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5 factors to keep in mind for UConn's coaching search

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per coachingsearch.com : 5 factors to keep in mind for UConn's coaching search

The coaching carousel was hit with a Christmas surprise on Monday, when UConn announced it had dismissed Bob Diaco.

The program has had three head coaches since it moved to FBS in 2000: Randy Edsall took the team to the Fiesta Bowl, but Paul Pasqualoni and Bob Diaco couldn’t find the success, with just one bowl between them. It’s a job with limited resources and was left in the Group of Five after conference realignment.

This process could play out quickly. Keep track on our UConn updates page.

Here are 5 factors to keep in mind for UConn’s search.

1. UConn will need to make a hire relatively quickly.

Recruiting is in a dead period, but that ends on Jan. 12, and Signing Day is Feb. 1. The current commitments need to hear from the new head coach and figure out what they want to do. But the coach will also have a lot of recruiting work to do. UConn only has 12 commitments, the No. 108 class in the country and No. 12 in the AAC.

They need a coach and the coach needs a staff to blitz the final month of recruiting.

2. The offense needs a major overhaul.

The Huskies were dead last nationally in scoring at 14.8 points per game. Diaco made an offensive coordinator change late in the season, and that was followed with two straight shutout performances from the offense. Diaco was one of the best defensive coaches in the country when he landed the job. Will UConn try something different?

Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead would fit this, but Yahoo Sports reports Moorhead will remain at Penn state.

3. Does UConn want previous head coaching experience?

Randy Edsall was a first-time head coach when he moved the program to FBS and found success. He was followed by Pasqualoni, who did have a head coaching track record, but didn't have the same success at UConn.

Could Al Golden, Fordham head coach Andrew Briener, Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano or even Edsall again get in the mix?

4. Will ties to the Northeast be a requirement?

It’s not a fertile recruiting territory outside the New Jersey area. Golden, Briener, Schiano and Moorhead all have those ties. New Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando was a UConn assistant from 1999-2010 and has other Pennsylvania ties. Orlando was a finalist for the Houston head coaching job.

5. This will be new AD David Benedict’s first football head coaching hire.

Benedict already made a surprising move by making a change at this point in the year, maybe he has more surprises in store. Benedict spent last year as the COO for Auburn athletics and also has administrative experience at Minnesota, VCU, Long Beach State and Arizona State, but this is his first time in the top job.

Could Benedict turn to his ties at a previous stop? He won't use a search firm. Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee could be a possibility as well. Benedict says he has a short list, and he'd better, given the timing.

Stay tuned to the Coaching Search Ticker for the latest news.
 
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