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Coaching Carosel:10 Jobs Open + 1 already filled

UNL is in the middle of nowhere in the larger sense. It is in a sparsely populated region far away from the major population centers. KC is moderately close, but that's it. Chicago is about an 8-hr drive. By contrast Blacksburg is only about 4 hrs from 'civilization', meaning the DC area, which is part of the NE highly densely populated region and all its "attractions"... 4hrs more is NYC. All things considered, I suspect that most would rather live by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Blacksburg, than in the Great Plains near Lincoln, NE.

Omaha metro area has 900,000 people. Omaha is 45 miles away from Lincoln, which is a nice town with a population of 272,000 people. Lincoln is also in a rich farm region with unparalleled fan support throughout the state. I've never encountered a state as consumed by college football as Nebraska. Nursing homes would be trashed and burnt to the ground by rioting senior citizens if they couldn't get Nebraska football games on TV. Four hours away is St Louis. Eight hours away is Chicago, Denver, and the Rocky Mountains, which are all easily accessible by AMTRAK train service.

Blacksburg is in a relatively depressed, though beautiful, part of the Appalachians. It is cut off from civilization to the north and west (West Virginia and brutal interstate driving through an intense portion of the Appalachian Mountains). VaTech is a better-regarded school than Nebraska. Interest in VaTech football is tiny compared to the following Nebraska has in state and elsewhere. There is no doubt which school has a stronger football program and greater fan support. I would prefer to live in Blacksburg because there are more interesting bugs there. I wouldn't assume others would prefer Blacksburg over Lincoln, though. The Lincoln area has more normal "mainstream" people than the Blacksburg area (unless you think moonshiners, yahoos, and banjo-playing cornholers are normal).
 
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Don't forget Purdue. The last two Big 10 championships they have won were in 1929 and 2000 (three way tie). That is pretty sad.

Purdue won championships or shares of championships in 1943, 1952, 1967, and 2000, as well as in early '30's and earlier.
 
Mizzou is a great call, they could do a lot worse than Miles and being in the East Division in the SEC is more set up for success than being in the SEC West
 
Doesn't he have like a $15 million buyout? Does that not get offset if he takes another job? For the next couple years anyway, it ain't about the money.
Yes. Here's the most details I could find. Not sure how many years out offset the buyout...

"If LSU fires Miles before Dec. 31, 2015, it will owe him a $15 million buyout. That number drops to a measly $12.9 million if Miles is fired before the end of 2017, a meager $8.6 million if fired before 2018’s conclusion, and a scant $4.3 million if fired before the end of Miles’ contract, Dec. 31, 2019.

In other words, the price of firing Miles greatly outweighs any benefits the program would reap by cutting him free. Miles’ buyout, if fired, would be offset by any compensation he received from his next job, but if he simply decided to hang up his hat and call it a career, he’d rake in big bucks from LSU for many months to come."
 
Purdue won championships or shares of championships in 1943, 1952, 1967, and 2000, as well as in early '30's and earlier.
Sorry, site I saw had said 1929 but it may have been outright championship.
 
"If LSU fires Miles before Dec. 31, 2015, it will owe him a $15 million buyout. That number drops to a measly $12.9 million if Miles is fired before the end of 2017, a meager $8.6 million if fired before 2018’s conclusion, and a scant $4.3 million if fired before the end of Miles’ contract, Dec. 31, 2019."

I'd kill for a "scant" $4.3M termination buy-out.........
 
Chip Kelly is going to get canned in Philly. I see him vaulting to the top candidate at USC ( the good one). I believe Michigan wanted Miles before Hoke. If he wouldn't leave for Michigan he isn't coming to the B1G. I know the Miami job gets trashed, but that seems like an ideal fit. Great recruiting hotbed, underachievers, and an alumni base that won't be in his face as much as the SEC schools. See Hardballs at Michigan. The fans will come back when the swagger does.
 
Doesn't he have like a $15 million buyout? Does that not get offset if he takes another job? For the next couple years anyway, it ain't about the money.
Yes according to ESPN Miles has it in his contract LSU pays the offset of his contract. He wants to get back at them he takes a job that pays him less makes LSU pick up the difference and pays his staff well.

Listening to Chicago Sports talk it is so disillusion Illinois fans think that Miles would even consider them. There are a half a dozen jobs already open that are more attractive and more than will be open after the job jumping. Illinois is always thinking they are something they are not, that job is just a step ahead of Indiana in football.
 
Chip Kelly is going to get canned in Philly. I see him vaulting to the top candidate at USC ( the good one). I believe Michigan wanted Miles before Hoke. If he wouldn't leave for Michigan he isn't coming to the B1G. I know the Miami job gets trashed, but that seems like an ideal fit. Great recruiting hotbed, underachievers, and an alumni base that won't be in his face as much as the SEC schools. See Hardballs at Michigan. The fans will come back when the swagger does.
At the time, Miles decided he wasn't leaving LSU for Michigan... Keep in mind he was 10-2 at the time Hoke was hired and was going to the Cotton Bowl (which he won). He had a great team the following year that lost in the national title game. I don't know whether he'd rather coach LSU or Michigan, but I can definitely see that if you build something, you want to be the one who takes it to the mountain top.

Now situation may be changing. Instead of leaving LSU for Illinois, he'll just be picking school X as the opening available. That was also 5 years ago when he was 57. Now he's 62. That's going to scare some teams away. He can't be as picky. We'll see how it unfolds, but I don't see him as getting a top job. He'll be power 5, but in that mid tier. Miami, Maryland, maybe Mizzou (although I don't think Mizzou wants a 63 year old to leave for health reasons and hire a 62 year old even if he's 100% healthy).
 
I think Miles and Mizzou could be an interesting match. He would stay in the SEC and take over a program that does not necessarily need a total rebuild.

And, he would remain a Tiger.

I was thinking about that too, but my guess is that the Tigers would want a younger guy (they could never publicly say that--it's against the law).

The putative favorite to replace Miles is Jimbo Fisher. But I wonder if LSU is really any more desirable than FSU. Obviously, you have the SEC vs. ACC, but beyond that, FSU seems like a great place to win a championship.
 
At the time, Miles decided he wasn't leaving LSU for Michigan... Keep in mind he was 10-2 at the time Hoke was hired and was going to the Cotton Bowl (which he won). He had a great team the following year that lost in the national title game. I don't know whether he'd rather coach LSU or Michigan, but I can definitely see that if you build something, you want to be the one who takes it to the mountain top.

Now situation may be changing. Instead of leaving LSU for Illinois, he'll just be picking school X as the opening available. That was also 5 years ago when he was 57. Now he's 62. That's going to scare some teams away. He can't be as picky. We'll see how it unfolds, but I don't see him as getting a top job. He'll be power 5, but in that mid tier. Miami, Maryland, maybe Mizzou (although I don't think Mizzou wants a 63 year old to leave for health reasons and hire a 62 year old even if he's 100% healthy).

I would really not like to see Les Miles get the Illinois job. That would be a very unhappy thing. Luckily, this is the Illini we are talking about. I'm sure they will hire someone that makes Becks look good.
 
I would really not like to see Les Miles get the Illinois job. That would be a very unhappy thing. Luckily, this is the Illini we are talking about. I'm sure they will hire someone that makes Becks look good.
Miles is not coming to Champaign. According to today's Chicago papers they are hoping for Fleck from W. Mich. or the HC from Illinos St.
 
That's the Illinois that I know and love.
Yea a coach who is a gimmick with a well below.500 record in the MAC that sounds about right for them. The Illinois State Coach would be a good hire for them though, hope that does not come through and they hire Fleck who to me is a doofus.

If they were smart they would hire the NIU coach. Illinois pass over Jerry Kill in the past and he did nice things at Minny
 
Nebraska is not as "in the middle of nowhere" as VaTech. Nebraska is near a good sized city in Omaha and Kansas City isn't far away. Blacksburg is near Roanoke, which is about a fifth the size of Omaha and is difficult to get to.

Roanoke is easy to get to !! Just take I-81 and 3 speeding tickets later you're in Roanoke
 
The Toledo coach bolting to Iowa State is interesting. He has been in the top 25 and is a young guy. Iowa State is just a meat grinder job in the Big 12, thought he may have waited it out for a little better gig than that one.
 
The Toledo coach bolting to Iowa State is interesting. He has been in the top 25 and is a young guy. Iowa State is just a meat grinder job in the Big 12, thought he may have waited it out for a little better gig than that one.

FYI - looks like Campbell was smart to keep Ayeni as a part of his new staff at ISU.

Also, shakes - thanks for keeping up on all the changes again this year. Perhaps one of the moderators can pin this up top?
 
I don't know if you've noticed, but we're 1-9 against Michigan since 2001, having only beat them in 2008. In that same timeframe, we're 4-7 against MSU. Now Fitz has only beaten Dantonio twice in 7 attempts, but I still like our chances against MSU over Michigan.


Ahhhh I see it was the fat check! Well good for him but Iowa State is a really tough job. Unlike TCU and Baylor who have tons of players in their back yard, Iowa State is a just so far behind the Hawkeyes in that states conscious its hard to see them ever being consistently good. A older coach or a coordinator sure would jump at that job but a 36 year old with a nice resume?? Heck you think he'd be someone Maryland would chase
 
Clay Helton hired full time for USC.

Does the interim guy ever work? I know Bill Stewart and Bobby Williams and Kyle Flood went bad at their schools (not immediately but give them two or three years or so). Someone tell me where the interim guy worked out? I guess maybe Lloyd Carr but I can't think of another offhand.
 
Does the interim guy ever work? I know Bill Stewart and Bobby Williams and Kyle Flood went bad at their schools (not immediately but give them two or three years or so). Someone tell me where the interim guy worked out? I guess maybe Lloyd Carr but I can't think of another offhand.
Does the NFL count? Art Shell had a decent run with the Raiders. 47-35 with one AFC championship loss and 3 playoffs in 5 years. Fitz was named the head coach immediate after Walker's death, but he basically is the same the concept of an interim head coach getting the full time job. Some on the board disagree, but I think he worked out... really really really well.
 
Miles is not coming to Champaign. According to today's Chicago papers they are hoping for Fleck from W. Mich. or the HC from Illinos St.
Fleck has certainly shown some ability to recruit. He has recruited the highest-ranked class in the MAC in each of his first two seasons, and is on track for another good class, including Matt Falcon, the kid who was disinvited from Michigan football.
 
Alabama DC and former All SEC DB Kirby Smart will take the job at Georgia.

The SEC is so very incestuous.

Smart is very young and has no HC experience, though he's basically been on Saban's staffs for a decade, so he's learned from a very good coach.

I wonder why UGA wouldn't make a run at a name - Mike Leach or Dantonio or someone.

UGA has a well regarded DC, Jeremy Pruitt, who interviewed for the USC job this week. I doubt he'd stay under Smart.
 
Alabama DC and former All SEC DB Kirby Smart will take the job at Georgia.

The SEC is so very incestuous.

Smart is very young and has no HC experience, though he's basically been on Saban's staffs for a decade, so he's learned from a very good coach.

I wonder why UGA wouldn't make a run at a name - Mike Leach or Dantonio or someone.

UGA has a well regarded DC, Jeremy Pruitt, who interviewed for the USC job this week. I doubt he'd stay under Smart.

Smart is definitely a "name." He's been one of the top coordinators in college football for a while now. There's a reason he was making $1.5 million at Alabama, namely that he'd been connected to head coaching jobs for a couple years running and Saban paid up to keep him at Alabama.

Add in the fact that he's a UGA alum and the hire makes a lot of sense.
 
Updated with Scott Frost to UCF, Kirby Smart to Alabama and Nick Rolovich to Hawaii.

Anyone else surprised Bud Foster didn't get an opportunity at Va Tech? 28 years as an assistant coach and no opportunity at the job?
 
Updated with Scott Frost to UCF, Kirby Smart to Alabama and Nick Rolovich to Hawaii.

Anyone else surprised Bud Foster didn't get an opportunity at Va Tech? 28 years as an assistant coach and no opportunity at the job?

Kirby to Alabama...what the heck happened to Saban back to the Dolphins, Hahaha
 
Smart is definitely a "name." He's been one of the top coordinators in college football for a while now. There's a reason he was making $1.5 million at Alabama, namely that he'd been connected to head coaching jobs for a couple years running and Saban paid up to keep him at Alabama.

Add in the fact that he's a UGA alum and the hire makes a lot of sense.
Definitely a known name, just not an 'experienced head coach' name.

I tend to think there's additional risk with bringing in someone who has never had the CEO role before. For every Richt or Mullen, there's a Muschamp or Mark Stoops or Kevin Wilson. Mississippi and Florida nailed their hires with Freeze and McElwain, guys who were great when they got brief head coaching shots at the lower levels. You just don't know how Smart will adjust. You would be pretty comfortable that Leach or Dantonio or Mullen (talked with Miami) or RichRod would have national championship ceilings at UGA. You're hoping that's the case with Smart.

Georgia should be one of the top jobs in the country, given in state talent and weakness of the SEC East. I'm surprised that they were no more aggressive than 'the D-coordinator 200 miles down the road.'
 
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