CoachingSearch.com

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Not new, but ... "Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo, who broke the story about Jeff Tedford declining an opportunity to join the USC staff, said this morning on Fox Sports 1 that he expects Tedford to be involved in the UCONN head coaching search. Though it seems odd because Tedford has been a West Coast guy, several people close to the situation at UCONN tell me the best situation would be for a high-level offensive coach to take over the program."

 

[UCFBfan]

He'd definitely bring excitement back to this offense by bringing some wide open, higher scoring offense. That would translate to butts in the seat from the casual fans to offset the lousy conference schedule.

 

[MattMang23]

Please please please please please.

 

[noeynox]

Tedford, was once the hot coach at Cal. What happened to him there? Would he not,be considered a retread? Serious questions not being a smart ass. I want an offensive minded head coach. I remember Tedford, being thought of as qb guru. Could be perfect timing with Boyle.

 

[Fishy]

Hmm.

He's in his 50's, he's never had a job more than 200' from the Pacific Ocean and his last three years were P-at-Syracuse bad - plus, I think he had some trouble graduating kids with his better teams.

 

[MattMang23]

He made Kyle Boller, Akili Smith and Joey Harrington first round picks. That's good enough for me.

Also coached up Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, Billy Volek, David Carr and AJ Feeley. He's as much a QB guru as any coach in the country.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I agree with everything Fishy said.

The one thing I will say about Pasqualoni is that while I was not happy when he was hired, I never expected him to mail it in like he did. He just didn't give a crap about any of it. Even when people started calling for his head, he never fought back. Look at Mack Brown at Texas. I think he is a very average coach, and there are probably 200 head coaches in the country that could do better in Austin with the resources Brown has there. He is deservedly on the hot seat, but at least he is fighting back.

Pasqualoni should have fired Deleone at the end of last season, not because it was popular, but because it was obvious to everyone that Deleone was not working out. Pasqualoni cared more about getting his buddy another contract than even saving his own job. That attitude shown through in everything with the program under Pasqualoni.

I am not crazy about Tedford. I don't care about age, and I would honestly love a coach that could recruit New England effectively, because trying to slug it out in Florida with the entire college football universe is not a winning recruiting strategy. I want a coach that is innovative, and Tedford is definitely innovative. My only fear with an old coach is that they mail it in.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Hmm.

He's in his 50's, he's never had a job more than 200' from the Pacific Ocean and his last three years were P-at-Syracuse bad - plus, I think he had some trouble graduating kids with his better teams.

He took over one of the absolute worst teams in the country and led them to 8 bowls in 11 years (5 wins) and filled the stands. The last couple of years were pretty bad but I (life long CAL fan) wish he would have stayed. I'd take him at UCONN in a heart beat. We are sorely in need of offensive creativity.

Ps. He lives a couple of miles from me here in Reno. I think I'll drive by his house blaring the Uconn fight song on my stereo tonight.


Tedford compiled an 82-57 record at Cal from 2002-12, guiding the Golden Bears to eight postseason bowls and five victories. Cal players were voted first-team all-conference 44 times and received academic all-conference notification on 110 occasions. This past fall, 13 of 18 scholarship seniors received their undergraduate degrees, with one additional scholarship player expected to graduate in the spring.

“During his tenure at Cal, Jeff Tedford deeply cared for his student-athletes, their performance on the field and in the classroom, as well as their families, this department and the entire University,” Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. “We appreciate all that Jeff contributed to Cal’s reputation for excellence during his 11 years at the University and wish him well in all his future endeavors. Jeff and the entire Tedford family will always be a part of our history and tradition, and will always be welcomed back as part of the Golden Bear family.”

Tedford added, “I am proud of all the accomplishments we achieved together at Cal, both on and off the field, and the manner in which we raised the program’s national profile and expectations. I am honored to have played a role in the renovations to California Memorial Stadium, and in improving the facilities, with the goal of enhancing the experience for the entire Golden Bear community. My family and I will treasure our 11 years with the Golden Bears, and the many special relationships that were cultivated here. I look forward to maintaining my strong personal bond with my former players and staff, while pursuing the next chapter in my professional career.”

 

[noeynox]

Nelson I think you hot the nail on the head. P seemed to mail it in. In that Buffalo game I was incensed that he didn't yank a couple of guys off the field on defense. And it did shine through. Tedford is only 51, I believe. When I hear the names being bandied about this time compared to Hathaway's list im at least optimistic about the caliber of guy we could bring in.

 

[metsfan2323]

We don't need QB guru's, we don't need offensive coordinators, we need a dynamic head coach. We need a team leader, a team motivator, a staff motivator, and someone who will lift this entire program with the sheer force of his will and vision.

No more retreads, do not hire somebody who has already earned millions, hire somebody who is motivated and hungry with the desire to be the best football coach in the country. We need a football version of Calhoun and Geno.

The next person who says we need a name, a QB guru or recruiter gets hit with Carl's Debbie stick. We need someone who is all of that and more.

Paul Pasqualoni has the most wins in Big East history, and he torched the program. Do not catch someone else on the way down.

That said, Tedford's resume is pretty impressive. Whether or not he is on his way down is murky and worth investigation.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We don't need QB guru's, we don't need offensive coordinators, we need a dynamic head coach. We need a team leader, a team motivator, a staff motivator, and someone who will lift this entire program with the sheer force of his will and vision.

No more retreads, do not hire somebody who has already earned millions, hire somebody who is motivated and hungry with the desire to be the best football coach in the country. We need a football version of Calhoun and Geno.

The next person who says we need a name, a QB guru or recruiter gets hit with Carl's Debbie stick. We need someone who is all of that and more.

Paul Pasqualoni has the most wins in Big East history, and he torched the program. Do not catch someone else on the way down.

There are different problems with young coaches, most important of which is a lot of them have no idea what they are doing when they get the reins. Randy Schannon is a prototype of this. Great coordinator that is still widely respected, but if anyone ever needed to have a boss, it was that guy. He couldn't handle the pressure of the top spot. Mid-major HC's are problematic because their competition often isn't very good so it can be hard to measure how good they really are, and UConn is not going to get a top mid-major HC anymore. There are pros and cons of all types of coaches.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

I agree with everything Fishy said.

The one thing I will say about Pasqualoni is that while I was not happy when he was hired, I never expected him to mail it in like he did. He just didn't give a crap about any of it. Even when people started calling for his head, he never fought back. Look at Mack Brown at Texas. I think he is a very average coach, and there are probably 200 head coaches in the country that could do better in Austin with the resources Brown has there. He is deservedly on the hot seat, but at least he is fighting back.

Pasqualoni should have fired Deleone at the end of last season, not because it was popular, but because it was obvious to everyone that Deleone was not working out. Pasqualoni cared more about getting his buddy another contract than even saving his own job. That attitude shown through in everything with the program under Pasqualoni.

I am not crazy about Tedford. I don't care about age, and I would honestly love a coach that could recruit New England effectively, because trying to slug it out in Florida with the entire college football universe is not a winning recruiting strategy. I want a coach that is innovative, and Tedford is definitely innovative. My only fear with an old coach is that they mail it in.

Agreed. We need a high energy guy (offensive or defensive minded, I don't care) just have a passion and fire these kids up to play for him and for this University, the state, and us fans... And compared to PP that mean's the new guy would just need to have a pulse. lol

 

[metsfan2323]

There are different problems with young coaches, most important of which is a lot of them have no idea what they are doing when they get the reins. Randy Schannon is a prototype of this. Great coordinator that is still widely respected, but if anyone ever needed to have a boss, it was that guy. He couldn't handle the pressure of the top spot. Mid-major HC's are problematic because their competition often isn't very good so it can be hard to measure how good they really are, and UConn is not going to get a top mid-major HC anymore. There are pros and cons of all types of coaches.

I would very much prefer that UCONN hire someone who is currently a head coach or has recently been successful as a head coach, there have been plenty of hot shot coordinators who couldn't lead his own program.

I want Warde to make another fan base cry, that should be one of his goals. We can still get a rising mid major coach, money talks, our fan base is solid, and this is a winnable league for a good head coach, and we have a thoroughbred QB in our stable which doesn't hurt.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

It's just a @$#&% link to what could be an interesting coaching search site, not an endorsement of Telford.

 

[FDNY99]

This will be a very interesting search. I have heard several times, (including yesterday during a conversation I had in the Gold Lot with the guy who parked next to me) that this search is bringing a LOT of interest from prospective candidates. The things mentioned yesterday and in previous things I have heard: UCONN brand, Facilities (both Rentschler and Burton/Schenkman complex), salary being paid to P and Edsall when he left, and believe it or not the reputation of Manuel and Herbst (first three didn't surprise me, this one did a little).

 

[uconndogs]

This will be a very interesting search. I have heard several times, (including yesterday during a conversation I had in the Gold Lot with the guy who parked next to me) that this search is bringing a LOT of interest from prospective candidates. The things mentioned yesterday and in previous things I have heard: UCONN brand, Facilities (both Rentschler and Burton/Schenkman complex), salary being paid to P and Edsall when he left, and believe it or not the reputation of Manuel and Herbst (first three didn't surprise me, this one did a little).

Can't believe I'm saying this given this * storm of a season, but there is no reason UCONN cannot dominate the AAC for as long as we have to be in it. There is just not another program that can bring the resources we can to the table. P has been a terrible setback, but it can be over come.

 

[uconndogs]

I think a lot of the recognizable names are fools gold. There are good coaching candidates out there that are in the FCS or lower level FBS programs or coordinators in the P5 that will fit into UCONN very well. I agree with Nelson, they have to be able to recruit the northeast effectively.

I also think the bent towards west coast, spread offenses should not be a driving force. UCONN will play half their games in cold and challenging weather. I also think the game is moving away from pass happy. Yes, fans like high powered offenses, but they like winning even more.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The first thing that we need to realize is the ambitions of both SH and WM. Each is determined to be at the highest levels of their positions and each fully realizes that doing so at UConn would be a better path than finding a means to take a job at a school that is already there. They both truly want to be for their positions what Jim Calhoun was for the men's basketball program and each understands without question the role that football plays in their reaching their goals (for SH, football needs to become competent enough to become a B1G or ACC school, for WM, we need to be consistently in the top half of one of these conferences).

The search for our next head football coach will be nothing like the last one (where JH refused to break a sweat and brought in who he felt would make the most people happy). There will be an exhaustive search and WM will bring in the man who he believes is the best candidate to get us where we want to be. To steal a line from another coach at UConn, WM will be taking the stairs in this coaching search.

 

[Husky83]

Wow. Surprised about the negative reactions. A former very recently successful head coach who is an offensive guru? And someone who could recruit California? Sounds like a great choice. I think there are a lot of CA football parents who might like the idea of their kids going to college at a Top 20 public university in the northeast.

 

[metsfan2323]

I pulled this from a USA today article from last week. Pete Lembo is from Staten Island and his favorite team growing up was Michigan, he has a picture of Bo Schembechler on his wall. You listening Warde?
I think Warde and Pete have something in common here.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...s-corner-ball-state-coach-pete-lembo/2959833/

Q: With what you've done during the last few years and are doing in 2013, it's probably just a matter of time before you get that call – you know, the one asking if you're interested in this job, in that job. Have you envisioned your next step in your career? Was there a time 10 years ago when you thought, "Man, I can't want to get to this stop or this place"? You just focusing on today?
A: Very much the last piece of what you said. That was something that I learned from Bob Ford as a graduate assistant back at Albany: You just work your butt off at the job you have, you try to do the very best job that you can, and if you stay grounded and don't look too far down the road then you've got a chance to be successful at what you're doing.
Q: Did you have a favorite college team when you were growing up?
A: Yeah, I was a big Michigan fan growing up. In fact, I've got a picture of Bo Schembechler on my wall.
Q: How did you end up with Michigan?
A: Growing up in the Northeast, there just weren't that many big-time college programs. So you ended up watching whatever was on ABC. On Staten Island, we didn't have cable TV. We were the only borough in the city that didn't have cable TV. So you were just watching what was on CBS, NBC or ABC. Michigan, obviously, was always a top-25 team back then, and I ended up becoming a big Michigan fan growing up. The other thing I can remember watching growing up was the PBS channel in New York used to cover an Ivy League game of the week. So I'd come back from my Pop Warner game in the early 80s, late 70s, you'd turn on the TV and there was Princeton playing Cornell. That would be one of the games that would be on a TV on a Saturday. That Michigan thing for sure. I used to love the physicality and the ruggedness of those teams. And being an offensive lineman my whole life, how could you not like watching Michigan football back in the day?

 

[Pudge]

Interesting. Lots of the Northeast Kevin Bacon lines go to Bob Ford at UAlbany (it's a fact ... you can look it up). Not a very renowned Program ... but it has touched lots of guys.

 

[ktuck911]

This is just a suggestion... Although I don't care much for them, why not take a look at an offensive mind from the New England Patriot's staff???? They score at will at the highest level of football. Every offensive play seems to be productive... They move the chains effortlessly it seems. and put up points... PLUS, they're pretty much in our back yard... WE need offense... what better route to take than that?

 

[Dooley]

I pulled this from a USA today article from last week. Pete Lembo is from Staten Island and his favorite team growing up was Michigan, he has a picture of Bo Schembechler on his wall. You listening Warde?
I think Warde and Pete have something in common here.


Q: With what you've done during the last few years and are doing in 2013, it's probably just a matter of time before you get that call – you know, the one asking if you're interested in this job, in that job. Have you envisioned your next step in your career? Was there a time 10 years ago when you thought, "Man, I can't want to get to this stop or this place"? You just focusing on today?
A: Very much the last piece of what you said. That was something that I learned from Bob Ford as a graduate assistant back at Albany: You just work your butt off at the job you have, you try to do the very best job that you can, and if you stay grounded and don't look too far down the road then you've got a chance to be successful at what you're doing.
Q: Did you have a favorite college team when you were growing up?
A: Yeah, I was a big Michigan fan growing up. In fact, I've got a picture of Bo Schembechler on my wall.
Q: How did you end up with Michigan?
A: Growing up in the Northeast, there just weren't that many big-time college programs. So you ended up watching whatever was on ABC. On Staten Island, we didn't have cable TV. We were the only borough in the city that didn't have cable TV. So you were just watching what was on CBS, NBC or ABC. Michigan, obviously, was always a top-25 team back then, and I ended up becoming a big Michigan fan growing up. The other thing I can remember watching growing up was the PBS channel in New York used to cover an Ivy League game of the week. So I'd come back from my Pop Warner game in the early 80s, late 70s, you'd turn on the TV and there was Princeton playing Cornell. That would be one of the games that would be on a TV on a Saturday. That Michigan thing for sure. I used to love the physicality and the ruggedness of those teams. And being an offensive lineman my whole life, how could you not like watching Michigan football back in the day?

He also seems to understand the mentality of northeast college football fans. "We watched whatever football was on" is spot ' on. It wasn't until 2003 that folks around here began to put a UCONN game on the Saturday game schedule. That kind of understanding might help him unite the fanbase and energize it quicker than most.

 

[Doggie Style]

I don't think that we have to worry whether the new HC is a QB/Offensive GURU. Those who specialize in the High octane offensive approach will hire an OC who views things the same way they do, so that will take care of itself. We need a guy who can sell the hell out of this program and its potential to recruits, parents of recruits, other conferences, Santa Claus and anyone else that can potentially help get us out of this pit of quick sand!!!!

 

[jdb50]

If we are going to go to a West Coast offense type coach we should start looking at field turf installation the day after he is hired.