Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I not only have a Christmasy name, but I've got a Christmasy list of coaches as well. When I heard the rumors of Tony Dungy, I was very surprised. He has ties to the Big Ten having played at Minnesota, but why Penn State? Why college football? It doesn't really sound accurate and I for one am not buying into it just yet. If it is true, I think that he would be a good coach, and he's a big name that will bring in recruits and is also African-American, which could be a tie-breaker for some recruits. Cowher is the other name thrown out there, but I just don't know if these guys that coached in the NFL would want to coach college, and would they be any good? The leagues are pretty different animals and some coaches just have a knack for one. Pete Carroll for example is a college coach. He has that demeanor...he can connect with kids, but probably isn't stoic enough to handle grown men. How would Cowher react to some of the nonsense that goes on with college kids? I think that he could be great, but might be a little too NFL for the NCAA.
As for Ferentz, I think he is a good coach as well, but he's never been great. He has pulled in some great recuiting classes in a state where there isn't much going on, but his teams always end up with good to pretty good years. They have always had our number, and I think that this sways a lot of our opinions of him. If you were a Northwestern fan and were asked about hiring Ferentz, you might respond with a laugh and reply, "Nah, I'm all set".
Bradley is a great guy and he's been so loyal to the team, but I don't know what benefit there is in making him head coach. He basically is the head coach right now, and keeping him would essentially keep things the way they are. A coaching change is something that could really jumpstart recruiting for a couple years before it settles back down to a normal level. Bradley just wouldn't get this sort of response.
So now...my list
1. Chris Petersen - Boise State. As much as I personally hate Boise State, this guy is good at what he does. He has only lost 5 games in 5 years. He is one of the most creative offensive minds in college football and has been able to consistently coach up quarterbacks. He has a lot of ties to California, where he was born and played, and has been able to bring in great players to a middle of nowhere school. He has performed well in big games, most notably against Oklahoma in 2007, and he is the kind of big change that I think Penn State is looking for. Surprisingly his defenses have played well, but I think that keeping Larry Johnson around as DC might be a good option. I believe that Bradley will be the next head coach at Temple. Other advantages are that he is relatively young, and PSU likely wouldn't have to shell out as much money compared to a Cowher or Dungy (right now Petersen makes ~800k a year).
2. Al Golden - Miami (formerly Temple). Yes, I know...he just took a job this month at UMiami, but Penn State IS this guy's dream job. It's always nice to get someone that wants to be where they are, and Al has made it no secret that he ultimately wants to one day be the HC at PSU. The trouble here lies in the contract he just signed for the Hurricanes, and if the Outback Bowl is in fact the last game for Joe Paterno, then it will be nigh impossible to get him. On the other hand, if Joe coaches one more year, Golden can coach a year at Miami, we can get an idea of how he does with a BCS program, and he may be able to get out of his contract with a buyout in 2012.
3. Pat Fitzgerald - Northwestern. Pete, I agree with you here. This guys is tough as nails, and was an outstanding linebacker in college and would have no trouble bringing in the best LB's in the country to play for LBU. Getting him away from N'Western would be tough, especially in conference, but the facilities and support for Northwestern just don't measure up with Penn State and he may be tempted to coach a National Championship caliber team.
4. Paul Chryst - Wisconsin (OC/QB). Like Fitzgerald, Chryst is serving at his alma mater, but unlike Fitzgerald, he has left his alma mater before. Chryst was the tight ends coach at Wisconsin before leaving for Oregon State to be their offensive coordinator. He later returned to Wisconsin as their offensive coordinator. What this tells me is that he may not be afraid to leave UW for a promotion. He has continually put together a powerful offense that I find myself dreaming about at night. Enormous offensive linemen, bruising running backs, great tight ends, and smart quarterbacks. The Wisconsin offense to me is the definition of Big Ten football, and even though his style and my #1 Chris Petersen are completely different, I would be glad to take either. Great offensive minds that are well connected and could bring in talent that PSU has had trouble getting (nation-wide recruiting, and offensive linemen).
This is something that we just aren't used to, but the ride will certainly be exciting. Regardless, I think that Penn State will get a quality coach. In the meantime, let's find a new basketball coach!
Merry Christmas! Or will it be a Merry Chrystmas????
With Christmas fast approaching, and Penn State coaching rumors flying around like crazy, I figured this would be a good time to post my Penn State Coaching Wishlist to the blog.
Although it's been the hottest topic of discussion surrounding Penn State Football for probably the past 15 years, the issue of Joe's successor has not really been touched on a whole lot on this blog. Every year you get someone saying "You heard it here first, this bowl game will be Joe's last game." But every year he returns the following season. This year has been no different. In fact, within the last 45 minutes, I've heard from two different people that this is it for Joe, and that Tony Dungy is the top candidate to take over. I'm at the point now where I take any rumors I hear with a grain of salt. I don't believe anybody has any real inside information and we won't know what's going on until it actually goes on.
So by making this post, I'm not at all suggesting I think this will be Joe's last game. I'm simply acknowledging that it very well could be, and if it is, these are my personal top four candidates I would like to see considered for the job:
1. Bill Cowher - Having a big-name guy like Cowher would do wonders for recruiting and would draw a ton of national attention to the program. His physical style of coaching fits perfectly in the Big Ten. He's a Pittsburgh guy so it fits, as long as he has a desire to get into collegiate coaching.
2. Kirk Ferentz - He's on my short list of best coaches in the game right now, but what makes him so appealing is that he does it with more class than most of the other guys on that list. His coaching style is very similar to Joe's, with a focus on runninig the football and playing strong defense. Plus he's also a Pittsburgh guy, so it would be a good fit for him, if he's willing to leave Iowa.
3. Pat Fitzgerald - One of the better young, up and coming coaches in the game. He's had a lot of success so far at Northwestern, and could be much more successful with better talent. He's a Big Ten guy with a lot of respect for Joe and Penn State, so he might be interested in the job, as long as he's willing to leave his alma mater. Being a younger guy, I think he'd do well with recruiting also.
4. Tom Bradley - First of all, there is no denying he's been a great defensive coordinator for Penn State. And I like the idea of a defensive minded head coach. He's paid his dues, he's been loyal to the program, and I think he deserves a shot. I know he doesn't have head coaching experience, but I definitely think he has what it takes to be a great head coach. I think the players all like and respect him, and he would do a great job. The only thing going against him is that they may want to go outside the program to bring some much needed change, and sticking with Bradley would probably result in more of the same stuff we've been seeing.
What does your wish-list look like?
