The Next Head Coach

[UConnDan97]

One guy I don't see mentioned here: Tom Bradley. Yes, he's in late 50s. But at least UConn would have a defense. And he can recruit in PA/Ohio/MD and has major program credibility.

I don't know enough about Bradley to comment, but you hit on something that I think is IMPERATIVE for the next UConn coach; they have to recruit PA and OH (MD and NJ too).

If you look back at the success that Edsall had, one could draw a direct line to the fact that he grabbed a lot of kids from PA. We did really well there. Not so much in Ohio, but we were able to go in there and get good players every now and then (i.e., Lindsey Witten). That would be my number 1 criteria of the next coach. I don't care about if they like a pro style offense or a spread or a read-option. I don't care if they blitz a lot or a little. I want them to have a bunch of ties to the northeastern football hubs, where we can get the 3-star or 4-star PA kids...

 

[whaler11]

You are flat out wrong!!!! UCONN has the OK to pay whatever it takes to appease the Big 10 AD's and presidents. It basically buys their votes for a UCONN invite, so expect $3 mil or more for a Coley, Smart, Anae. I still think UCONN's next coach might come from the Big 10, might be the DC at Mich State, but Coley and Smart would also bring an invite. Lots going on right now behind the scenes, the Big 10 likes Herbst and her efforts at increasing UCONN's endowment, a commitment to joining the AAU within the next 2 years, UCONN's choice of Warde for AD, and it's academics. The Big 10 wants the New England market, they feel they can bury BC and grab the Boston market and all points north and east of NYC. They also want another big time hockey school. UCONN's next coach and a Big Ten invite is a package. When you consider what the state gets for being a Big Ten member, $3 mil or even $4 mil for a new coach is cheap. They will pay it because it buys them into the Big Ten.

LOL. We'll see won't we.

Yes they are making a hire to impress the Big 10 presidents. Good grief some folks have talked themselves into pure fantasy.

 

[metsfan2323]

The Tuberville move was also based on family...his wife is from that area. Do you want to be in Lubbock or in CINCY with family.? Same lure for Urban meyer....the right situation moved him back to his family (& wife's family in Ohio).

BY the way....did anybody notice that Ball State in the MAc (Pete Lembo) won again.? Lembo is a HC worth looking at. .....and to all of you thinking 2.5MM in salary...we won't have to go near that number.
Lembo is at $350k base. Next HC will have a base of 1 to 1.5MM to get us out of this nightmare....whether it is Lembo, Moorehead, Ambrose or Clausen from Bowling Green.
Rest assured, it won't be a Mangini type that a few posts have mentioned. .....AND to all of you thinking that we need to wait until the end of the season...YOU ARE WRONG!!!! It already started. Trust me on that....every HC in DIV III, DIV 2, , the MAc kn0w the job is there...anf that is why there are agents and coaching changes that take place b4 bowl games even take place.

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?

 

[noeynox]

I wonder if James Franklin at Vanderbilt realizes how bad his situation is, as far as competing year in year out in that conference and is someone who may willing to try his hand somewhere else. Something tells me he is waiting for the UMD job to open up, but if Edsall takes em bowling, a virtual certainty he bought himself two more years.

 

[noeynox]

One guy I don't see mentioned here: Tom Bradley. Yes, he's in late 50s. But at least UConn would have a defense. And he can recruit in PA/Ohio/MD and has major program credibility.

Where is he coaching these days? He was at PSU during the rapes scandals, think we will pass.

 

[Sean]

I can't believe some people think we'll pay 2.5-3m for a coach in the AAC. The AAC!

Then again, someone also thinks spending money here will get us into the Big 10. We'd be better off giving that money directly to the Big 10 to bribe them.

ALso - lots of great, interesting names in this thread - but that doesn't mean that WM will even consider 10% of them. Land of steady habits - never forget that.

 

[huskyrob1]

LOL. We'll see won't we.

Yes they are making a hire to impress the Big 10 presidents. Good grief some folks have talked themselves into pure fantasy.

It's not fantasy, it's all about money. Get UCONN and you get the NYC, Hartford, Boston corridor. Those are huge ad dollars for the Big Ten Network and not just for football, though football is driving this.

 

[firstnline]

Lovey Smith

 

[storrsroars]

Where is he coaching these days? He was at PSU during the rapes scandals, think we will pass.

He was rumored at a lot of places going into 2012 - Rutgers, Kansas, Steelers linebackers coach - but seems all were waiting for the outcome of PSU scandal, so he went to CBS Network and does analysis on a national radio program.

Bradley probably has some issues - he was a "good soldier" for far too long at PSU waiting for Paterno to keel over, so one can question his ambition. But nobody can deny he's a brilliant defensive coach to this day. There was lots of talk about the Rooneys trying to influence Pitt to sign him - but many Pitt alumni (and BoD) were concerned not only about the PSU issues, which while not local, have influence - and, perhaps more importantly - were concerned about being viewed as hiring a PSU "leftover".

However, most people around here familiar with the guy think he got a raw deal by association (he's clean as far as Sandusky goes) and should be a HC somewhere (though not Pitt). UConn might be a perfect landing spot.

 

[noeynox]

It's not fantasy, it's all about money. Get UCONN and you get the NYC, Hartford, Boston corridor. Those are huge ad dollars for the Big Ten Network and not just for football, though football is driving this.

If it was this simple, we'd already be in.

 

[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.