Monday, January 03, 2011

Randy Edsall finally gets out of UConn

As I mentioned, I never envied UConn's BCS appearance nor that they had Randy Edsall as their coach. Well after interviewing with BC (three times), Miami, Georgia Tech, and NC State, Edsall finally landed an ACC job with Maryland. I don't think he'll be a disaster, but I think Maryland could have been more bold with the new hire. Mike Leach at Maryland would have been scary for BC. Rich Rodriquez would have made things interesting. I am not even sure Edsall is an upgrade over Friedgen.


As for why Edsall wanted out...I think the situation is very similar to TOB's at BC. I think these coaches get tired of the limitations and start to think the grass is greener. Edsall knew getting UConn back to the BCS would be tough and that anything less would be met with fan impatience. Now he gets a fresh start and a raise.


Of course this coaching carousel will impact BC as old names like Jags and Whipple have surfaced as candidates in Storrs. If Jags lands the gig I will weigh in further. But let me say this: UConn is a tough place to build a winner. Syracuse is back. TCU is entering the conference. It looks like WVU just upgraded their staff. I think the better Big East opening is Pitt but at this point I think Jags and Whipple are both itching for a chance to be the head guy again and both are filled with confidence that they can win anywhere.

37 comments:

Dan said...

Definitely agree that this is not an upgrade as far as Maryland is concerned. Can we presume this means Leach is working his way into Michigan?

For BC's sake I really really hope Jags doesn't end up at UConn. The amount of stupid articles we would be bombarded with from various sources for the life of that contract would kill me.


Although, I guess watching him lie through his big smile about his committment while running UConn's recruiting further into the ground would be fun to watch from the outside.

Bravesbill said...

Michigan isn't even going to sniff at Leach. It's going to be Jim Harbaugh or bust. If and when Harbaugh turns them down, it's going to nab Brady Hoke who has already come out and said it's his dream job and it's the only job he will leave SDSU for.

Dan said...

Right, I meant it more so as Leach trying to work his way over to Michigan more so than Michigan pursuing him. This coulda pushed Maryland to pull the trigger quick on Edsall.

I agree that Harbaugh would be Michigan's first target. With RichRod's infractions I'm sure Michigan is looking for someone who is squeaky clean like Harbaugh.

John said...

Agree. Edsall does not scare me at all. UConn is going to bad next year (star running back going pro) and I don't think he is a big draw for Maryland recruits.

TheFive said...

Unlike with TOB's move...the grass is actually greener at Maryland than it is at UConn. That Edsall won at UConn, in a dump of an off-campus stadium located in an abandoned airport 30 miles from Storrs...and did it with a team that was previously 1-AA, is a pretty impressive track record. UConn did hit its ceiling under Edsall (and you're right that the conference is getting much harder in the coming years).

Edsall's not a splashy name, but he's a good coach. A better coach, in fact, than the one we have. And he has a very good team coming back next year. I'd expect Maryland to be a tough team on our yearly schedule for his whole tenure there.

eagle1331 said...

Do you really think UConn would want our sloppy seconds with Jags? I see him as much more of a Pitt guy, and don't know if he'd want to be in BC's backyard either (though it doesn't seem he has much regard for stepping on toes).

I think they'll make a safe hire like we did with Spaz. Whoever comes in is going to have a tough time selling the program as it is, but the players there are all talking about leaving as well.

I wouldn't be scared of Whipple there either.. The U's offense wasn't scary...

cwm2005 said...

What's the word on Nyquill coming back next year?

Any shot BC can pick up Whipple as the next OC??

ATL: I also had no real dislikes about the BC-S. Carolina game.

Going forward, we're going to need more from Southern and Dunn though. I think they got less than 20 minutes combined, and played poorly. Southern has been much improved and I think will do better against an opponent whose pace is slower. I also expect Dunn to give us 5 fouls and a few boards a game in ACC play.

A33Jim said...

Hard to resist an I-told-you-so .

mod34b said...

A33Jim -- I remember that bs when The Hartford Courant's BC-Hater-In -Chief, Dez Conner, tried to gin up some BC hating.

Turns out now that this kid is strongly thinking of Dumping UConn

Interesting excerpt:

The news of Randy Edsall’s departure from Connecticut was stunning to Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock quarterback Michael Nebrich.

“A couple weeks ago he came over reassuring me he’d be there and now he’s leaving like this.

“Right now I’m still a Connecticut commit, but you know, the option is open to talk to other schools."

Kid might make a good DB/WR for BC (4.4 speed).

Andrew said...

Dunno if you can call Harbaugh "squeaky clean" after a very public DUI

bceagle93 said...

Looks like Jags is on the market again.....maybe he threatened to interview for the UConn or Pitt jobs....

http://www.ufl-football.com/news/omaha-nighthawks-united-football-league-make-head-coaching-change-2011-season

Big Jack Krack said...

Okay everyone - let's get going on our final preparation for the Nevada Wolf Pack and their vaunted Pistol Offense.

Do we know how Montel Harris is doing? Will it be smart to play him at all - even if cleared by medical staff? Did I hear that Lapham is definitely out?

Having watched many of the bowls thus far (frankly, I'm just about footballed-out)I think it's safe to say that we have had one of the least imaginative offensive game plans in the country.

Coach Tranquill showed some new wrinkles at the end of the season that can give us some hope. However, if he reverts to Coach Nyquil - I will call for same action Clemson took after it's bowl game.

We'll see if this coaching staff knows how to prepare a team for a bowl game soon enough. The jury is still out, because I feel as though we could have beaten USC last year. In fact, we have been unprepared for our bowl games for the past 2 years. Jags didn't have the team properly prepared for Vanderbilt at the Music City Bowl IMO. In fact, Logan and Jags mailed it in - Logan in that game looking a lot like what we have now under Tranquill. By letting Vandy hang around, we lost because of a fluke play. Of course he was saddled with a young D. Davis, but so what? We had Ryan Purvis, Brandon Robinson, Rich Gunnell, Justin Jarvis, Colin Larmond, Jr. and Montel Harris - Not to mention our stout defense.

Outstanding preparation is how we won 8 staight bowl games from 2000 to 2007 - and I don't want to extend this losing streak to 3 bowl games.

Our D is going to have to be very sharp and quick to anticipate and react.

Go BC!

Scott said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CatabEagle said...

As former Lake Braddock Bruin I can say that Nebrich is not ACC material, not even close. Best case scenario is Billy Flutie-like utility guy. NoVa talent is highly overrated. For a DC-area QB to covet, go for Kevin Hogan (Stanford commit) from Gonzaga College H.S (D.C.). If Harbaugh leaves, we should use the Jesuit connection to go after him.

Lenny Sienko said...

Scott: You want to retract that comment on Special Olympics athletes, don't you? That was a typo, wasn't it?

****

As for Randy Edsall, I lost respect for the way he threw his UCONN players and team on the plane (the equivalent of "under the bus") without him and couldn't wait until they landed to sign with Maryland.

Not telling his players and letting them ride home w/o from that beating was not a classy act. I expected more from Edsall.

For the Jags fans, he just got fired again--from the UFL. That firing does not bode well for him landing a head coaching gig anywhere.

mod34b said...

Scott -- you say:

Winning a sprint in a special olympics handicapped conference doesn't mean you are competitive with real athletes and should not be a source of pride.

I would hope we of The Heights could do better than Special Olympics slurs.

Special Olympics athletes are "real athletes" too and participation is any kind of Olympics should always be a source of pride.

CatabEagle said...

Cosign Mod34B. What those kids do in the Special Olympics is downright Herzlich-ian. The joy it brings to the participants and their families is unrivaled in sport.

Scott said...

Done. Wasn't trying to undermine the accomplishments of kids who have beat much longer odds. That was poor judgment, The better analogy would have been, a varsity/major leager athlete that drops to JV/minors to get a few wins ... but that doesn't make him any more capable against the big boys.

Big Jack Krack said...

bceagle93 - do you think Jags might be second guessing himself by now in terms of his employment at BC. Heck, maybe we would have fired him by now anyway.

He's one of those guys who has to keep moving. His family probably has caught on by now.

I loved this comment - "maybe he threatened to interview for the UConn or Pitt jobs...."

bceagle93 said...

BJK -- I think Jags's ambition is probaby not in line with his actual talent as a coach, leader, and face of a program/team. He thought he was bigger than the University. He got called on it by Gene, and it is following him around. Say what you will about Gene, but he nailed that guy good. Read the press release from the Omaha NightHawks -- they just did what did Gene did before Jags had the chance to derail what they are trying to build there.

I liked Jags when he was at the Heights. He brought excitement to the program that was lacking (with the help of the best QB we ever graduated). But after 3 kicks in the jimmies over the last 2 yrs, dude is back to square 1. Tone down the ambition and do something.

Dan said...

Just saw the my first BC vs. Nevada commercial on ESPN. Although having both an Oreo and Ritz cracker logo in it was pretty lame, I was pretty pumped to see BC highlights on national tv. Maybe at some point this week the "news" outlets in Boston can get us a few articles this week? Maybe dig up a little on injuries and how prep has gone?

Big Jack Krack said...

Stanford looks pretty tough, but their offensive linemen are pretty good at holding.

That TD run could have been called back.

Ted H said...

Can we please end this discussion with Jags? He is finished. He was fired from Tampa Bay for not knowing the plays. He can not even hold on to his job in the UFL. You think Uconn or Pitt would be dumb enough to hire this guy? He has been fired from every coaching job he has ever had and still this fascination with him. He won at BC for two reasons. He had loaded teams and Logan ran the offense. No one in there right mind would hire this guy with his track record. I suspect his next stop will be a high school program maybe Pop Warner.

Big Jack Krack said...

VT is okay if they don't Nyquil up the middle on first down.

Big Jack Krack said...

or second down either.

Eagle in Brighton said...

Regarding Edsall to Maryland: Push for UM (will keep the team respectable, but no threat to build an Atlantic Division powerhouse = win for BC); a clear win for Edsall, as he joins a better conference (ACC) and a more well rounded and football inclined athletic dept. than fledgling UCan't.

@ Lenny: Agree, failing to man up and address his team promptly/honestly is a d*** move of the highest order.

Regarding Orange Bowl: with VT's stable of phenomenal RB's and a supremely talented QB, how do they not convert that 4th and 1??

Eagle in Brighton said...

Speaking of Stanford, any word finalizing our Home and Home with the Cardinal later this decade?

Andrew said...

Regarding the 4th and 1, Evan's forgot his vision on that play, it was there if he cuts it up rather than going horizontal

mod34b said...

VT sucks.


Bud Foster sucks. Too much gambling on D. VT allowed 5+ big plays.

ACC needed a win in the BCS. Groan

Dan said...

Wow now that VT has officially shat the bed, it's on us to represent the conference and take down Nevada.

Go Eagles!

Eagle in Brighton said...

Pretty embarassing (I mean, not nearly as embarasssing as making the BCS as an unranked squad), but still a joke considering VT's talent at the offensive skill positions, current winning streak, etc.

mod34b said...

It is pretty close on the league embarrassment scale as to UConn blowout.

Dan said...

Michelle Tafoya fail!

Harbaugh blew her off before she could even get the job situation question out of her mouth. ha!

Eagle in Brighton said...

Hard to tell who had the worse bowl season: ACC, Big Least, or Big 10.

Dan said...

So I guess this means Beamer will skip the flight home and go take the Pitt job.

Andrew said...

ACC hasn't had that bad of a bowl season.

Obviously the flagship VT getting blown out isn't good.

FSU nice win over USC
NC State handled WVU
Maryland blew out ECU
UNC "won"

Gtech/Clemson didn't look good, but they never were and the U was sliding at the end of the year. (I will note I picked all three of these games correctly)

Bravesbill said...

Everyone is poo-poohing the FSU win because Lattimore got hurt early which killed USC's chances. As for WVU, well they were never really good anyways. The only team that really was impressive this bowl season was Maryland. Most people (including myself) thought the game would be close with ECU having a decent shot of winning. However, Maryland absolutely manhandled ECU. The ACC, Big East, and esp. the Big 10 have been complete failures this bowl season. It's time to give the Mountain West an automatic bid.