Using an Executive Search firm is not a big deal

BC engaged Collegiate Sports Associates' founder Todd Turner to run the Executive Search for our new Athletic Director. This sparked some indignation from some BC fans. Most were upset at the notion that the firm that employs Brad Bates is involved, but others view the whole exercise as a waste of money. I think the whole kerfuffle is silly.

1. COVID-19 makes a search that much harder and an Executive Search firm fills in some gaps. These firms can do a lot of the due diligence on candidates that BC doesn't have the time or resources to perform under current circumstances. Because of travel challenges and budget issues, BC can't do a private jet tour meeting all the potential folks interested in the job. The candidate pool will have to be funneled down via calls/zooms and past relationships. That's what CSA/Turner will do.

2. All the big College Sports Search firms are conflicted in one way or another. For better or worse, College Sports is a small, fraternal business. You don't want to work with a company that employs Brad Bates? Fine, the next in line is one that employs Gene DeFilippo. Or maybe we should use the one that UCLA just used to hire away our AD! Or the one that gave us an AD who left after three years. There is no ideal. But Turner has lots of ACC connections and Bates can add background to the BC position that not many can.

3. This is different from the football search. Jarmond proudly replaced Addazio without using a search firm. It was a shroud move. However, it was a different circumstance from this search. Jarmond had a long time to research candidates before the season even began. Plus he was looking from a much more narrow pool of eligible candidates. Father Leahy and the Board shouldn't be expected to know all the mid-level ADs around the country or people from the sports or business world who might be a good fit. There are hundreds of potential candidates. Jarmond only had to research a few dozen and even then probably had four or five that he really liked.

4. The money is not wasteful. I don't know the specifics of the Turner deal, but assume at a minimum that BC will be paying over six figures for their services. It is likely much higher than that. But given the Athletic Department money at stake, this is not a waste. The new AD will have to make the call on millions of dollars of spending (and likely spending cuts). He or she will be critical to the University's future marketing and growth plan. The money spent on the search can be justified, especially if it is done in a professional manner.

5. BC makes the final decision, not the search firm. There is a perception that Brad Bates used a search firm for the Jim Christian search and that the firm basically picked BC's coach. You can debate if that is a fair recollection, but I don't think it would ever apply to anything Father Leahy signs off on. Whoever Turner identifies as the ideal candidate, it won't just be rubber stamped by Leahy. That's just not the way he has worked with our last AD searches. So don't worry about the firms influence. This will be Leahy and the Board's call.

Hiring in general is a bit of a crap shoot. If the search firm improves your odds that much more, it is worth it. BC fans should not focus on the firm. They should focus on who we hire.

The waiting is the hardest part

I tweeted this earlier, but because of the shortened week at BC, it appears the AD announcement is not eminent. The school is closed Thursday through Monday for Easter. It is always possible a deal could come together over the weekend, but an official announcement is unlikely. The bigger challenge to this process is that no one knows much and it remains in Father Leahy's hands.

I will admit that I am frustrated with the whole thing. I keep telling myself to be patient. The frustration comes from BC having nearly a year to prepare for this, an opportunity to pursue a wide range of candidates and then finalize a deal that could have allowed the new AD to come on campus and begin a transition. Instead things creep along. The other challenge to taking so long and not engaging any media on the process is that it allows for all sorts of gossip and speculation. (Once again, I am guilty of this too.)

The only solace I have is that many of the names leaked of floated are not in the mix. I just hope that whoever Father Leahy finally decides to hire is better than the rumors.

Will the AD change impact Addazio's recruiting?

When Addazio ended the season with a win streak, it gave his recruiting a shot in the arm. He flipped Dillon and pulled off a few other late signings. It seems like that momentum has waned. BC lost a key Massachusetts target over the weekend and a Michigan QB target to Michigan State. While it is still very earlier in the recruiting process, it is concerning to strike out on local talents. Maybe things will turn around, or maybe the looming AD change has dulled Addazio's momentum.

Negative recruiting is a fact of life. One of the best things to say to a kid is that a coach at another school won't be there all four years. When a coach has a contract and some momentum like Addazio has, it should be easy to counter that argument. But the AD change undermines Addazio's defense. The commitment that the school has given Addazio in the past year now doesn't mean much. A new AD is going to want to bring in his own coaches and signal to the fanbase that things are changing. The easy way to do that is with a new coach in the school's most high profile sport. Addazio will have to win and probably win big to buy time with his new boss. Another 7-6 season doesn't create much goodwill.

The new hot seat then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Addazio needs talent to improve but talent won't come because they are afraid of a coaching change.

We've seen this before. Spaz's last recruiting class was very thin. (In hindsight it did prove to be productive.) I want Addazio to find all the talent he can. Get that cupboard full either for himself or his successor. If he can't turn recruiting around then it becomes one more reason for the new AD to make a change.

Don't make the "AD from the outside world" mistake

The Athletic Director's job is pretty complex. An AD deals with millions in revenue. Represents the school in a partnership worth hundreds of millions (the ACC). Leads an operations team that must pull off dozens of huge events each year. The Department also must sell and raise money. Then there is the human management aspect of being in charge of staffers, coaches and hundreds of athletes. Wearing all those different hats makes things comparable to a CEO. Other colleges have recently tapped CEOs from outside the sports world to lead their Athletic Departments. I hope BC doesn't make that same mistake.

Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas have all hired non-traditional ADs recently. All looked to accomplished business types to take over their huge departments. Other smaller profile schools have done it too. In most cases the results have been bad. Even the arguable best -- Notre Dame -- has still had problems. Too often the outside CEO is not used to the bureaucracy, politics or spotlight that comes with the job. Given that BC just had an AD who didn't adjust to our internal politics, I don't want another leader who struggles with the same mistakes. Each failed AD can set back our program another three or four years as we slog through a bad hiring cycle.

Any good CEO delegates. So I am sure BC could rationalize hiring an outsider and letting him/her put more experienced college admins around in supporting roles. But even with a team of staffers, there are two areas an AD cannot delegate: hiring and firing coaches, and raising money. Even if we don't promote someone who has done it at a Power 5 level, I still want someone who has hired a coach before. And I also want someone who has raised money. Raising money is tough. You have to grovel, beg and stroke egos. Bates didn't care for it and that is part of his downfall. Our new AD cannot be so proud or stubborn. He or she is going to have to sit through the dinners, play those rounds of golf and burn up phone lines. It is not fun or glamorous, but that is the job. 

BC could have taken a risk four years ago. That time has gone. Now get someone who understands the job and is willing to embrace it. Not someone who is just learning and adapting.

Will any old candidates get a second look?

Because Bates' tenure was relatively so short, some of the candidates from our last AD search could still be in play. Let's look back at some of the more prominent names from last time around.

Boo Corrigan

The first name leaked by the media on Monday was Army AD Boo Corrigan. It makes sense. Nothing in the last four years has done anything to diminish Corrigan as a potential replacement for Bates. Army has improved their football program and Corrigan has led numerous fundraising campaigns. Four years ago some worried that Corrigan would just use BC as a stepping stone. Would anyone mind that now? Using BC as a stepping stone would require that he does well. I never heard why Corrigan wasn't picked last time. There were even reports he was getting the job. Maybe he really did have his eyes set on a bigger opportunity. Since no one has hired him away, maybe this time around he will realize that BC is his best chance at a Power 5. 

Sean Frazier

Last time around Frazier was a Senior Associate AD at Wisconsin. Now he is the AD at Northern Illinois. That progression helps his candidacy this time around. Frazier publicly acknowledged his interest last time around and did the public face saving tweet of removing his name so that he could stay at Wisconsin. Would he be willing to go down the path again with BC? However frustrating it might be, the chance to lead a Power 5 school doesn't come along every day. 

Mike Cragg

Cragg is still the No. 2 guy at Duke. His name was floated the last time around but I never heard if he ever got any real interest from BC. He was Coach K's mouthpiece for a decade, so I am sure if he wanted his name out there again, he could go to friends in the media. Since it hasn't floated this time around, maybe he is happy at Duke and wants to finish his career there.

Keeping it in the family

It is natural to turn to your alumni and long-time employees when looking to fill a critical role like AD. The hope is that familiarity makes any transition smooth and that the passion for the school guides your program to new heights. All colleges consider this during major hires. Because we are replacing an AD who never really fit in, it seems even more obvious that BC should go with "BC guy/gal" right now. I don't think BC has some sort of quirky or impenetrable culture that only an insider can understand. But I do think this time around we should strongly consider someone with real ties to BC. Our coaches and fundraisers have a credibility issue with our fan base. If one of our own takes over, some of that skepticism will die down.

Here are a few candidates with BC ties who might be considered this time around.

Jim Paquette -- Athletic Director at Loyola

If anyone could hit the ground running with fund-raising, it would be Paquette. The Providence grad already served a decade as Gene's primary fundraiser and has led a number of big projects while at Loyola. He knows the administrators. He knows the big donors. He knows what has worked and hasn't worked at BC. Paquette can be the face of the Department and will understands the BC culture. There are only two issues related to Paquette's candidacy: his association with Gene and his lack of experience running a Department with Football. The association with Gene is something he can easily talk around in the interview process. He just has to explain how his vision for BC would take the best aspects of Defilippo era yet avoid his old boss's pitfalls. In my experience, Jim is not as much of a lightning rod as Gene, so I don't think he will rub anyone the wrong way. But he also has more personality than someone like Bates. As for Football experience, while he doesn't deal with it at Loyola, he certainly dealt with it at BC. He doesn't need to have Xs & Os expertise. He just needs to set expectations for the program, get the resources the program needs and find the right coach to lead that program. 

Bottom Line: I think Paquette would be the safest hire. But in this process he needs to prove that he is the type of leader who can not just return BC to its 2000s success, but take BC to that next level.

Ed McLaughlin -- Athletic Director at Virginia Commonwealth

McLaughlin is a 1995 BC grad but has built his career away from BC. Yet every step has been a step towards a place like BC. He worked for Hockey East. He worked in the area at Merrimack. He was the AD at a Catholic school (Niagra) and has now been at a mid-major power like VCU. While he has never raised money at a Power 5 school, I think his familiarity with BC and work at private schools can help any transition. Like Paquette, McLaughlin is not at a football school. But VCU basketball comes with some of the pressure and expectation that an AD faces at a football school. 

Bottom Line: McLaughlin can sell his love and ties to BC but doesn't carry the baggage of having worked at BC. Of the people tied to the school, his fresh perspective offers the biggest upside.

Chris Iacoi --  Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Chief Financial Officer at UCLA

Iacoi is the youngest among this "family" group. He graduated from BC in 2001 and worked for the school for a dozen years. Like Paquette, Iacoi was part of the success during the 2000s. However, unlike Paquette, he has never run his own department. While he has been part of critical business decisions, marketing deals and financial operations, he has never led a major fundraising campaign.  

Bottom Line: Iacoi's rise is impressive, but he would never sniff this job if not for his BC's degrees and previous work at the school. He is a likely candidate down the road, but I don't think now is Chris's time.

Vaughn Williams -- Athletic Director at Kennesaw State

Williams also worked at BC during the first half of Gene's tenure. He played football and graduated from UMass and also has a Masters degree from BC. Between his time at BC and Kennesaw, Williams worked at UConn. I know many BC fans are not aware of Kennesaw State, but as a Georgia resident, let me tell you how impressive their rise has been. Since he's been there, KSU has started a FCS Football team and has plans to make the jump to FBS. They also have some of the most elaborate and expensive Lacrosse facilities in the southeast. Williams wasn't involved with fundraising a BC, but has done enough of it at KSU to think he could adjust to our alumni and fans.

Bottom Line: Vaughn should be interviewed. It would be a big leap from KSU to BC, but he has enough of the boxes checked to at least get a chance to sell his vision for the Athletic Department.

Current Staffers

You could make some case for many of the current Athletic Department staffers like Jaime Seguin, Steve Novak, John Kane, Jill Hegarty, and Tom Peters. Many of them are BC grads and long-time loyal staffers. However, promoting from within would send the wrong message to our frustrated fans.

Bottom Line: I don't think BC will promote from within. 

Shock the system with a play for Chip Kelly

There is a lot to the Athletic Director's job and many things BC must consider in this search process. But for a moment throw that all out the window. Instead of going the predictable route, I think BC should swing for the fences. The predictable candidates will always be there. Let's think boldly for a moment. BC should offer the Athletic Director role to Chip Kelly.

Now I don't think Kelly as Addazio's boss is some sort of Dream Team. My goal in offering the AD job to Kelly now is that he can take it immediately and start planning for his eventual transition into AD and Head Football Coach. As we saw in San Francisco and Philadelphia, Kelly wants to run his own show. Any college that hires him is going to give him autonomy. Nothing will signal that autonomy more than making him AD too.

In a different era, head coaches also served as ADs. The demands of both jobs are now so consuming that is in unrealistic to do both. However, hiring Kelly as AD now allows him to build a staff and infrastructure so that when he does resume coaching duties, his full Department staff will be in place. It will be his show. His people and his approach.

Would Kelly even want this? I don't know. He seems to have a healthy ego and interested in aspects of sports and coaching that are not strictly football. Maybe it is the type of challenge he would welcome. Would he be willing to raise money and glad hand donors? I don't know, but his presence will open wallets and he can hire some people to do the calls and dinners. Would it upset Addazio to the point where he would bail on the 2017 season? I don't know, but if that comes as a result of Kelly taking over, I don't think many BC fans would worry about it.

This would be the longest of longshots, but why not. What's the worst that could happen? We've already been to the bottom of the Power 5. Landing Kelly would be a sign to the sports world that things are different at BC.

Watch the Bates Press Conference

Here is the link. It starts at 1:30 PM ET. I will have my thoughts on the hire after.

The latest on Boo Corrigan and AD search

I know some of you purposely avoid the message board chatter, but I thought the Boo Corrigan news and gossip merited its own post. Over the weekend, a very reliable and consistently accurate BC message board poster "BC West" posted on Eagle Action and Eagle Outsider that BC is in final negotiations with Boo Corrigan. He said that if the sides cannot come to agreement that BC will then move on to Xavier AD Mike Bobinski. BC will announce the new hire within a matter of days.

Corrigan was one of BC's first targets and came with a strong endorsement from John Swofford. However, he did initially rebuff BC. He felt that it was too soon into his Army tenure and he wasn't looking to make a move. Army offered more money, so he waffled. But BC kept the dialogue going and Corrigan became more interested.

If this comes together and Corrigan is the new AD, I will consider the process a success. BC made a major change right before the start of the school year and landed a solid replacement for Gene in less than six weeks. As for Corrigan as the new leader, I will post a full assessment when things are official.

No defense

Where are the last remaining Spaz apologists now? Do Blauds or HD or Avidon want to defend that turd of a game or this train wreck of a season? I am glad Gene D. is gone. The only thing that could make this loss worse is his insulting defense of Spaz. And when the national media start writing Spaz's obituary please don't insult us by blaming this on anyone but him. This is Year 4. This is his team. His vaunted defense. His recruits. His staff.

Spaz is pathetic. His approach to the game, how he manages his roster and how he practices football is failing this program. He never should have been given the job and watching BC football atrophy is no longer painful. I am over the pain. Now it is just a waste of time and emotion.

I hope Boo Corrigan is the new AD because he just got a front row seat for his first issue.

I'll have my grades and second viewing thoughts up late Sunday night. I can give you a sneak peek of the overall: F

AD search nearing an end

Everyone is sort of throwing darts about BC's AD search (myself included), because the only people that truly know anything are Leo Sullivan and Father Leahy. Neither are talking to media about the process. That leaves us to piece things together by who they are talking to: the candidates themselves, select faculty and Athletic Department staff and BOT and Advisory Board members.

Sean Frazier publicly withdrawing his name was the first tell that things are getting close. At that point BC had narrowed its list and Frazier wasn't on it. I think his tweet was a way to save face publicly. I was told that BC had a list of three and felt fine telling the other candidates they were no longer in the running. But who were the remaining three? The names that kept popping up were Boo Corrigan, Mike Bobinski, and Brad Bates. BC felt confident (and so do most outside observers) that all three would accept the offer and there was no risk in letting other candidates know the process was over.

As for all the talk of weeks or advisers getting to meet the finalists, I think some of that has happened. And I also think BC does want to give the new AD time to evaluate football. But if it happens early next week or takes longer, BC doesn't feel like they have to meet anyone's timetable but our own.

As for the rumored finalists...I think Corrigan and Bobinski would be fine. Not thrilled with the idea of Bates. But I will explain when the smoke finally clears.

Addressing the Corrigan rumors

Sunday night Steve Lively sent out an email to the BC Football Alumni profiling Army AD Boo Corrigan and reporting a rumor he heard regarding Corrigan as a candidate for the BC job. I was copied, as was Brian. In the past few days that email has transferred to message boards saying Corrigan is our next AD. I think this is all premature. Corrigan may end up as the hire, but I don't believe BC has made a decision yet.

Leo Sullivan is still traveling and still seeking input and feedback from friends of the program and university. At this point I don't believe we have a set group of finalists. Father Leahy has also been very busy with the start of school. I don't believe he and Sullivan have gone from still screening candidates less than a week ago to making a final decision.

Lively was a vocal critic of Gene and is likely hearing a lot of gossip (just like many of us). I do think Gene's treatment of him and some of the football alumni did impact the forced resignation. However, I don't think Father Leahy nor Sullivan are going to tip their hand to him in return during this process.

Corrigan would be a solid, conservative replacement. If his candidacy does progress, I will dig deeper into his Pros and Cons. Until then, I think we just have to be patient.

Floated names

Because I've hinted at names, people have asked (offline) who are the candidates. At this point I don't know. I truly believe that BC is talking to all sorts of different people and have not narrowed the focus on anyone. And as you'll see from the list below, there isn't an overriding theme or obvious profile.

People Blauds has mentioned. 
I don't think much of Blauds but I can't fault him on his AD search work. He was the first to leak Tim Pernetti, who is interested but has to keep up appearances with Rutgers in case BC doesn't work out. Blauds also mentioned Duke's Mike Cragg. Cragg fits the mold I've heard mentioned of ACC school, worked at a private school, understands BC's student athletes and donors.

Eagle Outsider's board suggested John Currie from Kansas State and Woodie Dixon from the Pac 12. I think both would be great, but I don't think either are serious candidates.

Names I haven't seen online yet, but have been dropped by a few different people...

• M. Quentin Williams. BC grad, former NFL and NBA executive. Lawyer in private practice in New York. I've heard he's on the A list and other people told me he hasn't been called. No idea, but he's at the center of a lot of speculation. I think he'd be popular with the Football Alumni (since he's one of them) and he has Tom Coughlin in his corner.
• Chris Plonsky. She's Director of Women's Athletics at Texas and a former Big East official. 
• Jon Oliver. He's a high-ranking Associate AD at Virginia. I think an endorsement from Virginia's AD Craig Littlepage would go a long way with BC leadership.
• Sean Frazier. He's been mentioned on BC message boards in the past. People like his hockey background. I have heard his candidacy is real. 

Getting people to share names is harder than in past coaching searches because no one seems to know much and because BC is looking beyond the usual circles. I've been told Jim Paquette may get an interview but he is not getting the job because of the perception -- fair or not --  that he was Gene's right-hand man for so long. 

The latest on the AD search

This is all second-hand information so take it for what it is worth...

• BC met with all the current head coaches as a group to explain the situation, their initial plans and what it means to them. Some assistant coaches were included. Following the group meeting, one-on-ones were held with most of the coaches.
• Even among the Gene loyalists there is buy-in on the new direction and change. Ultimately most of these coaches want more financial support for their programs and facilities. We are near the bottom of the ACC when it comes to most facilities and resources for each respective team.
• Despite some early rumors and my suspicions, this is a real process. There is no candidate that is already locked in and set to be announced.
• There isn't necessarily an age bias, but BC realizes that the new AD has to have a passion and fire to get some big projects completed. 
• Prior fundraising experience is a plus, but not necessary.

The following is what I purely think...

Given the most prominent names being floated, I wouldn't be surprised if BC hired a woman or African-American. That isn't to say that BC would be making the hire purely based on gender or race, but that some of the school leadership would like to see BC as progressive in their hiring. As you can imagine, the vast majority of NCAA ADs are white men. 

The latest information on the AD search

This is all second-hand information so take it for what it is worth...

• Leo Sullivan is running the search. BC is not using an outside search firm.
• Unlike some of our past searches, we will be reaching out to certain candidates and not just waiting for people to call us.
• Once Sullivan has culled the list, he will present packets on finalists to Father Leahy and perhaps a few select faculty and Board members. 
• BC is highly unlikely to promote internal candidates.
• BC is not restricting the search to just people of the Athletic Department world.
• There wasn't one incident that forced BC to take action on Gene. It was a series of events and feedback.
• BC made the move now so that a new AD could be in place before the football season ends. 
• There won't be a mandate for the new AD to fire Spaz. It will be his or her decision.

The above is what I've heard from multiple sources. The following is purely what I think...

If BC ends up hiring an AD from a smaller Catholic school, this process will have been a failure. This is a big time job and there is plenty of legitimate interest in the position. Despite the Rutgers bloggers' disbelief, Tim Pernetti is interested in the job as are many other ADs and high-level associate ADs at BCS programs. I would prefer a true outsider, sports executive to take over, but I will support whomever they hire. If I had to guess, I think we will end up hiring an Associate AD from a fellow ACC school.

These guys are not getting the job

Regular comments poster mod34b asked what I thought of Ed McLaughlin, Jim Paquette and Ken Kavanaugh. Since their names keep popping up on blogs and message boards, I thought I would put their candidacies to rest. All three are supposedly good guys and may be the AD at BC one day, but none are getting the job now.

Ed McLaughlin just got hired by VCU. I don't think BC is going to steal him away after just a few months. I also think his lack of experience dealing with major media or a football program hurts. Although it shouldn't be a factor, I think age will play a role too. Ed is only 39. I think BC will want someone a little more accomplished or experienced with the movers and shakers of college sports media. As I said, Ed could very well be running BC's Athletic Department one day. It won't be this school year though.

Jim Paquette could probably transition to the role with ease. He was one of Gene's right-hand men for years. He knows the coaches, the support staff and most of the big donors. Those attributes are his problems too. BC made the change so they could move on from Gene and rebuild some relationships. That sentiment would come off pretty hollow if BC replaced Gene with one of his key guys.

Ken Kavanaugh is a BC grad and the current Athletic Director at Florida Gulf Coast University. If I just wrote "Kevin Kavanugh is a BU grad and the current Athletic Director at Florida Gulf Coast University" would he even be mentioned? I obviously root for any fellow Eagles, but there is nothing other than his BC affiliation and relationship with Jerry York that makes Kavanaugh a likely candidate. It looks like he is doing good things in leading FGCU to Division I, but BC needs an AD with more football and/or media marketing  experience.

Irish BC Guys Need Not Apply

Replacing Gene DeFilippo presents a great opportunity for BC. I hope we don't blow it by hiring a "BC guy."  There are so many challenges ahead. Narrowing our search only to people who worked at or graduated from BC eliminates too many great candidates. Fans always clamor for the familiar or "one of us" but those sorts of relationships and expectations can also bring a lot of baggage. I also fear that hiring a BC Guy or Gal brings a lot of preconceived notions of what can be accomplished at the school.

I don't want someone who just assumes BC will always be behind the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins because "Boston is a pro sports town."

I don't want someone who will just accept the limitations and roadblocks from our neighbors in Newton, Brighton and Brookline with a shrug or an "it is what it is."

I don't want someone from the Old Boys' Network of Athletic Directors and former BC employees. I understand that this is a relationship business but the schools and the conferences that are making strides are hiring business leaders and forward thinkers. A successful executive can learn about coaching just as easily as a former coach can learn about Marketing, Budgeting and Fund Raising.

I don't want someone who approaches the job with a built in assumption that "I have to win over the BC Wall Street crowd and then get the Football Alumni onboard, and then throw a bone to the internet fans,..." A fresh start with all of the BC factions is important but I want the AD to learn that on his or her own, not because they know that from Gene or from being a member of the BC community.

There are many major projects and decisions ahead for our new Athletic Director. He or she will have to change the Department's attitude towards donors, fans and the media. He or she will have to decide the fates of numerous coaches. And the new AD will have to start multiple major infrastructure projects that Gene has been putting off for the last few years. Gene is leaving for a reason. We don't need one of his acolytes to take over and be a lessor version of Coach Flip. We need someone new and bold and someone who thinks BC can be the best athletic department in the country.