Coach A: Has been an offensive coordinator of elite offenses in the Big East, SEC and Big Ten. Has recruited the midwest including a focus on Cincinnati. Is 46, married father of three and a devout Catholic. Played QB at a Division II Catholic College. Is the son of a coach and his brother is a high profile coach. Has a stint in the NFL. Although his brother is known as a jerk, he is well liked by recruits and coaches. He has never been a head coach and never worked at a school like BC.
Coach B: Proven winner at multiple stops at the college level. Former Coughlin staffer. Runs explosive offenses and has a reputation for getting the most out of his talent. Is difficult to work for and with and has been fired. His reputation is tarnished, but if hired would certainly need to prove himself and rebuild his image at BC. Would probably win big at his next stop.
I don't think either of these coaches would be hired by BC. The problem is they are both Petrinos.
Paul Petrino took a job at Illinois to build a profile that was separate from his successful older brother. His name was hot when the Illini started strong in 2011. But as Zook's final season started falling apart, Petrino the younger fell off of people's short list. Looking for a safe landing he returned to his brother's staff. I don't know Paul personally, but from people who do know him, his reputation is that he is the anti-Bobby. He's personable and well liked. He's big on facing the music and working well with his superiors. The Catholic stuff is second-hand but fits with his father's profile too (Bobby Sr still attends Mass four times a week). In the past Petrino could have been a great sell from BC: "he's got Bobby's Xs and Os but loves BC and is here to stay." Now the association with his brother will be a negative and probably too much for BC. When Paul does get his chance he is going to have to answer questions about his brother. Other coaches will use it against him too. If his last name was Smith, BC would probably roll the dice post-Spaz. Now I don't see it happening. There are enough blank slates with upside, that I don't think Gene or BC would want to touch Paul.
If BC is going to roll the dice on a Petrino it would probably be with Bobby. Now let me clearly say that I don't think Gene or Father Leahy would touch Bobby Petrino with a ten-foot pole. The only way Petrino would get involved with BC is if the season gets so bad and Gene and Leahy are somewhat removed from the hiring process. BC wouldn't be a bad place for him to rehab his image. He knows he could win in the ACC and do it without media scrutiny. I have no idea what is going on with the Petrino's marriage or family, but Boston and a school like BC would be an extreme change of scenery from Arkansas. It might work. And as far as BC's reputation being sullied by association with a job-hopping, jerky philanderer, if framed correctly, BC could claim that we are a forgiving community and that we are helping Petrino rebuild his career as he rebuilds BC football.
In an ideal situation, I would like the next BC football coach to be a perfect guy, with the experience, track record and personality to win big at BC. I don't know if that guy exists. We might not need to take a chance with a Petrino, but we should consider guys with issues. A coach looking to build or rebuild his reputation while rebuilding our program is not a bad trade off.
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