Jeff Jacobs: UConn AD Benedict Admits Changing Mind About Firing Bob Diaco

[jostar1]

The season was bad. The UConn football season was awful. Yet when it ended with an embarrassing 38-13 loss to Tulane on Nov. 26, athletic director Dave Benedict did not plan to fire coach Bob Diaco.

"Immediately following the season, my opinion was to provide Bob an opportunity to have a fourth year," Benedict said Monday. "But you are constantly evaluating. You are constantly having conversations. I just felt we got to the point where it necessitated a change.

"I believed — and I still believe — that programs are not built in 2 1/2 or three years. The fact we've made decisions here to change coaches two times in six years, I don't think is necessarily in the best long-term interest of building a program. But with continued conversation and evaluation, I just got to the point where I felt it was in our best interest to move in another direction."

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Jeff Jacobs: UConn AD Benedict Admits Changing Mind About Firing Bob Diaco


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[ShakyTheMohel]

Great article. Happy to hear DB connect offense and ticket sales.

 

[UCweCONN]

Clearly, BD's mouth doomed him.

 

[SubbaBub]

Translation: the fanbase wasn't having it.

BD was smart enough to know that the second the slightest thing went south next season there would be open revolt.

 

[Skiblets]

If you don't think the Boneyard is an influence ..,you crazy. That poll is basically paraphrased in this article

 

[whaler11]

So pretty much he came to understand the exact things we've been saying here.

There wasn't any way to bring him back and pretend to be a legitimate program.

Contrary to what some here think - the recruiting is a huge issue and was in a really bad place.

 

[SubbaBub]

Getting embarassed on a weekly basis has a way of affecting recruiting in a negative manner. It's funny like that.

 

[TRest]

I hope his comment that he has a contract until 2021 and isn't going anywhere was a little sand in the face.

 

[Hoophound]

Benedict was crystal clear that he didn't have a role in the extension. Those that saw it as a negative on Benedict can let it go. He just made a great decision and I suspect he's about to make another very good one. Something I like here is that Benedict seems to understand people and marketing to them.

He just said:
1. Diaco extension wasn't his doing.
2. Offense matters.
3. He wants a product that sells.
4. Fan base opinion matters.

He isn't pretending to be above it all like other AD's have. He gets that all of it matters and we are his customers.

 

[ZooCougar]

I was listening to the College Channel on SiriusXM right now. Rick Neuheisel who usually runs out of superlatives when describing anyone, basically said that Diaco was a "good" guy and might get hired as a coordinator at Wake Forest or something.

But he also said first that he stopped paying attention to anything UConn Football after the Navy game, which he described in great detail.

I don't think a school will ever be desperate enough to hire him as a head coach. That Navy game was infamous.

 

[ZooCougar]

Also, I don't believe for a second that DB wanted to retain BD.

 

[ZooCougar]

I also think the key comment in this article was the one from Benedict on how he wanted a head coach involved in all aspects of the program!

Too me it's obvious that other than the poor performance, his need to overdelegate the conduct of the offense was a big part of what did him in. He just isn't technically and tactically confident enough to be involved in that phase of the game.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

He found the cash.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I also don't buy DB's line that he just decided this week to fire him. I think the OC/recruiting situation is what he used as the final push to convince others with $/more decision-making power that he needed to be fired.

BD seems like one who's a career coordinator. He's certainly a competent DC, but is abysmal at recruiting and has no clue how to handle the offensive side of the ball or the media.

 

[whaler11]

I also don't buy DB's line that he just decided this week to fire him. I think the OC/recruiting situation is what he used as the final push to convince others with $/more decision-making power that he needed to be fired.

BD seems like one who's a career coordinator. He's certainly a competent DC, but is abysmal at recruiting and has no clue how to handle the offensive side of the ball or the media.

I'd say that is probably right. It took this stuff for DB to get permission to fire him.

 

[RSTuthill]

He found the cash.

Yup. Made the change as soon as the money showed up.

 

[FDNY99]

From Jacob's updated article:
*******
"A source — not Benedict — said that former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill was on campus a few weeks back, that Kill wanted the job and Diaco wasn't interested in Kill. Benedict would not comment on this.

Benedict worked at Minnesota when Kill was head coach. He is known as a builder and offensive mind. At 55, he also could have been a mentor. Kill resigned 14 months ago at Minnesota after a number of epileptic seizures, but he has said he has gotten them under control. Last week, he signed a three-year deal as the new Rutgers offensive coordinator."

 

[huskymedic]

From Jacob's updated article:
*******
"A source — not Benedict — said that former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill was on campus a few weeks back, that Kill wanted the job and Diaco wasn't interested in Kill. Benedict would not comment on this.

Benedict worked at Minnesota when Kill was head coach. He is known as a builder and offensive mind. At 55, he also could have been a mentor. Kill resigned 14 months ago at Minnesota after a number of epileptic seizures, but he has said he has gotten them under control. Last week, he signed a three-year deal as the new Rutgers offensive coordinator."

I was just coming here to post that piece about Kill (article changed from original)... I'm guessing that is what greased the skid. Resistance to change.

Also interesting note about D. Williams having/had knee issue fixed.

 

[whaler11]

From Jacob's updated article:
*******
"A source — not Benedict — said that former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill was on campus a few weeks back, that Kill wanted the job and Diaco wasn't interested in Kill. Benedict would not comment on this.

Benedict worked at Minnesota when Kill was head coach. He is known as a builder and offensive mind. At 55, he also could have been a mentor. Kill resigned 14 months ago at Minnesota after a number of epileptic seizures, but he has said he has gotten them under control. Last week, he signed a three-year deal as the new Rutgers offensive coordinator."

Well that makes it pretty clear why Bob is now between employers. It seemed obvious it had to be something related to finding an OC - and there was no way in the world they would have found anyone near as good as Kill.

Talk about a stubborn jacka55. Diaco could have gotten a good OC, guidance and had someone who wouldn't be considered a candidate to replace him.

WHAT A MORON.

Should have fired him for cause and made him sue for his buy-out.

 

[FDNY99]

Well that makes it pretty clear why Bob is now between employers. It seemed obvious it had to be something related to finding an OC - and there was no way in the world they would have found anyone near as good as Kill.

Talk about a stubborn jacka55. Diaco could have gotten a good OC, guidance and had someone who wouldn't be considered a candidate to replace him.

WHAT A MORON.

Should have fired him for cause and made him sue for his buy-out.

Most likely what Joe D was referring to on his negotiated buyout that "was significantly less than $3.5 million ".

 

[Skiblets]

Well that makes it pretty clear why Bob is now between employers. It seemed obvious it had to be something related to finding an OC - and there was no way in the world they would have found anyone near as good as Kill.

Talk about a stubborn jacka55. Diaco could have gotten a good OC, guidance and had someone who wouldn't be considered a candidate to replace him.

WHAT A MORON.

Should have fired him for cause and made him sue for his buy-out.

Diaco signed his own release papers with this decision.

 

[whaler11]

Diaco signed his own release papers with this decision.

FDNY and I were trading PMs earlier today and I said it really feels like Diaco was TRYING to get fired.

 

[Skiblets]

FDNY and I were trading PMs earlier today and I said it really feels like Diaco was TRYING to get fired.

I went through a tough stretch personally about twelve ago.. couldn't give a Shiite about my C suite job. Instincts were shot. Couldn't make a decision etc etc. was disconnected from everything. when I was let go it was a huge relief. In retrospect I wasn't ready for the job. My guess is that Bob probably had similar feelings that he was in over his head. As much as getting let go sucks sometimes it's actually a blessing It will be for Bob.

 

[pepband99]

FDNY and I were trading PMs earlier today and I said it really feels like Diaco was TRYING to get fired.

Sort of. It also could be seen as a clear succession plan which he (somewhat rightly) wouldn't sign up for. Kill would have been a very very easy plan b.

 

[whaler11]

Sort of. It also could be seen as a clear succession plan which he (somewhat rightly) wouldn't sign up for. Kill would have been a very very easy plan b.

Kill can't be a head coach. You can't spend every week wondering if your head coach is going to die on the sideline.