AAC Coaching Job Rankings (CBS Sports)

[Drew]

AAC coaching job rankings: Houston is No. 1, but where does Navy fit in?

12

Huskies
I'm sorry, UConn, I know the last thing you want right now is to see the football team finishing last somewhere, but it's just hard to make an argument to rank this job any higher. While you might be attractive to conference commissioners because of your television market possibilities, as a job, you just aren't as appealing. The location isn't great, as the closest you are to any other school in the conference is more than a four-hour drive away in Philadelphia. There also isn't a ton of local high school talent in the area, and no matter what, football will never be anything more than the third-most popular sport amongst the fan base, as it will trail both the men's and women's basketball programs.

 

[huskymedic]

Tom Fornelli has a long habit of pissing on UConn...

 

[J187Money]

Is he wrong?

 

[CL82]

Hey Tom...

 

[Bezzz]

Is he wrong?

Yes. My ranking:

1. Houston
2. Cincinnati
3. Navy
4. Connecticut
5. Temple
6. Memphis
7. UCF
8. South Florida
9. SMU
10. East Carolina
11. Tulsa
12. Tulane

 

[Jerry27]

Is he wrong?

only in a minor sense that he uses criteria to reinforce others while using the same ones to down grade us. for instance the distance, I would challenge that should apply to Temple, UConn, ECU because they are all far away from everyone else and ECU is three hours further from Philly than us. and Point two is claiming Cincy has little pro options, well we have none and I would challenge CT state support for the school against ANY of the conference members. So yeah he's a little FUS to say the least.

 

[CJS87]

Is he wrong?

It doesn't matter what this guy thinks. It only matters what potential hires think. Getting an Offensive Coordinator from a high tier SEC school says the opposite. Less we forget, before the Calhoun and Geno eras everyone said this about basketball

 

[Afroabe224]

Yes. My ranking:

1. Houston
2. Cincinnati
3. Navy
4. Connecticut
5. Temple
6. Memphis
7. UCF
8. South Florida
9. SMU
10. East Carolina
11. Tulsa
12. Tulane

I'm a UConn homer as much as the next guy but on what basis is UConn a better football job than USF, UCF, ECU or even Memphis??

 

[Guapo]

I'm a UConn homer as much as the next guy but on what basis is UConn a better football job than USF, UCF, ECU or even Memphis??

I don't disagree with you, but I believe the basis he would say are facilities, known brand/institutional profile etc etc

 

[Adios]

1. Houston
2. Cincinnati
3. UCF
4. South Florida
5. Navy
6. Connecticut
7. Memphis
8. SMU
9. East Carolina
10.Temple
12. Tulsa
13. Tulane

 

[Guapo]

1. Houston
2. Cincinnati
3. UCF
4. South Florida
5. Navy
6. Connecticut
7. Memphis
8. SMU
9. East Carolina
10.Temple
12. Tulsa
13. Tulane

This is pretty reasonable, though I don't know why everyone ECU so low, I'd probably put them 7.

 

[Fishy]

Basically, it's his review of where the best high school football players live.

Facilities, budgets, markets - he has no idea. But he knows a lot of recruits live in Florida and Texas, so he made a list.

 

[Pudge]

I dunno ...

Seems capacity to pay the highest or near highest in conference; the capacity to fill the stadium - if the Team is bowl competitive; the willingness to provide best facilities (ahem ... have anyone looked at Temple's); the singular Program in New England status that's achievable. You'd rather be number 8 in Texas or 3 in Oklahoma or 6th in Florida?

So ... Yes ... mean take by an agenda.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Hey Tom, maybe you know where the best high school players live, however, Connecticut do not have kids going 9 miles to school..like in Florida. Connecticut's kids do not go to a 10,000 student school and we don't play out of state schools (except the border towns and Greenwich played Naples).

 

[gtcam]

Right/Wrong - who knows
BUT I really don't give a rats arse what this guy says or thinks

 

[Hoophound]

It will be pretty obvious where UConn stands comparatively when we are winning again. We had a great atmosphere and strong attendance compared to these other schools before Edsall left. Our facilities and brand are much better than the other schools too. There is an unreasonable effort by the media to pee on UConn and keep us down and out of the P5. It is just weird.

 

[SubZero]

only in a minor sense that he uses criteria to reinforce others while using the same ones to down grade us. for instance the distance, I would challenge that should apply to Temple, UConn, ECU because they are all far away from everyone else and ECU is three hours further from Philly than us. and Point two is claiming Cincy has little pro options, well we have none and I would challenge CT state support for the school against ANY of the conference members. So yeah he's a little FUS to say the least.

If we push that we are in the NYC and Boston demographic then we have to accept that we have to face off with all the pro teams in those areas.

 

[UCFBfan]

This is pretty reasonable, though I don't know why everyone ECU so low, I'd probably put them 7.

I guess I have the opposite question. What is so great about ECU? They are the 5th school in their own state behind the 4 P5 schools. They are in the middle of nowhere. Their fan support is good but ours was too when we played good football. Not sure what the draw of ECU is in terms of rating them higher?

 

[SubbaBub]

It was a better job when we were in a better conference.

Coaches will judge based on ability to win. You can win here. Recruiting may be another story. UCF and USF are attractive because you can stack your roster with FL partial qualifier types. Same in Houston, Cincinnati and SMU.

I'd put us 6th just ahead of Tulsa. We are a way better job than everyone else in the AAC with Navy being it's own thing.

 

[Hoophound]

The UConn brand is way understated in football matters. We need the football coach and the AD to really use the brand created by basketball to help frame the football brand more powerfully. We were awfully close to getting serious traction in football before the Fiesta Bowl. Once we are winning, it will become pretty obvious that the brand name we have will help to accelerate media coverage, opinion and ultimately perception. This will make recruiting and filling seats easier and lead to more notoriety for coaches and players.

 

[Guapo]

I guess I have the opposite question. What is so great about ECU? They are the 5th school in their own state behind the 4 P5 schools. They are in the middle of nowhere. Their fan support is good but ours was too when we played good football. Not sure what the draw of ECU is in terms of rating them higher?

Hey, I mean, I still ranked them 7th so it's not like I think it's this incredible job or anything but I don't think it's at the bottom of the AAC either. They have a legit stadium with a legit fan base (I see a ton of ECU alumni here in dc) and it's in the middle of nowhere? Greenville seems to be an actual college town whereas Storrs...not so much. I think ECU's relatively successful history speaks for itself and they are in very fertile recruiting grounds.

PS: I never in a million years thought I'd write so many words about, or in defense of, ECU.

 

[upstater]

UConn football's problem isn't talent. At least it hasn't been. It has been coaching.

If UConn has trouble with talent compared to the other AAC schools, then why is it producing NFL players in much greater numbers?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

UConn football's problem isn't talent. At least it hasn't been. It has been coaching.

If UConn has trouble with talent compared to the other AAC schools, then why is it producing NFL players in much greater numbers?

Because a handful of outliers don't make up for the fact that our two deeps were by and large a lot less talented than the teams that have beaten us week in and week out the past 5 or so years?

 

[upstater]

Because a handful of outliers don't make up for the fact that our two deeps were by and large a lot less talented than the teams that have beaten us week in and week out the past 5 or so years?

Handful? Not handful. An outlier is a few guys here and there. Not 25+

Have you looked at how many other schools are producing.

There is a huge difference.

I'm sorry but Pasqualoni and Diaco were not only awful, but INDEFENSIBLE.

There are 17 current UConn guys in the NFL, not counting this year's class like Melifonwu and Knappe.

Also not counting recent players who haven't officially retired like Donald Brown, Donald Thomas, Deon Anderson, Danny Lansanah, Kashif Moore, Dwayne Gratz but who are no longer with teams.

At one point UConn had 25 players in the league at the same time. Most of the schools are in the 7-10 range.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Handful? Not handful. An outlier is a few guys here and there. Not 25+

Have you looked at how many other schools are producing.

There is a huge difference.

I'm sorry but Pasqualoni and Diaco were not only awful, but INDEFENSIBLE.

There are 17 current UConn guys in the NFL, not counting this year's class like Melifonwu and Knappe.

Also not counting recent players who haven't officially retired like Donald Brown, Donald Thomas, Deon Anderson, Danny Lansanah, Kashif Moore, Dwayne Gratz but who are no longer with teams.

At one point UConn had 25 players in the league at the same time. Most of the schools are in the 7-10 range.

P and Diaco were horrible coaches, there's not a person on here you have to make that point to more than me. I hated them both from after the Vandy game and the BYU game respectively.

The coaching has been a major issue, but so has the talent level since the program has taken a nose dive.

From when the bottom fell off the program in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 our combined record has been 14-35.

You cite all the NFL talent that has been produced, but the guys who played on those teams and are in the NFL is scarce. The list of NFL players from UConn that played the majority of their careers in those 4 seasons is only: Andrew Adams, Geramy Davis, Byron Jones and Obi Melifonwu.

4 NFL players: Adams who has been a big surprise from my Giants at safety, Davis who goes from inactive/active on gamedays and then Jones who has been promising and the current draftee in Obi.

So, to my point, you look at 4 guys in the NFL in a period of when we went 14-35. That to me is a handful of outliers on a roster that was devoid of much talent.