Rutgers and Addazio would be good for each other

I know this sounds like me pushing a used car, but I really think Rutgers should pursue Steve Addazio and that the BC coach should seriously consider going to the Big Ten doormat.

If you believe the coaching gossip, Rutgers is considering a run at Joe Moorhead. There is some boldness in poaching an SEC coach with a buyout, but it also makes sense. Rutgers has hired a lot of coordinators and assistants in the past and the only one to succeed was Greg Schiano. A more established coach with northeast ties is a different approach and might be less risky. Moorhead fits that bill...and so does Addazio. Yet Addazio might be even less risky than Moorhead. Moorhead rebuilt Fordham but hasn't done a rebuild at the P5 level. He also doesn't have as much experience as a head coach at the P5 level. While Addazio might not have the same upside as Moorhead, producing consistent seven win seasons would be welcome at Rutgers.

Why would Addazio want to leave BC? Well, even if he turns this season around, there is a certain stagnation to his tenure. Maybe he survives this year and maybe he takes things to the next level, but the reality is he is more likely done all he can at BC. And the next losing season he has will probably be his last one as a head coach. Going to Rutgers probably buys him another three to five years as a head coach. There is very little downside for Addazio. He gets more money. He gets a fresh start yet can apply much of what he has done at BC and Temple. If he fails, no one holds it against him (everyone fails at Rutgers). If he wins at all, his legacy will be that of a program builder and a guy who stabilized programs.

BC has seen this sort of thing before with TOB's move to NC State. That was a win-win as BC got a shot in the arm with a new coach, and TOB got six more years of coaching that he wouldn't have ever had at BC. Did he change his legacy or NC State's place in college football? No, but he didn't hurt his image or his bank account either.

If this marriage is going to come together, Addazio will have to get to .500. BC hired him off of a losing season at Temple. I doubt Rutgers would do the same.

The fact that Addazio's name has not been floated means this is unlikely to happen, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't. Maybe six weeks from now both sides will realize that they belong together.

I don't think Addazio is going anywhere

Nebraska's got an opening. Michigan's got an opening. Even Addazio's old stomping grounds in Florida are available. I am not naive. I have met enough college coaches to know that many of them think the grass is greener. Addazio fits at BC and I do think he really likes coaching at BC, but he knows those other schools are a different ball game. More money. More resources. More chances to win. If any of them call. He should talk. It is no different than when we called after only two years at Temple. But I don't think he's leaving because I don't see any of those schools making an offer.

Florida
This gets brought up a lot because of Addazio's time in Gainesville. Of all the openings, I think this would be the least likely. Addazio is extremely unpopular with a large percentage of their fanbase, who view him as a terrible Coordinator.  There is also a good percentage of fans who don't like Urban Meyer and don't want one of his assistants coming back to take over. Finally, Jeremy Foley could have hired Addazio after Meyer left and didn't. He's already eaten crow with the Muschamp era. Fixing it with Addazio makes the mistake look that much worse. AD's are by nature political. I don't think Foley risk his remaining goodwill on a guy he wasn't thrilled with four years ago.

Michigan
With Bates seemingly off Michigan's radar, it is surprising that Addazio may be on it. Mgoblog doesn't think it will happen. I don't either. So many of these hires are a reaction to the previous hire. Michigan just fired a bombastic, emotions on his sleeve, ground and pound, recruiter who was barely above .500 in his previous stops. Do you repeat the mistake by hiring Addazio? I like Addazio and think he is a better coach than Hoke, but the resume doesn't scream that he's better. Also do you try to dethrone Urban Meyer with an Urban Meyer assistant who has yet to reach Meyer's level of success. Michigan may hire another Meyer guy in Dan Mullen, but Mullen's success as OC at Florida was greater than Addazio's in the same job and Mullen's rebuilding at Mississippi State looks better than what Addazio's accomplished at Temple and BC. I think this season was a great coaching job, but to outsiders it looks like we were 7-5 again. I don't think Michigan will ever hire Addazio.

Nebraska
Of all the big jobs, Addazio to Nebraska is the most likely. However, I still don't think Addazio gets an offer. They have a very appealing Nebraska guy in Scott Frost who they can hire. Frost would go over well with their fans. And if they want an established head coach, I think there are a few other guys who might slot in before Daz...like Al Golden. The honeymoon is over in Coral Gables. Golden has never been feared floating his name and he's great in an interview. If Golden and Addazio both get interviews at Nebraska, Golden's getting the job.

I appreciate all that Addazio has done and he's been a better coach and more likable than I ever expected. I want him to stay. Who knows how long he will (or how long we will want him to stay) but I don't think he will have the chance to leave now.

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.

Spaz ill prepared for Rogers questions

Kevin Rogers did not leave BC last year due to health reasons. I said he was fired. Other rumored and unofficial explanations claimed he quit, had a breakdown and/or had a physical fight with Spaz. Regardless of where you think the truth lies, BC made a big mistake claiming he left due to unexplained medical issues. Covering up the truth only makes for awkward, tone deaf exchanges like this:

Boston College coach Frank Spaziani has been nothing but defensive when asked about Rogers, repeatedly insisting that Rogers' situation was nothing more than a personal health issue, and he was offended at the suggestion that there was more to it than that:

"What do you know about that situation?" Spaziani said in a recent interview. "Let me help you work through this, Heather. Why do you think we have a new offensive coordinator? What happened to the old one?"

HD: Did he get fired?

FS: Is that what you have?

HD: I have no idea.

FS: Well what were you told?

HD: That he took a leave of absence for health reasons in September, but I haven't heard anything since then.

FS: You were told he left because of health, right? Ok. So, does that explain a new offensive coordinator? I don't want to play games with you, but to me, it sounds very self-explanatory, that one.

Gene and Spaz set up the lie regarding Rogers because the truth would have raised more questions at the time. Who hired Rogers in the first place? Was he told that he would have autonomy on offense? Did he and Spaz share the same philosophy? Did Spaz do something to piss Rogers off? What did Rogers think of Spaz as a coach? What was the mood of the rest of the staff? BC wasn't comfortable answering those questions because they all lead to the obvious questions of who is really in charge and is Spaz fit to be a head coach. So instead they lied and perpetuating the lie continues to raise questions more questions than it answers.

Midseason firings happen all the time. Louisville fired their offensive coordinator midseason last year. BC fired Jim Turner during Spring Ball in 2007. The smart, secure thing to do is say there was a difference of opinions, both parties are going their separate ways and pay the assistant to keep his mouth shut. Instead Gene and Spaz took the more complicated route. If any of these guys had studied history they would know that the cover-up is often worse than the crime.

Kudos to Dinich for finally pressing Spaz on the matter. It was overdue, but with Rogers' new employment and BC's recent turnover, it is only fair to ask Spaz about the mood of his staff and Rogers recovery. The Heights asked Spaz about it the other day. He should have known more was coming and should have been less defensive in his approach. But one thing Spaz has made clear in his tenure is that he's not great in interviews when he has to go off script.

There are many reasons the BC football situation is a mess. Spaz isn't all to blame but he just happens to be in the middle of it. Although the coaching turnover wasn't his plan, I think it actually gives him and BC a fresh start. Let's hope that it is all a success and the staff has great chemistry, because that will mean no more questions about what happened to Spaz and Rogers during the UCF game.

Update: Day to Temple, Sirmans to Rutgers

The rumored has become official. Ryan Day is leaving BC to become Temple's Offensive Coordinator. Ben Sirmans is leaving BC to become Rutgers Running Backs coach. This is good news for both of them and bad, bad news for BC. BC is losing two of their younger coaches and two of their better recruiters. Staff changes are part of college football, but none of this speaks well to how Spaz is running things nor his future.

Day has always been viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks. He turned down opportunities at Mississippi State and Oregon to keep coaching at BC. It was long rumored that he would be our Offensive Coordinator one day. After Tranq retired I was told and reported that it would happen. It didn't and I think that signaled the beginning of the end for Day at BC. You can only be the young guy for so long. If he wasn't going to get a chance to call plays at BC, he needed to move on to a place where he would have that power. He worked with Steve Addazio at Florida and worked at Temple under Al Golden. It was a natural progression. Let's hope he is successful there and maybe one day returns to BC as the head coach.

Ben Sirmans is another huge loss for BC. Not only was he a good position coach, but he was a critical recruiter (he covered Cincinnati for us). Where you can explain away Day's departure, Sirmans doesn't make as much sense. Rutgers is a lateral move at best (the Big East's BCS status is in question). Given their budgets, I don't think they are offering lot more money. What they may offer is stability. The Knights new coach will probably get at least three years at Rutgers. Does anyone think Spaz will be coaching BC in three more years? Sirmans is also a New Jersey native, so the "coming home" aspect might appeal to him. Plus he already has a working relationship with Dave Brock.

BC didn't want to make changes. After BC's Signing Day I was told the staff was set. But obviously the staffers were still looking for opportunities. Leaving for inferior programs after getting overlooked for bigger opportunities at BC speaks to Spaz and Gene's management of the staff. It also reinforces the rumors of staff issues that Spaz dismissed a few weeks ago. I hope Spaz uses these openings to bring in young and hungry guys. This is his chance to change the energy around the program. Old retreads are not the way to build for the future.

Report: Day and Sirmans leaving

Coachingsearch.com is reporting that Day and Sirmans are also leaving BC. The rumors are they are headed to Rutgers too to work with Brock. I'll have more as this developes. For what it is worth, Coachingsearch.com was wrong on our initial S&C hire.

We hardly knew ya, Mike Faragalli; the coaching rumor mill keeps turning

Earlier this week Spaz hinted to the Herald that he would hire a new offensive coordinator to replace Dave Brock.

Wednesday, numerous message board posters on Eagle Action claimed that current Virginia Running Backs Coach Mike Faragalli would be named the new offensive coordinator and play caller. By late morning the football coaching sites were claiming a done deal too.

Spaz was on the road recruiting (with Dave Brock) so there wasn't any official confirmation. But by late Wednesday the earlier rumors were being shot down. The afternoon updates were worse as the reports said Spaz offered Faragalli and the Running Backs coach turned the job down.

Now we are back to square one. Based on the rumors and the fact that he is still on staff, I hope that BC has been upfront with Brock. Letting him twist in the wind would be unkind and leave BC looking stupid if the end of with Brock as OC again. For now let's hope he is onboard with the change and ready to help BC win again.

The struggles to land Faragalli -- when this would be an obvious step up from position coach to coordinator -- speaks to the challenges BC will have filling the spot. Being Offensive Coordinator at BC is not that great a job right now. Outsiders will wonder about our talent level, the Gene-Spaz relationship, Spaz's track record with Coordinators, Spaz's future, what happened with Rogers, the cost of living in Boston, and inheriting a bunch of position coaches. With all those issues, BC will have a hard time convincing someone with a stable job to take the risk with Spaz.

There plenty of good coaches looking for work. BC will find someone. But based on whats happened so far I don't think we will have an A-List blockbuster hire. Instead we will hire a coordinator who has as many questions as BC does. Until then, we will let you know what the rumor mill is saying.

Skinner rumors and other links

Another day, another rumor. Now reports out of New York are saying Skinner is a candidate for the open St. John's job. I am sure St. John's is interested in Al, I just don't see him leaving BC for that job. The New York basketball scene is very different from what Al puts up with at BC. To succeed at St. John's Al would have to subjugate himself to the local AAU coaches. St. John's also seems to be looking for a name to sell the program. Skinner is a name and established, but we know he is reluctant to market himself or the program. I just don't see it happening but I've been wrong before.

This will get you prepped for the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

The baseball team won their home opener.

BC offered a scholarship to Cleveland athlete Shaq Washington.

Skip Holtz claiming he passed on the BC job

As we know, the last coaching change was atypical. The five outsiders most often rumored for the job were Mike London, Al Golden, Randy Edsall, Steve Addazio and Skip Holtz. At the time most denied any contact or interest in BC. Even BC insiders claimed that Gene did not interview outsiders and was set with Spaz from Day 1. Well 14 months later Skip Holtz is sorting fact from fiction by saying that BC did have interest in him and he turned us down. This could be Holtz spinning at a booster dinner to make the USF faithful feel better about their new coach. But I imagine there were some talks between BC and his reps.

Regardless of when he was telling the truth (last year or now), Holtz's talk should provide some relief to BC fans. At the time of the search he was a hot coach who probably would have been a good fit at BC. Even if Gene wanted to promote Spaz from the start, he owed it to the school to conduct a real search and find the best possible coach for the time and opportunity. Now let's hope Spaz has a career that surpasses Skip's time at ECU.

"It's quiet...too quiet"

Is the new BC coach behind one of these doors?

Are things nearing to a close? It's starting to look that way. I am thinking the reveal will catch people by surprise.

Like Mike London, Skip Holtz is denying any interest and says he is committed to East Carolina. Don't get too upset about these sorts of public stances. Last time around BC asked candidates to deny and keep quiet, so I imagine that is protocal this time. We'll never get confirmation on which current head coaches interviewed until the dust settles.

Conroy wonders if the delays related to Addazio's medical issues will hurt recruiting.

Other writers are still commenting on Gene's stand.

The BC shake out is getting attention at the American Football Coaches Association convention.

Nightly update: no real news and other links

Earlier this afternoon Mark Blaudschun said that Mike London had an impressive interview. Only later in the day did he edit his own blog post with a quote from London saying he has not heard from BC. Regardless of what London is saying don't read too much into anything. All coaches are forced to lie to the press for recruiting reasons. For example, Jags denied the Jets interest but as we know he did have one and did go forward.

London also told the Richmond media he is focused on his current job.

I think BC's interest in London was legit but he is probably just denying to protect his current position and recruiting efforts.

Hats off to the current staffers for continuing their recruiting efforts. Bryan Davis is ready to commit even though we don't have a coach.

Joel Kight is expecting a home visit from our Head Coach. Someone might want to let him know what's gone on the past week.

The ACC named Carolyn Swords player of the week.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Lot's of information, disinformation and misinformation floating around. I don't know what to make of it. When in doubt though, I have to go back to my experience from the last coaching search. Then media kept focusing on Whipple while people close to the situation kept saying Jags was a real and viable candidate. This time around Eagle Action and The Globe seem positive Spaziani will be the new coach in less than a day. Who knows, they could be right, but I am hearing conflicting reports. I know others have interviewed and the intention was to identify at least one external candidate worthy of a final interview. If Spaziani is named the new coach Tuesday morning I'll be very dissapointed in the candidate and the process. But that is for another post.

First let's clarify what we know:
-- As of 1 PM ET, BC had still not scheduled a press conference for Monday night or Tuesday morning. The current staff had not been informed of a decision. Those things could change in an instant but if BC were naming an internal candidate tomorrow, you'd think they would start locking the staff in and begin the media work.
-- Steve Addazio has not been interviewed even though Urban Meyer publicly said he expects the interview to happen. If you are BC and one of your alleged top candidates is willing to interview, has the support of his boss and just won a national title, do you not take your time and talk to him?

Misinformation from Eagle Action
-- Despite their reporting, coaches under contract have interviewed. I assume it was with the permission of their current employers. This search was not restricted to assistant and unemployed coaches.
-- Spaziani is not the only viable internal candidate. There is strong support for Jack Bicknell Jr. As I have said, if we go internal, I would prefer Bick.

What I think
At the end of the day even while EA and the Globe grasp at straws, I think we are headed towards Spaziani. That said, in my opinion tomorrow would be about the worst time to name an internal candidate. It would mean BC wasted time last week and rushed the externals process all to end up with a guy you could have named the minute the Jags stuff leaked.

Quick basketball and coaching thoughts

Not a good night for the basketball team. Now we know Harvard was not an aberration. This team still makes too many mistakes. Miami's two best players were nonfactors and fouled out and we still lost. The refs didn't help BC's case, but ultimately the offense was the problem. They did not take good shots and with Raji dinged up, there were not enough second chance points. Every game is going to be an adventure this year. I'll have more thoughts on the loss Sunday afternoon.

Coaching stuff
Once again the Globe is all over the place in its coverage. I agree that with their lead that Spaz remains the frontrunner. I strongly disagree that Barry Gallup even has a shot. I imagine that was a courtesy interview at best. I also challenge Blaudschun's assertion that interviews wrapped up Saturday. I know of at least one going on Sunday. I strongly challenge that '...[Steve] Addazio appears to be the primary "outside" candidate"'. I think Addazio would be a good fit, but I don't think he's been interviewed yet and know that he is not the primary outsider.

I know I am being more coy about the process this time around, but I am not going to leak any interviewee who is a current head coach and not public yet. The last thing we need is for one of them to turtle up when things leak. As for for public names, I would rank them as follows:
1. Spaz (way out in front)
2. London
3. Holtz

As of me writing this late Saturday, Addazio has not had a face to face yet with anyone.

Coaching articles
-- Roy Johnson thinks Gene should interview Charlie Strong
-- An ACC reporter's follow up the Holtz angle. No comments all around.

Clearing up the latest Globe article

The Globe had another update. Parts were spot on. Others were off. I'll do my best to clear up which is which.

1. Spaz is clearly the favorite. In fact, in my opinion the process and short timeline stacks the deck in his favor.

2. London and Holtz will be interviewed. I am surprised the Holtz thing got out. It had been floating prior to this report, but I figured he'd be more careful keeping his name out of the press given his own recruiting needs.

3. Norvell and Addazio are highly unlikely to even get interviewed. I don't know why Blaudschun even included their names. Not that they couldn't be good candidates, but unless they hop on planes to somewhere on the East Coast this weekend, they are not going to fit into the interviewers schedule.

4. There are other candidates getting interviewed who haven't been leaked. My guess is BC is protecting their recruiting efforts in the case that they don't get the job.

At the end of the day the main focus of the article is right -- all signs are pointing to Spaz.

What a weird week

I thought this would be a sleepy week with plenty of Year in Review stuff. So much for that. I still haven't even had time to rewatch the bowl game yet. Under normal circumstances I would have done deep dives on the glorious North Carolina upset and the troubling Harvard loss.

On the basketball front, BC takes on Miami Saturday night. Let's hope it is with renewed focus.

Coaching News Update
Despite reports, BC did not name an interim coach Friday. That's good news. An interim serves no real purpose. People close to the process are sketching a scenario where outsiders are being interviewed this weekend and Leahy will make a decision among the internal and external finalists by the middle of the next week. I'll provide updates as they happen.

Links

Even without a coach some are expecting big things from us next year. Depending on who we put in place, I think the team has real potential.

Nick Klemm is still committed to BC regardless of who the coach is.

These guys think they have the keys to success for a BC coach.

This writer thinks Gene might be a little hypocritical.

Although coachless, BC is still recruiting and has interest in Nico Ranieri.

Interim issues

If the timeline Blaudschun sets is real (and all the gossip seems to confirm it) then Frank Spaziani is only a few days away from being named coach. There are hundreds of questions to ask, but the two big ones for me are:

1. Why no real efforts at a national search? Gene boasted of the stack of names interested in the job. BC should explore any and all decent candidates. Despite fears of losing recruits, there is no reason to rush this. Find the right guy and this recruiting class will not matter. There is no looming game. Spring practice is down the road. Get the right guy and everything will be fine in the long run. This is an opportunity. Rushing it would be a mistake.

2. What makes Spaziani a better candidate now than he was two years ago? He's been passed over once. There were reasons then. Do those reasons not hold true now? If the arguement for Spaz now is consistency and ability to hold the staff in place (which is no sure thing with any internal guy) and recruits in place (which is no sure thing) then go with the better internal choice of Jack Bicknell Jr. He might not be the best candidate out there, but in my opinion, he is a much better candidate now than Spaz.

I am hoping this Globe article is a trial ballon that pops.

Parsing the joint statement

You can read it here. Thankfully, both sides took the high road.

As you would expect all the language is safe and vague. Key points for me anyway are:

"vision for the future"
-- No idea what that means or how they differed. In the press conference Gene spoke of winning at BC and included the standard talking points (good students, good people, etc). I imagine based on this Gene's vision involved a long-term coach that was partners with him. Jags clearly envisioned this job as a stepping stone.

"terminated without cause"
-- Using this phrase could have been part of the settlement. But if BC felt they were wronged legally and/or ethically using 'without cause' might be a sticking point.

"the search for Jagodzinski's replacement would include both internal and external candidates"
-- Good news. Given the timing and Gene's history of wanting a say in key staff positions, the odds favor an internal promotion, but at least they will talk to outsiders.

ESPN reporting Spaz as Interim

Sorry, no link yet.

Candidates list

The odds say we will promote from within, but here is my first go at a short list from Sunday night.

Revisions that I would make since then:

Additional Internal guys
Ryan Day -- Everyone agrees that Day will be a head coach one day. Now is not the time for him. The new guy is going to face unique conditions. It is probably not best to put that on a very young, first time head coach. But stranger things have happened.
Ben Sirmans -- If BC wants to shift the PR focus, there is no better way to do it than by hiring an African American. Sirmans is a smart, bright, well liked young coach. But like Day, this is not a good fit for a green Head Coach.
Bill McGovern -- Well-liked by everyone. Good teacher. Good recruiter. Does that make him a Head Coach? I don't know.

New external guys
Phil Fulmer -- Gene's old buddy wants to coach again. This would be the ultimate fish out of water. That means huge upside and huge downside. I don't think this will happen and don't know how I'd even feel about it. It would probably take me a few minutes to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Pete Carmichael JR -- Carmichael is a BC grad, son of a former BC staffer and current Saints QB coach. If we are going to hire this type of guy, we might as well go with Bick JR.

New perspecitve on previously mentioned external guys
Charlie Strong -- given the bomb Strong just dropped on the media, he clearly wants his shot now. I have no problem giving it to him.

Press Conference for 3 PM

Just Gene. No Jags. No other coach.