The Next Head Coach

[AZHuskiePop]

Coordinators are not necessararily the way to go.
I prefer a young energenic guy capabable building a competant staff. A head coach is as much Manager as coach.
When you hire an Engr. Mgr the best Engr. is not always the best option.
You can get a young 35-45 Headcoach for the money we pay
I don't think salary is as big an issue a we make it out to be.
Wasn't PP in the top 30 or 40 highest paid coaches?
If your a successful MAC coach making 500k you wouldn't go somewhere else for 1500k.
We have to understand that if he is wildly sucessfull he will go somewhere else. Itsn't tha true of all but a few top programs?
The key is building an environment that will continually attract top ambitious talent. If you get one that loves it there alla JC or Geno,
so much the better. Then UConn will give him top 15 money.
Look how much we pay a women's BB coach.

As far a recruiting goes:
Since when is recruiting restricted to your location.
Oklahoma team are usually half Texans.
If that was the case Nebraska wouldn't be where they are.

Few of our top players were ever from Ct
We recruit Florida like everyone else and New Jersey and Pa are so close. If your a parent of kid from Jersey the drive to the Rent is no big deal.
Actually the AAC gives us more exposure in the Fla, Texas. , LA and even Carolina area. Basketball success has given us a somewhat national brand that any competent recruiter could use as a tool.

 

[Dooley]

Right now Lembo and Matt Campbell are my top two choices. I don't understand why so many think the MAC guys are beneath us. This is where many of today's best coaches started out (Urban Meyer, Saban, Kelly). We need a coach who can coach up our existing talent (the 4 and 5 star recruits are never coming here unless we first start to win big) and these are the guys who can coach up our talent. As a bonus these guys come from areas we need to recruit and we don't need to give them silly money. (well maybe we do, there will be competition for them)

For God sakes Chip Kelly started out at New Hampshire, is he beneath us too?

Pete Lembo would be on my interview list. I don't know much about Campbell to comment about him, but I've watched a few Ball State games this year on ESPN3 and I like the way Lembo gets his teams ready to play.

 

[rich1122]

Two guys impressed me this year on what they have done with their programs without a plethora of 4-star recruits. We need a program builder, a decent recruiter and evaluator of talent.

O'Leary and Ambrose. Ambrose make $740K O'Leary makes $1 million. We could double O'Leary's salary and have room leftover for hefty Asst. increases.

 

[noeynox]

Ambrose makes 740k, at an FCS school? Where you get that number?

 

[huskysupporter]

At a school like UCONN in its current state, we need a great evaluator of talent. 4 and 5 star kids are not going to come here at this point. They just a aren't. But that doesn't mean there aren't 3 stars that are actually 4 and 5 star talents. Edsall did a great job finding these kids. We need someone similar.

 

[huskymedic]

Ambrose makes 740k, at an FCS school? Where you get that number?

He doesn't. Be very surprised if it was over $350k. Probably much less, he was only making $170k in 2010.

 

[rich1122]

I think I messed that up. I saw it and now I can't find the link. Anyway I was impressed.

 

[huskysupporter]

On the Ambrose front, I don't think he should be overlooked in the search. Do we know who he had a big hand in recruiting to UCONN when he was here?

 

[noeynox]

On the Ambrose front, I don't think he should be overlooked in the search. Do we know who he had a big hand in recruiting to UCONN when he was here?

Yes, he was the guy that refused to take the tape from the Xavier coach in Middletown, because Amari Spivey wasn't an FBS player.

Having been here I would think he would know what kind of players he needs to win here.

 

[Dooley]

I'm not sold on Ambrose. I recall lots of disgruntled grumbling from fans about the play calling when he was OC here. I hope he is further down the interview list because I think UCONN can do much better.

 

[FDNY99]

For those of you on the Ambrose kick take a look at this:
http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/Coll...used-of-offensive-remarks/UPI-14011351020209/

The guy I work in the firehouse who played at Towson and is very active in their football alumni association told me about this..an said this is not the only time this has happened.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't know which direction we will go for our next head coach but I do know that it will be what is viewed as the best path to get us where we want to be. We won't overpay a coach just to be able to say that we are paying someone $2.5mm a year to run the program but the conclusion is that the only way to accomplish what we want is to land the guy who won't take the job unless the pay is at that level, we will pay it. I personally think best candidate will at a lesser profile and likely command a bit less than what we paid P this season (not including the buyout).

What needs to be added to the equation (and was touched on in a couple of places in this thread) is that there will need to be a considerable (I'm guessing 50%-60% if not more) increase in pay scale for our assistants. I also believe that we need to accept that whatever conference we play football in (the current AAC and whatever P5 we have as our dream destination) we will need (due to our location and the relative talent at home vs what our conference mate have in their back yards) a larger recruiting budget than nearly all of the conference if we are going to be able to consistently recruit at a level where we can compete at the top of the conference.

From what I've been told, doors have been knocked on, conversations have occurred. Every effort that can be made to secure the necessary funding will be made (much has already occurred). I realize that there are no guarantees that the best candidate will be able to accomplish what we want. Hell, nothing ever appeared to be more of a sure thing than when UNC hired Butch Davis yet that failed miserably. I do know that we will see an intelligent, thorough, concerted effort that will be a swing for the fences (although it may be a bit more subtle in initial appearance than some would like). This is a far sight better than what we witnessed the last time we looked for a head football coach during the offseason.

 

[huskymedic]

I don't know which direction we will go for our next head coach but I do know that it will be what is viewed as the best path to get us where we want to be. We won't overpay a coach just to be able to say that we are paying someone $2.5mm a year to run the program but the conclusion is that the only way to accomplish what we want is to land the guy who won't take the job unless the pay is at that level, we will pay it. I personally think best candidate will at a lesser profile and likely command a bit less than what we paid P this season (not including the buyout).

What needs to be added to the equation (and was touched on in a couple of places in this thread) is that there will need to be a considerable (I'm guessing 50%-60% if not more) increase in pay scale for our assistants. I also believe that we need to accept that whatever conference we play football in (the current AAC and whatever P5 we have as our dream destination) we will need (due to our location and the relative talent at home vs what our conference mate have in their back yards) a larger recruiting budget than nearly all of the conference if we are going to be able to consistently recruit at a level where we can compete at the top of the conference.

From what I've been told, doors have been knocked on, conversations have occurred. Every effort that can be made to secure the necessary funding will be made (much has already occurred). I realize that there are no guarantees that the best candidate will be able to accomplish what we want. Hell, nothing ever appeared to be more of a sure thing than when UNC hired Butch Davis yet that failed miserably. I do know that we will see an intelligent, thorough, concerted effort that will be a swing for the fences (although it may be a bit more subtle in initial appearance than some would like). This is a far sight better than what we witnessed the last time we looked for a head football coach during the offseason.

 

[Fishy]

For those of you on the Ambrose kick take a look at this:
http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/Coll...used-of-offensive-remarks/UPI-14011351020209/

The guy I work in the firehouse who played at Towson and is very active in their football alumni association told me about this..an said this is not the only time this has happened.

We covered that ground last year, but I agree with your larger point that we don't want him.

 

[UconnFamily]

I'm not sold on Ambrose. I recall lots of disgruntled grumbling from fans about the play calling when he was OC here. I hope he is further down the interview list because I think UCONN can do much better.

I agree the 4 or 5 years he's been at Towson Ambrose biggest win came against Uconn, but anybody can beat us this year the way we've been playing, so that's not too big of a win. I'm just not sold on this guy.

 

[CoachUConn]

Not Mangini, no NFL guys, we tried that and failed, We need a college coach who can win in college, recruit 18 year old kids and connect with them, not NFL guys. we need an up and coming coach or asst. that'll put his own mark on this program and make it relevant and exciting for people to come watch, like Mark Stoops is doing at Kentucky.

Wish list of mine : (no order)
Coley
Lembo
Narduzzi
Matt Wells (utah st)
Ambrose
Moorhead
Clawson
Morris (why not)
Bobo

 

[Colt house75]

Pete Lembo would be on my interview list. I don't know much about Campbell to comment about him, but I've watched a few Ball State games this year on ESPN3 and I like the way Lembo gets his teams ready to play.

Here is a December 2012 article on Lembo. Programs were hunting him down then, he currently has Ball State cruising and will be sucked up by December 2013. Article intimates that an automatic qualifier type school, (as of Dec 2012) was in his horizon. Good read. Hope WM is in touch with his agents NOW to be part of the interview process.

http://overthepylon.net/2012/12/05/the-coaching-carousel-and-pete-lembo/

 

[noeynox]

If Kill is done at Minnesota, one of the Mac guys is likely headed there. Also the Bo. Pellini situation at Nebraska bears watching. They should have never fired Frank Solich, he is old, but he can coach.

 

[Drew]

Bo Pelini is in very very hot water. As a Nebraska fan I can tell you he isn't a great in game manager and is a "defensive mastermind" that has seemingly lost the ability to coach defense and hires his close friends as assistants. That might work here in the AAC but its not working at Nebraska.

 

[Dooley]

My updated list, as of 10/28 PM, that now includes 2013 salary:

I like these guys, in no particular order and without regard to what other openings these guys might be interested in:

Pat Narduzzi - DC, Mich St ($512K/yr): northeast ties, good recruiter, MSU's D has been stellar for years, B1G connection;
Scott Frost - OC, Oregon ($368/yr) : top name, likely will get a P5 job but I certainly hope Warde makes it known that we'd like to schedule an interview;
Jeremy Pruitt - DC, FSU ($542/yr): top recruiter, FSU D is aggressive and best in ACC;
Jim Tressel - Akron Advisor ($200/yr): stellar record in BCS conference including BCS bowls, good recruiter, comes with "show cause" penalty though;
Tom Herman - OC, OSU ($550/yr): B1G connection, good recruiter, could he lure Mike Vrabel (fast rising DL coach at OSU) with him to be his DC if we double his salary (currently $286/yr)??
Pete Lembo - HC, Ball St ($400/yr): offensive improvement each year, northeast ties, climbing the coaching ranks;
Josh McDaniels - OC, Patriots ($1.5M/yr): part of the Nick Saban (MSU) / Bill Belichick coaching tree and that speaks for itself (see: Bill O'Brien);
Greg Roman - OC, 49ers (UNK?): offensive coordinator at Stanford during Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck years, likely will get a HC job in 2014;
Phillip Montgomery - OC, Baylor (UNK): prolific offense, TX ties, hot name for a 2014 HC job;
Robert Anae - OC, BYU (UNK): OL coach now OC at BYU (perhaps the fastest offense in the country);
James Coley - OC, Miami ($500K): great recruiter, offensive guy with FL connections;
Chad Morris - OC, Clemson ($1.3M/yr): offense speaks for itself but at his current salary, UCONN would need to be ready to at least double it;
Kirby Smart - DC, Alabama ($1.3M/yr): same as Chad Morris, just replace "offense" with "defense" and "Clemson" with "Alabama";
Dave Clausen - HC, Bowling Green ($400/yr): New York guy with northeast ties, offensive background.
Steve Addazio - HC, Boston College ($1.6M/yr): good recruiting reputation with CT ties, may bring Don Brown back with him?, would take a pay increase but certainly possible;
Tim DeRuyter - HC, Fresno State ($700/yr): unlikely to jump from west coast to east coast (CA native) but worth an interview;
Mark Hudspeth - HC, UL-Lafayette ($825/yr): southern roots could help stretch recruiting ties, intense, successful;
Eric Mangini - Consultant, 49ers (UNK): Belichick tree, CT/northeast ties, defensive genius and now rubbing elbows with Harbaugh/Roman offense (he's an offensive consultant for the 49ers);


Also, just for comparison's sake, here are the assistant coaches salary pools for each B1G team (figures combined with head coach salary but I did the math): http://www.freep.com/article/20130519/BLOG05/305190109/

1. Ohio State $7.716 million ($7.22 million in 2012, 1st) - $3.4M without Meyer;​

2. Iowa $6,153,052 ($6.035 million, 2nd) - $2.3M without Ferentz;​

3. Michigan $5.851 million ($6.009 million, 3rd) - $2.8M without Hoke;​

4. Nebraska $5.5235 million ($4.905 million, 4th) - $2.6M without Pelini;​

5. Wisconsin $4.295 million ($4.571 million, 5th) - $2.4M without Andersen;​

6. MSU $4,207,775 ($4.098 million, 6th) - $2.3M without Dantonio;​

7. Purdue $4.01 million ($2.535 million, 10th) - $2M without Hazell;​

8. Illinois $3.665 million ($3.914 million, 7th) - $2M without Beckman;​

9. Minnesota $3.3 million ($3.445 million, 8th) - $2.1M without Kill;​

10. Indiana $3,216,300.24 ($3.22 million, 9th) - $2M without Wilson;​

Rutgers pays $2.5M and Maryland pays $3.9M​

 

[FluxTZ]

Wow, those assistant pool numbers are staggering. Really interesting stuff though!!

 

[jdb50]

If the next coach comes in and has alot of success which leads to a new conference home for UConn he may not want to leave.

 

[Dooley]

Wow, those assistant pool numbers are staggering. Really interesting stuff though!!

I should have clarified that the pools were totals, including head coaching salary. I edited to be more clear.

 

[huskymedic]

JFowlerCBS12:24pm via HootSuite
Buzz I'm hearing is UConn plans to use Parker Executive for its football coaching search

 

[huskymedic]

Plans to use? What are they waiting for?

If it "leaked" out - that tells me they've narrowed down the field and want to get down into the nitty gritty dirty work

>>When a university signs a deal with Parker Executive Search, access to this database is the big draw. It's truly like a dating service, complete with a prospective coach's mug shot in the top left corner of the screen. Also included in the firm's fee, which typically runs between $60,000 and $90,000, plus expenses, is what it believes is soup-to-nuts service, including:

- Handling all calls inquiring about the coaching vacancy
- Reviewing its database with search committee members and providing all members with a private log-in to access the database remotely
- Contacting coaches or agents to request interviews
- Arranging for travel and accommodations for candidates who will be interviewed
- Conducting public records searches -- credit, criminal and motor vehicle reports -- of all candidates
- Confirming academic degrees
- Receiving a signed statement from candidates confirming information and affirming that nothing else need be disclosed
- Negotiating a contract on behalf of the university
- Receiving signed terms of an agreement from the coaching candidate and all parties before the introductory news conference

The real meat, though, is the database, a veritable treasure trove of information. The profiles of more than 1,000 basketball coaches and 2,000 football coaches are a click away.<<

 

[WestHartHusk]

JFowlerCBS12:24pm via HootSuite
Buzz I'm hearing is UConn plans to use Parker Executive for its football coaching search

Buzz I'm hearing is the Boneyard is about to flip out. Seriously, what are we waiting for?

 

[huskymedic]

Buzz I'm hearing is the Boneyard is about to flip out. Seriously, what are we waiting for?

See above^^^ response to Metsfan2323 which disappeared. Doesn't mean that they haven't been engaged - just that it got out.

 

[specialisthusky]

Isn't this the firm that butchered the rutgers ad hire?

 

[bobbyinaz]

Isn't this the firm that butchered the rutgers ad hire?

Yes. They never found out (or didn't disclose) the issues about her being abusive to athletes when she was the volleyball coach at Tennessee

 

[huskymedic]

Isn't this the firm that butchered the rutgers ad hire?

Yup - Everyone of these firms has success stories and not-so-successful stories. Tennessee used Parker to hire Butch Jones, Vandy for James Franklin and ND for Brian Kelly. Of course, Pitt also used them for Mike Heywood

Still the AD's responsibility to make the final choice.