AP on starting coach search early / Neinas (ugh) mention

[ruskin]

A generally good take by Ralph Russo on getting a head start. Only negative about this article is the mention of our old buddy Chuck Neinas, who eagerly fleeced Hathaway for $50K and whose role in "headhunting" Pasqualoni was suspect at best. Then old Chucky turned around and helped UConn get aced out in CR. Please Warde don't hire a headhunter. Let Google, etc. and your contacts be your friend.

http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/silly-season-arrives-early-usc-and-uconn

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I wonder if they will retain a search firm. WM is a football guy...and you would think he wouldn't need outside help since he has such strong connections. Hathaway needed the help...and he still got it wrong.

 

[metsfan2323]

Anybody who played a role in the search last time should be banned from participating this time. Stay far away.

 

[businesslawyer]

You hire a consultant not just to find the candidate, but to help you get the contract right. It would be nuts to be worried about a $50k consulting fee given the size of the contract that will be entered into.

And consultants don't tell you whom to hire. Their job is to bring you the best pool of candidates for you to make your own decision.

 

[metsfan2323]

I wonder if they will retain a search firm. WM is a football guy...and you would think he wouldn't need outside help since he has such strong connections. Hathaway needed the help...and he still got it wrong.

They don't need a search firm, the Boneyard is offering its services for free, I think the evidence shows we do a better job. If there is one thing we are good at it is coming up with a laundry list of names.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You hire a consultant not just to find the candidate, but to help you get the contract right. It would be nuts to be worried about a $50k consulting fee given the size of the contract that will be entered into.

And consultants don't tell you whom to hire. Their job is to bring you the best pool of candidates for you to make your own decision.

Did you see the supposed pool of candidates from 3 years ago? Most of the guys are out of football.

 

[ruskin]

You hire a consultant not just to find the candidate, but to help you get the contract right. It would be nuts to be worried about a $50k consulting fee given the size of the contract that will be entered into.

And consultants don't tell you whom to hire. Their job is to bring you the best pool of candidates for you to make your own decision.

Respectfully disagree, biz. There's enough easily attainable info floating around there that makes the tasks you describe almost obsolete. No need to reinvent the wheel. One thing that UConn should use as a lure in this contract is a crazy bonus for getting into BCS bowl or playoff (hah!) and football team's performance leads to P5 invite.

I agree that given the size of the contract you can't pinch pennies on the edges, but a $50K "consultant" fee -- pretty close to a lot of people's yearly salaries on this board -- for a very minimal amount of of "work" should only be spent if absolutely necessary. And given the lead time Warde has on this, it isn't. Now, if Warde wants to take 50K pay cut from his $475K salary to hire a headhunter, I wouldn't object.

 

[Stinger92860]

Penny wise, pound foolish. You spend the 50k if the deliverable is needed. That should be the only question. Is a consultant needed to get to the best possible outcome.

 

[upstater]

Penny wise, pound foolish. You spend the 50k if the deliverable is needed. That should be the only question. Is a consultant needed to get to the best possible outcome.

What are the ADs getting paid for if they can't use contacts to find out who is getting it done? This should be part of the ADs job.

 

[Carl Spackler]

There are only 123 now, I think (about a 120) division 1A (BCS/FBS/Power 5, Powerlite6 - whatever you want to call it) head coaching jobs in the entire country. In each year, it's a small percentage of those, that are actually available.

What it means, is that there are a lot of people, for a very few spots. The NFL, coaching is a weird thing, once you are in the mix in the NFL as head coach,you tend to circulate and stay in the NFL quite a bit, even if you lose a lot. It's usually up to the person to lose so terribly that they aren't hired anywhere, and or they choose to get out, and then it's just as hard to get back in, as it was originally.

But it's different in college, there are jobs for college coaches everywhere, and of course, the pay scales reflect it. It's much more about performance in the collegiate ranks - getting yourself up the ladders in the jobs and pay scales, than it is who you know, which is the NFL.

THat said - in any business, your reputation and how you do business is all you got - especially college football. Manuel was clear yesterday, and I agree with him, that he's going to do what he can, and support the existing coaches at the same time, using his contacts, but he's not contacting anyone, in any fashion, that he wouldn't want done to him, for his coaching staff.

Hiring consulting firms, that contact agents, and go through intermdiary steps, and in many cases will initiate contact with people without the permission, consent or knowledge in any way from the people that are actually eventually going to be hiring, just so that these kinds of boundaries, explicitly aren't crossed.

That's my take on the whole thing. ANd with that - I do think that this head coaching job, is essentially TJ Weist's to keep or lose. Much like what Manuel did with Ollie.

 

[CTMike]

What are the ADs getting paid for if they can't use contacts to find out who is getting it done? This should be part of the ADs job.

Pretty sure he's got a whole athletic department to manage, not just football. Companies hire temporary help/consultants all the time. It helps get things done.

 

[upstater]

Pretty sure he's got a whole athletic department to manage, not just football. Companies hire temporary help/consultants all the time. It helps get things done.

Those consultants, especially Neinas, are too involved with their contacts and playing all sides.
When you're Hathaway, you have to do things that way.
When you're Manuel, you better bring other things to the table.
And for the amount of money he's getting, he's paid to do much more than manage. He's paid to know the inside scoop. Heck, this is how academia works anyway since it's the people managing who do the hiring. It's part of his job to know the lay of the land. Otherwise, you'd get people with a different skillset to manage. This is what Manuel brings over Hathaway. The ability to actually realize when things are not going right in football.

 

[uconnric]

One thing I assume the consultant would do is identify the pool of candidates and what the price would be. Someone has to "work the back channels".

 

[hthusky74]

I say we go after Nick Saban. He has nowhere to go at Bama, but down, but would have nowhere to go at UConn, but up!

 

[SubbaBub]

I say we go after Nick Saban. He has nowhere to go at Bama, but down, but would have nowhere to go at UConn, but up!

While we can probably skip contacting Saban, it makes sense to be bold and start at the top of the list and work down until we find mutual interest. The luxury of having the time. Though WM really should have had a working list years ago.

Then again maybe Belichick is looking for a new challenge.

 

[Kgun7]

Pretty sure he's got a whole athletic department to manage, not just football. Companies hire temporary help/consultants all the time. It helps get things done.

... helps get things done? ... or get things done right?

Maybe the use of a consultant can be argued ... but the list of names Neinas gave for 50k could have been googled by a 6th grader for $1.50! That is why I agree with upstater that a good AD should always have a short list in his desk drawer for all sports. That is part of the responsibilities of the AD.

 

[CTMike]

... helps get things done? ... or get things done right?

Maybe the use of a consultant can be argued ... but the list of names Neinas gave for 50k could have been googled by a 6th grader for $1.50! That is why I agree with upstater that a good AD should always have a short list in his desk drawer for all sports. That is part of the responsibilities of the AD.

Not disagreeing. But we don't know what constraints were put on the previous search either. I absolutely agree Warde should have a list... And that a consultant can be effective in casting a wider net. Maybe do some of the initial legwork to gauge interest/parameters.

 

[Kgun7]

Not disagreeing. But we don't know what constraints were put on the previous search either. I absolutely agree Warde should have a list... And that a consultant can be effective in casting a wider net. Maybe do some of the initial legwork to gauge interest/parameters.

I agree ... sounds about right ... hope Warde gets it right.

 

[Nostical]

Look for Korn Ferry or another firm to be in the mix. The real dilemma will be if Weist goes 5-3 but there are still several top name coaching studs wanting to interview.

 

[SubbaBub]

Look for Korn Ferry or another firm to be in the mix. The real dilemma will be if Weist goes 5-3 but there are still several top name coaching studs wanting to interview.

5-3 will get him an interview. Anything short of 8-0 won't guarantee him anything.

I have to say that if we did win 8 straight the lampooning of the AAC will dwarf that of a 4 loss team making the Fiesta Bowl.

 

[rich1122]

I am partial to a guy with a head coach from a smaller school rather than a coordinator from a bigger school.

Ambrose type. NFL guys out. Mangini great mind, but recruiting etc. not sure.

 

[junglehusky]

I have no experience with this kind of thing personally but my guess would be the selling point of these consultants would be expanding the network of people you can call for references, background, inside story etc. on the guy you're checking out.