UConn's Improvement Boosts Diaco's Stock (Jacobs)

[huskymedic]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hc-uconn-temple-jacobs-column-1129-20151128-column.html

 

[Stainmaster]

Not necessarily a false premise, but sheesh. Talk about iffy timing...

 

[JMick]

I really hope Diaco is here at least 3 more years...

 

[Chief00]

Jacobs has been missing the mark lately. His Berlin football coach story is contrary to people I have talked to who know the situation - and say I am glad he got caught - he has been doing that for years.

 

[JMick]

Jacobs has been missing the mark lately. His Berlin football coach story is contrary to people I have talked to who know the situation - and say I am glad he got caught - he has been doing that for years.

yeah I don't know why he took a hard stance on that one. Capodice is not a nice guy, either.

 

[Bonehead]

Virginia job just opened. Lots of connections.

 

[huskymedic]

Virginia job just opened. Lots of connections.

Meh... Different President/Different AD/Different Coach/Non-Alumni

 

[Bonehead]

Meh... Different President/Different AD/Different Coach/Non-Alumni

Same donors.

Donors get what they want more often than not. It's just one to keep half an eye on.

 

[Dooley]

Diaco has earned a raise here for Year 3. Closer to the $2M/yr mark, I'd say. But it's still way too early to pull the trigger on hiring him if you're a P5 school. It's a tough sell for any fanbase to get excited for a guy with a career 8-16 mark.

That said, Matt Rhule finished 2-10 and 6-6 in his first two years...then went onto finish 10-2 this year. If Diaco can do that for us in Year 3, his stock will be every bit as high as Matt Rhule's and Justin Fuente's are this offseason.

 

[Skiblets]

A year or two too early to think Diaco will get poached.

 

[huskymedic]

A year or two too early to think Diaco will get poached.

Which is exactly Jacobs point.

 

[sub legacy]

I would like to think that if UConn meets or exceeds expectations by year 3 (8 or more wins, in my book), then they shouldn't hesitate to give Diaco an extension/raise going forward. It would say a lot about him if he'd be more intrigued by becoming the face of the program, such as Geno and Calhoun being icons of the basketball programs, as opposed to biding his time and padding his résumé until the next "A-list" job opens up. That being said, I'm not naive enough to put that past him if that indeed became the case down the road.

I look at it like this...

Typically, maintaining a winning culture at a ready-made, prestigious program makes you a seat warmer and a substitute teacher. You're far more expendable to those programs the minute their "high" standards become compromised. Les Miles was on the brink of being booted after 11 years (WITH A NO. 1 RECRUITING CLASS I might add) because of a three game skid before winning this weekend.

Promoting a winning culture at an obscure institution like UConn over an extended period of time makes you an icon. Joe Paterno at Penn State is probably a bad example, but you get the point. I would find that potential far more intriguing than being the latest babysitter at Southern Cal. Just saying.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Yeah I really hope we're trying to lock him in next year like Houston is with Herman, now. Of course, I really hope he ends up being the Jim Calhoun of UConn football and never wants to go anywhere else.

 

[freescooter]

I think there would be a question about Diaco if I were an AD at Midtier P5 State and it would be as Jacobs sort of suggests "is this improvement because he is improving the program or is it that he basically wrote off 2014?" It will take at least another season, maybe 2 to make that judgement. Another 6-6 or 7-5 and you say, eh! 9 wins or more and he's on everybody's list to at least kick the tires.

 

[buddy]

I believe that he will stay at UConn if a P5 invite is imminent and he will be out the door if one is not. There is no other good reason for him to leave.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I really hope Diaco is here at least 3 more years...

Three is about the absolute max I could see if things go the way we hope. I think two is more likely if he fields above .500 teams. Unfortunately it will always be the nature of the beast at a place like UConn.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

Jacobs rooted for Team Iceland in Mighty Ducks

 

[Palatine]

Say what you will, the highest bidder usually wins. If someone offers Diaco more dough, he's likely to go. Once again, Jacobs stakes out the painfully obvious ground. The more a coach wins the more he is coveted. DUH.

 

[warbler1055]

Best scenario 2015-16 for UConn, Women BB wins the National Championship, Men BB to FF, FB 10-2 third season for Diaco. UConn probably gets an P5 invite. WM and Diaco will have Rentschler field expanded to 60000 capacity. Diaco is not going anywhere if that happens!!!

 

[DoctorWho85]

Three is about the absolute max I could see if things go the way we hope. I think two is more likely if he fields above .500 teams. Unfortunately it will always be the nature of the beast at a place like UConn.

I agree with you. I think 2 more years and he'll probably be getting offers from a lot of P5 schools. Barring the Temple game, he's shown that he can improve a truly dysfunctional team and turn it into a winning mentality. If he has a season next year close to Temple or Memphis did this year, his name will be at every open job. Personally, if he continues to improve (and finally learn to improve clock management) I'd love to see him here forever. But I know realistically it most likely won't happen since there's no loyalty in college football.

 

[SubbaBub]

No one is coming after Diaco based on either his current body of work or an 8 win season next year. If anything his stock had gone down since he arrived.

Until he has us competing for a league title and a NY6 berth, he is ours for as long as we want him.

Randy had a better resume coming in and it took a program build, a surprise share of a league title, a couple wins over ND and SCar, several NFL picks and a BCS bid before someone bit and that someone was a middling ACC team.

Unless Bob starts recruiting like a fiend he is not going anywhere soon.

 

[kemba]

No one is coming after Diaco based on either his current body of work or an 8 win season next year. If anything his stock had gone down since he arrived.

Until he has us competing for a league title and a NY6 berth, he is ours for as long as we want him.

Randy had a better resume coming in and it took a program build, a surprise share of a league title, a couple wins over ND and SCar, several NFL picks and a BCS bid before someone bit and that someone was a middling ACC team.

Unless Bob starts recruiting like a fiend he is not going anywhere soon.

Diaco's stock has not gone down. There is nobody, outside of maybe a couple people on this board who isn't impressed Diaco has us bowling in year 2.

Not sure Edsall's resume was better coming in, they were just different. Edsall had the NFL experience, Diaco was a successful coordinator at a powerhouse program.

Our BCS bid WAS an 8 win season. Win 8 games next year, and there will at least be interest in Diaco from other schools. Probably not enough interest from an attractive enough position to make him leave, but not that far off from that either.

 

[SubbaBub]

Diaco's stock has not gone down. There is nobody, outside of maybe a couple people on this board who isn't impressed Diaco has us bowling in year 2.

Not sure Edsall's resume was better coming in, they were just different. Edsall had the NFL experience, Diaco was a successful coordinator at a powerhouse program.

Our BCS bid WAS an 8 win season. Win 8 games next year, and there will at least be interest in Diaco from other schools. Probably not enough interest from an attractive enough position to make him leave, but not that far off from that either.

Bob was one of if not the hot coordinators amd is now just another G5 head coach. Getting him was a coup, but in the world of the carousel it's a slight step down. Randy was an NFL assistant with previous college experience as well expansion franchise building experience. The resumes coming in are not close.

And 6-6 is just that, surprising for those who only read preseason magazines, but a big yawn to the people that hire coaches. There is also the matter of the 2 win season and some of the wacky things Bob does in games. He's still on the radar for a bigger job as he hasn't fallen on his face in his first head gig, but not close to in range of being considered based on the resume.

How his recruits develop and how much winning is done will change that going forward just like every other coach. Is Tulsa's guy getting another gig right now? No.

 

[RedStickHusky]

If/when he does go, I think he's got the character to not run away from a burning building. I think what he leaves behind will be important to him.

 

[freescooter]

Exactly right. 6-6 is 6-6. It is better that 2-10 for sure but a case can be made that 2-10 never should have happened. We lost to some dreadful teams with far less talent. It will take a 9-10 win season to get him into the sites of major programs or a few consistent 8 wins to make him attractive to a bunch of mid-level Big10, ACC types.