thanks for the link. I think points 1, 2, and 4 can be said about a lot of the coaches on the list, although having the higest APR at MIAMI is a shocker. Never having ventured outside of Miami in his coaching career scares me, maybe unfairly.

 

[Ole]

I think the tier's is pretty spot on.

Does anyone think there's a chance that we do go the coordinator route?

I know after Brewster, head coaching experience is preferred, but I think we'd be leaving a lot off of the table, whether it be Venables, Malzahn, Holgorsen, or Kirby Smart. I think a good coordinator has just as much a chance of getting it done here as does a head coach in tier II, or even Richt or Petersen. I just hope that a coordinator is something that's considered.

Re: Chryst: He's definitely not my top choice because it's been said he's more of an X & O guy than a recruiter, and we definitely need the latter to be a key component. But why is everyone absolutely NO WAY on the guy? Is it because he's a Badger & a friend of Maturi? I love Chryst's offense's and my personal opinion is that we could do A LOT worse than Paul Chryst. I'm curious to know.

Miracle Tier:
Bellotti
Harbaugh
Petersen
Patterson
Tier 1:
Sumlin
Hoke
Calhoun
Golden
Mullen
Tier 2:
Edsall
Shannon
Tier 3(aka we're screwed because nobody wants the job):
Kill
Trestman
Ken N
McCarney
Fulmer
Any NFL background coach
Tier Badger Joel:
Paul Chryst(FDL The reason nobody wants Chryst is precisely because he is a stinking badger)

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Paul Rhodes?

Not a chance. ISU is his dream job. He is from Ankeny. It is a mutual love affair down there right now.

 

[RedPoo]

Read this article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/austin_murphy/09/22/miami-hurricanes/index.html

It really changed my opinion of Shannon after reading it a few weeks ago.

Here's the 4 big bullet points I took from it:

1) Recruits high-character players (1 arrest in almost 4 full seasons, and that was minor vandalism)

2) Takes the "student" part of "student-athlete" seriously (highest APR among BCS coaches)

3) Has improved the team every year (5 to 7 to 9 wins, though they may backslide a little this year)

4) Wants his players to be athletes, not celebrities (banned use of Twitter by players)


There are other coaches I'd prefer, but there are a lot of things to like about Shannon. People pretend that he was taking over the Miami of their prime, but he wasn't. They were seriously backsliding under Coker, and Shannon has stabilized the program tremendously. He may not be winning as much and as soon as some people want, but he'd obviously rather do it the right way, which may take a little longer. I have a ton of respect for that.

Not to sound like I don't care about those things, but my priority isn't the coach that will minimize off-the-field incidents and maximize graduation rates. Those are both great things, and I very much want the U to excel in those areas, but not a tenth as much as I want us to win. De-emphasizing the results on the field is what got us here.
Personally, I have Shannon among the dregs of our potential candidates, and I would be furious if we hire him. If he can't win with the talent he has in Miami now (which is top-ten in the country), against teams like Florida State and Virginia, he has virtually no chance of winning here, against teams like Ohio State and Nebraska.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Pipedream Tier: Harbaugh, Petersen, Patterson, Dungy, Gruden, Leach

Tier 1: Richt, Bellotti

Tier 2: Golden, Calhoun, Mullen

Tier 3: Fulmer, Bowden, Shannon

Tier 4: Hoke, Ken of Navy, Kill, Sumlin

Tier 5: Edsall, Shiano, Cutcliff

Shoot me tier: Trestman, Chryst, McCarney

Excellent. Nearly spot on. I agree with the posters who would swap tiers 3 & 4.

 

[Bo Darville]

"Ken from Navy", "Ken N", nobody can spell that guy's last name. To me, he's Ken Nelson. That makes him seem "Minnesota-like" and then I can deal with it.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Here's the 4 big bullet points I took from it:

1) Recruits high-character players (1 arrest in almost 4 full seasons, and that was minor vandalism)

2) Takes the "student" part of "student-athlete" seriously (highest APR among BCS coaches)

3) Has improved the team every year (5 to 7 to 9 wins, though they may backslide a little this year)

4) Wants his players to be athletes, not celebrities (banned use of Twitter by players)

Interesting. Explains why his name has been mentioned. A guy like this might keep kids in MN from going to WIS-Notre Dame-Northwestern-Stanford. I say interesting.

 

[howeda7]

"Ken from Navy", "Ken N", nobody can spell that guy's last name. To me, he's Ken Nelson. That makes him seem "Minnesota-like" and then I can deal with it.

That makes me think of the Barrel of Fun Guy, Kenny Nelson. He might be better then Brew. I also had a marching band teacher by that name. He was a great disciplinarian. I don't know what offense he would choose, but they would always be lined up correctly and probably have the fewest false starts in the Big 10.

In any case, if Ken from Navy is hired, he should probably consider changing his name or at least adapting a nickname. Otherwise, he may the one that finally kills Sid.

 

[howeda7]

I think the tier's is pretty spot on.


Re: Chryst: He's definitely not my top choice because it's been said he's more of an X & O guy than a recruiter, and we definitely need the latter to be a key component. But why is everyone absolutely NO WAY on the guy? Is it because he's a Badger & a friend of Maturi? I love Chryst's offense's and my personal opinion is that we could do A LOT worse than Paul Chryst. I'm curious to know.

Yes. Maturi made this mess and he cannot be allowed to 'fix it' by hiring an old family friend who also comes from our most-hated rival. With a different AD under different circumstances I might be able to tolerate hiring a coordinator from Wisconsin/Iowa (I still get mild nausea when Brett Farve first runs out of the tunnel) but under these circumstances it is completely unacceptable.

 

[howeda7]

This list is just about perfect. The only subtle changes I would make are to remove Bowden altogether (don't understand why anyone would want someone who coached a decade in the ACC and couldn't even win one title), and bump Schiano up to tier 3.

Since we're not going to get anyone from Pipedream or Tier 1, any of the the 3 from tier 2 would make DP a happy guy. I'd prefer Golden, but would honestly be elated with any of the 3.

Note that I didn't specificy which Bowden. But actually I do prefer Clemson Bowden. The leap from D-III is probably a bit much. He's not ideal, and I don't think he'd get us to Pasadena, but I also think there's less down-side then with Fulmer (age) or even Shannon (can he recruit outside Miami). I feel very confident he'd at least get us back to Mason-level and probably to Jan. 1 Bowl-level and he's not 60 years old. Clemson is a bit like Georgia in that thier fans haven't gotten over the national title they won in the 80's and think they should still be at that level every year, when it's not realistic.

I think we at least have a shot at tier 1, specifically Bellotti. Seems like it's almost a lock he's going to take a job somewhere. If we offer enough $$, it could be MN.

 

[station19]

That makes me think of the Barrel of Fun Guy, Kenny Nelson. He might be better then Brew. I also had a marching band teacher by that name. He was a great disciplinarian. I don't know what offense he would choose, but they would always be lined up correctly and probably have the fewest false starts in the Big 10.

In any case, if Ken from Navy is hired, he should probably consider changing his name or at least adapting a nickname. Otherwise, he may the one that finally kills Sid.

Sid: "That Ken guy".

 

[howeda7]

Excellent. Nearly spot on. I agree with the posters who would swap tiers 3 & 4.

I can see this. I guess I feel if you're going the 'up and coming' route, you should really try harder to get someone from Tier 2. Those in tier 4 have greater degrees of unknown about them, and given the shambles we are in, I feel safer with one of the old-hands from tier 3. I can see why others feel differently though.

 

[60's Guy]

Just Askin

Why is everyone so high on Mullen? He had Tebow, Percy Harvin, Pouncey etc at Florida and was the offensive coordinator. Anyone should do well given that talent. He had a losing season last year...his first as a head coach and now in his second year as a head coach is 7 and 2.

He's in the middle of the Cam Newton recruiting bruhaha but lost the chase.

He's considered a "bright football mind" but similar accolades were said about Brewster before he got here and at this point in his year two.

He could be wonderful but he could be a bust. There is no track record.

Just Askin ?

Sumlin and Ken of Navy have proven more haven't they? I mean nobody knows right? Belechick
sucked as a head coach to start and has done nicely since. There was no way at 36 and 44 in Cleveland to predict he'd become who he is. But evidently Kraft thought so...he hired him....he went 5 and 11 and then has won 7 of 9 divisions and won 3 Super Bowls and has gone 113 and 39 since. Who could predict that from a 41 and 55 start?

So, my point is Mullen certainly could be "the" guy but I'm more comfortable for the Gophers with a guy like Tubby who has won different places against elite competition. We can argue all day if Tubby has done anything here but he's got a track record of success and people are comfortable with the program...mostly.

At 2+million and a long term contract can't we get a "proven" guy? Then it's a different argument if that's what we should do versus if we should gamble on an exciting newcomer kinda guy like Mullen or Sumlin or ? But is the miracle or pipedream tier out of reach as a Big Ten school at 2+million and 8 years if that's true? (That's a lot of money and a looong time to be stuck if we pick the "wrong" miracle "proven" coach.)

As I invest too much thought in this fantasy hiring....lol...I'm not sure I'd want to be Maturi
making the real decision. It is difficult.

 

[Maximus]

So, my point is Mullen certainly could be "the" guy but I'm more comfortable for the Gophers with a guy like Tubby who has won different places against elite competition.

Such as?

 

[TLHGO4]

I'd be tempted to substitute Terry Bowden for Tommy Bowden or perhaps see them combined, one as HC and the other as OC or DC.

 

[60's Guy]

Um

Such as?

Ya, good point, I guess that's kinda the situation with football....there are only candidates who have won at one elite school.
Harbaugh, Patterson, Petersen, Belotti, Leach, Golden, Calhoun, Sumlin, Ken of Navy, Mullen, Richt all one school. (San Diego is not an elite school, nice that Harbaugh won there though.)
So that contributes to making it a more difficult decision.

 

[monk10]

I don't think I could put together a tier list b/c it is hard for me to quantify what a top tier is for me. I don't have enough understanding as an AD of all the qualifications that are needed by a head coach to meet the job. However reading through these lists it is almost as if people are just repeating each other with slight variations based on personal preferences.

I'm a Kool-Aid drinker so I'll be slurping who ever is hired. I have my preferences around the defense but as the Michigan video was linked apparently that would make me a hater not a kool aid drinker.

 

[Seany]

I'm kind of surprised that no one ever mentions Jeff Tedford. He would seem to fit the criteria of a big time hire (at least to me), a very well-established coach who immediately turned around a program that had been in the toilet, going 12-43 in the 5 seasons prior to his arrival, and those included an 0-11 and 1-10 season. Tedford turned around that sorry state of affairs just like that, and has posted a winning record in each of his nine seasons at Cal, including a 10-2 and 10-3 season. He has not won the Pac 10 yet, but for the majority of his time there he's had that 800 lb. gorilla down at USC to contend with.

And then you look at his work with QB's and what he's done for and with them, and it's like wow. What kid QB *wouldn't* want to play for Jeff Tedford? In his direct, hands-on work with QB's since he started out as quarterbacks coach at Fresno State, he has sent Trent Dilfer off to the NFL as the 6th overall pick, then Davis Carr as the #1 overall pick. Then he went on to Oregon and sent both Akili Smith and Joey Harrington as the 3rd overall players taken in the draft. And since he's been at Cal, he's had Kyle Boller drafted at #19 and Aaron Rodgers at #24. And he's had other guys like Billy Volek and AJ Feeley who are currently serving as backups in the NFL. It seems pretty clear that if you are a young quarterback with NFL aspirations, you could do far, far, far worse than to allow Jeff Tedford to teach you. He's got the Midas Touch for sending these guys to the big leagues.

Why is he never mentioned? I realize he's a born Californian and has coached nowhere but the left coast, so is he viewed as being simply unobtainable for that reason or any other?