Assessing Big Ten coaching stability (GRABBING HIS KEYS: He knows he’ll be on the road soon: Fleck, Ferentz, Franklin, Frost)

BleedGopher

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per Nathan:

• ON THE COUCH: Not going anywhere — at least not for a while. And when he does, it will probably be on his own terms, either retiring after a successful run or moving on to something better. This is also where we put the new coaches who are still arranging their furniture.

My list: Illinois’ Brett Bielema, Indiana’s Tom Allen, Maryland’s Mike Locksley, Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Rutgers’ Greg Schiano, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst.

• GRABBING HIS KEYS: He knows he’ll be on the road soon. Either he is nearing the natural end of his run, or someone will soon tap him on the shoulder, either to ask him to come over or order him to leave.

My list: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, Nebraska’s Scott Frost, Penn State’s James Franklin.

• BACKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY: Change is imminent. Either he’s a hot commodity or on the opposite trend.

My list: Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Purdue’s Jeff Brohm.


Go Gophers!!
 

This guy has never seen PJ's house on Lake Minnetonka.
 

I'm not a fan of the way the last two categories lump coaches leaving for good and bad reasons together, I think it muddies the waters a bit.
 

I love an article that basically says half the coaches are about to leave. To be honest, probably 10 of the 14 coaches will be gone in the next 5-6 years because that’s the way the business works.
 

If PJ has a great year and stays he will end up being put on the couch. The fact he is not there already is his name coming up constantly for other jobs. Some have to wonder if he is looking for other lakes to row in. If he stays after this year, I think PJ will be here for the next decade.
 


Mel Tucker at MSU is on the couch? I know it's only his second year, but if this year is really bad then his seat should warm quickly, I'd think.

I don't see Fleck leaving here, he's not like other up and coming coaches. He's not an X's & O's genius, so he's surely not going to the NFL. His row the boat stuff isn't for the west coast attitude, it's definitely a midwest thing. Plus he wants to be the only big dawg in his state, so that rules out Noter Dame and michigan.

Where does he think Franklin from PSU would go? Back to the SEC? I mean, you're in the second-best P5 conference and you are competing with tOSU to get to the CFP - what more do you want?
 

If Fleck wanted out he easily could have cashed in on 2019 and jumped ship. I strongly believe that Fleck has a very very short list of places he would leave for otherwise he is as committed as a coach can be to sticking it out in one place and trying to build something special.

As long as the support from the University remains strong and he can see a realistic path towards high levels of success here he has zero reason to go chasing the spotlight at some helmet school where the leash would be ridiculously short.
 

Mel Tucker at MSU is on the couch? I know it's only his second year, but if this year is really bad then his seat should warm quickly, I'd think.

I don't see Fleck leaving here, he's not like other up and coming coaches. He's not an X's & O's genius, so he's surely not going to the NFL. His row the boat stuff isn't for the west coast attitude, it's definitely a midwest thing. Plus he wants to be the only big dawg in his state, so that rules out Noter Dame and michigan.

Where does he think Franklin from PSU would go? Back to the SEC? I mean, you're in the second-best P5 conference and you are competing with tOSU to get to the CFP - what more do you want?
Tucker has had one COVID impacted season at MSU where he beat Michigan, and a very good NW team. They had some ugly losses but mostly to good teams. He inherited a pretty bad situation at MSU, Dantonio did not leave them in good shape. His seat is nowhere near being warm.
 

Tucker has had one COVID impacted season at MSU where he beat Michigan, and a very good NW team. They had some ugly losses but mostly to good teams. He inherited a pretty bad situation at MSU, Dantonio did not leave them in good shape. His seat is nowhere near being warm.
Oh. I sit corrected, that does seem like a pretty good year one. Good post.
 



If Fleck wanted out he easily could have cashed in on 2019 and jumped ship. I strongly believe that Fleck has a very very short list of places he would leave for otherwise he is as committed as a coach can be to sticking it out in one place and trying to build something special.

As long as the support from the University remains strong and he can see a realistic path towards high levels of success here he has zero reason to go chasing the spotlight at some helmet school where the leash would be ridiculously short.
100% correct. He is not going anywhere.
 


per Nathan:

• ON THE COUCH: Not going anywhere — at least not for a while. And when he does, it will probably be on his own terms, either retiring after a successful run or moving on to something better. This is also where we put the new coaches who are still arranging their furniture.

My list: Illinois’ Brett Bielema, Indiana’s Tom Allen, Maryland’s Mike Locksley, Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Rutgers’ Greg Schiano, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst.

• GRABBING HIS KEYS: He knows he’ll be on the road soon. Either he is nearing the natural end of his run, or someone will soon tap him on the shoulder, either to ask him to come over or order him to leave.

My list: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, Nebraska’s Scott Frost, Penn State’s James Franklin.

• BACKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY: Change is imminent. Either he’s a hot commodity or on the opposite trend.

My list: Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Purdue’s Jeff Brohm.


Go Gophers!!

Example of lazy, misinformed journalism = hack!
 







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