Rumored ADs, rumored coaches and what it all means

RUMORS on the AD front

Blauds wants BC to hurry up and pick an AD. My guess is that his whining and criticism is on behalf of a source who also might be a candidate for the job. As is often the case, he's way off the mark on a few fronts. BC doesn't need to accommodate any candidates. All the public finalists would gladly take the job and should expect multiple rounds of interviews. None of the named ADs are currently with BCS programs. These jobs don't come along all that often and the potential pay raise and power of the BC job is worth the wait. Blauds also doesn't know all the candidates. I don't either but I've been told from multiple sources that there are others interested and being screened whose names have not leaked yet. Finally Blauds is off when he says the process is too long. Just having a process is a good thing. BC is going to narrow the list and have more discussions, and then negotiate with a finalist. It will be on BC's terms and probably wrapped up within the next four to six weeks. BC doesn't need to announce a hard date publicly because then if they miss the hard date it gives the appearance that something is wrong. The only real deadline is to have the new AD hired before football season ends.

RUMORS on the coaching front

First came the glowing profile of Al Golden from Dan Wetzel that mentioned he could be a candidate for other jobs. Then came the ESPN blurb that mentioned BC as a possible destination for the Miami coach. That got the message boards talking and rightly so. He'd be a great candidate to replace Spaz. But would he really come here? In my experience covering Al Golden from afar, there is a simple truth: if his name is mentioned for a job, he wants it and his people are probably leaking it. With his AD potentially leaving and the still unknown of NCAA sanctions, maybe Golden wants to bail before the program is crushed. If he stays at Miami he might endure a four or five year rebuilding process and that is probably too long for a guy like Golden. And after enduring all those losses he'll really only have value to Miami. He's not going to be a "hot" coach after multiple losing seasons. At BC he could avoid a decline, build year over year and then be in a prime spot to jump to a bigger program in four of five years (like right when his alma mater Penn State comes out from sanctions). I always viewed Golden as a better self promoter than coach, but at both Miami and Temple, he's proven he can win despite difficult circumstances. I watched good chunks of the Miami-NC State game and the Miami-Georgia Tech game. In both, his team played hard. I think he could do some great things at BC. But I don't think it will ever get that far. Even with a new AD, I would be surprised if we paid a new coach $2 million+ to come to the Heights. It's not a money thing either (the new ACC TV deal would cover the cost). It is a culture issue. I don't see our leadership willingly breaking the bank for Golden.

But when we make a change the new AD should at least call Golden. The leaks alone let us know that he'll have the conversation.