There are plenty of good coaches who can and will come to BC. Now it is on Gene and Father Leahy to do this right. I just rattled off 18 guys. There are many more out there who could win at the Heights. For those looking for my summaries they are linked below. All that said, these are the five guys I would talk to first:
1. Jim Fassel
2. Rob Spence
3. Mike Sullivan
4. Mark Whipple
5. Al Golden
Expanded Lists:
-- TOB Coaching Tree
-- Fan Favorites
-- Current College Head Coaches
-- NFL assistants
-- College assistants
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i feel like this is a super-important hire for Gene and BC. we need to take advantage of FSU's current down-cycle if we want to become a perrenial power. FSU will rebound soon and then the window will be closed. they shouldnt play it safe. hire one of the assistants who can really recruit. obviously, it should be a guy who fits BC, but i think that's what Gene is supposed to do: find the best coach that can succede at BC. i just doubt whether hes willing to take a risk.
Whipple is the man, and GDF should do whatever he can to get him, pay $1.5M if necessary. Whipple had a solid record at Brown and then left to take over UMass in 1998. UMass was 2-9 in 1997, but the cupboard was pretty full with 16 returning starters. What happened? In his first season, UMass won the National Championship. He had a solid 6-7 years there, and then bolted for the Steelers to be QB Coach. What happened? He developed Roethlesburger and the Steelers were contenders, eventually winning the Super Bowl last year. So now he has a National Championship and a Super Bowl ring. Credibility at both levels, and the all important NFL connections that make recruits drool (see Weis, Charlie). And on top of that, the cupboard is full at BC, with 17 returning starters, including the 1st team all-acc QB. It is a plumb job for a guy like Whipple. He'd probably come to BC, kick ass for 3-4 years and then move on to a head coaching job in the pros. While being used as a stepping stone is not ideal, sometimes it's worth it, like when Coughlin was here. That was the last time, in my opinion, that BC really had a nasty team, one that could hang with anyone in the country (and should have gone to the Sugar Bowl had David Green not fumbled up 14-10 against WVirginia with 2 minutes left, but I digress). So make no mistake about it, this is THE FUCKING GUY if we can get him, and I think we can.
Great summary--just 2 names I'd add; Jim Leavitt (South Florida HC) and Rex Ryan (Ravens DC)
Disagree about Fassel. No real college experience and could be another Henning.
Ok. Now I read your Fassel synopsis and I agree with what you said. Disregard my last comment.
Wrong wrong wrong you loser. BC is a fantastic job. There is absolutely no pressure, it's a pro sports town and there are two beat writers assigned to the team who do nothing but waive pom-poms. It is probably one of a handful of stress-free HC jobs in the country, and can be a good stepping stone for someone with higher aspirations (see Coighlin, Tom). BC has competed very very well in 2 of the 6 BCS conferences for years and years. They were a legitimate Top 10 team in 1993-1994. In fact, ever since Penn State left the recruiting market, we haven't had any real competition for the northeast corridor athletes. So we have more than enough talent to continue to compete, and should have enough with the right coach to have a breakout year every 4-5 years. We also have some decent history. Let's face it, we have been a solid Top 20-25 program for the better part of 25 years (with a couple of brief peaks and valleys), and a Heisman Trophy and Outland Trophy winner. Plenty of alums in the NFL. This is no Vanderbilt or Indiana. TOB was the right man for the job, a good steward of the program, but he overstayed his welcome. His passionless approach left the team flat and exposed to WTF games every year, which always cost us 2nd tier bowls, let alone 1st tier bowls. Leaving the WTF losses alone for a second, how many WTF wins were there over the years? Central Michigan this year? Boise State, Wake last year? Ball State and Rutgers the year before? And most of all, one bigtime concern I have had about TOB in is how he would fare once BC's peers in the ACC got accustomed to his game. In the old Big East, BC used to do well against its peers (Syracuse, Pitt, W Virginia), but they figured him out. His last three years he was 2-7 against those teams, a record masked by really really soft out of conference opponents and the Big Boys (Miami and VTech) leaving the last year. I think it would be a matter of time before Clemson, NC State, Virginia and Maryland starting pounding TOB on a regular basis. Time for him to go. This is a fantastic opportunity for some young coach, and they will take BC to a higher level if GDF makes the right hire. More importantly, no more boring football.
A few things...
BC is going to take an absolute pounding in the press for O'Brien leaving to a peer school.
So, we can't go hiring somebody like Al Golden with his absolutely horrid record at Temple last year. We need an actual football COACH, not only a recruiter.
I'm not exactly adverse to a coach who would use BC as a stepping stone...I want BC to hire somebody who is a winner, and who is fiery, to inject some life into the program. So long as he is willing to rework the offense, Paul Johnson fits that role.
For all of those thinking that BC is not a good job--that's absurd. It's not a great job, true, but it ain't a bad one. You can come in here, and begin to win immediately; the foundation is already built. If Iowa State can get the hottest assistant coach in the country, WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH WOULD PREVENT BC FROM DOING THE SAME?!?!?!
The only answer to that is MONEY. If we're willing to spend it, the program will be on solid ground for years to come. If not, we're not far away from Duke North. The decision, frankly, is more about how much the Admin is willing to pay. Once that's established, then we can make the lists.
I like Paul Johnson, but I think he would fill in a little too seemlessly to TOB's mold. He'll win games, graduate athletes, recruit well, but I think that type of coach will always play the 9 win rut.
Depending on the hire, I think it may be imperative to bring in another offensive coordinator. Mike Kruczek in currently banished to NFL hell, and while his discipline and recruiting records suck, he can coach and offense and groom a QB.
I don't know enough about Whipple or Sullivan to make informed comments on them. Al Golden would be an Amato-esque hire.
Not sure where this leaves us, but clearly to compete for proven HCs, BC will have to open the checkbooks.
Oh really, you go 7-5 for two years at Iowa State and you go coach Alabama?
Thank you for gracing us all with your wisdom. Perhaps you might be able to note the records that Iowa State's coach has put up over the past 5 years...in 2002, 2004 & 2005, Dan McCartney went 7-5. I noticed they FIRED him after this year; and Alabama isn't calling.
BC very well might be a stepping stone job, and that's just fine by me. It's a damn good one, and we should be able to get a damn good coach in here.
The debate has raged at BC for a few years on the qualifications of TOB, and if anything, we're about to find out just how much he was under or overappreciated in these circles. But the relief of moving on from the TOB plateau is starting to give way to fear. I am scared shitless of GeneD hiring a buddy like Davie. We used to relish playing ND w/ Davie at the helm b/c he sucked. We knew BC would win. The thought of GeneD hiring this guy to make a splash is terrifying.
I badly want Whipple on board at the Heights, but GeneD is publicity-driven and there's a lotta pressure now that TOB moved laterally in our new conference. It will be hugely surprising if GeneD does not go for the big name of Fassell or Davie. This sux.
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