Coaching search thoughts

[amateurdwarftosser]

I have been watching the board lately and reading everyone's opinion on who would be a bad hire. Then most cite several reasons why these candidates are bad and wouldnt fit here.

I'd like to bring up the point that this coaching search is alot like a scratch and dent sale. We're not buying a new Viking kitchen appliance package from Warner's Stellian. We're buying a refurbished or scratched Whirlpool replacement refridgerator from ApplianceSmart. The comment that Maturi made about hoping a Tubby type hire is valid, but he said that he HOPED to make that hire, but if the football equivalent of Tubby isnt there, what is the guy supposed to do?

The bad stuff...First off, we are Minnesota. Its cold here and has been hard to recruit here traditionally. Our history is crappy to mediocre over the last 40 years. Prior to that it was good, but it is so far in the past, i wonder if it really matters anymore. We are coming off of a 3 win season. We havent posted a winning record in the B10 in forever. We havent been to a good bowl in 40 years.

On to the positives... We have a new stadium that is great. I believe there's more talent on the roster than when Brewster started (subject to to debate). The salary would be greater here than at most smaller schools. The incoming coach would have a great opportunity to show that he could be a program builder here. We do have some alums in the NFL to point to when recruiting (though i really have no idea what those guys' relationship to the program is now).

What this adds up to is we are not going to get an Urban Meyer or a Nick Saban here. We are going to have to settle for some guy who wants to be here who is either moving up from a smaller school looking for a payday and some exposure or someone who has been to a big program and (maybe) had success and been canned. It hurts my fingers to type this, but we are not Wisconsin or Iowa.

Temper your expectations and cross your fingers that whoever we hire is more Glen Mason and less Jim Wacker.

PS-I am not a Glen Mason fan. I thought the guy should have been canned because the program stalled, but the guy did bring us back from the dead. Right now, we are on life support.

 

[FreakyDeke]

It hurts my fingers to type this, but we are not Wisconsin or Iowa.

Wisconsin wasn't Wisconsin either. It can happen here with the right guy, but I see what you're saying. Barry Alvarez wasn't Joe Paterno...or something like that. He was their dinged up washer that worked for them.

 

[Duluthguy]

While I agree that we should all temper our expectations (some guys are wildly critical of qualified candidates), I disagree that we must be prepared to settle. There has been absolutely no factual information to support any belief that we will or will not land a big name. In fact, to me it seems that there is no evidence that we have been actively pursuing any of the guys mentioned (other than a conversation with Hoke) which leads me to be hopeful that we are on the verge of getting someone big.

If guys like Fedora, Edsall and Mullen claim that they have not been contacted by the school by now, we're either really dragging our feet in interviewing these guys or we're looking at someone that's going to surprise us. Not saying it will happen - just seems to me that if we're down to tier 2 guys we should be having direct contact by now. The time for agent to agent contact is hopefully past, unless we're waiting on someone still coaching this weekend.

 

[WolfontheProwl]

I agree.

I think you make some great points.

The fact is almost every coach we have had hear has been fired and has struggled to go anywhere else and do anything. Lou Holtz is the only guy off the top of my head that went on to do anything after leaving the Gophers. I am afriad most coaches look at this job as the grim reaper for their future. Can you really blame them?

What the Gophers really need.
A coach who is willing to stay hear long term 10+ years.

A guy that has loyal people around him to be long term assistants.

We need a coach who has the ability to build a program but push its talent to where it has never been or hasnt been in a long time.

We need a coach that is realistic about where this program has been and can set goals that can be attained to show growth. Once this goals are reached he can also push those goals up another level. I thought this is one thing Glen Mason couldnt do he had the ability to get us to a certain level but couldnt get beyond that.

Most of all the Gophers are going to need a ton of luck to make this coach happen. I still dont think their is a bad option for the Gophers in their search for a new coach because I cant dream of a coach who would come to the U over other programs other than maybe Vandy.

Its sad but this program has struggled that much over the past 40 years.