Coaches on Hot Seat? Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin referenced as needing change

[ohiovalleycat]

The firings of Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) and Karl Dorrell (Colorado) were discussed on Mark Roger's Voice of College Football podcast on Youtube:


Late in the Roger's segment, it was brought up if other schools were at Wisconsin's standard for handling Chryst, the the following coaches should also be in trouble:
Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
PAT FITZGERALD, NORTHWESTERN
David Shaw, Stanford

Next, I see this hot seat website that has Pat Fitzgerald rated #4 on the national hot seat list a couple of spots below Stanford's David Shaw.

Coaches Hot Seat - Home - Coaches Hot Seat

Coaches Hot Seat is the premiere site for college football coaches information. Get our pressure cooker of gridiron expectations daily.

coacheshotseat.com

Then, on the last half of a Field of 12 Media youtube podcast about the firing of Chryst, it actually fell into a discussion about the problems at Wisconsin that are shared with some other Big Ten West teams including the Wildcats and Iowa.


These are some of their main contentions:
(1) They (Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern) need to change, but they are not going to change. Wisconsin is going to keep running the same type of offense with Jim Leonhard, so they question the utility in firing Chryst. Northwestern is not going to change from Fitzgerald because he has brought the program more wins than they're use to, but will they win a Big Ten game this year? (Didn't hear more about Ferentz, but you get the gist)
(2) These teams need to shift their offenses to be able to pass (not just pass, but pass VERTICALLY). This can be in a more pro-style offense if not going with a passing spread offense.
(3) They're saying each of these programs are built on red-shirting and holding players for 4 or 5 years, then hoping they reach their peak at a time when other programs are down. These programs need to adjust to the NIL and transfer portal era and attracting players that are needed immediately. However, they contend the transfer players these programs need to attract are going to be hard to come by because they need "Speed and Space" guys like at skill positions like wide receiver and defensive back and that are not going to be interested in dealing with current program philosophies.
(4) These teams need to prepare for change that has already come with team like Illinois getting better, then adjusting to USC, UCLA and possibly other west coast schools coming in to the Big Ten.

I am not saying Fitzgerald should be on the hot seat myself, but Field of 12 Media discussion actually verbalized some feelings I've had about the Wildcats about transforming the program.

 

[Katatonic]

Made honorable mention for the Bottom 10 list.

Thought we were done w/ that crap...

 

[phatcat]

We are weak in all phases. We got pushed around by 3 bad teams and stayed close in a rainstorm.

 

[Rebel II]

The firings of Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) and Karl Dorrell (Colorado) were discussed on Mark Roger's Voice of College Football podcast on Youtube:

View embedded media

Late in the Roger's segment, it was brought up if other schools were at Wisconsin's standard for handling Chryst, the the following coaches should also be in trouble:
Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
PAT FITZGERALD, NORTHWESTERN
David Shaw, Stanford

Next, I see this hot seat website that has Pat Fitzgerald rated #4 on the national hot seat list a couple of spots below Stanford's David Shaw.

Coaches Hot Seat - Home - Coaches Hot Seat

Coaches Hot Seat is the premiere site for college football coaches information. Get our pressure cooker of gridiron expectations daily.

coacheshotseat.com

Then, on the last half of a Field of 12 Media youtube podcast about the firing of Chryst, it actually fell into a discussion about the problems at Wisconsin that are shared with some other Big Ten West teams including the Wildcats and Iowa.

View embedded media

These are some of their main contentions:
(1) They (Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern) need to change, but they are not going to change. Wisconsin is going to keep running the same type of offense with Jim Leonhard, so they question the utility in firing Chryst. Northwestern is not going to change from Fitzgerald because he has brought the program more wins than they're use to, but will they win a Big Ten game this year? (Didn't hear more about Ferentz, but you get the gist)
(2) These teams need to shift their offenses to be able to pass (not just pass, but pass VERTICALLY). This can be in a more pro-style offense if not going with a passing spread offense.
(3) They're saying each of these programs are built on red-shirting and holding players for 4 or 5 years, then hoping they reach their peak at a time when other programs are down. These programs need to adjust to the NIL and transfer portal era and attracting players that are needed immediately. However, they contend the transfer players these programs need to attract are going to be hard to come by because they need "Speed and Space" guys like at skill positions like wide receiver and defensive back and that are not going to be interested in dealing with current program philosophies.
(4) These teams need to prepare for change that has already come with team like Illinois getting better, then adjusting to USC, UCLA and possibly other west coast schools coming in to the Big Ten.

I am not saying Fitzgerald should be on the hot seat myself, but Field of 12 Media discussion actually verbalized some feelings I've had about the Wildcats about transforming the program.

And this board of experts are skilled analysts of what? Simply a part of the media noise machine, politics and sports; make lots of unknowledgeable statements very loudly and draw attention to your stupid ass. Just sayin', it's so much bs.

 

[usopen30]

Made honorable mention for the Bottom 10 list.

Thought we were done w/ that crap...

To slightly change the George Bernard Shaw quote from Major Barbara: Those who can, do; those who can't teach; those who can't teach are talking heads on sports shows.

 

[fcmchi]

Rebel II, You are right, the vast majority of us here are fans, who don’t know much about the technical workings of a modern football team. But just looking at the trend of wins and losses over the past five years, including this one, shows a struggling program. We are 23 and 29 in that period, and that includes two Big Ten West Championship years.

The program has been unable to recruit out of high school and develop a quality Big Ten qb since Clayton Thorson.

Fitz said after the 2019 season, never again. Yes, we won the west again in ‘20. But ‘21 was just as bad as ‘19, 3-9. And this year could be worse.

I have no clue how to rectify this troubling trend, but it seems to me that we’re in trouble.

 

[Rebel II]

Rebel II, You are right, the vast majority of us here are fans, who don’t know much about the technical workings of a modern football team. But just looking at the trend of wins and losses over the past five years, including this one, shows a struggling program. We are 23 and 29 in that period, and that includes two Big Ten West Championship years.

The program has been unable to recruit out of high school and develop a quality Big Ten qb since Clayton Thorson.

Fitz said after the 2019 season, never again. Yes, we won the west again in ‘20. But ‘21 was just as bad as ‘19, 3-9. And this year could be worse.

I have no clue how to rectify this troubling trend, but it seems to me that we’re in trouble.

You could be correct. I certainly hope not! The football gods are fickle and schemes come and go and come and go. Tubby Raymond (Deleware) told me early in my career that if everybody is running winged T, "I'll be running the veer because I want to do stuff they never see!". Everyone said the veer was dead, now alot of good teams have adapted it into a major portion of their spread run game. I believe in a mobile QB, but we don't have one right now. I like misdirection, we never use it. I like the middle trap, ditto. That's why Fitz gets paid the big dollars: to make the tough decisions and hire people that can help him make those decisions wisely. Change is good!

 

[Katatonic]

And this board of experts are skilled analysts of what? Simply a part of the media noise machine, politics and sports; make lots of unknowledgeable statements very loudly and draw attention to your stupid ass. Just sayin', it's so much bs.

Don't have to be a skilled analyst, much less have strapped on the pads to have seen some of the grossly bone-headed decisions Fitz and his staff have made in the past.

All it took was some common sense, something one has to wonder about Fitz all too often.

 

[NUCat320]

Rebel II, You are right, the vast majority of us here are fans, who don’t know much about the technical workings of a modern football team. But just looking at the trend of wins and losses over the past five years, including this one, shows a struggling program. We are 23 and 29 in that period, and that includes two Big Ten West Championship years.

The program has been unable to recruit out of high school and develop a quality Big Ten qb since Clayton Thorson.

Fitz said after the 2019 season, never again. Yes, we won the west again in ‘20. But ‘21 was just as bad as ‘19, 3-9. And this year could be worse.

I have no clue how to rectify this troubling trend, but it seems to me that we’re in trouble.

In the last five seasons, there’s been one great one, one title in a weird season (NU got a forfeit win, I think), and three that have been “disinterested by the second week of October” bad.

The legit title was five years ago. The only one who doesn’t notice the downward trend line is the only person with the ability to fix it.

I said ‘maybe’, mostly because it seems so improbable. But he’d probably be out of a job by now at most places.

 

[Katatonic]

^ Also, there was a downward trend in the B1GW w/ Wisky and Iowa having major struggles on O, Nebby being even worse under Frost and UI just sucking until they hired Bert.

W/ the additions of USC and UCLA and the likely doing away w/ divisions, it's going to be that much harder for the Cats to be relevant unless things change in a big way (which is why Wisky made the move that they did).

The BigW currently is a dumpster-fire (not a single team ranked).

Only teams ranked are all in the East (dOSU, UM and PSU).

USC and UCLA are also ranked, as are possibly 2 future B1G schools - Oregon and UDub.

 

[willycat]

You could be correct. I certainly hope not! The football gods are fickle and schemes come and go and come and go. Tubby Raymond (Deleware) told me early in my career that if everybody is running winged T, "I'll be running the veer because I want to do stuff they never see!". Everyone said the veer was dead, now alot of good teams have adapted it into a major portion of their spread run game. I believe in a mobile QB, but we don't have one right now. I like misdirection, we never use it. I like the middle trap, ditto. That's why Fitz gets paid the big dollars: to make the tough decisions and hire people that can help him make those decisions wisely. Change is good!

So, stop paying Fitz. There, problem solved.

 

[Go Catz]

Northwestern is not going to change from Fitzgerald because he has brought the program more wins than they're use to, but will they win a Big Ten game this year?

It feels like Dublin happened last season, but yes, we have already won a Big Ten game this year.

 

[phatcat]

It feels like Dublin happened last season, but yes, we have already won a Big Ten game this year.

We'll need the luck of the Irish to be dublin our win total.

Last game tough to read. Possible that the D is turning the corner or just weather.

I have lost confidence in this staff's ability to right the ship

 

[CrippleCat]

So, stop paying Fitz. There, problem solved.

Fitz has a $70 million buy out. If you don't want him anymore just pay him his $70 million and let him chill with his family and pick a coach you think could do a better job and pay him.

 

[NJCat]

Fitz has a $70 million buy out. If you don't want him anymore just pay him his $70 million and let him chill with his family and pick a coach you think could do a better job and pay him.

Huh??

Fitz makes about $6 million a year. He has 8 years left on his contract. His buy-out can't be more than $48 Million, can it???

 

[CrippleCat]

Huh??

Fitz makes about $6 million a year. He has 8 years left on his contract. His buy-out can't be more than $48 Million, can it???

I don't really know his buyout, I heard it was that amount. His buyout can be any amount he negotiated. The details of Coach Fitz contract haven't been released because Coach Fitz is smart and no doubt an excellent negotiator. When he signed his contract he was in high demand by many teams including NFL teams. I am quite certain Coach Fitz negotiated a very good contract with a high buyout. You can set your buyout for more than your salary. No matter the buyout, my point is just not paying him is a rediculous statement. If he isn't wanted anymore, pay his buyout and let him chill with his family and hire the coach you all think will be better. How many school scandals have been from the football program since Fitz has coached?

 

[CrippleCat]

Huh??

Fitz makes about $6 million a year. He has 8 years left on his contract. His buy-out can't be more than $48 Million, can it???

Coach Fitz made $5.4 million in 2020

 

[FanatiCat]

And this board of experts are skilled analysts of what? Simply a part of the media noise machine, politics and sports; make lots of unknowledgeable statements very loudly and draw attention to your stupid ass. Just sayin', it's so much bs.

Let’s just ask the question, has a coach ever been turned it around after being retained following two 3 or less win seasons - and not in the first few years of a rebuild?

 

[CrippleCat]

Let’s just ask the question, has a coach ever been turned it around after being retained following two 3 or less win seasons - and not in the first few years of a rebuild?

You can't compare Northwestern program to any other school in the B1G. We have much higher standards for our players and coaches on and off the field. Our athletes are required to take the exact same classes and meet the same academic standards as any other student at our University. I know my son at times would have two hours of sleep before a morning practice because he was up studying or doing a report. There is no puff football classes at NU. Nor is poor behavior tolerated. The recruiting pool is much much smaller for NU. We just don't take anyone. Representing Northwestern standards will always come before wins, and I personally am fine with that

 

[Rebel II]

You can't compare Northwestern program to any other school in the B1G. We have much higher standards for our players and coaches on and off the field. Our athletes are required to take the exact same classes and meet the same academic standards as any other student at our University. I know my son at times would have two hours of sleep before a morning practice because he was up studying or doing a report. There is no puff football classes at NU. Nor is poor behavior tolerated. The recruiting pool is much much smaller for NU. We just don't take anyone. Representing Northwestern standards will always come before wins, and I personally am fine with that

You sir, have an understanding far beyond the great critics on this site. It is exactly the same opinion my Father had 55 years ago. Congratulations as I'm sure you are very proud of your son and his teammates

 

[CrippleCat]

You sir, have an understanding far beyond the great critics on this site. It is exactly the same opinion my Father had 55 years ago. Congratulations as I'm sure you are very proud of your son and his teammates

I am proud of all our athletes who come to Northwestern and are able to excel athletically and academically. My son has done very well professionally because many are aware of how rigorous it is to do D1 football at a top academic University. I am so thankful Coach Fitz was his head coach. I will love my Wildcats thru thick and thin. And I will always defend Fitz because I know he has all our kids backs and their best interests in mind. He puts a student athletes success over his own success and just winning football games. It is sad most on here only know Fitz from seeing him on television. If they knew the honorable and unselfish man he was, they would know how blessed we are to have him at NU.

 

[Sheffielder]

I am proud of all our athletes who come to Northwestern and are able to excel athletically and academically. My son has done very well professionally because many are aware of how rigorous it is to do D1 football at a top academic University. I am so thankful Coach Fitz was his head coach. I will love my Wildcats thru thick and thin. And I will always defend Fitz because I know he has all our kids backs and their best interests in mind. He puts a student athletes success over his own success and just winning football games. It is sad most on here only know Fitz from seeing him on television. If they knew the honorable and unselfish man he was, they would know how blessed we are to have him at NU.

I don't think anyone, including Fitz's critics, would question his character, integrity, and genuine care for our players. Unfortunately, that's only part of this very, very well-compensated job.

There are many jobs in and outside of football where a person can focus on character and student development, where wins and losses do not matter at all. As a person like Fitz who is paid, literally, tens of millions of dollars to lead a Big Ten football program...this is not one of those jobs. He is so well compensated because most people (including me/most of us) could not do the job that we ask head college football coaches to do. And when they can't, they are turned over.

If Fitz was fired tomorrow, or if any of his coaches were let go this week, it would already be a longer run than just about any Power 5 program would have allowed under the circumstances. I am not one calling for Fitz's ouster, but his outright refusal to make any changes that would be consistent with the field of CFB coaching right now as the program performs at its worst in half a generation, makes it more and more difficult to support him with each passing day, and makes me question his priorities.

 

[zeek55]

I am proud of all our athletes who come to Northwestern and are able to excel athletically and academically. My son has done very well professionally because many are aware of how rigorous it is to do D1 football at a top academic University. I am so thankful Coach Fitz was his head coach. I will love my Wildcats thru thick and thin. And I will always defend Fitz because I know he has all our kids backs and their best interests in mind. He puts a student athletes success over his own success and just winning football games. It is sad most on here only know Fitz from seeing him on television. If they knew the honorable and unselfish man he was, they would know how blessed we are to have him at NU.

At the end of the day, head football coach at Northwestern is very different now than it was 20 or 30 or 40 years ago.

It's a pressure cooker job that comes with the responsibility of running a Big Ten program that's the toughest to recruit for given the circumstances of competing at the Big Ten level without the natural fanbase/recruiting base that the public schools have.

It's also now a very well compensated job and it comes with a donor base that is willing to spend hundreds of millions (even well into the billion range) on facilities.

Regardless, at the end of the day the results on the field do matter as much as the results off the field do. Fitz has been here nearly 2 decades as HC because of the success on the field as much as the success off the field.

The program can handle a few lean years in terms of on-field results, but it can't handle another generation of Dark Ages results on the scoreboard. There won't be much of a fanbase left after 10 years of losing here even if we do build an $800 million stadium. We have to be brutally honest about that fact.

Most here are not calling for Fitz's ouster, the focus is more on his 2 assistants (OC/DC) who are currently arguably/apparently the least effective pair at their jobs in FBS right now. Nobody's sure Bajakian can raise a QB, though I guess Sullivan is as good a test as any, and then JON is in his 5th year as a DC at any level and the results have pretty much been towards the bottom of the level all 5 times. There's a reason he was let go as DC twice at the NFL level.

 

[The Purple Knight]

I am proud of all our athletes who come to Northwestern and are able to excel athletically and academically. My son has done very well professionally because many are aware of how rigorous it is to do D1 football at a top academic University. I am so thankful Coach Fitz was his head coach. I will love my Wildcats thru thick and thin. And I will always defend Fitz because I know he has all our kids backs and their best interests in mind. He puts a student athletes success over his own success and just winning football games. It is sad most on here only know Fitz from seeing him on television. If they knew the honorable and unselfish man he was, they would know how blessed we are to have him at NU.

That’s great, but unfortunately it’s about winning at this level not about being a good guy.

 

[Jaguar 88]

I am proud of all our athletes who come to Northwestern and are able to excel athletically and academically. My son has done very well professionally because many are aware of how rigorous it is to do D1 football at a top academic University. I am so thankful Coach Fitz was his head coach. I will love my Wildcats thru thick and thin. And I will always defend Fitz because I know he has all our kids backs and their best interests in mind. He puts a student athletes success over his own success and just winning football games. It is sad most on here only know Fitz from seeing him on television. If they knew the honorable and unselfish man he was, they would know how blessed we are to have him at NU.

Thing is he is being paid a helluva lot of 💰💰💰 to do exactly that and that is to win football games. The university and those high roller donors didn't put in just short of a cool billion dollars into new facilities so the guys could hang out/ work out. CFB is a business and those donors expect a return on their investment. Why even have a football team at all if the goal is not to win? Why go through the trouble with building a nice modern stadium if very few people be are going to bother attending the games?I am sure Fitz is a nice guy, but his job is to win football games!!!!

 

[Styre]

In the last five seasons, there’s been one great one, one title in a weird season (NU got a forfeit win, I think), and three that have been “disinterested by the second week of October” bad.

For the record, NU did not have any wins by forfeit in 2020. The Minnesota game was canceled, it was not a forfeit.

 

[Styre]

Damn those woke politics, forcing Fitz to, uh, retain Jim O'Neil.

 

[CrippleCat]

Damn those woke politics, forcing Fitz to, uh, retain Jim O'Neil.

You have zero idea how the politics of the University affect coaching, hiring, or recruiting. But if NU was truly about winning, they would hire the best person for the job. I don't see where Tulsa or EMU had successful football programs under our new AD. How have we done since Phillips left? Basketball or football?

A quote from an EMU fan when Gragg was leaving EMU for Tulsa
"Mr Gragg, congratulations on your new job. However, I hope you have better luck at Tulsa with your football and basketball teams than you did at EMU or it will be a short tenure for you."

Gragg is Fitz boss
Two winning season at football while being an AD at three Universities.. Two winning seasons in 16 years of being an AD. I didn't check basketball.. But what made the University think this guy wouid be best for winning?

36-59 Tulsa football
20-76 EMU football
And now NU

 

[usopen30]

That’s great, but unfortunately it’s about winning at this level not about being a good guy.

Leo Durocher: "Nice guys finish last." Fitz will need to fire his buddy JON and restore some accountability on both sides of the ball.

 

[zeek55]

You have zero idea how the politics of the University affect coaching, hiring, or recruiting. But if NU was truly about winning, they would hire the best person for the job. I don't see where Tulsa or EMU had successful football programs under our new AD. How have we done since Phillips left? Basketball or football?

A quote from an EMU fan when Gragg was leaving EMU for Tulsa
"Mr Gragg, congratulations on your new job. However, I hope you have better luck at Tulsa with your football and basketball teams than you did at EMU or it will be a short tenure for you."

Gragg is Fitz boss
Two winning season at football while being an AD at three Universities.. Two winning seasons in 16 years of being an AD. I didn't check basketball.. But what made the University think this guy wouid be best for winning?

36-59 Tulsa football
20-76 EMU football
And now NU

Fitz is his own boss. He has a contract that effectively grants him autonomy within reason. He has a boss in the sense that Nick Saban or Jimbo Fisher also have bosses. In a lot of industries, "talent" is the ultimate boss. 7 figure salary coaches are that kind of "talent". Whether the tail should wag the dog is a different discussion.

Phillips (on his way out to the ACC) let Fitz run an abbreviated search for DC that resulted in Fitz hiring an old friend from his time under Walk. It didn't matter that JON's previous results as DC were bad at the NFL level. We all just hoped that wouldn't matter. That was a pretty naïve hope. After 5 seasons of being a DC, JON is what he is... a terrible DC.

Now yes, moving forward this is Gragg's problem as the AD. If Gragg lets JON stick around here as DC for multiple seasons, and we witness multiple years of this kind of trainwreck on the defensive side of the ball, then yes Gragg is as responsible as Fitz over time. At some level, he's got to be able to talk to Fitz about how the results aren't working and Fitz should try a different direction.

But let's not kid ourselves, this is 99% on Fitz right now (the other 1% is on Phillips and the rest of the AD for letting him do this without a proper search). He hired his buddy, and it's been a trainwreck for the program.

At the same time, given where we were after 2020, it's understandable Fitz had the absolute power to hire whoever he wanted for DC. Things are different now.

 

[phatcat]

None of the obstacles presented above are new. Academic restrictions are not new. Expecting well-behaved players is not new.

What also isn't new: recruiting classes in the top 50, more or less.

What is new? Spectacular training facility. New DC. 120th best team in the country.

Also new AD, who I personally like but is an obvious knee-jerk Diversity hire after Polisky debacle. I don't see Dr Gragg as "on the clock" to do something about football until end of season.

 

[NUCat320]

Polisky was a terrible hire, even excluding the whole “use cheerleaders as donor bait” thing. You know what every athletic department needs? A minor league ticket guy.

Phillips botched that, botched the Fitz DC thing, and has been clearly outmatched in conference expansion. Maybe the ACC can bring in UCF or Coastal Carolina.

 

[CrippleCat]

Polisky was a terrible hire, even excluding the whole “use cheerleaders as donor bait” thing. You know what every athletic department needs? A minor league ticket guy.

Phillips botched that, botched the Fitz DC thing, and has been clearly outmatched in conference expansion. Maybe the ACC can bring in UCF or Coastal Carolina.

Phillips was an excellent AD and Polisky would have made a good AD

 

[EvanstonCat]

The firings of Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) and Karl Dorrell (Colorado) were discussed on Mark Roger's Voice of College Football podcast on Youtube:

View embedded media

Late in the Roger's segment, it was brought up if other schools were at Wisconsin's standard for handling Chryst, the the following coaches should also be in trouble:
Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
PAT FITZGERALD, NORTHWESTERN
David Shaw, Stanford

Next, I see this hot seat website that has Pat Fitzgerald rated #4 on the national hot seat list a couple of spots below Stanford's David Shaw.

Coaches Hot Seat - Home - Coaches Hot Seat

Coaches Hot Seat is the premiere site for college football coaches information. Get our pressure cooker of gridiron expectations daily.

coacheshotseat.com

Then, on the last half of a Field of 12 Media youtube podcast about the firing of Chryst, it actually fell into a discussion about the problems at Wisconsin that are shared with some other Big Ten West teams including the Wildcats and Iowa.

View embedded media

These are some of their main contentions:
(1) They (Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern) need to change, but they are not going to change. Wisconsin is going to keep running the same type of offense with Jim Leonhard, so they question the utility in firing Chryst. Northwestern is not going to change from Fitzgerald because he has brought the program more wins than they're use to, but will they win a Big Ten game this year? (Didn't hear more about Ferentz, but you get the gist)
(2) These teams need to shift their offenses to be able to pass (not just pass, but pass VERTICALLY). This can be in a more pro-style offense if not going with a passing spread offense.
(3) They're saying each of these programs are built on red-shirting and holding players for 4 or 5 years, then hoping they reach their peak at a time when other programs are down. These programs need to adjust to the NIL and transfer portal era and attracting players that are needed immediately. However, they contend the transfer players these programs need to attract are going to be hard to come by because they need "Speed and Space" guys like at skill positions like wide receiver and defensive back and that are not going to be interested in dealing with current program philosophies.
(4) These teams need to prepare for change that has already come with team like Illinois getting better, then adjusting to USC, UCLA and possibly other west coast schools coming in to the Big Ten.

I am not saying Fitzgerald should be on the hot seat myself, but Field of 12 Media discussion actually verbalized some feelings I've had about the Wildcats about transforming the program.

What do you mean at the standard of Wisconsin?

PF should be on the hotseat if we were holding to the standard of ANY school.

 

[EvanstonCat]

You have zero idea how the politics of the University affect coaching, hiring, or recruiting. But if NU was truly about winning, they would hire the best person for the job. I don't see where Tulsa or EMU had successful football programs under our new AD. How have we done since Phillips left? Basketball or football?

A quote from an EMU fan when Gragg was leaving EMU for Tulsa
"Mr Gragg, congratulations on your new job. However, I hope you have better luck at Tulsa with your football and basketball teams than you did at EMU or it will be a short tenure for you."

Gragg is Fitz boss
Two winning season at football while being an AD at three Universities.. Two winning seasons in 16 years of being an AD. I didn't check basketball.. But what made the University think this guy wouid be best for winning?

36-59 Tulsa football
20-76 EMU football
And now NU

I don't know what to say except that at least he has a better record of mediocrity than JON.

 

[KappaKat]

So now the AD is responsible for the losses of a coach that he didn't hire and probably can't fire. Did the AD fail in conditioning the players this off-season? Did he change Phillips' successful game strategies? Is he dictating the defensive system that JON is still experimenting with after five jobs? Our maybe he's calling offensive plays from his suite. Push this bs narrative tells me that your problem with Gragg has nothing to do with football.

 

[IGNORE2]

So now the AD is responsible for the losses of a coach that he didn't hire and probably can't fire. Did the AD fail in conditioning the players this off-season? Did he change Phillips' successful game strategies? Is he dictating the defensive system that JON is still experimenting with after five jobs? Our maybe he's calling offensive plays from his suite. Push this bs narrative tells me that your problem with Gragg has nothing to do with football.

He chose to take the job. Don’t get the job and a free pass to not do the job in the eyes of your critics.

 

[CappyNU]

Also new AD, who I personally like but is an obvious knee-jerk Diversity hire after Polisky debacle.

 

[zeek55]

He chose to take the job. Don’t get the job and a free pass to not do the job in the eyes of your critics.

This isn't on Gragg... yet.

If it continues for years without end? Then it's going to be much more on Gragg as much as it's on Fitz right now.

Failed coordinator hirings are on the 17 year HC given the power and control that he has over the football program.

 

[KappaKat]

I guess some of you really think that Gragg, or any other P5 AD, can unilaterally call a sitting, beloved coach into his office and give them some ultimatum. That's not how this works; it's not how any of this works.