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What CU needs is a “Splash Hire” to pull the Buff Nation out of a decade of doldrums
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We’re going to love CU’s new head coach.
I say that not as an insider who knows who the next coach will be – or when it will be announced – but I can say for certain that I will be backing the new head coach, 100%.
What choice do we have?
We’re Buff fans, and we’re going to continue to be Buff fans. Loyalty is not something which develops overnight, and it doesn’t disappear overnight, either.
I’m not going to take down my diplomas and scribble “Ohio State” or “Alabama” across the top, just so I can back a winning program.
The Buffs are like a relative with whom we don’t always get along – the estranged brother; the crazy aunt. Sometimes we are embarrassed by them … Sometimes we try and distance ourselves from them … but we never stop loving them.
That being said, there is a very strong hope – a desperate hope? – that CU athletic director Rick George will bring to Boulder a “home run” hire. A hire which makes the nation’s media – and national recruits – sit up from their laptops and say “Wow!”.
UCLA made a “splash hire” this past off-season with the hiring of Chip Kelly … and you can see how it has carried over.
The Bruins opened the 2018 season with an 0-5 record. That hadn’t happened in Westwood since 1943. UCLA finished the season 3-9. You want to know the last time the Bruins posted a nine-loss season? Try 1940.
And yet … the Bruin Nation couldn’t be happier, and more excited about their team and their future.
Nebraska made a “splash hire” this past off-season with the hiring of Scott Frost … and you can see how it has carried over.
The Cornhuskers opened the 2018 season with an 0-6 record. That hadn’t happened in Lincoln since, well, ever. Nebraska finished the season with a 4-8 record, posting back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1960-61.
And yet … the Husker fans are already busy planning their 2019 “Revenge Tour”, which will open with a planned on beat down of the Buffs in Boulder next September.
Hell, even the Arizona schools got national ink with their 2018 off-season hires. Arizona got Kevin Sumlin, fresh from Texas A&M. Arizona State raised some eyebrows – but got plenty of attention – by hiring Herm Edwards.
While it remains undetermined whether those hires will work out, the fan bases were energized by the hires. Some energy, some positive “mojo”, is what the CU program desperately needs.
Which leads me to …
—
“Here We Go Again”
There have been a few names associated with the CU coaching search which make sense to some, but, at least to me, will bring about a shake of the head rather than a jump for joy.
Let’s just say the “optics” won’t look good.
— Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy … Don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of CU’s all-time leading rusher. I just don’t see Bieniemy as a good fit for Colorado. Such a hire would instantly bring back stories of the failed Embree/Bieniemy experiment of 2011-12. I hope that someday soon Bieniemy gets an NFL head coaching job. I will cheer for his team … but he shouldn’t be coming back to Boulder for anything more than reunions and celebrations of past stars;
— Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin … Harsin could be the next Chris Petersen, the next Boise State head coach to take over a Pac-12 program and lead them to Pac-12 championships. Or … he could be the next Dan Hawkins. Buff fans would certainly hope for the former, and they may be right. But unless Harsin came to Boulder and instantly – and I mean instantly – turned things around, the comparisons to Hawkins would be unrelenting;
— Utah State head coach Matt Wells … Yes, I know he has already been announced as the next head coach at Texas Tech, and more power to him. Wells, though, only went 44-34 at Utah State, and is riding the crest of a 10-2 season into a Power Five conference head coaching position. Red Raider fans are looking at Utah State’s improvement over the past three seasons – 3-9, 6-7, 10-2 as a sign of what Wells can do. That, sad to say, was the exact same argument Buff fans made about Mike MacIntyre and his three years at San Jose State – 1-12, 5-7, 10-2 – before he came to Boulder;
— Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker … Listed on some boards as one of the top contenders, Tucker has one big strike against him … CSU head coach Mike Bobo. Imagine how much fun the pundits in the Denver media (not to mention all of the 2019 preseason magazines) will have with the 2019 season-opening matchup between the Bobo, Georgia’s former offensive coordinator, coming into the final Denver version of the Rocky Mountain Showdown riding a five-game losing streak … taking on Mel Tucker, former Georgia defensive coordinator, coming into the final Denver version of the Rocky Mountain showdown leading a team riding a seven-game losing streak? Yuck. I’ll get over it if Tucker is the choice … but, damn. Former Georgia OC v. former Georgia DC? I’m hoping for a better storyline next fall;
— Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt … Another name which is often associated with the CU head coaching search. In some sense, it’s a good fit. Leavitt certainly knows Boulder, and would return to the Champions Center knowing a good percentage of the CU roster. He would be given some positive national press for being the master-mind behind CU’s only good season in the past decade. But … there are also many who have soured on Leavitt since dumped CU for a lateral (albeit much higher paying) move to Oregon. His personality is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it might be a hard sell in some Buff circles, which is the last thing you are looking for in a new head coach. Leavitt’s dream job was always Kansas State … and he might just end up there.
—
There are plenty of names being bandied about right now for the CU head coaching position. With a tight lid being kept on the search by Rick George, your guess is as good as pretty much anyone else’s right now.
The wait will be over soon.
The Buff Nation will be introduced to 26th head coach in CU history, and we will celebrate the hire. There will be those who will nit-pick the choice, pointing out his flaws. There will be others who will point to the choice’s strong suits as clear evidence that the new coach will be able to restore glory to the CU football program.
I’ll be monitoring the national reaction. Is it a “home run”? … or a “head-scratcher”?
Is the hire a clear sign that Mike MacIntyre left a program ready to rise, enticing a nationally recognized candidate?
Or will it be an “up-and-comer”, with great potential, but no proven track record of success?
Rick George can’t afford to make a mistake here. The facilities are there (thanks to George). Many of the pieces are in place on the roster (thanks to MacIntyre).
This could be the moment that we look back upon fondly, noting that this was the time and place when it all came together, and “The Rise” became more than just a one year slogan.
We’ll find out soon enough.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
What CU needs is a “Splash Hire” to pull the Buff Nation out of a decade of doldrums
—
We’re going to love CU’s new head coach.
I say that not as an insider who knows who the next coach will be – or when it will be announced – but I can say for certain that I will be backing the new head coach, 100%.
What choice do we have?
We’re Buff fans, and we’re going to continue to be Buff fans. Loyalty is not something which develops overnight, and it doesn’t disappear overnight, either.
I’m not going to take down my diplomas and scribble “Ohio State” or “Alabama” across the top, just so I can back a winning program.
The Buffs are like a relative with whom we don’t always get along – the estranged brother; the crazy aunt. Sometimes we are embarrassed by them … Sometimes we try and distance ourselves from them … but we never stop loving them.
That being said, there is a very strong hope – a desperate hope? – that CU athletic director Rick George will bring to Boulder a “home run” hire. A hire which makes the nation’s media – and national recruits – sit up from their laptops and say “Wow!”.
UCLA made a “splash hire” this past off-season with the hiring of Chip Kelly … and you can see how it has carried over.
The Bruins opened the 2018 season with an 0-5 record. That hadn’t happened in Westwood since 1943. UCLA finished the season 3-9. You want to know the last time the Bruins posted a nine-loss season? Try 1940.
And yet … the Bruin Nation couldn’t be happier, and more excited about their team and their future.
Nebraska made a “splash hire” this past off-season with the hiring of Scott Frost … and you can see how it has carried over.
The Cornhuskers opened the 2018 season with an 0-6 record. That hadn’t happened in Lincoln since, well, ever. Nebraska finished the season with a 4-8 record, posting back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1960-61.
And yet … the Husker fans are already busy planning their 2019 “Revenge Tour”, which will open with a planned on beat down of the Buffs in Boulder next September.
Hell, even the Arizona schools got national ink with their 2018 off-season hires. Arizona got Kevin Sumlin, fresh from Texas A&M. Arizona State raised some eyebrows – but got plenty of attention – by hiring Herm Edwards.
While it remains undetermined whether those hires will work out, the fan bases were energized by the hires. Some energy, some positive “mojo”, is what the CU program desperately needs.
Which leads me to …
—
“Here We Go Again”
There have been a few names associated with the CU coaching search which make sense to some, but, at least to me, will bring about a shake of the head rather than a jump for joy.
Let’s just say the “optics” won’t look good.
— Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy … Don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of CU’s all-time leading rusher. I just don’t see Bieniemy as a good fit for Colorado. Such a hire would instantly bring back stories of the failed Embree/Bieniemy experiment of 2011-12. I hope that someday soon Bieniemy gets an NFL head coaching job. I will cheer for his team … but he shouldn’t be coming back to Boulder for anything more than reunions and celebrations of past stars;
— Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin … Harsin could be the next Chris Petersen, the next Boise State head coach to take over a Pac-12 program and lead them to Pac-12 championships. Or … he could be the next Dan Hawkins. Buff fans would certainly hope for the former, and they may be right. But unless Harsin came to Boulder and instantly – and I mean instantly – turned things around, the comparisons to Hawkins would be unrelenting;
— Utah State head coach Matt Wells … Yes, I know he has already been announced as the next head coach at Texas Tech, and more power to him. Wells, though, only went 44-34 at Utah State, and is riding the crest of a 10-2 season into a Power Five conference head coaching position. Red Raider fans are looking at Utah State’s improvement over the past three seasons – 3-9, 6-7, 10-2 as a sign of what Wells can do. That, sad to say, was the exact same argument Buff fans made about Mike MacIntyre and his three years at San Jose State – 1-12, 5-7, 10-2 – before he came to Boulder;
— Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker … Listed on some boards as one of the top contenders, Tucker has one big strike against him … CSU head coach Mike Bobo. Imagine how much fun the pundits in the Denver media (not to mention all of the 2019 preseason magazines) will have with the 2019 season-opening matchup between the Bobo, Georgia’s former offensive coordinator, coming into the final Denver version of the Rocky Mountain Showdown riding a five-game losing streak … taking on Mel Tucker, former Georgia defensive coordinator, coming into the final Denver version of the Rocky Mountain showdown leading a team riding a seven-game losing streak? Yuck. I’ll get over it if Tucker is the choice … but, damn. Former Georgia OC v. former Georgia DC? I’m hoping for a better storyline next fall;
— Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt … Another name which is often associated with the CU head coaching search. In some sense, it’s a good fit. Leavitt certainly knows Boulder, and would return to the Champions Center knowing a good percentage of the CU roster. He would be given some positive national press for being the master-mind behind CU’s only good season in the past decade. But … there are also many who have soured on Leavitt since dumped CU for a lateral (albeit much higher paying) move to Oregon. His personality is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it might be a hard sell in some Buff circles, which is the last thing you are looking for in a new head coach. Leavitt’s dream job was always Kansas State … and he might just end up there.
—
There are plenty of names being bandied about right now for the CU head coaching position. With a tight lid being kept on the search by Rick George, your guess is as good as pretty much anyone else’s right now.
The wait will be over soon.
The Buff Nation will be introduced to 26th head coach in CU history, and we will celebrate the hire. There will be those who will nit-pick the choice, pointing out his flaws. There will be others who will point to the choice’s strong suits as clear evidence that the new coach will be able to restore glory to the CU football program.
I’ll be monitoring the national reaction. Is it a “home run”? … or a “head-scratcher”?
Is the hire a clear sign that Mike MacIntyre left a program ready to rise, enticing a nationally recognized candidate?
Or will it be an “up-and-comer”, with great potential, but no proven track record of success?
Rick George can’t afford to make a mistake here. The facilities are there (thanks to George). Many of the pieces are in place on the roster (thanks to MacIntyre).
This could be the moment that we look back upon fondly, noting that this was the time and place when it all came together, and “The Rise” became more than just a one year slogan.
We’ll find out soon enough.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
