Coaching Update from ESPN's Bruce Feldman

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Golden22

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Around college football

• The Minnesota job hunt has been going on for a while. Add former Miami coach Randy Shannon's name to the mix. I spoke with Shannon on Tuesday. He's interested. He said he would love to stay in college coaching because "you can make a difference in young people's lives."

I spoke to another coach about the Gophers job, which reportedly has not been well received by some coaching targets. The school had a bold list that was interested in. The problem is with a lame-duck AD and an unstable power structure, the stability of the job scares some folks. Yes, it's a Big Ten school and has a great new stadium, but the kind of deal the school has been willing to dangle, according to sources, isn't going to be enough.

"They need to be offering a minimum of six years," said the coach. "Who is going to take that job because you just don't know what will happen in two years when your new boss could walk in and say 'we don't like this guy,' and then you're stuck. Most of these coaches that are on their list have more stability and better chances to win where they're at. Yeah, it's a Big Ten school, but it's not Michigan or Ohio State."
 


I'd be fine with Shannon making a difference in Kids lives as long as they win as well.
 




Bayfieldgopher said:
This hire is more about Maturi than meets the eye.
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Optimus%20Prime.jpg
?
 

Golden22 said:
Around college football

• The Minnesota job hunt has been going on for a while. Add former Miami coach Randy Shannon's name to the mix. I spoke with Shannon on Tuesday. He's interested. He said he would love to stay in college coaching because "you can make a difference in young people's lives."

I spoke to another coach about the Gophers job, which reportedly has not been well received by some coaching targets. The school had a bold list that was interested in. The problem is with a lame-duck AD and an unstable power structure, the stability of the job scares some folks. Yes, it's a Big Ten school and has a great new stadium, but the kind of deal the school has been willing to dangle, according to sources, isn't going to be enough.

"They need to be offering a minimum of six years," said the coach. "Who is going to take that job because you just don't know what will happen in two years when your new boss could walk in and say 'we don't like this guy,' and then you're stuck. Most of these coaches that are on their list have more stability and better chances to win where they're at. Yeah, it's a Big Ten school, but it's not Michigan or Ohio State."
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Valid points from the other side of the story. There may also have been repercussions from all the firings that was not considered in letting them go.
 

This of all the reports scares the crap out of me.
 

Just hire Horton then

if $2.0+ million per year for five years isn"t enough security then these silver spoons can stay where they are at
 



Feldman's post makes sense, if your target wants a deal outside the given parameters, you have to go up the chain of command. I would think that Maturi would have to check with both Bruininks and Kaler. It also appears that Maturi is working his way methodicaly down the list. I also think that some of the targets will not be available until Sunday so I expect nothing to happen until late next week.
 

holereader said:
if $2.0+ million per year for five years isn"t enough security then these silver spoons can stay where they are at
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This isn't a "silver spoon" phenomena, coaches are just getting what the market is willing to pay. Most of us don't work for less than what we could get, after all. Pay the coach if what you get is worth it. Don't if he isn't.
 

We have been concentrating on the coaches but this interview process goes both ways. The candidates are sizing up Maturi. I'm sure they would look forward to meeting with the Rowing coach every week. They may get the impression that they are dealing with an idiot.
 

Jeeze, what's not to like? He fired Monson six games, or so, into the season. He fired Mason after a bowl game in the middle of recruiting season, and then fired the Brew five games into the season! Sounds like a stable boss to me!

No matter the conference, the new stadium, etc., no one wants to work for an unstable idiot!
 



Were these wrong moves? No one expected Monsons's basketball team to be that bad. People didn't have high expectations for the 2010 football team, but no one expected the team to be so bad that they would love to a poor South Dakota team. And no one expected the worst collapse in bowl game history.

You could say that he should have fired them earlier, but that's applying present knowledge to a past situation.
 

ncgo4 said:
Jeeze, what's not to like? He fired Monson six games, or so, into the season. He fired Mason after a bowl game in the middle of recruiting season, and then fired the Brew five games into the season! Sounds like a stable boss to me!

No matter the conference, the new stadium, etc., no one wants to work for an unstable idiot!
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Well then they should be happy cause he'll be gone shortly lol.
 

Cause Michigan is really doing so well in football right now.

I agree with some of this but disagree with some of this. Coaches have the ability to walk away whenever they want but yet they want all this stability from the school's point of view. I don't think that's entirely fair on the institution.
 

Nothing's fair, it doesn't have to be. It's all about who has the leverage in the contract. A school or a coach can insist on certain conditions, but if they can't find anyone to agree to this, they are out of luck.
 

This is bull and flies in the face of reality and common sense.

So the Al Goldens of the world will sign a contract on Temple Football letterhead, but Minnesota scares him?

Not.
 

I'll say it again: if you tell me the top A list guys have turned the U down, fine. I'll believe that. But I refuse to believe that most of these "up and coming" B list coaches have turned down the opportunity to 1) coach in the Big Ten Conference 2) for a team with a brand new stadium 3) for $2M-$3M/year.
 

stevedave23 said:
I'll say it again: if you tell me the top A list guys have turned the U down, fine. I'll believe that. But I refuse to believe that most of these "up and coming" B list coaches have turned down the opportunity to 1) coach in the Big Ten Conference 2) for a team with a brand new stadium 3) for $2M-$3M/year.
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4)Get fired after 4-5 years, forever ending your career as a head coach.
 

stevedave23 said:
I'll say it again: if you tell me the top A list guys have turned the U down, fine. I'll believe that. But I refuse to believe that most of these "up and coming" B list coaches have turned down the opportunity to 1) coach in the Big Ten Conference 2) for a team with a brand new stadium 3) for $2M-$3M/year.
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The B list guys also face a lame duck president and AD. Even with a brand new stadium the football job at Minnesota is just not that great of a job. No wonder if true there is some hesitation on taking the job.
 

Plinnius said:
4)Get fired after 4-5 years, forever ending your career as a head coach.
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Because that's the attitude I want in our new coach...."what happenes if I'm not winning enough games in years 4 & 5?" :eek:

Coaches want security, but they also know the nature of the business.
 

FireDaveLee said:
Because that's the attitude I want in our new coach...."what happenes if I'm not winning enough games in years 4 & 5?" :eek:

Coaches want security, but they also know the nature of the business.
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I am sure as well that every other coach that took this job in the last 40 years felt he could win here and wasn't concerned about winning enough games in years 4 and 5, etc. However, the reality of the situation is that with the exception of Lou Holtz, every other coach in that time frame was fired and never to hold a major head coaching job in their careers ever again. I am sure that the coaches being contacted are aware of this history or their agents are and are making sure that they think hard before signing on the dotted line here. For some or many of these coaches it may be a wiser long term business decision to stay where they are for another year or two at a lower salary and then move on into a better job at a school that may provide a more stable situation.
 

Let's review the D-I head coaching experience that the head coaches we have hired have had since Warmath was fired:

Stoll: 15-17
Salem: No D-I HC experience. Did well in D-II
Holtz: 106-53-5 when he was hired
Gutekunst: No HC experience. Only two years experience as a DC.
Wacker: 40-58-2 in D-I. Did well in D-II.
Mason: 59-64-1 as a D-I HC.
Brewster: No HC or coordinator experience.

There are those who say that we have tried bringing in experienced coaches with a strong resume of success. But in the last 38 years, we have done that just once, with Holtz.
 

GopherGod said:
I am sure as well that every other coach that took this job in the last 40 years felt he could win here and wasn't concerned about winning enough games in years 4 and 5, etc. However, the reality of the situation is that with the exception of Lou Holtz, every other coach in that time frame was fired and never to hold a major head coaching job in their careers ever again. I am sure that the coaches being contacted are aware of this history or their agents are and are making sure that they think hard before signing on the dotted line here. For some or many of these coaches it may be a wiser long term business decision to stay where they are for another year or two at a lower salary and then move on into a better job at a school that may provide a more stable situation.
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Fair point. I guess I'd argue that the reason lies more with the individual coach than him going to a "university coach killer." No matter though.
 


A coach that shows progress with the team both on and off the field has nothing to worry about. He will be paid quite well and I assume will have a lucrative buyout. Beat sconnie and the pigeyes and you will be a hero. Finish high in the standings and you will be able to pick out your pose for the statue!
 

Plinnius said:
4)Get fired after 4-5 years, forever ending your career as a head coach.
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If a coach really feels he is the next Salem, Gutie, Wacker or Brewster then he should not be applying for a major conference job in the first place.
 

bkrownd said:
If a coach really feels he is the next Salem, Gutie, Wacker or Brewster then he should not be applying for a major conference job in the first place.
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Exactly. These guys are supposed to have egos that couldn't fit in a warehouse. If they lack the confidence to win the minimal number of games this fanbase desires (we don't need to annually contend for a NC like the OSU and Michigan fanbases demand) then they shouldn't be our coach. My god all they need to do is be consistently in the upper half of the conference and contend for a conference title every 5 years or so and they will be golden (i.e. they could coach as long as they want). As Maturi said, if we go to a Rose Bowl the damn coach would nearly get a lifetime contract and have a bronze statue in the stadium plaza. Tubby figured out this is a good gig - make huge dough with a fanbase that has realistic expectations. This program offers multiple advantages right now to the right guy (great facilities, new stadium, great conference, lots of money, only D-1 program in state, a new pres that has a track record of supporting athletics, etc.). If he can't see that then we definitely don't want him.
 

Plinnius said:
4)Get fired after 4-5 years, forever ending your career as a head coach.
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Anyone who is afraid to take a job because he might get fired after making $8-$12 million dollars really doesn't need to be in the business. We should not be in the business of giving a coach 2-3 million dollars a year and then not expecting him to win football games. If that is the attitude of coaches Maturi is contacting he needs to keep looking.
 

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