8 Potential Minnesota Gophers Head Coaches Pt.1

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monk10 said:
Be nice. This forum posting thing has passed him by, and he is trying to hold on to what he once had. You don't always correct gramps when he starts rambling do you? :)
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you are correct! the site is no longer ho ho hos but xs and os.
 


BCS Conference is not the same as BCS System. The term "BCS Conference" and "Automatic Qualifier" mean the same thing in normal usage.
 

Yea I realized that after I read the criticism a little more closely, sorry about that.
 

As much as I like Mike Leach, it would be the wrong hire.

That offense wouldn't work here even if he had the right players, which he wouldn't get.

Legitimate passing spread offenses just don't work in the Big Ten. Northwestern usually has a pretty cute offense until the colder months come. Same thing with Penn State in 2008. Couldn't pass for a yard against Iowa later in the season. Ohio State uses the spread, but they run once things get cold.

Gotta have a ground game to win the Big Ten.
 


Goofy terminology, really. I-A and I-AA, those were understandable. FCS and FBS were supposed to hide the distinction between the two divisions, and people have tried to claim that they are in fact equal, and that the only difference was having a playoff versus having bowls. But the fundamental characteristic that distinguishes FCS from FBS is number of scholarships, which is the way all of the divisions are distinguished (85-63-36-0).

Times have changed though, it used to be a shock to even play a I-AA team, and losing was unimaginable. Now it is common to play them, and although it is still highly embarrassing to lose to one, it's not unthinkable (we aren't the only ones who have lost to a I-AA team, after all.)
 

I agree with some of the other posters, Jim Harbaugh would be a nice fit.

So would Shawn Watson, he's ran two different styles of offense at NU, plus he would be able to help defend against the huskers when you guys played them.

I like those two the best.




http://www.sportspicksats.blogspot.com
 

Ole said:
before the Air force game he described both of them staying up late putting together film and getting things set up for the staff meetings, basically doing the grunt work for the position coaches and coordinators together
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That doesn't make any sense though, as they were only on staff together for one year, and Brewster was a position coach. I don't think it's possible to do one's own grunt work.
 

Watson looks interesting.

I'm not much on Leach and, to me, he's the kind of guy that an out-going AD would be reluctant to pin on his successor.

Nice work by the OP.
 



Rural Gopher, I once had lunch with a Gopher assistant coach who went on to head coaching. I asked him what would happen if you showed one offense in the first half and another in the second. He replied, "They (opponents) would never be able to adjust." So why don't we have some option (with Gray running it)?
GopherFan: nice job, good analysis. Of these, Calhoun seems the best bet. I still think the U has to shell out $2+ mil to get a winning 1A coach. Everything with assistants is a risk, as we've seen these many years.
 

Wheaton said:
I disagree. Yes we are in a bad situation, but this is still a Big 10 destination. That is bigger than the Mountain West, or MAC, Sunbelt or even the Big East.

This school can offer more money to a big time coach and he can take his team to a Rose Bowl. Something they can't do in any other conference, besides the Pac-10 of course.

Stay in Colorado or Temple and play teams such as UNLV, Florida International, Central Michigan, Colorado State.

Or come to a beautiful new stadium and travel to the Big House, Ohio State, Happy Valley, and soon Nebraska. Sounds appealing to me.
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As much as I believe that the Minnesota job definetly should be considered due to the facilities, talent level already in place, and of course the conference affiliation. I have to remember that this isn't a premier job on the national scale. But it has the potential to be depending on the dedication of the coach.

I view Minnesota as being in need of its own version of Jim Harbaugh. A guy who is able to turn Minnesota into a consistent competitive team yearly, but be willing to stick around for at least 10 years. We've been missing that longterm coach here for awhile. Big 10 coaches typically dont jump ship for larger paychecks, so a longterm coach seems very possible. Considering that the Big 10+2 will be the most prestigious conference in the country next season, I'd doubt we would have to be worried.

Also, there are some coaches who feel some sort of joy over dominating the likes of UNLV, Florida International, Central Michigan, Colorado State. They never have to worry about their job security, and there isn't any drawbacks to another notch on the win column.
 

Leach will eventually implode. Don't want any part of that.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
Rural Gopher, I once had lunch with a Gopher assistant coach who went on to head coaching. I asked him what would happen if you showed one offense in the first half and another in the second. He replied, "They (opponents) would never be able to adjust." So why don't we have some option (with Gray running it)?
GopherFan: nice job, good analysis. Of these, Calhoun seems the best bet. I still think the U has to shell out $2+ mil to get a winning 1A coach. Everything with assistants is a risk, as we've seen these many years.
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I like Calhoun. His success at Air Force is pretty amazing, but he hasn't received enough exposure as he should be receiving. Turning a service academy into a consistent winner is tough due to the randomness of the talent they end up getting. 3 straight and eventually 4 straight bowl games isn't a fluke. Even when they lose games, they show they can compete against bigger schools.

Gray would definetly be a tough guy to gameplan against using Triple Option formations. We could use him similar to Randall Cobb at Kentucky, lining him up at different positions to throw the defense off.
 



bkrownd said:
Leach will eventually implode. Don't want any part of that.
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Implode how? Hes a disciplinarian who expects to get the most out of his players at any cost. He took it too far at Texas Tech, but his success with his coaching methods is hard to ignore.
 

Gopher Fan said:
Implode how? Hes a disciplinarian who expects to get the most out of his players at any cost. He took it too far at Texas Tech, but his success with his coaching methods is hard to ignore.
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The problem is that it is the sort of things that can bring down an administration if you hire him and similar incidents happen again.
 

Gopher Fan said:
Implode how? Hes a disciplinarian who expects to get the most out of his players at any cost. He took it too far at Texas Tech, but his success with his coaching methods is hard to ignore.
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The hard part that when you put the microscope over things is that his defense didn't have a lot of discipline. His offense was actually more fluid then rigid, and that is something he controlled. He might have had expectations on how he expects his players to run certain things, but it didn't translate to all areas. So I have to disagree that he is a disciplinarian. The consequences he doles out because the player didn't do what he said might make people think he is that, but his team didn't play that way.
 

RodentRampage said:
The problem is that it is the sort of things that can bring down an administration if you hire him and similar incidents happen again.
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monk10 said:
The hard part that when you put the microscope over things is that his defense didn't have a lot of discipline. His offense was actually more fluid then rigid, and that is something he controlled. He might have had expectations on how he expects his players to run certain things, but it didn't translate to all areas. So I have to disagree that he is a disciplinarian. The consequences he doles out because the player didn't do what he said might make people think he is that, but his team didn't play that way.
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Good insights you guys.
 


dpodoll68 said:
That doesn't make any sense though, as they were only on staff together for one year, and Brewster was a position coach. I don't think it's possible to do one's own grunt work.
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TE's coach is a marginal position coach. I'm guessing Brew didn't exactly have the same clout as Bobby Turner or Rick Dennison. He probably had to sit at the kids table. I can't speak for Calhoun.
 

Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but I don't think the current Admistration is going to take any chances on anyone who has any red flags and Leach certainly does. That they went and got themselves sued rather then hire Jimmy Williams to be an assistant on Tubby's staff tells you all you need to know. Therefore, I think you can cross Leach, Leavitt and McCarney off any and all lists.

Other then Leach I like the list posed by the OP, even though some are a bit of a reach downward. I do think Richt should be on every list, at least until UGa runs off about 5 more wins.
 

This is long shot, but it could happen and I think it would work - Mike Singletary. He's going to get the axe at San Fran, but that's pro football. I think he would be an incredible coach/motivator at the D1 level, and a terrific role model, too.
 

1. Golden
2. Leach
3. Calhoun
4. Martin
5. Watson
6. Venables
7. Sumlin
8. Fickell

Technically Leach is not unemployed, has a radio show on XM/Sirius. Don't get to hear a lot of it but I did hear a telling conversation (summarized below), it was NOT in answer to a direct question about whether he was interested in coaching next year.

Personally I would love Leach to come to Minnesota. But I bet he won't be here next year.

Host: "coach, aren't all BCS jobs pretty much the same?"
Leach: "No. There are some BCS schools that aren't really committed to winning. They say they are but they really aren't. They are happy to finish in the middle of the pack and do not want to dedicate the resources needed to have a winning football program."
 

I wouldn't be really pumped about Mike Singletary in a head coaching position. The ins and outs of being a headcoach haven't really worked out well in San Fran.

I really think that it goes Calhoun (if we can afford him), if not it is between tOSU and Notre Dame guy.
 

Bob Lob Law (Blah Blah Blah),

Really? Singletary is a high quality guy. The boys would be quaking in his presence, and I think he gets it done on the field and off, with hard-earned credibility. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think the Gopher Nation would go crazy for this one. Golden , Calhoun...strong names too. Anything but Brew...this poor guy has turned into a "punch me" clown.
 

Don't get me wrong, I think for a short time (flash in the pan) sort of instance that it would bring some excitement to the program. I just think he is having such a hard time running an NFL team that it makes me wonder how he would do with college kids. I personally think it is a bigger headache, worrying about grades, recruiting, and just dealing with 100 kids that aren't professionals.

I question how Singletary would do balancing all of that, only because he has failed balancing being more than a coordinator/position coach in the NFL.
 

Count me among those who would like to see Calhoun. If he were to come though are we so sure he'd bring the triple option? I'm not, it's not really "his" offense. Not saying that's good or bad (he's been mostly successful wherever he's been), I'm just hearing a lot of "will triple option work in the B10?".
 

Gophers09 said:
Count me among those who would like to see Calhoun. If he were to come though are we so sure he'd bring the triple option? I'm not, it's not really "his" offense. Not saying that's good or bad (he's been mostly successful wherever he's been), I'm just hearing a lot of "will triple option work in the B10?".
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He did coach in the NFL prior to the AFA job.

Not a sexy name....but looks like a good coach.

For those that care he beat Sumlin's Houston team in the bowl game last year.
 

I'd like Martin or Calhoun off the top, but all the prospects you mention look good. Nice Post.
 

I agree with the concensus here that Calhoun would be the best choice on the list. I suggest two more that are more off the beaten path, but would be good hires.

First, coach Tressel from Ohio State. Not that coach Tressel, Dick Tressel who is Jim's brother and is on the staff at OSU. He is the former Hamline University head coach. Coach Tressel has big time big ten experience and is a key part of the OSU staff. He has been a a successful college head coach (over 100 career wins, and a national coach of the year award) and is highly respected at least in the coaching community. He would be a solid hire that would improve the program.

Second is Joe Moglia http://coachjoemoglia.com/index.html who has been a defacto part of the Nebraska staff for the last two years. His last coaching experience was coaching a conference championship caliber defense as a DC, it was almost 30 years ago, but he was so good he was offered a job at the U of Miami (a team that was on the brink of becoming perennial national championship contenders). He hasn't coached in a while because he was busy becoming one of the best executives in the finanace industry turning TD Ameritrade into a global powerhouse and increasing its value 10 fold. I think this hire would makes waves and put the U on the front pages and build some real recruiting buzz. At worst you end up with the team just as bad as they are now.
 

gh95 said:
Second is Joe Moglia http://coachjoemoglia.com/index.html who has been a defacto part of the Nebraska staff for the last two years. His last coaching experience was coaching a conference championship caliber defense as a DC, it was almost 30 years ago, but he was so good he was offered a job at the U of Miami (a team that was on the brink of becoming perennial national championship contenders). He hasn't coached in a while because he was busy becoming one of the best executives in the finanace industry turning TD Ameritrade into a global powerhouse and increasing its value 10 fold. I think this hire would makes waves and put the U on the front pages and build some real recruiting buzz. At worst you end up with the team just as bad as they are now.
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Possible AD hire? He would work for me.
 

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