Rochester Post Bulletin: Our View: Gophers wisely choose to promote from within

[BleedGopher]

per the Post Bulletin:

We applaud Claeys for asking the university to decide his status quickly. Sure, the university could have hired him after doing a nationwide search, but that would have sent a message that Claeys was the Gophers' backup plan, not the best person for the job. On Wednesday, Claeys signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with a $250,000 buyout. Modest by Division I football standards, the contract won't put the university in a financial bind if Claeys fails, which we think is unlikely.

Critics will point out the Gophers have lost the two games Claeys has coached since he took over for Kill. However, both of those games were against heavily favored teams, Michigan and Ohio State. Minnesota came within one yard of upsetting Michigan and surprised defending national champion Ohio State, which entered the contest with 28-game winning streak, with a fourth-quarter rally before falling 28-14.

Tonight, the Gophers face another heavily favored and undefeated team in the Hawkeyes. While it's not a bowl game, we're confident Claeys' Gophers will give the Hawkeyes all they can handle with the 80-year-old Floyd of Rosedale Trophy at stake.

http://www.postbulletin.com/opinion...cle_0e4079e8-1669-5f76-beb8-ba2aaba9db44.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[Goldmember]

With all of these HC jobs opening Claeys would have certainly been a HC somewhere else next year if Minnesota had not hired him.

It's an easy one: successful coordinator, long-time assistant to one of the industry's most respected coaches, coach of a lot of NFL talent, multiple interim HC stints (with decent results). Someone would have given him an HC opportunity if Minnesota had not.