Next Football Coach Search

[SoCalDukeFan]

The first attribute I would seek is someone who can build a quality staff. I have read that the Duke HC job is one of the least desirable in college football. Well, what does that make the coordinators? And the assistants? Without doing any research I would guess that coaches who turn around programs quickly bring in a great staff of assistants.

The requirement would be filled by someone who is a head coach and would bring most of his staff with him or a well traveled name guy who could build a staff based on his contacts and reputation. Salaries will have to be competitive.

Bringing in a head coach who did a good but not great job at a bigger program would be ok with me. I think Illinois is pretty happy with Ron Zook, who lost the Florida job.

Promoting a successful coach from a smaller school is ok if he can bring his staff.

While USC hired Pete Carroll he hired Norm Chow as his OC and took on the DC job himself so he could save that salary and give it to Chow, who probably made more that the Duke HC at the time. A name guy without college experience can do fine.

I also want the coach to have respect for Duke's reputation - academically and otherwise.

I have mixed feelings about Alleva leading the process. His hires for men's golf, women's bball, and men's lacrosse seem like good ones. His football hires not only did not work out but it retrospect they were doomed from the start.

SoCal

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

It will matter little who the next coach is if the University does not change in its neglect and lack of interest in the football program.

[SilkyJ]

The requirement would be filled by someone who is a head coach and would bring most of his staff with him or a well traveled name guy who could build a staff based on his contacts and reputation. Salaries will have to be competitive.


what about someone who WAS a head coach....like Marty Shottenheimer (sp?)

i heard someone else mention his name on the board. i would KILL to get that guy.

[jjasper0729]

what about someone who WAS a head coach....like Marty Shottenheimer (sp?)

i heard someone else mention his name on the board. i would KILL to get that guy.

I certainly hope not. Age would be an issue there as well as the fact that he's never coached in a college environment. we need a respected 1-A coach if we can get him and if not, a well respected 1-AA coach. in either case, hopefully they bring an established staff.

Alleva said in his presser that it's a foregone conclusion that the salary will have to be competitive and the facilities are going to need an upgrade. One of the reporters threw out steve logan's name, but alleva put it in the context of logan being someone to talk to and nothing more than that. He went into a lot of detail about stadium renovations and the phases/years for it.

[VaDukie]

It will matter little who the next coach is if the University does not change in its neglect and lack of interest in the football program.

I feel exactly the same way. I think a change at this point was needed, but it's not like Roof was given the greatest change to succeed.

[Udaman]

It's all about creativity. There are literally dozens of coaches out there who have turned non-football schools into contenders due 100% to their creative approach to the game.

Fact is, at Duke, you are never going to be bigger and faster than Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech. Never. Ever. You also likely will never play for a championship. But that doesn't mean you can't compete, and it doesn't mean you can't beat Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech from time to time. Look at Wake, or Boston College, or Hawaii, Troy, Vanderbilt, Stanford, you name it.

We need a coach who has offensive creativity that can at times confuse college defensive players. The offense will lend itself to a lot of yards and a lot of scoring, which then makes it easier to get decent QB's, running backs and WR's who you sell on the fact that if you come here you will put up big numbers and eventually get drafted in the NFL (see Dilweg, Anthony).

Finally, you have a person on the staff dedicated to finding a FG kicker. This should be easy. On average, kickers tend to be better students. You go to them and say we are giving you a full ride to go to Duke University, where you will get a great education, and you'll get drafted by the NFL.

Then, you hope to get a surprise recruit who has talent but is not recruited by the big boys and comes here and becomes a stud.

It's not that far-fetched.

The nice thing is that 4 wins will be seen as a savior.

[Indoor66]

The first attribute I would seek is someone who can build a quality staff. I have read that the Duke HC job is one of the least desirable in college football. Well, what does that make the coordinators? And the assistants? Without doing any research I would guess that coaches who turn around programs quickly bring in a great staff of assistants.

The requirement would be filled by someone who is a head coach and would bring most of his staff with him or a well traveled name guy who could build a staff based on his contacts and reputation. Salaries will have to be competitive.

Bringing in a head coach who did a good but not great job at a bigger program would be ok with me. I think Illinois is pretty happy with Ron Zook, who lost the Florida job.

Promoting a successful coach from a smaller school is ok if he can bring his staff.

While USC hired Pete Carroll he hired Norm Chow as his OC and took on the DC job himself so he could save that salary and give it to Chow, who probably made more that the Duke HC at the time. A name guy without college experience can do fine.

I also want the coach to have respect for Duke's reputation - academically and otherwise.

I have mixed feelings about Alleva leading the process. His hires for men's golf, women's bball, and men's lacrosse seem like good ones. His football hires not only did not work out but it retrospect they were doomed from the start.

SoCal

Every AD since Eddie Cameron has had a poor record hiring football coaches! Alleva has made good hires in other coaches. He doesn't do it alone, anyway.

[jjasper0729]

nicely put. there's nowhere to go but up.

i think too that offensive over defensive will be important.

as alleva said in his presser, duke's not going to win many games 10-7, but they have a better shot of winning games 42-40.

[Bluedawg]

I certainly hope not. Age would be an issue there as well as the fact that he's never coached in a college environment. we need a respected 1-A coach if we can get him and if not, a well respected 1-AA coach. in either case, hopefully they bring an established staff.

Alleva said in his presser that it's a foregone conclusion that the salary will have to be competitive and the facilities are going to need an upgrade. One of the reporters threw out steve logan's name, but alleva put it in the context of logan being someone to talk to and nothing more than that. He went into a lot of detail about stadium renovations and the phases/years for it.

we need a respected coach . people need to get beyoine 1-a, big name, etc. We need a quality coach period

I would not expect him to comment on a individual at this point. It would not be proper.

[Bluedawg]

Fact is, at Duke, you are never going to be bigger and faster than Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech. Never. Ever. You also likely will never play for a championship.

wrong...! i tell my daughter she can be anythign she wants to be...so can Duke

[Patrick Yates]

One thing that Duke needs to look at is the style that the guy runs. Look at the BCS this year and last year.

Last Year's NC: those G-Darn Gators (mom's family is from Knoxville, TN. Hate FLA).

The top two teams in this year's BCS standings? Mizzou, WVU. Oregon and KS were up there until recent losses/catastrophic injuries. Hawaii is the only undefeated team in the nation.

What do all these teams have in common? The Spread Option Offense. A little team called App St. runs a version of this. FLA's QB is a virtual lock for the heisman after throwing for 25+ tds and Running for 20+ more.

The spread is a great way for a team like Duke to maximize our potential strengths, while minimizing our potential weaknesses.

In my mind, Duke's strengths, both as far as the current roster and on a going forward basis are:

Solid to good (bordering on near great) skill players. I would stack our QB/WRs up against any team in the ACC. Our RB situation is less stable, but, that is the deepest position, in ANY sport, in the nation. Look at the NFL. Some of the leading rushers are guys you never heard of prior to them getting drafted in the 7th round. Sure, guys like LT, Adrien Peterson, or Mcfaddon are nice, but not necessary to win. The spread is designed to get the playmakers, ie WRs, RBs, and QBs on islands where they can make plays.

Brains. This may be Duke elitism, but I bet the kids we have now, and the ones we will have in the future, are smarter than your average bear. We have the type of guys that can make the Spread Option motor. Guys who can quickly learn a complicated system, and guys smart enough to make the quick reads/adjustments necessary to make the O hum.

(as a caveat, I know that Tebow is a BAD example. He is a once in a lifetime athlete who was designed for the spread option)

Duke's negatives:

Size on the line. I do not know why, but linemen are the dumbest athletes typically. I know. I played line in HS. And at a public school in the rural App. Mountains of WNC, my co-linemen were dumb. I mean circus dumb. Recruiting huge, talented, Duke-caliber linemen will ALWAYS be a problem at Duke. Besides, guys like that can go to Michigan or OSU. Why Duke? Well, why not, but you cannot count on getting them.

The spread O negates this by letting the QB make decisions, ie, get rid of the ball, before the opposing D has the time to overcome deficient linemen. Now, the line cannot be epically bad, but all they have to be is decent.

I think Duke is tailor made to run the spread O. Any other type of O is unacceptable.

Which is why..........

Duke must look at the O coordinator in conjuntion with HC. For the OC slot, I humbly put forth Gus Malzan. He is the former HS coach who Ark hired. Nutt disrespected him, calling him High School and ignoring his suggestions, and basically ran him off. Ark is now 114 in the nation in Passing O. Malzahn went to Tulsa, implemented his O, to the tune of 500+ ypg.

Our HC must be a publicity darling, star recruitor, and hopefully a D guy. We need to hire a Spread Option OC and give him total control of the O. We do not need to let the HC dictate the OC slot, unless the HC is a spread option guy himself. [If this is the case, then we need to take the DC out of the HC's hands, cause Spread Option HCs seem to be truly bum fuzzled by fielding a D]

Before anyone jumps down my throat about not letting a HC hire his OC, I have an example. This past season a HC retired (probably would have been encouraged to leave at any rate). Before naming a new HC, the owner of this team hired a OC, and foisted him on the new HC. That team was Dallas, and their O is thriving.

Duke needs to look at football from a different perspective. This is not about hiring a "guy." I doubt that there is a single guy that can fix all of Duke's problems. At least, there isn't one who would take the job. Duke needs to hire a staff. We MUST NOT hire a HC until we know who all of the major assistants will be. At the least, we must know the OC, DC, and Spec Teams coaches will be, what schemes they will run, etc.

This is a watershed moment for Duke FB. The future of the game is playing out at the highest levels this year, and Duke must embrace the movement.

Patrick Yates

[bdh21]

wrong...! i tell my daughter she can be anythign she wants to be...so can Duke

I hope she wants to be a football all-american at Duke!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Every AD since Eddie Cameron has had a poor record hiring football coaches! Alleva has made good hires in other coaches. He doesn't do it alone, anyway.

Ever wondered why that trend in hiring football coaches developed? Look to the new hires in faculty and dean's positions during the same period of time. Look at the leadership provided by the university presidents. It was not and is not now important to those running the university that there be a successful football program.

I am a lifelong Dukie. I lived in Durham for over 40 years. I'm telling you guys who keep dreaming up names that the sad state of things in Allen Building will negate what any new coach can do. If you want Duke football to get better, you'd better speak up now and demand changes starting in Allen Building.

[tux]

The first attribute I would seek is someone who can build a quality staff. I have read that the Duke HC job is one of the least desirable in college football. Well, what does that make the coordinators? And the assistants? Without doing any research I would guess that coaches who turn around programs quickly bring in a great staff of assistants.

The requirement would be filled by someone who is a head coach and would bring most of his staff with him or a well traveled name guy who could build a staff based on his contacts and reputation. Salaries will have to be competitive.

Bringing in a head coach who did a good but not great job at a bigger program would be ok with me. I think Illinois is pretty happy with Ron Zook, who lost the Florida job.

Promoting a successful coach from a smaller school is ok if he can bring his staff.

While USC hired Pete Carroll he hired Norm Chow as his OC and took on the DC job himself so he could save that salary and give it to Chow, who probably made more that the Duke HC at the time. A name guy without college experience can do fine.

I also want the coach to have respect for Duke's reputation - academically and otherwise.

I have mixed feelings about Alleva leading the process. His hires for men's golf, women's bball, and men's lacrosse seem like good ones. His football hires not only did not work out but it retrospect they were doomed from the start.

SoCal

This all sounds good, but Duke seems to be in a tough spot. I'm not sure why a proven head coach at the Div-I level would want the Duke job, unless:

(1) He's just been fired elsewhere and has little/no chance of getting hired in the near future, except at Duke;
(2) Like Ross, has been out of the game a few years and is looking for one more HC job before he retires;

I.e., someone who is fairly desperate; OR

(3) He's an alum;

But, I'm not sure any current HC fits that criteria.

An alternative seems to be:

(4) a HC from a lower division who has a stable staff --- i.e., pay at Duke is likely to be a promotion for everyone involved; I mean, even as bad as the Duke job appears to be, it almost has to be a step up for a coach and staff at a Div-II school. The problem is that really good coaches at smaller schools probably have other reasons for having stuck around so long --- it's there alma mater, for geographical/family reasons, etc. (The Duke job may still not look very attractive.)


I think Alleva knows next to nothing about football. I watched the press conference, and as usual was under-whelmed by Alleva's presentation. He's a quality bean counter and probably a nice guy who loves Duke, but I just don't think he would even know what to really look for... I hope to God he surrounds himself with people who can and has the sense to not get in the way.

I know there are objections on the board re: making a hire based on race, but I do agree that the pool of quality African-American coaches is a great place to look (or start looking) given how few of those guys have gotten their shot over the years.

Other than that, I guess I would be fine with a guy using Duke as a stepping stone, ala Spurrier. At this point we would be lucky for someone to warrant a big-time job after coaching Duke for a few years; that would mean that Duke was winning again. Then, maybe we can make a better follow-up hire than we did when Steve left.

I'm not sold on an NFL guy, like Marty S... One positive thing about hiring assistants (remember Spurrier was an assistant at the time) is that a bad record can be attributed to that person "not being ready to be a head coach" --- that seems to be what Joe was saying today when he said the next coach has to have head coaching experience... Bring in an ex-NFL guy: if he wins 3 games in 3 years, he'll leave on his own accord and I'm sure claim that "Jesus Christ himself couldn't win at Duke." We're pretty screwed now, but we'll be extremely screwed then...

The problem is that Duke is a perfect job for a talented but young assistant, if Duke would just do all the other stuff to improve football. It seems like they are now going to make some of those improvements, but just when past failures make hiring an assistant almost impossible...

[Duvall]

Ever wondered why that trend in hiring football coaches developed? Look to the new hires in faculty and dean's positions during the same period of time.

What does this even mean?

[jjasper0729]

In response to Patrick Yates, the head coach at georgia southern, Chris Hatcher came from valdosta state and has a knack for a passing attack. the only thing there is he's been at GaSou for only a year after 7 at Valdosta State so it may be harder to get him out of there. Hatcher is a protege of Hal Mumme (who made a star out of tim couch for crying out loud). I think that is a good way to go. The guy is young and has a good staff and has the ties to the deep pool of talent in Georgia

[crote]

I mentioned this (probably prematurely) in the first Roof thread, but I will say it again here. If I had my druthers, the next football coach at Duke would be current Tulsa OC Gus Malzahn.

I truly believe Malzahn may have what it takes to be the next Spurrier, both at Duke and on a national level.

Like others said, from a fan support perspective it will be important to bring in a good offensive guy, and Malzahn is exactly that. He runs his own variation of the spread option, the Hurry Up No Huddle, and his model has been adopted by coaches at all levels across the country. He even authored a book on the subject, you can find it on Amazon. The HUNH is a highly versatile attack, and you can run and pass from it with equal success (as Malzahn has proven over the last two years). Perhaps most crucially for Duke, the HUNH is something of an equalizer, with smart schemes and good execution making up for disparities in talent.

Malzahn has found success everywhere he's been. He had a legendary career as a high school coach in Arkansas, winning at both big schools and small. In the late 90's, he led tiny Shiloh Christian to a 40+ game winning streak and a national ranking. At Arkansas he was instrumental in transforming a once vanilla running game into the complex and innovative system that has made Darren McFadden and Felix Jones one of the most productive running back tandems of all time. Rivals named him the national assistant of the year after the 2006 season, his first in the college ranks. This year at Tulsa, his offense leads the NATION in yards per game.

To top if off, Malzahn is relatively young, a character guy, and a good recruiter who can bring excitement back to the program. Among realistic candidates, I see him as the IDEAL hire.

[Devilsfan]

Never mind, I reread your post. I guess you're not very fond of our administration.

[throatybeard]

I agree that AfAm coaches/HBC coaches are a good place to start looking simply because what you've got is an undermined pool of talent.

Take Croom at Mississippi State. Bulldogs only got him because Bama passed on him a year earleir. Croom's turned it around at MSU in year 4, has beaten Bama twice, and has outlasted the man they passed him over for, David Shula.

[Indoor66]

How about Bobby Hauck of University of Montana at Missoula? We did OK with someone from Missoula in the past!


From the U of M website:

http://www.montanagrizzlies.com/cont...ball/hauck.htm

Bobby Hauck (pronounced HOWK) has had an exemplary four-year tenure at his alma mater, going 41-13 overall and 24-5 in Big Sky Conference games.

He has guided the Grizzlies to four straight league championships -- the most by any coach in Griz history.

He has also led the Griz to four NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (the FCS was formerly called Division I-AA) playoff appearances in a row, including the title game in 2004.

[Patrick Yates]

I am not married to the Malzhan choice or anything. Any coach who likes the spread will do, but a AA coach would be awesome, especially one who has ties to a fertile recruiting bed. But, honestly, Duke's academics plus our villian status in NC will mean that we always have to recruit nationally.

I also agree with an above poster. We need a coach who is on the make. A coach who will be out for greener pastures after 5-6 wins. Cause lets face it, a coach who takes Duke to any bowl game will be on the lips of a big time school with money to burn and delusions of grandeur. You cannot blame a coach for leaving if he has no ties to Duke, for taking more money, and for heading to a school where Duke's academics will not scare off some elite recruits. If a coach has done well enough that Michigan wants to hire him away (cause in 5-6 years that Miles hire will be nightmarish in Ann Arbor), sweet.

My hope is that Duke will have a system, especially on O. Such that when the HC bolts, a rising star at OC or DC will stay behind as the new HC, on the way to greener pastures himself. Essentially, this would create a chain of success, linking the type of guys necessary to win at a Duke. This will require a financial commitment from Duke, sometimes overpaying lesser known guys (as opposed to over paying or giving Mkt Value to "name" guys).

Now, I would love a Coach K guy. Somebody who stays for several decades and builds a championship caliber team. But, in todays marketplace, that might require an alum. Any one else might leave for a bigger program/the pros. It might take upwards of a Decade for a Duke player to come in, play, graduate, join the staff, and work his way up to OC or DC, and eventually HC. Might never happen. Duke can still be a competive, bowl team every year.

Patrick Yates

[mepanchin]

Get that HS coach from Arkansas who never punts

[crote]

I also agree with an above poster. We need a coach who is on the make. A coach who will be out for greener pastures after 5-6 wins. Cause lets face it, a coach who takes Duke to any bowl game will be on the lips of a big time school with money to burn and delusions of grandeur. You cannot blame a coach for leaving if he has no ties to Duke, for taking more money, and for heading to a school where Duke's academics will not scare off some elite recruits. If a coach has done well enough that Michigan wants to hire him away (cause in 5-6 years that Miles hire will be nightmarish in Ann Arbor), sweet.

Definitely agree. Some people have mentioned wanting to hire a Ron Zook type, someone who was canned for having good but not great success at a power but has the chops to turn around a struggling program. Sadly, I don't think Duke has the standing right now to attract even that caliber of coach. And I doubt our prospects would be much better in the I-AA ranks, either (why go to Duke if there's a chance you could jump straight to an OSU, as Tressel did?).

Duke's best chance for both short and long term success is to find a talented young assistant at a lower profile school who can lay a foundation of success over four or five years before moving on to greener pastures. Then we can start worrying about finding our Zook.

Not to sound like a broken record, but again, I think Malzahn fits the bill here perfectly.

[crote]

Get that HS coach from Arkansas who never punts

I went to that high school. Coach Kelly. The no punting thing started after I graduated, but it's not surprising. Dude's crazy like a fox. My sophomore or junior year, he ran a double reverse flea flicker pass the first play of every single game. Scored a TD off of it 80% of the time, too. I went to a state playoff game over Thanksgiving, and it seems he's now started doing an onside kick every kickoff as well.

He's nuts. I love it. The Mike Leach of Arkansas high school football. Damn good coach, too.

[4Gen]

I wish Alleva had kept Roof, fired himself, and had taken Brodhead with him. Sorry, but just finished reading Until Proven Innocent, and I have no confidence in anything Joe does.

[throatybeard]

This isn't directed towards any particular person, but please, people, let's stop dragging the Lacrosse issue and Brodhead into discussions about the head football coach vacancy. It's happened in several spots now and it's simply uncalled for. Thanks.

[Bluedawg]

Terry Bowden

[tux]

Terry Bowden

Does anyone know why he didn't coach again after Auburn?

[norduck]

Bet it would not be very difficult to outdo USC in terms of his contract there.

[mepanchin]

I went to that high school. Coach Kelly. The no punting thing started after I graduated, but it's not surprising. Dude's crazy like a fox. My sophomore or junior year, he ran a double reverse flea flicker pass the first play of every single game. Scored a TD off of it 80% of the time, too. I went to a state playoff game over Thanksgiving, and it seems he's now started doing an onside kick every kickoff as well.

He's nuts. I love it. The Mike Leach of Arkansas high school football. Damn good coach, too.

Statistically it's actually a good idea to use punts sparingly, so I really applaud the guy and his success. I mean obviously some situations suggest a punt to be a good idea, but if you are anywhere near midfield with 4th and 1-3, I say go for it. Every time. Plus if your team is both used to and known for not punting very often, defenses have to deal with you a different way. 3rd and 8? Well, most teams would HAVE to pass in this situation to get the first down, but if you know you'll go for it on 4th, you have the option to maybe run a draw or something to get 3-5 yards and a good position to pick up the first on 4th down.

The idea is that, especially at the high school and college level, punting actually does not net you that many yards - ESPECIALLY when you are in their territory. As a result, punting is a 100% guaranteed surrender of possession without a huge gain in yards - which reduces their chance to score. Say, for instance, from where the ball is sitting, you have a 20% chance to score, but the other team has an 80% chance to score. If you face 4th and 1, 99% of coaches will punt the ball away. Let's say the ball lands on a position where they now have a 40% chance to score. What you gave the opposition is a guaranteed 40% chance to score. Now say that you go for it on 4th and 1. The chances you get the first down are, say, 75% (which is pretty accurate). You have given the opposition a 25% chance to get an 80% chance to score and a 75% chance to not have possession at all.

Late in the season for Duke I was shocked to see them punting the ball away on 4th and 1 and 4th and 2 and 4th and 3 with decent position on the field time and time again. Duke is 1-8, 1-9, 1-10 and still playing conservative football?

I think a guy who played aggressive, ballsy, fun football would be good for getting fans interested, and would probably win more games. The more aggressive and risky you play, the greater the likelihood you have to beat a team you have business beating. By that same token, you don't win games you ought to win - but what games does Duke play these days that we OUGHT to win?

[freedevil]

Men like Joe Alleva should not be allowed to fire decent men like Ted Roof. That is my two cents.

Here's my real question though, if schools like Nebraska and even Carolina (teams that think they should be good at football but are trying to rebuild) are hiring search firms to assist them, why on earth is Joe Alleva heading the search himself? Hasn't he shown that he, of all people, is NOT qualified to find a football coach on his own?

I think it's sort of silly that an AD would outsource one of his main responsibilities, but it appears to be the national trend, so what gives folks?

[SilkyJ]

wrong...! i tell my daughter she can be anythign she wants to be...so can Duke

here here. we're duke. don't tell us we can't do something.


I wish Alleva had kept Roof, fired himself, and had taken Brodhead with him. Sorry, but just finished reading Until Proven Innocent, and I have no confidence in anything Joe does.

POST OF THE YEAR!

[flash]

AD's are pretty much judged on their hires in the two revenue sports. Football and basketball. In his tenure as AD at Duke he has made two football hires. Carl Franks and Ted Roof. How did that work out? This is the guy you want to make the next hire in football? No way. Broadhead needs to stay out of it to. Oh, Tom Butters hired Coach K, not Alleva.

[killerleft]

Patrick Davidson?

[jimmymax]

When the first person feels the magic in the air re the new direction of Duke football, please share it with the rest of us. Maybe things will turn on a dime and it will be impossible to miss -- but just in case. Hard to imagine starting over again with new build up for a new coach. Why not just keep hanging the graduation rate banners and be satisfied.
Anyway my kids & I had a great time at the game on Saturday. Our group included a cordial mix of Duke & UNC fans, all claiming that their team sucked more. Guess we won that one. It is good to know, however, that a UNC football ticket can be had for $5 or less so we're not that far behind them. It was a perfect afternoon, except that it got a little cold when the sun went down. The mini-bottles helped.
The most painful moment was when the kick missed -- the last second one in regulation, not the other two -- there were a couple of Duke players half way across the field, ready to claim the bell. Watching them slink back to the sideline actually made me care as I had never allowed myself to believe that we would win.
It was, all in all, a great college sporting event that went down to the wire. I suppose the highlight was the crowd receiving the news that the women's soccer team had lost to ND after being elated about NCSU's pitful performance just moments before.

[Acymetric]

What about Dick Biddle at Colgate? Its D 1-AA but he seems to have turned around a struggling AA school, and he has ties to Duke (I think the two most important questions to be asked of the candidates are having a long term commitment to the program and offensive creativity). He would hopefully have the commitment as a former Duke player...

If Marty gets hired I might never watch Duke play again. I don't even care if I find out he wins, I think long term its a bad hire.

[throatybeard]

I don't need a long term commitment to Duke. I need somebody to turn it around. Then it's easier to replace them with someone who can win.

[jimsumner]

Alleva made it absolutely clear today that he won't consider anyone who hasn't been a successful head coach at the D-1AA level at least. Assistants without head coaching experience need not apply.

Duke may well have a short list. But I have heard so many names thrown around that I think getting it to a manageable list might take awhile.

[Acymetric]

Right, but replacing coaches isn't our strong point. Didn't Spurrier "turn around" our program? We need a coach that'll build up the program, gain the support of the fans, and stay around long enough to have some actual power in the athletics of the university.

[Law Talking Guy]

Throaty will accuse me of being a homer here, but how about Craig Bohl at ND State?

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2400&ATCLID=75916

He's been at Duke before (1994), he's had great success with not much talent (mostly ND/SD/MN kids who Minnesota and the other Big Televen wouldn't sniff at), and he had the Bison at the top of I-AA/FCS/whatever most of this season (including a win at Minnesota) and near the top most of last season (both seasons in which, I might add, they would have been in the playoffs if not for the 5-year D-II to D-I playoff moratorium). From all reports, players and fans alike would go to war for him.

Assuming we don't have to fight Nebraska off...

[ArkieDukie]

Which is why..........

Duke must look at the O coordinator in conjuntion with HC. For the OC slot, I humbly put forth Gus Malzan. He is the former HS coach who Ark hired. Nutt disrespected him, calling him High School and ignoring his suggestions, and basically ran him off. Ark is now 114 in the nation in Passing O. Malzahn went to Tulsa, implemented his O, to the tune of 500+ ypg.

Patrick Yates

Freakish. At the beginning of your post, as I read your criteria, I thought, "He's describing Gus Malzahn, but no one would ever think of him. I should post and suggest his name!" He is, quite simply, an offensive genius. I'd be excited to see him get a chance to implement his philosophy as a head coach. What little he was allowed to do while on the staff at AR was exciting to watch. I've watched Tulsa once this year, and they were doing some cool stuff.

[throatybeard]

Throaty will accuse me of being a homer here

Never. Great handle, and greatest avatar ever.

My cousin goes to NDSU, believe it or not. (1st, once removed).

[RelativeWays]

I don't need a long term commitment to Duke. I need somebody to turn it around. Then it's easier to replace them with someone who can win.
That worked out real well with Spurrier

[throatybeard]

That worked out real well with Spurrier

Because we flubbed it after Spurrier. Which wasn't inevitable.

[RelativeWays]

Whatever happened to ol' Barry Wilson anyway. If memory serves, he was one of Spurrier's assistants at Duke before taking the HC job right?

[jkidd31]

http://gvsulakers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/martin_chuck00.html

The coach before Martin at GVSU was Brian Kelly who has turned Cincinnati from a 7-5 team to 9-3 team.

[jjasper0729]

Whatever happened to ol' Barry Wilson anyway. If memory serves, he was one of Spurrier's assistants at Duke before taking the HC job right?

I know when he left duke in 94, he went to florida with spurrier. don't know what happened after spurrier left florida or if barry left before that time down there.

[Capn Poptart]

Folks in Richmond are worried that Dave Clawson might go to Duke or GT. He's young, energetic, been very successful at Richmond, built the program and has a staff. He interviewed for the BC job last year after O'Brien left.

One of my favorite lines from this column is:

"They're creative and fun to watch ("I think he's an offensive genius," said Spiders QB Eric Ward)."

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-11-16-0163.html

[Classof06]

Not to disrespect the current players, but Duke needs someone who can recruit in particular, as he's going to have to recruit his tail off. And I agree with the sentiment that you get a coach who comes from a BCS conference but is in need of a fresh start. If he's that good, he won't be around too long but at least it will get the ball rolling and in motion with this program.

Of course this will require a bit of cash, so Duke won't be too willing to do it. But it's what they'll eventually have to do if they're even remotely serious about the welfare of this program.

[stripes01]

How about Paul Johnson at Navy!

[atldevil]

I know alot of people have been debating hiring a successful coach at a smaller school or a coordinator at a large successful school. I think either route can be successful - it depends on the quality of the person being hired. For example, look at the Kansas-Missouri game on Sat. nite. Both programs have struggled recently, Kansas more than Missouri. Kansas hired Mangino, who was previously the offensive coordinator for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Missouri hired Gary Pinkel, who was previously the winningest coach in the history of Toledo. Obviously both have been home runs as hires. This proves that you can turn it around and relatively quickly.

I think whoever we wire should have an offensive mindset and run the spread offense, which will give us the beest chance to succeed.

Tony Barnhart, who covers college football for the Atlanta Journal Constitution has a good list of potential candidates for the Tech job on the AJC website. (Jumbo Fisher, Paul Johnson, Terry Bowden, Randy Edsall, John Tenuta, Gary Crowton, David Cutcliffe, Skip Holtz, Glen Mason, Will Muschamp, and Charlie Strong).

I would add to his list the names of Houston Nutt and Dennis Franchione for Duke. Is there any reason we should not be talking to those guys?

I still like George O'Leary, but apparently he has a large buyout of his current contract with UCF.

[Capn Poptart]

There's been a lot of talk about Paul Johnson, and they'll probably try to talk with him. But why would he bolt Navy for Duke? He could get a higher profile job making more money if he wanted to.

And the rumor was that last time he wouldn't return JA's calls.

[stripes01]

What about Jim Donnan (old Georgia coach)?

[ehdg]

There's been a lot of talk about Paul Johnson, and they'll probably try to talk with him. But why would he bolt Navy for Duke? He could get a higher profile job making more money if he wanted to.

And the rumor was that last time he wouldn't return JA's calls.

Sounds likes a very smart man to me!! :D

[weezie]

How's about Duke talks to Chuck Martin, the Div II coach at Grand Valley?
He's a pretty good guy.

[wxyz]

Not to disrespect the current players, but Duke needs someone who can recruit in particular, as he's going to have to recruit his tail off. ....

Someone better start thinking about the current players, and those who have been signed, unless the new miracle coach can recruit 85 or so between now and next Fall. Since most everyone has put them down, notably JA, I'm sure they would like to be moving on right now, and a number may be in a position to do so.

[Olympic Fan]

Throaty will accuse me of being a homer here, but how about Craig Bohl at ND State?

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2400&ATCLID=75916

He's been at Duke before (1994), he's had great success with not much talent (mostly ND/SD/MN kids who Minnesota and the other Big Televen wouldn't sniff at), and he had the Bison at the top of I-AA/FCS/whatever most of this season (including a win at Minnesota) and near the top most of last season (both seasons in which, I might add, they would have been in the playoffs if not for the 5-year D-II to D-I playoff moratorium). From all reports, players and fans alike would go to war for him.

Assuming we don't have to fight Nebraska off...

Actually, Bohl sounds perfect -- with one possible quibble.

He made his bones as a defensive coordinator. What kind of offense does he run? I think Duke needs someone committed to a wide open, spread or option type offense.

Other than that concern, I'd much rather have Craig Bohl than some of the names thrown around here -- Schoettenheimer would be a disaster, Glen Mason and Mike Shula leave me cold. David Cutcliffe couldn't win with Eli Manning at Ole Miss. Terry Bowden? Ughh, pardon me while I take a shower.

PS The hot rumor is that Paul Johnson has already worked out a deal to leave Navy to replace Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech (and PLEASE don't anybody suggest Gailey for Duke!)

[weezie]

Someone better start thinking about the current players, and those who have been signed, unless the new miracle coach can recruit 85 or so between now and next Fall. Since most everyone has put them down, notably JA, I'm sure they would like to be moving on right now, and a number may be in a position to do so.

Forgive me for an obvious question, but how do coaches recruit at a new school? How can they prove they can coach if they come from mediocre Div I programs? Not trying to be argumentative. As a Detroiter and a Dukie, I'm not exactly a football savant.

[ArkieDukie]

Tony Barnhart, who covers college football for the Atlanta Journal Constitution has a good list of potential candidates for the Tech job on the AJC website. (Jumbo Fisher, Paul Johnson, Terry Bowden, Randy Edsall, John Tenuta, Gary Crowton, David Cutcliffe, Skip Holtz, Glen Mason, Will Muschamp, and Charlie Strong).

I would add to his list the names of Houston Nutt and Dennis Franchione for Duke. Is there any reason we should not be talking to those guys?


The rumor around here is that Nutt to GA Tech is a very strong possibility. Don't know how accurate that is. If it is, I can give the Duke defensive coaching staff a quick primer on Nutt's offense - all 7 plays on a good day. That is, assuming he still insists on acting as his own OC.

I don't think Nutt is a good fit for Duke. His offense is limited to running, which works great when you've got Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. When Nutt was calling plays, I was able to predict their plays, and so could the opponents. Unfortunately, he had a difficult time turning the reins over to this OC and would continually over-rule them. It's what ultimately ended up running Gus Malzahn off. It almost cost us the current OC early this season as well; Nutt was calling plays up until the Ole Miss game. If he wasn't, the current OC was calling Nutt's plays in exactly the same order that Nutt called them before he hired Gus Malzahn as OC.

As for Franchione, he was fired from TX A&M because he had a $1000/yr newsletter that he was selling to boosters that basically gave inside info on his players. We're talking injury reports and breakdowns of strengths/weaknesses. Not an NCAA violation, but I bet it soon will be. We'll call it the Franchione Rule. Reporting injuries is probably a HIPAA violation. As an added bonus, he didn't report the income from the newsletter to the university, which violated the terms of his contract. He claims he didn't know he was doing anything wrong, but if that's the case, why didn't he report the income? The whole thing smells a bit rotten to me.

[Law Talking Guy]

He made his bones as a defensive coordinator. What kind of offense does he run? I think Duke needs someone committed to a wide open, spread or option type offense.

I'm pretty sure he runs a version of the West Coast, but it is pretty effective by FCS standards (top 10 in YPG and PPG this year):

http://jsonline.stats.com/cfb/teamstats.asp?report=teamhome&team=0309

[rockymtn devil]

David Cutcliffe couldn't win with Eli Manning at Ole Miss.

Just wanted to point out that Cutcliffe actually did quite well at Ole Miss when Eli was his QB. The Rebels went 24-13 in the three seasons that Manning was the starter, including bowl wins in Eli's junior and senior seasons. They also shared the SEC West crown with LSU in 2003, the season the Tigers won the national title.

Not at all endorsing Cutcliffe; just correcting a mistake.

[throatybeard]

David Cutcliffe couldn't win with Eli Manning at Ole Miss.

Actually he could. The year after Eli left, they went 4-7, and they fired him.

[Law Talking Guy]

My cousin goes to NDSU, believe it or not. (1st, once removed).

Really? Man, talk about the unimagined life (was my 2d choice after Duke).

Have they recovered from the SD State loss yet?

[throatybeard]

Really? Man, talk about the unimagined life (was my 2d choice after Duke).

Have they recovered from the SD State loss yet?

I don't know.

He is from Fargo. Or Moorhead, I forget which.

[grimbogey]

I think that we are neglecting that as innovative as Malzahn may seem, he is only two years removed from coaching at the HIGH SCHOOL level...he has only been a college coordinator, and only so for two seasons. Particularly in light of what Alleva said this afternoon, I don't think that Malzahn's experience fits into what we need in a head coach (although he'd be a fine OC).

That said, why don't we have the best of both worlds and pursue his current boss at Tulsa, Todd Graham, and then persuade Malzahn to come along with him to Duke.

This option makes plenty of sense for a number of reasons

1) Graham is a proven winner, and a proven winner at an ACADEMIC school. He took a Rice team that was 1-10 before he arrived to a six-win bowl season, the first in that school's history since 1960. Their academic and admissions constraints are certainly comparable to what we have here at Duke.

This season, he has a 9-3 record at Tulsa, and i would imagine that the possibility to go to a job in a BCS conference (and admittedly one of the weaker of the six) would be an attractive lure from a school that has virtually no shot at any bowl better than the Liberty Bowl and will consistently lose top in-state recruits to OU, OSU and top schools in bordering states.

2) He did a masterful job raising funds for stadium renovations at Rice, pulling together 5.5 million in a matter of months to pay for new FieldTurf, scoreboards and renovations at aging Rice Stadium. With Wally Wade well overdue for an overhaul, and such work prominent in Duke's master plan for football, this experience would be a great asset to the Duke football program.

3) And as many of you have suggested, we need a coach that will come here and use Duke as a stepping stone. Not only is this likely with Graham, it's almost guaranteed—look at his track record.

Only days after signing a contract extension with a raise at Rice, Graham jumped ship to Tulsa when they needed to replace the departing Steve Kragthorpe. A good trait or not, if he came to Duke he certainly wouldn't be seeing it as a destination but simply a waypoint, meaning that purely winning games would be a priority.

4) Finally, if we persuade him to come here, what could stop us from also offering Malzhan a fat contract as our O-Coordinator. It's no surprise that top programs like Oklahoma continue to thrive because they spend good money on top assistants and coordinators, and we should do the same and get top coordinator talent.

The guy is proven, has head coaching experience and has dealt with academic constraints at a peer institution. He's such an obvious candidate that I find it hard to believe that people continue to overlook him and favor an O-Coordinator that would still be coaching high school ball in Springdale, Ark. if he wasn't blessed enough to coach the Gatorade HS POY in Mitch Mustain and ride that gravy train to a job on Houston Nutt's staff.

Graham is the guy, at whatever financial costs it takes.

[jkidd31]

How's about Duke talks to Chuck Martin, the Div II coach at Grand Valley?
He's a pretty good guy.


I thought of Martin because GVSU is in the same league Findlay (where I went) is in and they are competing for the Nat'l Championship every year. I know Kelly laid the ground work but Martin has kept it going.

Speaking of Kelly, speculation here in Cin'ti is he's one of the first dominoes to fall in the Les Myles LSU/UM opening.

[blazindw]

As a Detroiter and a Dukie, I'm not exactly a football savant.

Hey, don't sell us Detroit Dukies short, eh? You must like Michigan State ;)



I thought of Martin because GVSU is in the same league Findlay (where I went) is in and they are competing for the Nat'l Championship every year. I know Kelly laid the ground work but Martin has kept it going.

Speaking of Kelly, speculation here in Cin'ti is he's one of the first dominoes to fall in the Les Myles LSU/UM opening.

Kelly is one of the coaches rumored to be on Michigan's "Les Miles Said No" list. He has done a good job both at CMU and at Cincy. Martin from GVSU would also be one worth considering. However, I think that we should go after a coach with D-1 head coaching experience. As many people on here have said, JA cannot mess this one up.

[crote]

I think that we are neglecting that as innovative as Malzahn may seem, he is only two years removed from coaching at the HIGH SCHOOL level...he has only been a college coordinator, and only so for two seasons. Particularly in light of what Alleva said this afternoon, I don't think that Malzahn's experience fits into what we need in a head coach (although he'd be a fine OC).

That said, why don't we have the best of both worlds and pursue his current boss at Tulsa, Todd Graham, and then persuade Malzahn to come along with him to Duke.

I could live with this. Very much so. That is, though, if we can land Graham, who may be anticipating better offers than Duke in the coming years.

At the same time, I wouldn't dismiss Malzahn simply because he was coaching 17 year old back in 2005. Many, including myself, were very skeptical when the hogs hired Gus, but he's acquitted himself well in the last two years. He's proven competent at every step in his career, and I don't see why that should stop now.



I don't think Nutt is a good fit for Duke. His offense is limited to running, which works great when you've got Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. When Nutt was calling plays, I was able to predict their plays, and so could the opponents. Unfortunately, he had a difficult time turning the reins over to this OC and would continually over-rule them. It's what ultimately ended up running Gus Malzahn off. It almost cost us the current OC early this season as well; Nutt was calling plays up until the Ole Miss game. If he wasn't, the current OC was calling Nutt's plays in exactly the same order that Nutt called them before he hired Gus Malzahn as OC.


Also, there's the fact that Nutt is the fricking devil, who put his ego ahead of the program and in doing so squandered the opportunity for the best Arkansas team since the 60s.

Also the fact that he plays favorites with both coaches and players, rewarding loyalty to his personality cult over hard work and performance.

Also the fact that he has absolutely whiffed on far more instate recruits than he ever should have.

Also, and I don't know if I've mentioned this, there's the fact that he's the fricking devil.

Other than that, though, he'd be a great hire for Duke.

[duke2x]

I have mixed feelings about Alleva leading the process. His hires for men's golf, women's bball, and men's lacrosse seem like good ones. His football hires not only did not work out but it retrospect they were doomed from the start. I think you're being a little generous to Alleva on his hiring skills.

Football: Alum, internal promotion.
Baseball: Can't really classify Hillier, Alum (who is doing a good job).
Lax: Hiring the father of a player isn't much of an accomplishment. Keeping Danowski here after this year is going to be a bigger challenge.
MGolf: I'm not sure how he got UCLA's coach, but this was impressive.
WBB: Duke was unquestionably the 3rd best program (and had a favorable recent record against the top 2) and an upgrade for about 95% of the D1 coaches at the time of hire. There was plenty of talent returning, which made the job an easy sell.

How Alleva does with soccer and football remain to be seen. I do think offering a competitive salary will help attract a stronger candidate.

[hughgs]

I think you're being a little generous to Alleva on his hiring skills.

Football: Alum, internal promotion.
Baseball: Can't really classify Hillier, Alum (who is doing a good job).
Lax: Hiring the father of a player isn't much of an accomplishment. Keeping Danowski here after this year is going to be a bigger challenge.
MGolf: I'm not sure how he got UCLA's coach, but this was impressive.
WBB: Duke was unquestionably the 3rd best program (and had a favorable recent record against the top 2) and an upgrade for about 95% of the D1 coaches at the time of hire. There was plenty of talent returning, which made the job an easy sell.

How Alleva does with soccer and football remain to be seen. I do think offering a competitive salary will help attract a stronger candidate.

You forgot to add the new swimming/diving coach. He was originally from Tennessee and coached quite a few All-Americans there.

[SoCalDukeFan]

MGolf: I'm not sure how he got UCLA's coach, but this was impressive.
.

My UCLA alumni friends think that housing cost and lifestyle had a lot to do with it. There are other factors I am sure.

A golf coach in Westwood probably is lucky to afford a townhouse in a mediocre neighborhood. Can do much better in Durham.

SoCak

[Dr.Know]

what about someone who WAS a head coach....like Marty Shottenheimer (sp?)

i heard someone else mention his name on the board. i would KILL to get that guy.

Forget about Marty. The guy to go after is Steve Logan, OC at Boston College and former ECU head coach. What Duke does NOT need at this juncture is another upstart, defensive minded assistant. Open the purse strings and go after someone of note! Logan will attract a big time QB recruit who, in turn, will draw some improved offensive lineman into the fold. Unfortunately, I have little faith in Joe Alleva to get this done.

[NYC Duke Fan]

I think that we are neglecting that as innovative as Malzahn may seem, he is only two years removed from coaching at the HIGH SCHOOL level...he has only been a college coordinator, and only so for two seasons. Particularly in light of what Alleva said this afternoon, I don't think that Malzahn's experience fits into what we need in a head coach (although he'd be a fine OC).

That said, why don't we have the best of both worlds and pursue his current boss at Tulsa, Todd Graham, and then persuade Malzahn to come along with him to Duke.

This option makes plenty of sense for a number of reasons

1) Graham is a proven winner, and a proven winner at an ACADEMIC school. He took a Rice team that was 1-10 before he arrived to a six-win bowl season, the first in that school's history since 1960. Their academic and admissions constraints are certainly comparable to what we have here at Duke.

This season, he has a 9-3 record at Tulsa, and i would imagine that the possibility to go to a job in a BCS conference (and admittedly one of the weaker of the six) would be an attractive lure from a school that has virtually no shot at any bowl better than the Liberty Bowl and will consistently lose top in-state recruits to OU, OSU and top schools in bordering states.

2) He did a masterful job raising funds for stadium renovations at Rice, pulling together 5.5 million in a matter of months to pay for new FieldTurf, scoreboards and renovations at aging Rice Stadium. With Wally Wade well overdue for an overhaul, and such work prominent in Duke's master plan for football, this experience would be a great asset to the Duke football program.

3) And as many of you have suggested, we need a coach that will come here and use Duke as a stepping stone. Not only is this likely with Graham, it's almost guaranteed—look at his track record.

Only days after signing a contract extension with a raise at Rice, Graham jumped ship to Tulsa when they needed to replace the departing Steve Kragthorpe. A good trait or not, if he came to Duke he certainly wouldn't be seeing it as a destination but simply a waypoint, meaning that purely winning games would be a priority.

4) Finally, if we persuade him to come here, what could stop us from also offering Malzhan a fat contract as our O-Coordinator. It's no surprise that top programs like Oklahoma continue to thrive because they spend good money on top assistants and coordinators, and we should do the same and get top coordinator talent.

The guy is proven, has head coaching experience and has dealt with academic constraints at a peer institution. He's such an obvious candidate that I find it hard to believe that people continue to overlook him and favor an O-Coordinator that would still be coaching high school ball in Springdale, Ark. if he wasn't blessed enough to coach the Gatorade HS POY in Mitch Mustain and ride that gravy train to a job on Houston Nutt's staff.

Graham is the guy, at whatever financial costs it takes.

Excellent choice but I think that he will get the Arkansas job

[ArkieDukie]

Also, there's the fact that Nutt is the fricking devil, who put his ego ahead of the program and in doing so squandered the opportunity for the best Arkansas team since the 60s.

Also the fact that he plays favorites with both coaches and players, rewarding loyalty to his personality cult over hard work and performance.

Also the fact that he has absolutely whiffed on far more instate recruits than he ever should have.

Also, and I don't know if I've mentioned this, there's the fact that he's the fricking devil.

Other than that, though, he'd be a great hire for Duke.


You made me laugh! I was trying to be diplomatic; that's why I didn't mention the above points. The only one you forgot is that, rather than take responsibility for losses, he throws assistants and players under the bus. That's my biggest problem with him. People who think AR was unfair to Nutt don't know the entire story.

As mentioned a couple of times, Graham would appear to be a great hire for Duke. I'd be happy with that one. I haven't heard his name mentioned yet for the AR job (REALLY wanted Butch Davis), but I would love the irony if he came back and brought Gus with him.

[Bluedawg]

I hope this doesn't get lost amid all of the speculation, name dropping and pipe dreams, but according to news reports Middle Tennessee State's head coach Rick Stockstill (http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/26489)is on the list at Duke.

He was the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year:


Experience, 1983-84: Bethune-Cookman (off ensive coordinator/quarterbacks) ... 1985: Central Florida (wide receivers) ... 1986-88: Central Florida (asst. head coach/wide receivers) ... 1989-92:Clemson (quarterbacks) ... 1993: Clemson (quarterbacks/passing game coordinator) ... 1994-95: Clemson (co-off ensive coordinator/wide receivers) ... 1996-98: Clemson (wide receivers) ... 1999-2002: Clemson (recruiting coordinator/wide receivers) ... 2003: East Carolina (off ensive coordinator/quarterbacks) ... 2004: South Carolina (recruiting coordinator/wide receivers) ... 2005: South Carolina (recruiting coordinator/tight ends) ... 2006-present: Middle Tennessee (head coach).


MTSU Accomplishments under Stockstill
�� 2006 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year (fi rst conference COY at MT since 1989)
�� 2006 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year by ESPN.com
�� 2006 TSWA Coach of the Year
�� 2006 Rutherford County Reader Gridiron Glacier Award
�� 2006 Ebony Achievement Award from Middle Tennessee
�� 2006 Sun Belt Conference Championship
�� Led school to fi rst-ever bowl game in the I-A era
�� Improved team’s APR dramatically to 949
�� A school-record 6 SBC wins in 2006
�� One of just 10 teams in the country to win four road conference games in 2006
�� New single-season attendance record in 2006
�� New single-game home attendance record
�� A record-tying 11 SBC Player of the Week winners
�� A Walter Camp and Bronco Nagurski National Player of the Week winner
�� A school-record 3 national television broadcasts in 2006
�� New single-season records in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss
�� Seven wins in 2006 were most by a fi rst-year coach at MT since 1947
�� Had the 2006 ESPN.com SBC Defensive Player of the Year

[Bluedawg]

Here's my real question though, if schools like Nebraska and even Carolina (teams that think they should be good at football but are trying to rebuild) are hiring search firms to assist them, why on earth is Joe Alleva heading the search himself? Hasn't he shown that he, of all people, is NOT qualified to find a football coach on his own?

I think it's sort of silly that an AD would outsource one of his main responsibilities, but it appears to be the national trend, so what gives folks?


You are correct, the real question is why are Athletic Directors outsourcing a major part of their job? This is what they are hired to do...and why are schools allowing them to pay someone else to do the job that they are being paid to do?


AD's are pretty much judged on their hires in the two revenue sports. Football and basketball. In his tenure as AD at Duke he has made two football hires. Carl Franks and Ted Roof. How did that work out? This is the guy you want to make the next hire in football? No way. Broadhead needs to stay out of it to. Oh, Tom Butters hired Coach K, not Alleva.

In the press conference he said that for the first 2 hires he was looking for an up and coming coach, and now he feels that was a mistake. He said he will look for some with HC experience this time around.

Don't shoot the guy for admitting his error.

[Trinity84]

What about Ty Willingham? I know it's a long shot, but he was a trail blazer at Notre Dame (which he would be at Duke and the ACC); he was successful at Stanford (where academics standards are taken as serioulsly as they are at Duke).

It might at least be worth a conversation, no?

[Indoor66]

My UCLA alumni friends think that housing cost and lifestyle had a lot to do with it. There are other factors I am sure.

A golf coach in Westwood probably is lucky to afford a townhouse in a mediocre neighborhood. Can do much better in Durham.

SoCak

All may be true but JA found and hired him. Give credit where credit is due. All coaches have many reasons for their job decisions. The hiring party must address those reasons successfully for there to be a successful hire and JA has done that, pretty consistently.

If you have ever hired for anything you know that the best thought through choices don't always work. An athletic team coach has many more chances to fail than to succeed.

[blazindw]

What about Ty Willingham? I know it's a long shot, but he was a trail blazer at Notre Dame (which he would be at Duke and the ACC); he was successful at Stanford (where academics standards are taken as serioulsly as they are at Duke).

It might at least be worth a conversation, no?

A very interesting one thrown out here. While I like the idea that we should consider him, from all accounts he is very happy at UW, and it would probably take a ton of money for him to leave.

Then again, half the coaches that leaves schools for open jobs swear they're happy where they're at, and the next time we see them is at the introductory press conference talking about their "dream job"

[Bluedawg]

Duke does not scrimp on recuriting (http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/duke/story/795074.html)...


He noted that Duke has one of the largest recruiting budgets in the country. Records show that in the 2006-07 academic year, Duke's recruiting budget for men's sports was $962,714. Wake Forest spent $410,261, Boston College $469,787 and North Carolina $673,865.

"Recruiting has gotten better," Alleva said. "But it needs to get better. If we have a recruiting class that's ranked, I'm just saying, 35th in the country. And the rest of the schools in the ACC all have recruiting classes better than us, well then we are not competing in the ACC."

[hondoheel]

How did Spurrier succeed at Duke? Was he genius enough to win with the same caliber talent that Duke now has, or was he better at getting real football players admitted into school?

[blublood]

I would add to his list the names of Houston Nutt and Dennis Franchione for Duke. Is there any reason we should not be talking to those guys?


This blog gives the best summation I've seen as to why (scroll down towards the end of the post): http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/47043

Yes, I'm biased as a Tide fan, but the way he handled his exit from Alabama was despicable and he has proven inept in every possible respect at A&M. Is there any doubt that if he did somehow put together a winning season at Duke that he would bolt for a more prestigious, ego-stroking program? We'd be lucky to get an e-mail saying he's not coming to work.

[RPS]

Is there any doubt that if he did somehow put together a winning season at Duke that he would bolt for a more prestigious, ego-stroking program? We'd be lucky to get an e-mail saying he's not coming to work.

You're 100% correct about Franchione, but the blog you link loses a lot of credibility by suggesting that Saban is somehow different from or better than he. Those are among the first names I think of when I consider what's wrong with college football. Bama missed out on a lot when it refused to hire Sylvester Croome. I confess to enjoying the fact that Croome outlasted the coach he was passed over for (and at Mississippi State, no less), but I digress....

[g4orce]

How did Spurrier succeed at Duke? Was he genius enough to win with the same caliber talent that Duke now has, or was he better at getting real football players admitted into school?

I think that Spurrier's greatest year wasn't all that great in terms of building a longterm program. Not to knock what he did here at all, but I think that we were successful because no one knew what we were doing. He had his grab-bag full of tricks that worked, and eventually the players began to believe in themselves... that they weren't "^$%^$%^$%^$%" but that they were "DUKE". When he left, or rather when he decided to skip out in practices for the upcoming bowl game to go out an interview for the FL job, the players lost their confidence and is why we got pasted.

Fast forward to Goldsmith, the only other year we've been successful, again no one knew what he was going to do. First year coaches don't have a track record of game film at the current univ to get info from. I think that is why Roof won as many as he did with Franks kids once Franks was fired. No one knew what to prep for.

I think Roof did a great job of making believers out of the recruits that he targethe that we would be competitive and that we would be winnners again. They began to believe in what he was building, not in past success or failures. Yeah, it has taken too long for my taste, but look at how long it has been since we were consistent winners. Oh, I'm still waiting for that to happen.

My argument is that the next coach will win regardless of his actual coaching ablity b/c we have a storehouse of good, quality kids... not what Roof inherited. Since it is his first year here, while there may be some prior film from the previous univ, it won't be actual Duke film for other coaches to review.

As to whether or not we hire an African American HC, frankly I'm tired of hearing it. Since when does the color of skin automatically qualify you for a position b/c you're red/yellow/black/white? Hire the best candidate possible! I think Broadway might be a good candidate, but is he the best? we can get? I know him and like him very, very much but can we do better? Forget giving someone a chance b/c their skin is different from the other (insert percentage here) of HC out there and find the best we can get.

//stepping off soapbox in 3,2,1

[g4orce]

I think that any HC on the market that just got fired from coaching at a state school (or any school with relaxed admin standards) should automatically be considered with an * beside their name. If they couldn't win with relaxed standards, what makes anyone think they can win here with tight admin standards? Aleva said as much yesterday, that Duke will not lower admin standards.

Fair question, no? Having said that, I DO understand that sometimes a coach is fired for other reasons (like GT b/c he didn't beat UGA but otherwise successful), so we should be very, very careful of the next move we make. If we screw this up, with all that Roof did to rebuild our horrible foundation, then future coaches/kids will always look with skepticism.

[SoCalDukeFan]

All may be true but JA found and hired him. Give credit where credit is due. All coaches have many reasons for their job decisions. The hiring party must address those reasons successfully for there to be a successful hire and JA has done that, pretty consistently.

If you have ever hired for anything you know that the best thought through choices don't always work. An athletic team coach has many more chances to fail than to succeed.

I certainly do give JA credit for finding the men's golf coach. I was merely trying to explain how you could get a golf coach to leave UCLA for Duke. In other posts I have given JA credit for some other hires that seem pretty good, such as women's bball and men's lacrosse.

I have hired lots of people and certainly agree that those thought best do not always work out. You can also get lucky. USC wanted Mike Riley, who was with the Chargers at the time, or the Oregon coach to replace Paul Hackett. The Chargers would not let Riley out of his contract and Bellotti prefers living in Oregon to Southern Cal. So they settled for Pete Carroll.

My question is wheter or not the new coach has a reasonable chance to succeed. In my opinion the last two did not.

SoCal

SoCal

[throatybeard]

As to whether or not we hire an African American HC, frankly I'm tired of hearing it. Since when does the color of skin automatically qualify you for a position b/c you're red/yellow/black/white?

No one has argued that.

[jimsumner]

"Not to knock what he did here at all, but I think that we were successful because no one knew what we were doing."

So we downgrade creativity? Fooling other teams may be a concept sneered at by teams with overwhelming talent superiority but it's a valuable asset for the Dukes of the world. Isn't one of the criticisms of the Roof tenure that Duke's offense was predictable and one-dimensional?

[jjasper0729]

don't know if anyone has any insight, but it couldn't hurt to talk to Jeff Bower, formerly of southern miss. he resigned, but it wasn't like he was done (according to reports). The-network-that-shall-not-be-named.com has a story that he's not looking to quit coaching, only that the fans/administration in hattiesburg got tired of him (for winning, no less). I would certainly hope that our resources would be more substantial than those of the golden eagles.

[BoC]

No one has argued that.

He probably meant this from a front page article (Some Thoughts On Football)...

"We’d like to see Duke take a bold step and seek out an African-American coach, and unfortunately, that’s hard to do in college football, since there are so few black head coaches."

[Capn Poptart]

I think that any HC on the market that just got fired from coaching at a state school (or any school with relaxed admin standards) should automatically be considered with an * beside their name. If they couldn't win with relaxed standards, what makes anyone think they can win here with tight admin standards? Aleva said as much yesterday, that Duke will not lower admin standards.

See SLOAN, STEVE

[BDevilU]

The Athletic Department should just announce that the winning coach of the upcoming Division 1-AA (or whatever) playoff will be GUARANTEED an interview for the Duke job!

Give those guys something to REALLY fight for!

[wilson]

This has probably already been mentioned (I don't feel like wading through 5 pages of posts), but what about Lloyd Carr? Michigan has reasonably high general academic standards and, of course, a long history of gridiron success. I certainly don't believe that his "retirement" was anything more than a forced resignation...I also fully believe that his name will elicit strong opinions (probably on both sides of the aisle). Thoughts?

[jmb]

thoughts on lloyd carr: no way he goes from michigan to duke. let's be reasonable, people

[wilson]

thoughts on lloyd carr: no way he goes from michigan to duke. let's be reasonable, people

The same could have reasonably been said about Zook, Ron: Florida to Illinois. Looks like that worked out pretty well all the way around.

[killerleft]

Spurrier succeeded for several reasons. Great coach, winning attitude, trick defenses... and having Duke's best modern day offensive line, which was recruited by somebody else.

[Chicago 1995]

This has probably already been mentioned (I don't feel like wading through 5 pages of posts), but what about Lloyd Carr? Michigan has reasonably high general academic standards and, of course, a long history of gridiron success. I certainly don't believe that his "retirement" was anything more than a forced resignation...I also fully believe that his name will elicit strong opinions (probably on both sides of the aisle). Thoughts?


He's got financial reasons to stay at Michigan in an administrative role, and there are also persistent rumors that Lloyd's health is failing. He'll likely never coach again.

[watzone]

Spurrier succeeded for several reasons. Great coach, winning attitude, trick defenses... and having Duke's best modern day offensive line, which was recruited by somebody else.

Yep! Steve Sloan had one class ranked 7th in the nation.

[wilson]

He's got financial reasons to stay at Michigan in an administrative role, and there are also persistent rumors that Lloyd's health is failing. He'll likely never coach again.

Didn't know either of those things...I wasn't advocating him, just curious. Thanks for answering the question.

[Dopeshop]

I'm in my 50th year of supporting Duke sports( T'61).football season has become something to endure and to sigh with relief when it's over.. .The fans of other schools used to have a little back and forth with teasing and ribbing,but now it's mostly a look of pity along the lines "Why do you guys even bother to field a team?" One asked me point blank the per capita spending for each Duke football victory over the last 10 years.
I hope a coaching change helps . It's bound to create some renewed interest and energy. But if any of you see Alleva , please remind him of the following :

" It is a form of insanity to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. "

[blazindw]

He's got financial reasons to stay at Michigan in an administrative role, and there are also persistent rumors that Lloyd's health is failing. He'll likely never coach again.

I agree. Lloyd Carr is a phenomenal coach, and as a Michigan fan, I'm always loyal. He has one year on his contract as associate AD, then falls back into the consultant role (sort of in the way Bo Schembechler did before he died, though not as hands-on). It's 99.9% likely Lloyd will not coach again, but never say never.

[fan345678]

Originally Posted by jmb
thoughts on lloyd carr: no way he goes from michigan to duke. let's be reasonable, people

The same could have reasonably been said about Zook, Ron: Florida to Illinois. Looks like that worked out pretty well all the way around.

Heck, there's no need to be hasty. Let's wait and see how this Patriots videotaping scandal plays out. Maybe Bill Belichick will become available.

[whereinthehellami]

I don't get why Roof was fired without a detailed plan or a shift in paradigm first. Seems like they should have figured out the backoffice stuff first. It sounds like a fair amount of you guys that are close to the program are in disagreement on where the program should go. Almost like Alleva wants to get a good coach to take this job on a leap of faith and figure things out for him. Good luck with that. I think coaches now days are way more business savy than they used to be and walking into Duke as it stands now, would be equivalent to asking for a beating for 3 years before being mercifully fired, ie. taken out back and put out of misery.

[SoCalDukeFan]

The LA Times has Duke football as the last in the country.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-bottomten27nov27,1,2961005.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-coll_footb&ctrack=2&cset=true

Mississippi has hired Houston Nutt. (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7Ggzv7QnURViJhp0yFfPRHy6lEQD8T63DDO1)

[SoCalDukeFan]

I don't get why Roof was fired without a detailed plan or a shift in paradigm first. Seems like they should have figured out the backoffice stuff first. It sounds like a fair amount of you guys that are close to the program are in disagreement on where the program should go. Almost like Alleva wants to get a good coach to take this job on a leap of faith and figure things out for him. Good luck with that. I think coaches now days are way more business savy than they used to be and walking into Duke as it stands now, would be equivalent to asking for a beating for 3 years before being mercifully fired, ie. taken out back and put out of misery.

I thought that the story before the UNC-CH game was that there had been a study and Duke was going to get serious about football and fire Roof. Am I mistaken? Do you know that there is no plan?

I am sure that disagreements among fans is pretty common in college football, especially fans of teams with a losing record.

I would hope that Duke hires a coach who requires that the elements are put in place that will give him a reasonable chance for success. If a coach is willing to take the job without requiring certain things then JA should know not to hire him. However I think that the tougher job will be finding a coach who could be successful and who will take the job.

SoCal

[g4orce]

My comment to hiring a candidate just b/c they are of a certain race/color was in referrence to the front page article advocating hiring an A-A HC. I honestly don't care what color they are as long as we get the best we can get.

Regarding my comment about being successful b/c of trick plays or being a new coach is this: Trick plays can and do win games. HOWEVER, I think those are the rare events that occur based on a good game plan. You don't make every call a trick play - you just can't, but you do have to have a solid foundation of plays/schemes to get you into the position of being able to use a trick play to your advantage.

Spurrier, had success here on a short-term basis, and did motivate kids into playing with passion. I wonder what level of success he would have had had he stayed? How many years of a winning program would he have had with the admin stds being what they were, facility being what is was, etc...? Goldsmith had 1 good year with the holdovers from Spurrier, but look how fast we dropped after that, and Goldsmith had put Rice on the map, was a national COY 2 times (Rice & Duke) and still couldn't get past our own limitations.

As for Roof, IMHO, he played not to lose in numerous situations, including UNC this past weekend. You play to win, and for that I do fault the play calling from Roof at times. Like this past weekend @ UNC. How many games have we lost b/c of field goals? Why would we drive as far as we did on the last drive to waste 40 seconds for a 40+yd FG? Thad was moving the ball, we had 2 TO and could have moved the ball at leat 4 more plays, maybe 5, putting us either in the endzone or closer for a FG. Either was would have had a better result that what happend. I think Roof was too conservative at times and, well, a trick play or 2 or 3 would have helped us in several games. Heck, it would have at least made he process of watching us lose slightly more fun that a root canal.

[throatybeard]

He probably meant this from a front page article (Some Thoughts On Football)...

"We’d like to see Duke take a bold step and seek out an African-American coach, and unfortunately, that’s hard to do in college football, since there are so few black head coaches."

Which still isn't the same as:


Since when does the color of skin automatically qualify you for a position?

[Salty Breezes]

I was one of the folks who disagreed with the firing of Roof before the UNC game. I have to say I changed my mind afterward. Don't get me wrong, Roof deserves a lot of credit for getting our team prepared to play an opponent with much more talent, and our boys were much better than their boys for the whole game, but I've never been more disappointed with a coaching staff. Running the ball to the outside on 2nd and 10 and then on 3rd and 13 inside the opponent's 40 isn't playing to win, it isn't even playing not to lose -- it's not playing. Shame on the coaching staff for letting our team down.

That said, how about Ron English? He fell off the radar screen after Michigan's early-season debacle, but from what I've seen, he has the intensity to be a great head coach. And, no matter who we hire, let's take a page from Mississippi St. and be patient.

[BoC]

Which still isn't the same as:

Hey, I was just trying to help clarify his position. Lighten up just a little, please.

[Trinity84]

Rod Broadway

Ty Willingham

[Bluedawg]

Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Rod Broadway


Ty Willingham

Sorry, i deleted my post because I realized I had misunderstood the posts. I thought they were looking for black coaches, when i realized it was something different i removed it.

[Bluedawg]

thoughts on lloyd carr: no way he goes from michigan to duke. let's be reasonable, people

Two names and both would come here and do a good job are:

Terry Bowden who has said he wants to coach again and

Middle Tennessee State's head coach Rick Stockstill who i understand is on the list at Duke.

A third name, who might come, is the afore mentioned Rod Broadway.

However, i think the top name on the list is Steve Logan

[ikiru36]

What is Dennis Green up to? Obviously he'd be expensive and take a heck of a sell job, but he was a successful college coach at academic institutions like Northwestern and Stanford and I think he'd meet the "Wow" factor pretty well.

Maybe he'd like to return to college coaching where he clearly excelled and pull off another miraculous turnaround at a great academic school in a power conference, that no one thought could win?

I like a number of other names people have brought up, but wondering if people feel Dennis Green would be a good candidate, if he were a possibility.

[blazindw]

What is Dennis Green up to? Obviously he'd be expensive and take a heck of a sell job, but he was a successful college coach at academic institutions like Northwestern and Stanford and I think he'd meet the "Wow" factor pretty well.

Maybe he'd like to return to college coaching where he clearly excelled and pull off another miraculous turnaround at a great academic school in a power conference, that no one thought could win?

I like a number of other names people have brought up, but wondering if people feel Dennis Green would be a good candidate, if he were a possibility.

He is who we THOUGHT he was!

[langdonfan]

Mark Farley's name seems to rarely be mentioned for I-A coaching openings. Farley is the head coach at I-AA University of Northern Iowa. UNI has been to 3 National Championship games in his first six years as head coach. I think you have to look at guy like that.

http://unipanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/farley_mark00.html

[langdonfan]

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Michigan Assistant Fred Jackson is a candidate for the Duke Football opening and he may interview soon. Jackson had been the Assistant Head Coach at Michigan under Lloyd Carr and he was a candidate at Duke before Roof was hired in in 2004. He would be an experienced offensive coach and he is reportedly a very strong recruiter. I don't believe, however, he has the head coaching experience that Alleva claimed he would look for.

[blazindw]

Fred Jackson is a strong recruiter, but he did not have a lot of the decisionmaking on offense. That went to Mike DeBord, the offensive coordinator (who coached at Central Michigan before Brian Kelly). I don't know how much experience Jackson has running the offense, much less his head coaching experience.

[langdonfan]

Multiple media outlets are now also reporting that Chris Hatcher, head coach at Georgia Southern, is among those at the top of Duke's list.

Here is one link:

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7417512&nav=0qq9

[blazindw]

Multiple media outlets are now also reporting that Chris Hatcher, head coach at Georgia Southern, is among those at the top of Duke's list.

Here is one link:

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7417512&nav=0qq9

That same link says that Mike Shula (ex-'Bama coach) is also on the short list.

[watzone]

Fred Jackson will interview? Go on thinking that;)

[gotham devil]

Fred Jackson will interview? Go on thinking that;)

About as likely as Tito Jackson :D

[JasonEvans]

Multiple media outlets are now also reporting that Chris Hatcher, head coach at Georgia Southern, is among those at the top of Duke's list.

Here is one link:

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7417512&nav=0qq9

If we can get Chris Hatcher, we should jump at it. Thast kid is a very good coach and he knows recruiting in the state of Georgia well from his time at Valdosta State as well as Ga Southern. I am betting he would be a very strong recruiter for Duke. I think he'd be an ideal pick-up for us.

--Jason "Mike Shula, I dunno about that one" Evans

[throatybeard]

I'll bite. Who did we think Dennis Green was?

[formerdukeathlete]

If we can get Chris Hatcher, we should jump at it. Thast kid is a very good coach and he knows recruiting in the state of Georgia well from his time at Valdosta State as well as Ga Southern. I am betting he would be a very strong recruiter for Duke. I think he'd be an ideal pick-up for us.

--Jason "Mike Shula, I dunno about that one" Evans

Mike Shula:

he was a good student at Alabama.

he was a quarterback

he has NFL experience

he was a head coach

When Duke came close with them at Bama he did not slam Duke on his tv show. In fact he complimented Duke's play.

Duke has Bama on its schedule.

so, this might make sense.

[Indoor66]

Mike Shula:

he was a good student at Alabama.

he was a quarterback

he has NFL experience

he was a head coach

When Duke came close with them at Bama he did not slam Duke on his tv show. In fact he complimented Duke's play.

Duke has Bama on its schedule.

so, this might make sense.

Any kin to Don Shula of Baltimore & Miami fame?

[throatybeard]

Mike Shula:

he was a good student at Alabama.

Weldon Williams was a good student at Duke. I don't see him succeeding Coach K.


he was a quarterback

Other ex-player positions become coaches too.


he has NFL experience

Which was a disaster.


he was a head coach

I can't argue with that.


When Duke came close with them at Bama he did not slam Duke on his tv show. In fact he complimented Duke's play.

Coachspeak.


Duke has Bama on its schedule.

Why is that a reason for us to hire their ex-coach?


so, this might make sense.

You haven't really demonstrated that.

[formerdukeathlete]

Weldon Williams was a good student at Duke. I don't see him succeeding Coach K.



Other ex-player positions become coaches too.



Which was a disaster.



I can't argue with that.



Coachspeak.



Why is that a reason for us to hire their ex-coach?



You haven't really demonstrated that.

Indoor 66, yes this is Don shula's kid.

Throaty, Hey, I am not pushing the guy, but let me be a little more direct, spend a little more time commenting.

We play Alabama, and we recruit and can recruit in each other's backyards. Mike was a fairly serious student at Bama. My second hand includes someone who was in classes with Mike. He showed up every day, and not wearing football t-shirts. He did his school work with more follow through than was the typical, apparently. This is the kind of kid Duke needs to recruit. I would think someone who did the work, wanted to do the work, could sell the benefits of doing academic work in college, and relate to prospective athletes who want to do academic work in college. Mike has been involved with the NFL. Players we want will have NFL aspirations. Mike was a little too low key for the bama boosters. He won games. now boosters can see with a loss to UL Monroe that even the best coach cannot assure you BCS bowl appearances.

I am not making a strong case, but I tell you I kind of like the cut of this guys jib. It all would depend on what impression he made when being contacted, whether he wanted the job, whether he had that fire, determination.

[Mike Corey]

Fred Jackson will not be interviewing with Duke.

[langdonfan]

The more I think about it, I am sort of pulling for Rod Broadway to get this job. He was an assistant at Duke for a decade or more. He's been extremely successful in both of his first two head coaching positions. His record at NCCU and Grambling is something like 41-13 overall (although both are in Division II). He also seems somewhat unhappy at Grambling, and some fans are upset that they didn't beat Southern.

I hope the search committee takes a long hard look at him before some other D-1 school snatches him up in a year or two. Bring in Broadway and give him the money to hire some good assistant coaches.

[formerdukeathlete]

The more I think about it, I am sort of pulling for Rod Broadway to get this job. He was an assistant at Duke for a decade or more. He's been extremely successful in both of his first two head coaching positions. His record at NCCU and Grambling is something like 41-13 overall (although both are in Division II). He also seems somewhat unhappy at Grambling, and some fans are upset that they didn't beat Southern.

I hope the search committee takes a long hard look at him before some other D-1 school snatches him up in a year or two. Bring in Broadway and give him the money to hire some good assistant coaches.

And, selling the concept of academic work, going to one of the most prestigeous academic institutions for football?

This is where Roof kind of fell off. Trajan Langdon had 1300 plus SATs. Duke got him to come all the way from Alaska partly because of the kind of institution Duke is. We need a coach who can sell this, as K sells this.

Broadway is also a Tarheel for what that matters, is worth.

It is not just about on the field, we have to get the players, and the way to get them is not to get more academic exceptions made, and then get kids where Duke is their only BCS offer, but rather get a kid who trusts the coach as sufficiently big time, who has 1300s and who is being recuited by Penn State. He may be interested in med school, or law school or business school in addition to the NFL. And, all of Duke's professional schools are better than Penn States.

[devilish]

Does anyone know why he didn't coach again after Auburn?

I seem to remember something about violating ethics rules at the University. A rumor at the time involved a cheerleader.

[ikiru36]

I'll bite. Who did we think Dennis Green was?

Throaty,

I apologize if you asked this rhetorically, but I think he's simply (jokingly) referencing Green's now semi-famous retort after being beaten by the Bears a couple of years ago, "They are who we thought they were!"

Here's the video evidence... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E)

Maybe he's just crazy enough to take the job? ;0)

Go Duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Devils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[captmojo]

I seem to remember something about violating ethics rules at the University. A rumor at the time involved a cheerleader.

Hard to blame him.http://auburntigers.cstv.com/trads/aub-trads-spirit-squads.html

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Hard to blame him.http://auburntigers.cstv.com/trads/aub-trads-spirit-squads.html

I'm in lust.

[watzone]

Hard to blame him.http://auburntigers.cstv.com/trads/aub-trads-spirit-squads.html

Ya just had to throw me off with the suthern belles;)

[captmojo]

My, but don't dey feed'em good down nere in Muntgumry?:D

[grossbus]

for what it is worth, o'leary is quoted in today's orlando sentinel as saying UCF will be his last coaching job (the direct quote is something like his next job will be on the first tee box). he also has a $5million buy out clause.

[acciconoclast]

A nice lengthy blog entry on the merits of Paul Johnson. Hopefully Duke will at least seek to talk with him--most of the big schools appear to be passing him over once again...

http://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2005/06/dont-pass-on-paul-johnson.html

[langdonfan]

And, selling the concept of academic work, going to one of the most prestigeous academic institutions for football?

This is where Roof kind of fell off. Trajan Langdon had 1300 plus SATs. Duke got him to come all the way from Alaska partly because of the kind of institution Duke is. We need a coach who can sell this, as K sells this.



Rod Broadway was an assistant for a long time in D-1 with Duke (part of his tenure included what was sadly our most successful decade (maybe?) in the last 25 years or more, 1984-1994) and later Florida, so he has experience recruiting. That said, recruiting is one of the reasons we have to improve the coaching staff underneath the head coach. I don't see why Broadway and his staff could not sell the academics at Duke. I am sure Coach K sells this, but it is unfair to compare football recruiting at Duke to basketball recruiting at Duke. The basketball program is well established and, it largely sells itself. Those super recruits who have high SAT scores, like a Langdon, are often interested in Duke before they even hear from Coach K.



Broadway is also a Tarheel for what that matters, is worth.

Well that changes everything!! ;-) Joking aside, I was aware of that. I don't think it matters too much though.

[jimsumner]

For those of you who think Rod Broadway should be automatically disqualified because he is a UNC alum, I have two words.

TERRY
SANFORD

[formerdukeathlete]

That said, recruiting is one of the reasons we have to improve the coaching staff underneath the head coach. I don't see why Broadway and his staff could not sell the academics at Duke.

IMO, a coach has to be able to go into homes in Ohio, Pa, Michigan, and interest 3 star rated 1100 - 1200 sat neighborhood players who just might have aspirations for professional school or a carrer on Wall Street, for example, in addition to expecting to make it to the NFL.

perhaps a mondern day Jack Marin football equivalent.

Boston College does a pretty good job going after these kinds of kids.

The academic hook is available, it works to some degree, if you are better academically in terms of prestige, rankings, then it should work better, provided one's school is credibly serious about football. IMO, Duke needs a coach which will give it instant credibility. Then, should Duke go after the better students, they just might land kids otherwise destined for Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State who have good sats.

Not to disparage, and qualify that this is anecdotal, with Roof sats of entering classes on the football team declined a bit year on year. They were highest with his best recruitng class - so there may not be this unavoidable correlation - higher sats = poorer recruits at Duke. As football looked more dismal, less hopeful, interest from good students who had offers from other BCS schools dwindled. So make it hopeful again, and use that academic hook to full advantage.

[OldPhiKap]

For those of you who think Rod Broadway should be automatically disqualified because he is a UNC alum, I have two words.

TERRY
SANFORD

I don't think he can take the coaching job.

[cspan37421]

Bill Murray! I didn't realize how great he was as an ACC-championship caliber coach, but I loved his work over the years, from SNL and Caddyshack to Lost in Translation. Any recruit with a sense of humor is going to love him.

;)

[RPS]

IMO, a coach has to be able to go into homes in Ohio, Pa, Michigan, and interest 3 star rated 1100 - 1200 sat neighborhood players who just might have aspirations for professional school or a carrer on Wall Street, for example, in addition to expecting to make it to the NFL.

perhaps a mondern day Jack Marin football equivalent.

Boston College does a pretty good job going after these kinds of kids.

I have a fair amount of current experience here and I agree. As a whole, the Ivies do a good job in this area and get more good players than they otherwise would for just this reason. Out here, Cal, Stanford, USC and UCLA all are very good schools and have done it well. Notre Dame does it; BC does it (as you mentioned); Wake does it; Michigan does it. UVa does it. Vandy does it. Northwestern does it.

Duke has some great advantages. We should be able to use them. They idea that we somehow can't compete is simply nuts, if a ready excuse.

[kexman]

For those of you who watched the pittsburgh/miami game on monday night....what about flooding our field? Granted it wouldn't be much fun to watch and it would probably hurt recruiting in the long term. However, in the short term we might reduce the point spreads if no one can score. At that point it might even come down to pure luck who could score.

The other advantage is that we would negate our kicking woes if neither team could kick.

These are the creative thoughts we need from our next coach...maybe just turn the 20 to 35 into mud since we can't kick from that distance.


I once played a soccer game in standing water...there was no dribbling. Just boot the ball in a direction...it was actually kind of fun for one game:)

[blazindw]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/11/28/briles.baylor.ap/index.html

Baylor just hired Houston coach Art Briles as their head coach today. But that's not the wow part. The wow comes when you see his new contract:

"The Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site that Briles will get a seven-year contract for about $1.8 million per season. Briles, who turns 52 Monday, had four years left on his Houston contract with a base salary of $900,000 annually."

Baylor, a similarly small private school, just gave a coach from a mid-major conference $1.8 million per year. Doesn't anyone think that we have to at least come close to that number for our next coach?

[Bluedawg]

IMO, a coach has to be able to go into homes in Ohio, Pa, Michigan, and interest 3 star rated 1100 - 1200 sat neighborhood players who just might have aspirations for professional school or a carrer on Wall Street, for example, in addition to expecting to make it to the NFL.

Initally they will be focused on the NFL. the school's academnic record will handle after the NFL.

Rod Broadway's national championship rings would help a bit, don't you thnik?

[formerdukeathlete]

Initally they will be focused on the NFL. the school's academnic record will handle after the NFL.

Rod Broadway's national championship rings would help a bit, don't you thnik?

RPS' son is a highly rated recruit. I would ask whether he agrees with me. My opinion is that when you are recruiting a 1200 neighborhood sat high school player, high in his high school class, 3 star rated and getting offers from Big Ten schools, his focus may be in fact education first, football program first, in a tie.

How will Duke compete:

by offering more potential playing time.

forget redshirting, we want you to help now, we want you to win.

higher ranked academic school.

good placement office.

some help with our excellent graduate schools.

IMO, there are better people out there who will give us instant credibility, and better people out there to sell what Duke has to offer.

For example, a Quin Snyder who got his JD MBA after his playing career and at Duke. Now when K recruited him, I kind of think that our graduate schools were on his mind even while still in high school.

a 3 star 1200 sat kid might even be thinking about student life, weather, he might even be a college b ball fan. Ben R. of the Steelers said he almost came to Duke for football because he liked Duke basketball.

[Bluedawg]

How will Duke compete:

forget redshirting, we want you to help now, we want you to win.

For example, a Quin Snyder who got his JD MBA after his playing career and at Duke. Now when K recruited him, I kind of think that our graduate schools were on his mind even while still in high school.


Which is what franks did and how Duke wound up with no depth. The best players play, those who may be a year away get redshirted.

Like i said, the school sells the academics

[RPS]

My opinion is that when you are recruiting a 1200 neighborhood sat high school player, high in his high school class, 3 star rated and getting offers from Big Ten schools, his focus may be in fact education first, football program first, in a tie.

Yup. With a kid who is also an excellent student, you have a chance to get them to look beyond football and to consider life after the NFL (or even that playing on Sundays might never happen).


How will Duke compete:

by offering more potential playing time.

Yup.


...forget redshirting, we want you to help now, we want you to win.

The kids like that. But as a parent, I like redshiring, even beyond the athletic advantages and the opportunity to "settle in" to college life (especially hard for football players because they often play a game even before classes start). Five years plus summers and a player has no excuse for not graduating and might even get some substantial graduate work done.

Were I a HC, I'd redshirt at almost all cost. It has been crucial to Wake's success, for example. It doesn't make sense to keep a Reggie Bush off the field, but I'd redshirt almost all other freshman, even those who could help immediately. Of course, that's why administration support is so vital. Grobe only got Wake to a winning level in his fifth year, though he was competitive from the get-go....


...higher ranked academic school.Agreed. My son has eliminated all schools not in the top 30 or so of the rankings (though I'm not conceding the legitimacy of the rankings).


...good placement office.

Excellent and underappreciated point.


...some help with our excellent graduate schools.

Ditto.


a 3 star 1200 sat kid might even be thinking about student life, weather, he might even be a college b ball fan.

Correct on all counts.

[Duvall]

good placement office.


What does this have to do with Duke?

(Note: my impressions are a decade out of date. Things may well have improved since then.)

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Correct on all counts.

Has your son made his choice yet?

[SoCalDukeFan]

I played golf on Saturday with a Stanford alum and asked him if he would support Stanford lowering academic requirements for football players.

He said he was totally against it. He reported that Harbaugh said that there were about 100 players each year good enough for Div 1 and good enough for
Stanford academically, and Harbaugh's goal was got get 40 of them. I can not comment on Harbaugh's numbers.

There will be lots of schools going after a pretty small pool.

SoCal

[smvalkyries]

Indoor66- Houck might be an interesting candidate but I am note entirely sure the present Duke job is a step up from a perpetually winning program at Montana? Duke football is a very hard position to fill- if we adopt Coach K's philosophy that we want someone who at least dream's of national prominence I think we need to look, as DBR suggested at the pool of over looked black assistant's who have not been given a fair opportunity. We need someone w/o the experience to know how tough a job this really is LOL or someone young or desperate enough to sincerely believe that he can pull it off anyway. As with any rebuilding process the start has to be with recruiting and as a small mid-atlantic school with no recent history of success, limited fan support for football, tough academics and an archaic stadium that won't be easy without some form of edge. Actually I think Ted Roof made great strides in that area and recruited more than a few players that very few people believed he could get at Duke. Alas too few of these too late.
In summary yes it can be done, but in my opinion not with a retread division IA coach- anyone good enough to do it on the rebound is smart enough to try somewhere easier than Duke unless precluded by something irrational like skin color from having the opportunity to do so. It's either that of hire a Somoan coach and bring in 20 Samoan linemen a year ( as the only Asians large enough as a whole to play collegiate football?) to go with our talented skill players.

[formerdukeathlete]

I played golf on Saturday with a Stanford alum and asked him if he would support Stanford lowering academic requirements for football players.

He said he was totally against it. He reported that Harbaugh said that there were about 100 players each year good enough for Div 1 and good enough for
Stanford academically, and Harbaugh's goal was got get 40 of them. I can not comment on Harbaugh's numbers.

There will be lots of schools going after a pretty small pool.

SoCal


Stanford still targets an 1100 sat average (old scale) and so should Duke, IMO.

This means, for example, that half of the recruits could average 1050 and half could average 1150.

I think Goldsmith said he was limited to 35% of the Division 1-A suitable recruiting pool - this was when Duke had higher requirements (average targets) than it does today. There are what 135 1-A schools offering as many as 25 schollies a year. That is 3125 recruits. Presume Stanford can admit only 20% of the eventually admitted 1-A pool, and you are looking at a pool of 625 for Stanford's 25.

Whatever the math, sounds like indirect school bragging by the stanford person in question.

[throatybeard]

Everybody's talking about the old scale (of which I was the last class, in 1993-94), but it's been re-normed at least twice since then, and then you've got the third section.

Point being: I submit that no one over 24 who doesn't work for the admissions office knows crap about the SAT or ACT these days.

[langdonfan]

Let's say Willingham ends up in the market for a new job. He is coming off of a disappointing season at Washington. For the right price...does anyone think Duke would have a shot at him?

[gotham devil]

Let's say Willingham ends up in the market for a new job. He is coming off of a disappointing season at Washington. For the right price...does anyone think Duke would have a shot at him?

He'd love the golf in North Carolina, but, as a football coach, I wouldn't touch him. Ask virtually anyone familiar with his time at Notre Dame and they will all you tell you about his mornings on the golf course and the lack of effort in recruiting. Brady Quinn was an absolute gift from the father of another commit (Chinedum Ndukwe). Let John Saunders, Rod Gilmore, and Mark May bestow him with sainthood, but don't hire him for Duke. May he go to Carolina. For Duke, if they are interested in tapping into the African-American pool, there are far too many talented assistant head coaches who deserve an opportunity to interview before this huckster finds his next home.

[Uncle Drew]

:mad: Call me Mr. Negativity if you want. But Duke football is in such a funk it will take years and years to turn around just to mediocrity, let alone getting bowl eligible or competing for any regular season title. People are throwing names out left and right as usual when a vacancy opens. But truth be told I'm not sure there is a "Mr. Right" for the job. The Duke football coach reputation is now that of a place to go when you want your career to die. It's not even seen as a spring board to a bigger and better job anymore for division 1-AA head coaches and co-coordinators from big time football schools or the NFL. I remember in the Spurrier years seeing a toddler with a tee shirt on that said, "The Next Ben Bennett At Duke". (Where is that kid when we need him??!!) But the truth is Duke has been losing so long many of us as fans have no excitement about college football or faith things will get better. Many Duke alums want the program just to get back to respectability so they can face their non Duke grad coworkers September through November. There are a ton of Duke basketball fans out there who don't consider themselves Duke football fans or even pull for another school during football season. Hardly anyone wants to pay the price of admission for themselves and family to see their team get mangled by the away team. And like it or not that's what most of us expect when we head to Wallace Wade stadium and it's the reason so many would be Duke football fans stay away.


Blame goes around to many areas of Duke for many years back. Alleva didn't build this monster of a situation it was handed to him. I'm not saying he doesn't share blame, but then so do the trustees, professors, grads and yes even the fans including myself. Do I want Duke to allow players on the team who couldn't pass Basket Weaving 101, just to win some games? No, but there are students out there who with some tutoring could pass and eventually excel at Duke academically. Do I want Duke to lower to division 1-AA, close down the football program or as one columnist suggested join the Big East in football? No, that is quitting and admission of failure. That kind of attitude would permeate all Duke athletics if given a foothold. Do I think putting a dome over Wallace Wade and building state of the art facilities is the answer? No, but even a fresh coat of paint will raise the value on a one bedroom shack. Duke football has been severely wounded and intensive care for decades now and the powers that be have chosen to treat the patient with band-aids and cough syrup. Now they claim they are actually going to do surgery to fix the problem, but I fear the patient may be permanently disabled due to neglect and improper diagnosis.


Duke's best hope is to actually get a good X's and O's coach who can recruit his glutimus maximus off, big name or no big name and pay the guy a competitive salary. Institute massive red shirting and strength building programs for all players along with tutoring for the not your usual Duke player as far as academics go. Most everyone agrees attending Duke elevates the class and inner person of those who went there. But it's almost like the powers that be are scared that by lowering the standards a bit for a few it will lead to a lowered dignity and respect of the university as a whole. I'm not saying we want a University of Miami type program with low class players off and on the field getting Duke in the papers for all the wrong reasons. But I'm tired of seeing Duke play VT, Miami, FSU and seeing a noticeable difference in the size of players, depth at each position and talent in key areas. Duke players are supposed to be smart, we see them play smart in basketball EVERY game. But the last few years I've seen stupid bone head plays that Duke can't make up for because of lack of talent, size and strength. And yes a Duke degree is a great thing to have, but it's not a selling point to a person who could possibly make millions of dollars in the NFL some day. Vince Oghobaase is a good student and great athlete who chose Duke because of academics, but he's a huge exception to the rule. Any new coach will be asking players to suit up for a team that hasn't won a bowl game in their lifetime or been to one in their memory. The player knows he won't be seen on TV by NFL scouts because WE know we have to watch a Yahoo clicker to see reports of the game or try and find a radio station without to much static to listen to it. (For years I thought Bob Harris had one of those microphone larynges because every time I heard him speak the static was so bad.)

I hope to God Duke's big wigs do put their money where their mouths are and dedicate time, money and energy to the Football program. But I for one have been hearing the same old jargon for so long, it's almost like hearing a fairy tale for the 100th time. I had my doubts the first couple of times, but I'm pretty sure Goldilocks won't be a cheerleader next season and I know the three bears will not be rushing the opposing quarterback.

[formerdukeathlete]

Everybody's talking about the old scale (of which I was the last class, in 1993-94), but it's been re-normed at least twice since then, and then you've got the third section.

Point being: I submit that no one over 24 who doesn't work for the admissions office knows crap about the SAT or ACT these days.

Throaty, You were the last class, apparently before the test was recentered with mean scores increased.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT

from the wiki article, it appears that scores are still given on a 1600 scale as well as in a 2400 scale.

After you took the SAT, around 1994, the 1600 scores were recentered, giving test takers "30 to 70 point advantages over parents" Higher nearly 1600 scores are more common today.

This is partly why Duke's SAT averages went into the 1400s.

But, it is also why it is pathetic if Duke cannot find footballers with 1000 + SATs these days, because this is kind of like 930 SATs back when Throaty and even I took the test. I would submit that Duke should not admit athletes scoring in the bottom half of a scholastic assessment test.

[Bluedawg]

Let's say Willingham ends up in the market for a new job. He is coming off of a disappointing season at Washington. For the right price...does anyone think Duke would have a shot at him?

Word on the street is that he will be available and Duke is interested.

[Bluedawg]

:mad: Call me Mr. Negativity if you want. But Duke football is in such a funk it will take years and years to turn around just to mediocrity, let alone getting bowl eligible or competing for any regular season title.

I read this and didn't need to go any further. this was so far from being accurate that nothing else written could have made up for it.

[formerdukeathlete]

Word on the street is that he will be available and Duke is interested.

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/TyroneWillingham.htm

Willingham would have to be fired, which he might be in the process of being.

If Duke pays a $3 million buyout for Willingham, when there are a number of good coaches out there who can win games, I will be changing the beneficiaries under my will. Duke's athletic department wont need my money; they must have money to burn.

On the other hand if he is without a job and without a buyout clause this might be worth pursuing, IMO.

[RPS]

Has your son made his choice yet?

Not yet. The most likelies are Cal, Michigan, Wake and USC, but Michigan is up-in-the-air due to the coaching change. HYP among the Ivies haven't been eliminated. I expect Berkeley to win, but we'll see.


I played golf on Saturday with a Stanford alum and asked him if he would support Stanford lowering academic requirements for football players.

He said he was totally against it.

Again, I think it a mistake to put so much focus on admission requirements. I'm far more interested in results (i.e., graduation rates).


He reported that Harbaugh said that there were about 100 players each year good enough for Div 1 and good enough for
Stanford academically, and Harbaugh's goal was got get 40 of them.

That's just Harbaugh being Harbaugh. Stanford's standards for football players aren't significantly different from those of many other fine academic schools.

[Bluedawg]

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/TyroneWillingham.htm

Willingham would have to be fired, which he might be in the process of being.

If Duke pays a $3 million buyout for Willingham, when there are a number of good coaches out there who can win games, I will be changing the beneficiaries under my will. Duke's athletic department wont need my money; they must have money to burn.

On the other hand if he is without a job and without a buyout clause this might be worth pursuing, IMO.

The word is that he will be fired.

[Uncle Drew]

I read this and didn't need to go any further. this was so far from being accurate that nothing else written could have made up for it.

I wish it wasn't accurate, and I hope to God I'm wrong. If Willingham is on the market Duke should pay top dollar to TRY and get him. He would be perfect IF he would agree to come to Duke.


Blue, Duke was a few plays away from maybe having a winning season this year. But things usually get worse before they get better and no matter who the coach is the rest of the ACC will be better next year over all. Even if Duke is better with a new coach I'm not sure it will end up producing W's. One thing is for sure it will be a LONG time before Duke has the chance to beat UNC and Notre Dame in the same Football season.

[OldPhiKap]

Blue, Duke was a few plays away from maybe having a winning season this year. But things usually get worse before they get better and no matter who the coach is the rest of the ACC will be better next year over all. Even if Duke is better with a new coach I'm not sure it will end up producing W's. One thing is for sure it will be a LONG time before Duke has the chance to beat UNC and Notre Dame in the same Football season.


Hell, it seems that we were only a good field goal kicker away from a number of wins the last two years.

[Bluedawg]

I wish it wasn't accurate, and I hope to God I'm wrong. If Willingham is on the market Duke should pay top dollar to TRY and get him. He would be perfect IF he would agree to come to Duke.


Blue, Duke was a few plays away from maybe having a winning season this year. But things usually get worse before they get better and no matter who the coach is the rest of the ACC will be better next year over all. Even if Duke is better with a new coach I'm not sure it will end up producing W's. One thing is for sure it will be a LONG time before Duke has the chance to beat UNC and Notre Dame in the same Football season.

I'm not a Willingham fan and not sure i want him. I'd prefer Logan or Broadway, or Hatcher.

We were a few plays away from a winning season last year which is why i advocated for TR to finish the job. I still think strength and conditioning needs to be examined real closely.

I can't buy into your pessimism. i see this year as hopeful and foundation setting, I realize you don't.

[Uncle Drew]

I'm not a Willingham fan and not sure i want him. I'd prefer Logan or Broadway, or Hatcher.

We were a few plays away from a winning season last year which is why i advocated for TR to finish the job. I still think strength and conditioning needs to be examined real closely.

I can't buy into your pessimism. i see this year as hopeful and foundation setting, I realize you don't.

Blue, Willingham ran a clean program at ND (also known for high academics) and basically lost his job for not living up to ND standards. (See record this year for an even worse example.) The guy can recruit and coach. It's not a big deal to me as I want best candidate for the job but as an African American head coach hiring him would put Duke in a different light around the nation in the eyes of the media.

We both agreed Roof should have been given more time to at least coach his seniors. And we agree 1000% about strength, conditioning, red-shirting etc.

I just see the program as so far down and the it's not a monkey on the back of the Duke football program it's a 800lb gorilla nailed to it's collective back. Granted I am always a pessimist (pessimists are NEVER disappointed) but at the same time I honestly thought Roof would win more than he did at the start of each season and it didn't happen.

I've been going to Duke football games since I was two years old and I have yet to see a Duke football team win a bowl game. Yet my father told me of the great football teams he witnessed first hand in the 1930's, 1940's and even 1960's. The reason I am so pessimistic is that I have seen the University make lame attempts to get the job done as cheaply as possible when it comes to head coaches. And the stadium I saw as a child is pretty much the same stadium I attended games as a two year old, with the addition of a media center and minus wooden planks for benches. (I still have splinters in my glutimus maximus!) And to be quite frank the outcomes of the games are pretty much the same if not worse than during my childhood. Duke is easy to pull for in basketball and a pride of the University. But in my opinion the powers that be can not say they have taken any pride in the program (certainly since Spurrier left.) or Duke football and facilities would not be in the present shape they are in.


I hope I'm dead wrong blue and whatever coach that comes in makes me eat my words. I'll print this out and have it as a sandwich. But I have lived long enough to know rock bottom is a hard climb back up from.

[blazindw]

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/11/29/Football/Roofs.Replacement.Prospects.Begin.To.Surface-3122373.shtml

The Chronicle has an article out about the coaching prospects. In it, it says that Broadway has stated he's not interested in the job.

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/11/29/News/Spurrier.Meets.With.Joe.Alleva-3122365.shtml

This talks about Spurrier being on campus. It does state that they don't deny that Spurrier is a candidate, but Art Chase goes on to say "Everyone's a candidate". Sounds like South Carolina didn't even know he was on campus. Read into it what you will.

[Devilsfan]

pay the new coach a competitive salary. There seems to be a correlation between what we have paid our hc and our final rank in d-1 standings.
That said I hope we don't go after some retread like a Bowden or a coach that has failed twice at schools like Notre Dame and Washington. How can the Ohio State University find a coach at Youngstown State and not miss a beat. There must be an Urban Meyer or Jim Tressel out there somewhere. We just need to find him. Not an easy task but that's why we pay Alleva the big bucks.

[Uncle Drew]

pay the new coach a competitive salary. There seems to be a correlation between what we have paid our hc and our final rank in d-1 standings.
That said I hope we don't go after some retread like a Bowden or a coach that has failed twice at schools like Notre Dame and Washington. How can the Ohio State University find a coach at Youngstown State and not miss a beat. There must be an Urban Meyer or Jim Tressel out there somewhere. We just need to find him. Not an easy task but that's why we pay Alleva the big bucks.

Because Ohio State already had facilities, a winning tradition one didn't have to be 50+ years old to remember, the entire state of Ohio basically a lock when recruiting, no 0-13 or 1-12 seasons in the last 10 years and not back to back to back, the career suicide that has become the Duke football head coaching position etc.

You are on the money seeing the correlation between $$$$ and standings. Some of us have figured out in this world you get what you pay for unlike Duke university when hiring a football coach. That's not to say a lot of money won't buy you a lemon of a car / coach. But if you keep buying 1972 Gremlins don't be shocked you aren't winning the race.


We can debate who WE think is best night and day on here but the truth is the powers that be will decide. Frankly I don't have as much faith in decision making as others on here. But maybe old dogs can learn new tricks.:rolleyes:

[Bluedawg]

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/11/29/Football/Roofs.Replacement.Prospects.Begin.To.Surface-3122373.shtml

The Chronicle has an article out about the coaching prospects. In it, it says that Broadway has stated he's not interested in the job.

I like this guy more and more...


Chris Hatcher - Inventor of the famed 'Hatch Attack,' a creative passing approach that spreads the field and the ball, Hatcher's name floated to the top when Alleva said he was looking for a more exciting and prolific offense. The Georgia Southern head coach led the Eagles to a 7-4 record in his first year at the helm. Hatcher told The Chronicle Wednesday morning that he had not yet been contacted by Duke officials about the vacancy.

[gotham devil]

Word on the street is that he will be available and Duke is interested.

The last thing this program needs is this huckster. The ND fans all appreciate the fact that he has been exposed in Washington for the lazy, incompetent that he is. If the school is interested in tapping into the African-American coaching pool, there are far too many talented, hard working deserving assistant coaches who deserve an opportunity to interview before this charlatan. We can't afford to waste three years of him playing golf in North Carolina instead of recruiting only to have to suffer the ramifications (the same accusations of racism from the chorus of John Saunders, Rod Gilmore, and Scoop Jackson have tossed at ND and will toss at Washington) of firing this incompetent.

Washington already recognizes that they bought false goods.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/stevekelley/2004039190_kelley28.html

May he wind up one day at Carolina.

[Duvall]

The last thing this program needs is this huckster. The ND fans all appreciate the fact that he has been exposed in Washington for the lazy, incompetent that he is.

Well okay then.

[formerdukeathlete]

The last thing this program needs is this huckster. The ND fans all appreciate the fact that he has been exposed in Washington for the lazy, incompetent that he is. If the school is interested in tapping into the African-American coaching pool, there are far too many talented, hard working deserving assistant coaches who deserve an opportunity to interview before this charlatan. We can't afford to waste three years of him playing golf in North Carolina instead of recruiting only to have to suffer the ramifications (the same accusations of racism from the chorus of John Saunders, Rod Gilmore, and Scoop Jackson have tossed at ND and will toss at Washington) of firing this incompetent.

Washington already recognizes that they bought false goods.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/stevekelley/2004039190_kelley28.html

May he wind up one day at Carolina.

is hire a coach for image reasons, or to make a political statement. look at all the data points, recuiting success, winning games, recent success, long-term track record, etc.

George O'Leary was fired by Notre Dame partly because Willingham had continued to lobby the school through his agent, imo. So at the time he was at the cadillac of, the "notre dame" of academic 1-A schools, but wanted more. so why do we thing he would be happy, let alone competent, based on his poor game day results, to coach Duke.

[SoCalDukeFan]

My friends who follow Notre Dame tells me that Willingham recruited well his first year and lousy the next two. I really do not know of his work habits but we really do not need a lazy coach.

I really really hope we do not buy out his contract.

How about Gary Barnett? Won at Northwestern. Obvious issues at Colorado but he probably learned from what happened?

I want a coach with head coaching experience who can bring in a quality staff.

Regarding Roof - Yes we were close to winning several. We were also close to losing NW. The kicking game costs us in 2006 and was worse or at least as bad in 2007. Roof did not fix it and does not seem to have done what could have been to fix it - recruit a kicker, hire an experienced kicking coach. If you still have a tape of the NW game then watch Duke snap the ball with 10-15 seconds left on the play clock and game clock running on Duke's last possession. A well coached team would not NW have the chances to win that Duke did. Roof seems like a great guy. He was probably put in can't win situation. However Duke football needed a new direction. I hope JA and committee come up a quality coach. I am hopeful but skeptical.

SoCal

[Duvall]

George O'Leary was fired by Notre Dame partly because Willingham had continued to lobby the school through his agent, imo.

"imo"? Well okay then.

[pamtar]

You say tomato, I say Amato.

[Duvall]

How about Gary Barnett? Won at Northwestern. Obvious issues at Colorado but he probably learned from what happened?



This strikes me as a poor idea, all things considered.

[throatybeard]

This strikes me as a poor idea, all things considered.

Naw, it's got everything, up to and including the scandal with a female PK.

[captmojo]

My earlier question about Tom Knotts was shot down but I've got another in-state high school coach I think might be worthy of a look.
http://www.ncprepreport.com/highschools/default.asp?id=110&type=Records

I know it's been said that the committee is only looking at past successful D1 head coaches, but I like the idea of promotion for someone who appears to be a success at a lower level and has a local appeal.

Jimmy Teague has won 113 games since the year 2000. He coached Raphael Chestnut in high school. Ask him what he might think. If he reads these boards, maybe he would be willing to answer this query himself.

Coach Teague is once again leading his Reidsville Rams into the state championship game next weekend in Carter-Finley. Maybe after he wins his 16th game of the season (no offense to those in Shelby NC) the committee would consider talking to him.

I welcome responses from other on this suggestion. As bad as Duke's record has been, I feel it to be imperative that they not limit themselves in any way to find what could be the right man in the right situation.

[Bluedawg]

My earlier question about Tom Knotts was shot down but I've got another in-state high school coach I think might be worthy of a look.
http://www.ncprepreport.com/highschools/default.asp?id=110&type=Records

I know it's been said that the committee is only looking at past successful D1 head coaches, but I like the idea of promotion for someone who appears to be a success at a lower level and has a local appeal.

Jimmy Teague has won 113 games since the year 2000. He coached Raphael Chestnut in high school. Ask him what he might think. If he reads these boards, maybe he would be willing to answer this query himself.

Coach Teague is once again leading his Reidsville Rams into the state championship game next weekend in Carter-Finley. Maybe after he wins his 16th game of the season (no offense to those in Shelby NC) the committee would consider talking to him.

I welcome responses from other on this suggestion. As bad as Duke's record has been, I feel it to be imperative that they not limit themselves in any way to find what could be the right man in the right situation.

But isn't HS to D1 a rather large leap? By a "promotion for someone who appears to be a success at a lower level" I'm thinking 1AA to 1A

[Indoor66]

With the speculation about Navy coach Paul Johnson, I notice the Army - Navy game is on CBS at Noon today. I am sure we will be joining Bob Green if we watch! :)

[Acymetric]

I don't really like the Paul Johnson hire. His style would have very little success at least until he'd had 3 or 4 of his recruiting classes. And by very little I don't mean 4-5 wins, I mean on par with where we've been. Why? Look at our personnel...no matter how tricky you are we don't have a running team right now. Plus if you're going to run you're going to have to run fast if you want to beat ACC teams like Clemson or FSU.

[acciconoclast]

For over 20 years (as OC and HC) , Johnson's teams have set offensive record after offensive record. And won big and quickly, while averaging 30-40 ppg and 400+ ypg. The roster matters less with Johnson than with most coaches. He is a GREAT teaching coach. His teams' success comes from operating with precise, near flawless, execution. He would do the same at Duke. Duke would be a 6 win team--or more--by year two under Johnson. I think he is the same caliber coach as Jim Tressel.

Duke IMO would be extremely fortunate to get Paul Johnson and such an appointment would definitely get the attention of other ACC teams. The guy wins and wins.

[Acymetric]

Well another problem (and I haven't watched many Navy games so I don't know this for sure) but it seems like it would get boring to watch a team that runs the ball every down exept maybe 2 or 3 in a game. I feel like we need something that'll draw in fans a little more even before we win (an exciting offense). I know it doesn't seem like something that should impact a coaching decision, but its such a huge problem at Duke that it should affect the hiring process.

[rockymtn devil]

But isn't HS to D1 a rather large leap? By a "promotion for someone who appears to be a success at a lower level" I'm thinking 1AA to 1A

Notre Dame hired Gerry Faust straight from Cincinnati Moeller and he struggled, at least by Irish standards. He went 5-6 in his first season and finished his career with a record of 30-26-1. I like the idea of Duke hiring someone from 1-AA, but not high school.

[cspan37421]

Well another problem (and I haven't watched many Navy games so I don't know this for sure) but it seems like it would get boring to watch a team that runs the ball every down exept maybe 2 or 3 in a game. I feel like we need something that'll draw in fans a little more even before we win (an exciting offense). I know it doesn't seem like something that should impact a coaching decision, but its such a huge problem at Duke that it should affect the hiring process.

I can only speak for myself, but I would be very surprised if most folks here wouldn't LOVE to have boring wins vs. any kind of loss. The only wins I think folks here might not want is dishonorable ones, such as with athletes who are complete frauds as students. Short of that, bring on whatever works within the rules.

[Acymetric]

I can only speak for myself, but I would be very surprised if most folks here wouldn't LOVE to have boring wins vs. any kind of loss. The only wins I think folks here might not want is dishonorable ones, such as with athletes who are complete frauds as students. Short of that, bring on whatever works within the rules.

Right but I also said that I wouldn't expect much improvement right away if we're on a strictly run offense, so for at least a couple more seasons I think we'd be about where we are (maybe 1 or 2 more games) in wins. That in addition to not being exciting to watch would mean very little fan interest, and we need to get fans involved as soon as possible. This Duke team is very capable of winning in a pass oriented offense, but we just don't have the players for a running offense. I think the main reason we didn't win at least a few games was play calling, not offensive style.

Well, that and special teams.

Maybe they'll hire him and he'll do great, but I'd rather see some of the other candidates (particularly a coach with a more passing attack approach) get in. Think back to Spurrier, he didn't win by running the ball, did he?

[jimsumner]

Don't necessarily assume that Johnson would bring all of the Navy offense to Duke. He had a much more varied attack at Georgia Southern.

Spurrier did win at Duke by throwing the ball. But he did have some good running backs. Remember Randy Cuthbert? Besides all of the losing teams Duke has had since Spurrier left have tried to pass the ball first. The only winning team since Spurrier was Goldsmith's first and that team was led by Robert Baldwin. Anyone else take a 1200-yard rusher and an 8-3 regular season?

[Devilsfan]

He's back in Charlotte playing for championships again. Duke got someone from Md. to run to offense all the way to the bottom of the nation. This so called coach from Md. demaded to also coach the qbs if he came and Roof caved. Thus Knotts was gone.

[Acymetric]

Don't necessarily assume that Johnson would bring all of the Navy offense to Duke. He had a much more varied attack at Georgia Southern.

Spurrier did win at Duke by throwing the ball. But he did have some good running backs. Remember Randy Cuthbert? Besides all of the losing teams Duke has had since Spurrier left have tried to pass the ball first. The only winning team since Spurrier was Goldsmith's first and that team was led by Robert Baldwin. Anyone else take a 1200-yard rusher and an 8-3 regular season?

Ok, but we don't have good running backs as far as I can tell (or else we don't have a line to block for them...maybe both). Our best bet from what I can see is freshman Jay Hollingsworth, but who knows how he'll do in college. I'm not saying I don't like rushing, I'm saying that if we do get him hopefully he'll wait to implement his system until he has the players to run it effectively. Right now we have some pretty good receivers and two solid QB's, it would be a waste not to use that while they're here.

[A-Tex Devil]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/11/28/briles.baylor.ap/index.html

Baylor just hired Houston coach Art Briles as their head coach today. But that's not the wow part. The wow comes when you see his new contract:

"The Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site that Briles will get a seven-year contract for about $1.8 million per season. Briles, who turns 52 Monday, had four years left on his Houston contract with a base salary of $900,000 annually."

Baylor, a similarly small private school, just gave a coach from a mid-major conference $1.8 million per year. Doesn't anyone think that we have to at least come close to that number for our next coach?

After the Big East kicked out Temple, Baylor is pretty much the only school in the BCS that can compete with Duke's perpetual putridity the last dozen years.

If we pay that much, fine. I don't think we have to, nor is that our market. Baylor is a much bigger school than Duke enrollment-wise, has a football crazy alumni base, even though results have been bad, and have tried everything they can do to be competitive again. But they have to recruit directly against UT, A&M, TCU, OU, OSU, LSU, Tech, etc. They don't have the name to recruit nationally that Duke has. Thankfully, Duke is in the ACC and not the Big XII South, and it has some hope of competing in the future.

I thought Art Briles would have been great for Duke -- although he was bound to stay in Texas. By the way -- as to those complaining about Malzahn being barely removed from the High School level, UH hired Briles directly from a successful TX high school program and he only took them to bowls in 4 of 5 years.

I'm a big fan of the Richmond/Ga Southern/Div 1-AA coac, Div II route. I also like the idea of David Cutcliffe. He was hosed at Ole Miss and is a proven offensive mind. The problem is, he's about the most boring person in the world (read The Blind Side), so he needs to bring in a dynamic staff that can recruit.

[Jarhead]

Your joking, I hope. If not, I hope your influence is zilch.

[Jarhead]

I think you are right, Jim, but let me add my impression. Coach Johnson has the smarts to adjust his style to accommodate the players at hand. He may actually try something new and different to do that. Every season there are new offenses to confuse and disrupt opposing defenses. I think he has demonstrated that kind of ability. He would be a nice choice. I'd rank him #1, but I don't get a vote.

[Bluedawg]

Don't necessarily assume that Johnson would bring all of the Navy offense to Duke. He had a much more varied attack at Georgia Southern.

Spurrier did win at Duke by throwing the ball. But he did have some good running backs. Remember Randy Cuthbert? Besides all of the losing teams Duke has had since Spurrier left have tried to pass the ball first. The only winning team since Spurrier was Goldsmith's first and that team was led by Robert Baldwin. Anyone else take a 1200-yard rusher and an 8-3 regular season?

If your strength is in your running game then making running your primary weapon and passing off of the run will be effective. If it is not then it nullifies both of them. This past year the passing game was by far the strength of the offense but TR kept trying to run the ball.

A coach has to be flexible enough to know where his strength lies and make that his primary weapon. The most effective drives the team had this past year was when that ran off the pass. A coach cannot fall in love with one style of play anymore. He must stay creative.

Steven Logan and Chris Hatcher are still my top two choices.

[Olympic Fan]

If your strength is in your running game then making running your primary weapon and passing off of the run will be effective. If it is not then it nullifies both of them. This past year the passing game was by far the strength of the offense but TR kept trying to run the ball.

A coach has to be flexible enough to know where his strength lies and make that his primary weapon. The most effective drives the team had this past year was when that ran off the pass. A coach cannot fall in love with one style of play anymore. He must stay creative.

Steven Logan and Chris Hatcher are still my top two choices.

I can't believe the critical comments about Johnson and his offense. Let me state it clearly -- at whatever level he's been at, his offenses have been spectacularly successful -- by the second year at the latest.

He first became an offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 1985. His offense averaged 435 yards and 36 points a game in his two seasons as OC, winning the 1-AA national title both years.

He then moved to Hawaii as offensive coordinator, serving there for six years. He offenses finished in the national top 20 six times in his eight years. When Hawaii won the WAC title, he was named one of the nation's top 10 assistant coaches.

Johnson came to Navy as offensive coordinator in 1995, inheriting an offense that had averaged 16 points a game (and had won just nine games in the previous four seasons). Navy averaged 21.0 points his first season as OC and won five games ... then averaged 35.0 points and won nine games in his second. Interesting that Navy played Duke every year between 1994 and 1997. In the year before Johnson, Navy scored 14 points and lost to Duke. In his first year, Navy scored 30 points and beat Duke. In his second year, Navy scored 64 points and routed Duke. In the first year after he left, Navy scored 17 points and lost to Duke. (BTW, Johnson's offense scored 42 on Cal in the Aloha Bowl in 1996 and 47 on Wake Forest).

Georgia Southern had slipped after the retirement of Erik Russell, but Johnson immediately revived the program when he took over as head coach -- he was 10-3 in his first season, 14-1 in his second, 13-2, 13-2, and 12-2 -- winning the 1-AA national championship in 2000 and 2001. He was 62-10 in five seasons and his teams averaged 39.7 points a game -- think of that, almost 40 points a game over FIVE SEASONS. It was mostly a running offense, but GS did average 109 yards a game passing (to go with 360 a game rushing).

He won five straight Southern Conference titles and was 1-AA national coach of the year four times in a row.

Okay, he took over a Navy program in 2001 that was in worse shape than Duke is in today. Navy was 1-10 in 2000 (beating winless Army) and 0-10 in 2001 (one game was cancelled due to 9/11). Not only was Navy 1-20 in those seasons, they were hopelessly non-competitive, finishing within a touchdown of only two of those 20 opponents that beat them (actually Rutgers both years).

Johnson's first season was 2-10. But that included a 58-12 victory over Army (the most points Navy had EVER scored against Army) and 38-7 victory at SMU, plus a 30-27 loss to Wake Forest (in a year when Grobe was 7-6), a 30-23 loss to Notre Dame, a 17-10 loss to Rice and a 49-40 loss to Northwestern.

The next year, his offense kicked in. Navy won eight games, averaged 31 points a game and played in the Houston Bowl. His last four teams have won 10, eight, nine and eight again (with a bowl game to go). He's put a team that was 1-20 in two previous seasons and had managed just two winning seasons in more the 20 previous years (one of those when he was OC) in the five straight bowl games. His offenses have averaged more than 36 points a game against Division one competition.

Now, you might complain that his defense collapsed this season -- and it did (he lost five starters with injury for the season through the Duke game). Yet, he still managed to win eight games, beat Army again -- he's the first coach in the history of the rivalry -- on either side -- to beat his rival six straight times) and snap Navy's 40-year losing streak to Notre Dame.

Johnson has made it clear that he adapts his offensive system for the talent that's on hand. He doesn't pass because it's almost impossible to recruit pro-style passers to Navy. But Mike Leach at Texas Tech (who throws more than anybody, except maybe June Jones) once pointed out that he and Johnson run almost the same system -- Johnson just triggers it differently.

I can't understand any reluctance to hire this guy. He's recruited under tougher standards than Duke has to face at Navy and he's won consistently. When he was allowed to recruit on the same level with his competion at Georgia Southern, he not just won -- he was dominant.

If anybody deserves to be called an offensive genius, it's this guy.

His teams are disciplined, smart and tough. But most of all, they score points. Lots of points. He's done so at every place he's been, at every level he's coached. And done it almost right away ... at the most, by his second year.

I only pray we can get him.

Steve Logan? Give me a break.

[ugadevil]

Steve Logan? Give me a break.


Steve Logan learned from a great offensive mind in Don Nelson. :)

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/steve_logan/

[Olympic Fan]

One followup ... I frequently hear critics suggest that his offensive scheme wouldn't work at this level.

Well, that would be a better argument if it wasn't for the evidence that it does work at this level. If you'll allow me to throw out his first year at Navy when he was installing the offense, Johnson's last five Navy teams have averaged 29.9 points in 24 games against BCS-affiliated opponents.

And I'd be willing to bet you that the Duke team (which gave up more points to Navy than anybody other than Clemson -- and just one point less than against CU) has better athletes -- more size and more speed -- than Navy.

[DevilAlumna]

The last thing this program needs is this huckster. The ND fans all appreciate the fact that he has been exposed in Washington for the lazy, incompetent that he is.

Geez, did Ty kick your dog, or something? ;)


Washington already recognizes that they bought false goods.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/stevekelley/2004039190_kelley28.html


That's just one loud-mouthed columnist's opinion; it's not even the opinion of the rest of the paper's sportswriters. I watched nearly all of the Apple Cup, and the Huskies looked good for most of it, but in the end it came down to two quarterbacks making big plays, one a freshman, and one a conference-record-setting, 3-year-starting senior, and guess who won.

Maybe I should hold off writing this until the end of the UW/Hawai'i game, as it looks like, early in the 3rd quarter, the Huskies will probably blow their 21-point lead to lose, but I think Ty sticks around for at least one more year.

The main reason being: redshirt-freshman QB Jake Locker. This kid is good, damned good, and unless Ty comes to Duke with Locker in tow, I think they both should (and will) stay here in Seattle. It's rumored that they'll replace the Defensive Coordinator, and the OC is being discussed for the HC job at WSU, so there will be enough coaching turnover to keep Willingham in place a little longer.


[Oh, and much earlier in the thread, there was a mention of Nebraska hiring a search firm -- that's likely because they fired their AD mid-season, and Osborne is only acting AD, and now HC, in an interim capacity.]

[dukemomLA]

My first choice is Paul J at Navy. I agree with just a few of the positive, miniscule few who posted that he can/will adjust his coaching to the personnel onhand. If he won't talk to JA (...bless him for his foresight) (maybe such an action will bring more scrutiny to silly JA and more sillier Brodhead).....so let's sic Coach K (...the Army guy) on him.

In my gut, I feel that Johnson would be very happy at Duke. He's a NC guy, committed to integrity and academic excellence, would probably be proud to become a longtime fixture to such an amazing University, etc.

If PaulJ has no interest, well...I can certainly understand that, but I hope that is not the case.

Only other mentioned candidates that peak my interest at all: R.B'way and Chris Hatcher. It's gonna be a long.......looooong, cold winter...in Dukie land. (sigh)

[Capn Poptart]

I thought Dave Glen's points about how few people fit the unique nature of the Duke position was on the mark.

The ACC Sports Journal has always maintained that Duke needs an offensive gimmick to win: something to negate the talent difference. That's Johnson.

Puts points on the board, committed strongly to the academic mission, winning head-coaching experience, willing to talk with us: How many people are really out there that fit these qualifications well?

If we hire Johnson we immediately become a team to worry about. Staffs in Winston-Salem, C-ville, Atlanta, Chapel Hill become seriously spooked. And the top of the ACC food chain suddenly has to put in real time preparing for us.

Please hire Mr. Johnson and get the party started!

[grossbus]

so, has anybody heard anything substantive about who is on the list or not?

[formerdukeathlete]

I don't really like the Paul Johnson hire. His style would have very little success at least until he'd had 3 or 4 of his recruiting classes. And by very little I don't mean 4-5 wins, I mean on par with where we've been. Why? Look at our personnel...no matter how tricky you are we don't have a running team right now. Plus if you're going to run you're going to have to run fast if you want to beat ACC teams like Clemson or FSU.

We have more speed, more size, more highly recruited players sitting on the bench who may not have been embraced sufficiently as part of Ted Roof's "family" to have earned playing time.

You want runners, we have them, and don't forget our 4 star rated fullback who has been going into the game minimally now as a tight end.

You want a qb who can run an option and still see well over the ensuing rush to find receivers on short routes, guess what, we have him, and he is one of the faster, yes faster qb's sitting on a depth chart anywhere at at BCS school.

Did you watch the Navy - Notre Dame game? johnson's boys were much smaller than Notre Dame's. In fact on the overtime coin toss, it looked like high school versus little league.

Speaking with a Navy friend of mine who played football there and who goes to a lot of the games, he had this to say about what will happen if Johnson comes to Duke: 'the depth chart will be shaken up; player positions will change; a quarter of your starting lineup may end up seeing less playing time; players with the strongest work ethic will find playing time; talented players will not be coddled; some players will transfer; practice times will push allowable limits; Duke will win games over more talented rivals; Johnson will have the admin. backing; bad apples will be sent packing.'

If I were in the Duke admin., I would be very encouraged that Johnson has recruited smart kids at Navy and made the most out of the talent. Johnson feels comfortable in an atmosphere where discipline and hard work rule. These need to become Duke's grounding principles, imo, if we are to have a successful program. We need to attract kids who want to work hard in the classroom and have careers in addition ot NFL tryouts. We are not going to land kids, in my view, who are not drawn to academic work. If Johnson's shtik becomes Duke's, then we re-establish an enduringly successsful football program.

[365Duke]

I can't believe the critical comments about Johnson and his offense. Let me state it clearly -- at whatever level he's been at, his offenses have been spectacularly successful -- by the second year at the latest.

He first became an offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 1985. His offense averaged 435 yards and 36 points a game in his two seasons as OC, winning the 1-AA national title both years.

He then moved to Hawaii as offensive coordinator, serving there for six years. He offenses finished in the national top 20 six times in his eight years. When Hawaii won the WAC title, he was named one of the nation's top 10 assistant coaches.

Johnson came to Navy as offensive coordinator in 1995, inheriting an offense that had averaged 16 points a game (and had won just nine games in the previous four seasons). Navy averaged 21.0 points his first season as OC and won five games ... then averaged 35.0 points and won nine games in his second. Interesting that Navy played Duke every year between 1994 and 1997. In the year before Johnson, Navy scored 14 points and lost to Duke. In his first year, Navy scored 30 points and beat Duke. In his second year, Navy scored 64 points and routed Duke. In the first year after he left, Navy scored 17 points and lost to Duke. (BTW, Johnson's offense scored 42 on Cal in the Aloha Bowl in 1996 and 47 on Wake Forest).

Georgia Southern had slipped after the retirement of Erik Russell, but Johnson immediately revived the program when he took over as head coach -- he was 10-3 in his first season, 14-1 in his second, 13-2, 13-2, and 12-2 -- winning the 1-AA national championship in 2000 and 2001. He was 62-10 in five seasons and his teams averaged 39.7 points a game -- think of that, almost 40 points a game over FIVE SEASONS. It was mostly a running offense, but GS did average 109 yards a game passing (to go with 360 a game rushing).

He won five straight Southern Conference titles and was 1-AA national coach of the year four times in a row.

Okay, he took over a Navy program in 2001 that was in worse shape than Duke is in today. Navy was 1-10 in 2000 (beating winless Army) and 0-10 in 2001 (one game was cancelled due to 9/11). Not only was Navy 1-20 in those seasons, they were hopelessly non-competitive, finishing within a touchdown of only two of those 20 opponents that beat them (actually Rutgers both years).

Johnson's first season was 2-10. But that included a 58-12 victory over Army (the most points Navy had EVER scored against Army) and 38-7 victory at SMU, plus a 30-27 loss to Wake Forest (in a year when Grobe was 7-6), a 30-23 loss to Notre Dame, a 17-10 loss to Rice and a 49-40 loss to Northwestern.

The next year, his offense kicked in. Navy won eight games, averaged 31 points a game and played in the Houston Bowl. His last four teams have won 10, eight, nine and eight again (with a bowl game to go). He's put a team that was 1-20 in two previous seasons and had managed just two winning seasons in more the 20 previous years (one of those when he was OC) in the five straight bowl games. His offenses have averaged more than 36 points a game against Division one competition.

Now, you might complain that his defense collapsed this season -- and it did (he lost five starters with injury for the season through the Duke game). Yet, he still managed to win eight games, beat Army again -- he's the first coach in the history of the rivalry -- on either side -- to beat his rival six straight times) and snap Navy's 40-year losing streak to Notre Dame.

Johnson has made it clear that he adapts his offensive system for the talent that's on hand. He doesn't pass because it's almost impossible to recruit pro-style passers to Navy. But Mike Leach at Texas Tech (who throws more than anybody, except maybe June Jones) once pointed out that he and Johnson run almost the same system -- Johnson just triggers it differently.

I can't understand any reluctance to hire this guy. He's recruited under tougher standards than Duke has to face at Navy and he's won consistently. When he was allowed to recruit on the same level with his competion at Georgia Southern, he not just won -- he was dominant.

If anybody deserves to be called an offensive genius, it's this guy.

His teams are disciplined, smart and tough. But most of all, they score points. Lots of points. He's done so at every place he's been, at every level he's coached. And done it almost right away ... at the most, by his second year.

I only pray we can get him.

Dude, if you are not his agent, you should be. And I agree with you wholeheartedly.

[diablesseblu]

We have more speed, more size, more highly recruited players sitting on the bench who may not have been embraced sufficiently as part of Ted Roof's "family" to have earned playing time.

You want runners, we have them, and don't forget our 4 star rated fullback who has been going into the game minimally now as a tight end.

You want a qb who can run an option and still see well over the ensuing rush to find receivers on short routes, guess what, we have him, and he is one of the faster, yes faster qb's sitting on a depth chart anywhere at at BCS school.

Did you watch the Navy - Notre Dame game? johnson's boys were much smaller than Notre Dame's. In fact on the overtime coin toss, it looked like high school versus little league.

Speaking with a Navy friend of mine who played football there and who goes to a lot of the games, he had this to say about what will happen if Johnson comes to Duke: 'the depth chart will be shaken up; player positions will change; a quarter of your starting lineup may end up seeing less playing time; players with the strongest work ethic will find playing time; talented players will not be coddled; some players will transfer; practice times will push allowable limits; Duke will win games over more talented rivals; Johnson will have the admin. backing; bad apples will be sent packing.'

If I were in the Duke admin., I would be very encouraged that Johnson has recruited smart kids at Navy and made the most out of the talent. Johnson feels comfortable in an atmosphere where discipline and hard work rule. These need to become Duke's grounding principles, imo, if we are to have a successful program. We need to attract kids who want to work hard in the classroom and have careers in addition ot NFL tryouts. We are not going to land kids, in my view, who are not drawn to academic work. If Johnson's shtik becomes Duke's, then we re-establish an enduringly successsful football program.


My goodness. Have been lurking from my former ID in the previous incarnation of DBR. However, when I saw that I completely agreed with FDA on an issue, knew had to reregister! :)

Also have some contacts to Navy FB. Johnson is the man Duke needs. My only concern is if the PTB can make it happen.

[Bluedawg]

Originally Posted by Bluedawg
If your strength is in your running game then making running your primary weapon and passing off of the run will be effective. If it is not then it nullifies both of them. This past year the passing game was by far the strength of the offense but TR kept trying to run the ball.

A coach has to be flexible enough to know where his strength lies and make that his primary weapon. The most effective drives the team had this past year was when that ran off the pass. A coach cannot fall in love with one style of play anymore. He must stay creative.

Steven Logan and Chris Hatcher are still my top two choices.



I can't believe the critical comments about Johnson and his offense.

Let me ask this clearly...where was I critical about Johnson and his offense? When did I mention Johnson?

[Acymetric]

Well my main concern about Johnson was whether he would play a style to fit Duke's current strengths or if he would put in the style he uses at Navy regardless, and the answer seems to be that he plays however he needs to to win (on second thought, that sounds like he coaches dirty...I mean as far as offensive styles...). After reading a lot of these comments I'd actually be kind of excited to see him come to Duke. I hope we can get him.

As a side note...why is Peter Vaas still there? If he stays next season I say make him QB coach, but don't give him the playcalling, because I thought he did a pretty bad job, and if Roof went I thought he should have gone too.

[Bluedawg]

As a side note...why is Peter Vaas still there? If he stays next season I say make him QB coach, but don't give him the playcalling, because I thought he did a pretty bad job, and if Roof went I thought he should have gone too.

Peter is still there because Roof was fired not the coaching staff. that will be up to the new coach.

It's good he is still around because recruiting does not stop (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=68128&postcount=1)...someone has to keep it going for Duke.

[Bluedawg]

I can't believe the critical comments about Johnson and his offense. Let me state it clearly -- at whatever level he's been at, his offenses have been spectacularly successful -- by the second year at the latest.

He first became an offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 1985. His offense averaged 435 yards and 36 points a game in his two seasons as OC, winning the 1-AA national title both years.

He then moved to Hawaii as offensive coordinator, serving there for six years. He offenses finished in the national top 20 six times in his eight years. When Hawaii won the WAC title, he was named one of the nation's top 10 assistant coaches.

Johnson came to Navy as offensive coordinator in 1995, inheriting an offense that had averaged 16 points a game (and had won just nine games in the previous four seasons). Navy averaged 21.0 points his first season as OC and won five games ... then averaged 35.0 points and won nine games in his second. Interesting that Navy played Duke every year between 1994 and 1997. In the year before Johnson, Navy scored 14 points and lost to Duke. In his first year, Navy scored 30 points and beat Duke. In his second year, Navy scored 64 points and routed Duke. In the first year after he left, Navy scored 17 points and lost to Duke. (BTW, Johnson's offense scored 42 on Cal in the Aloha Bowl in 1996 and 47 on Wake Forest).

Georgia Southern had slipped after the retirement of Erik Russell, but Johnson immediately revived the program when he took over as head coach -- he was 10-3 in his first season, 14-1 in his second, 13-2, 13-2, and 12-2 -- winning the 1-AA national championship in 2000 and 2001. He was 62-10 in five seasons and his teams averaged 39.7 points a game -- think of that, almost 40 points a game over FIVE SEASONS. It was mostly a running offense, but GS did average 109 yards a game passing (to go with 360 a game rushing).

He won five straight Southern Conference titles and was 1-AA national coach of the year four times in a row.

Okay, he took over a Navy program in 2001 that was in worse shape than Duke is in today. Navy was 1-10 in 2000 (beating winless Army) and 0-10 in 2001 (one game was cancelled due to 9/11). Not only was Navy 1-20 in those seasons, they were hopelessly non-competitive, finishing within a touchdown of only two of those 20 opponents that beat them (actually Rutgers both years).

Johnson's first season was 2-10. But that included a 58-12 victory over Army (the most points Navy had EVER scored against Army) and 38-7 victory at SMU, plus a 30-27 loss to Wake Forest (in a year when Grobe was 7-6), a 30-23 loss to Notre Dame, a 17-10 loss to Rice and a 49-40 loss to Northwestern.

The next year, his offense kicked in. Navy won eight games, averaged 31 points a game and played in the Houston Bowl. His last four teams have won 10, eight, nine and eight again (with a bowl game to go). He's put a team that was 1-20 in two previous seasons and had managed just two winning seasons in more the 20 previous years (one of those when he was OC) in the five straight bowl games. His offenses have averaged more than 36 points a game against Division one competition.

Now, you might complain that his defense collapsed this season -- and it did (he lost five starters with injury for the season through the Duke game). Yet, he still managed to win eight games, beat Army again -- he's the first coach in the history of the rivalry -- on either side -- to beat his rival six straight times) and snap Navy's 40-year losing streak to Notre Dame.

Johnson has made it clear that he adapts his offensive system for the talent that's on hand. He doesn't pass because it's almost impossible to recruit pro-style passers to Navy. But Mike Leach at Texas Tech (who throws more than anybody, except maybe June Jones) once pointed out that he and Johnson run almost the same system -- Johnson just triggers it differently.

I can't understand any reluctance to hire this guy. He's recruited under tougher standards than Duke has to face at Navy and he's won consistently. When he was allowed to recruit on the same level with his competion at Georgia Southern, he not just won -- he was dominant.

If anybody deserves to be called an offensive genius, it's this guy.

His teams are disciplined, smart and tough. But most of all, they score points. Lots of points. He's done so at every place he's been, at every level he's coached. And done it almost right away ... at the most, by his second year.

I only pray we can get him.

Steve Logan? Give me a break.

Any thought on the comment that the Chronicle (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=67858&postcount=13)said Johnson isn't interested?

[wxyz]

Any thought on the comment that the Chronicle (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=67858&postcount=13)said Johnson isn't interested?

Interest level shifts abruptly if the salary level shifts likewise.

[acciconoclast]

Found this on a UCLA web site.
http://www.bruinsnation.com/story/2007/12/2/2538/85703
Analyzing various candidates. Johnson's record at navy has come despite having no 3,4 or 5 star recruits

<<<Navy (Paul Johnson)
Rec Ranking # 3* 4* 5*
#118, 13 recruits (0, 0, 0)

#93, 39 recruits (0, 0, 0)

#117, 8 recruits (0, 0, 0)

#107, 11 recruits (0, 0, 0)

#110, 11 recruits (0, 0, 0)

Totals: 82 recruits (0, 0, 0) 0.0&#37; 3-Star+

Over the past several weeks, Paul Johnson has steadily moved up in my thoughts regarding the ideal coach for UCLA, to the point that he was challenging my long-time #1, Chris Petersen. After looking through the recruiting data and noting just what talent these coaches have at their disposal, Johnson has become my new top choice to coach UCLA.

Except for 2006 - the ranking for which is boosted by the unusually large incoming class size - he has had one of the 10 weakest recruiting classes in Division 1-A each year, and yet won 8-10 games each year. I don't care what opponents those results come against, to have his level of success with one of THE least talented rosters in 1-A football has to tell you something about his coaching ability. Not one 3-star+ recruit on the team (compared to 70% 3-star + at UCLA, 52% at Texas Tech, 34% at BYU, and 22% at Boise).

[Bluedawg]

Rumor Central: 2007 Coaching Carousel (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3131855)


Duke Duke has shown some interest in Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who's in his second stint with the Vols. Cutcliffe was the head coach at Mississippi from 1999-2004. He took the Rebels to four bowl games and earned a share of the SEC Western Division championship in 2003 before being fired following a 4-7 season the next year. Tennessee may also seek to sweeten Cutcliffe's deal, which pays him $340,000 annually, to entice him to stay in Knoxville.

Updated: December 1, 2007, 3:27 PM ET

Any thoughts?

[Bluedawg]

Duke Could Score With Paul Johnson (http://www.wral.com/sports/blogpost/2109939/)

Today, Duke is sitting on a very realistic chance to become the third ACC program from the Triangle — a place not known for its gridiron prowess historically — to surprise the college football world with an impressive hire.

His name: Paul Johnson.

According to sources at Duke, Johnson is very high on the Blue Devils' wish list as they search to replace Ted Roof. According to sources close to Johnson, he has been aware of interest from Duke and at least two other schools (Southern Methodist and Nebraska) for more than a week, and he's willing to listen to pitches in greater detail after he gets through this week's Army-Navy game. Sources on both sides said Duke officials and the Johnson camp plan to have additional communications early next week, with the coach himself entering the discussions personally.

Posted: Nov. 30, 2007

The words "plan to have additional communications" indicate that there have already been some talking between camps.

However:


JOHNSON DEAL WITH SMU ON SHAKY GROUND (http://www.footballrumormill.com/scoop.php?start=2007-12-01)

Sources tell Football Rumor Mill that Paul Johnson’s once solid deal with SMU is in real trouble. Georgia Tech wants to talk with Johnson soon after today’s Army-Navy game. While Johnson has had an arrangement in place with the Mustangs for several days now, nothing has been signed, which has opened the door for Tech.

01 December 2007

[diablesseblu]

He would not be my choice. Did some internet research on him the other day after seeing him mentioned. Apparently a fine person but I have concerns.

Has had triple bypass surgery as well as other health issues. I wouldn't want to tackle the Duke football challenge in his shoes. Not sure we should want to put him in that position either.

[BamaBlueDevil]

I think David Cutcliffe would be a great choice for Duke. The guy did a very good job at Ole Miss and definitely got a raw deal there. If you watched the Tennessee/LSU game yesterday, you had to be impressed with the imagination he employs in setting offensive formations and spreading the football around the field.

Also, he did a great job with Peyton and Eli Manning in their development and I think it would be interesting to see what he could do with Lewis for his last to years.

Paul Johnson is a solid choice as well, but I'm not sure the interest is going to be there, especially if Georgia Tech is also an option for him.

[grimbogey]

The more and more I think about what Duke needs in a HC, the more and more I keep coming back to Paul Johnson's name. I covered 6 Duke games this season, and as I think about this year's squad's biggest failing, the first thing that comes to mind is our inability to run the ball. This crippled the team in a variety of ways - it kept our defense on the field for too long, put undue pressure on Thad to perform and make big plays and killed us in terms of time of possession. Johnson's proven ability to establish a ground game—particularly with smaller offensive linemen like Duke has (remember, we only had one 300lb+ lineman this year)—really makes him a good fit for the job. I'm really disappointed that Edsall didn't take that UConn job, because you'd have to think that the folks at Georgia Tech have Johnson high on their list too.

By the way, I've started a blog about the Duke coaching search that's geared primarily towards being an assimilator of all of the newest and most recent reports about the coaching search. It's called Roof Replacement Rumors, and you can find the link here (roofreplacementrumors.blogspot.com). Feel free to shoot any feedback/news tips to the blog's e-mail address, roofreplacementrumors@gmail.com

[ikiru36]

I know nothing about Paul Johnson personally and what might influence him to be more interested in Duke, than say, Georgia Tech or UCLA for that matter.

A couple of things that might be in our favor over other competitors:

1) his history in N.C., if that is important to him;

2) haven't seen this mentioned yet, but might Coach K be able to have a hand in wooing him, speaking to the transition from Head Coach at a service academy to Head Coach at Duke. Obviously, basketball and football at Duke are different beasts but if Paul Johnson had an affinity for K and what he's accomplished, that's another unique thing which Duke alone offers.

From what I've been reading, Johnson would be my first choice among potentially realistic candidates (though Broadway and Hatcher certainly have appeal too). I'd love to know, sooner rather than later, whether we're even in the running before getting too invested in hoping. :D

Go Duke!!!!!!!!!! Go Devils!!!!!!!!!!!!! GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Capn Poptart]

Hey Grimbogey, great job on Roof Replacement Rumors. This whole thing is giving me adult-onset OCD. It's good to have one website to check every three minutes instead of ten different websites.

[shadycharacter]

I definitely concur that skin color should be no factor in the opportunities given to anyone in any undertaking, the Duke FB coaching job included. And I feel sure there are a number of African American coaches or assistants that merit consideration. It would wrong and absurd to overlook a candidate's merits because of color.

But on the other hand, it would also be a mistake to give an otherwise less than capable candidate the inside track because he is in a minority.

It needs to work both ways: because of color, don't hire someone, don't reject someone. Just look at the individual's apparent talent level and his record, and disregard color.

If we do this, and ignore HIS color.....why would we regard Ty Willingham as a good, or even acceptable, candidate? His last three coaching gigs have been mediocre at best, down to downright poor.....and these were all schools with a history of a good to outstanding football program. Why would we hire someone that other schools are firing for overall nonperformance?

Perhaps the key question to ask is, would we be paying any special attention to Willingham, and wanting him to be given any serious consideration for the Duke job, if he were white?

[langdonfan]

I definitely concur that skin color should be no factor in the opportunities given to anyone in any undertaking, the Duke FB coaching job included. And I feel sure there are a number of African American coaches or assistants that merit consideration. It would wrong and absurd to overlook a candidate's merits because of color.

But on the other hand, it would also be a mistake to give an otherwise less than capable candidate the inside track because he is in a minority.

It needs to work both ways: because of color, don't hire someone, don't reject someone. Just look at the individual's apparent talent level and his record, and disregard color.

If we do this, and ignore HIS color.....why would we regard Ty Willingham as a good, or even acceptable, candidate? His last three coaching gigs have been mediocre at best, down to downright poor.....and these were all schools with a history of a good to outstanding football program. Why would we hire someone that other schools are firing for overall nonperformance?

Perhaps the key question to ask is, would we be paying any special attention to Willingham, and wanting him to be given any serious consideration for the Duke job, if he were white?

Willingham would enter the discussion, regardless of race. He took Stanford to bowls 4 out of 6 years. His first three years at Notre Dame reflect an overall record that is identical to both Weis' and Bob Davie's first three years. That isn't saying much, but let's face it, Notre hasn't been the Notre Dame of old since before Lou Holtz retired. Willingham was not fired at Stanford and his firing at Notre Dame was consider contraversial because he was only given three years. I am not sure that Willingham would be the right choice for Duke, but I think you might be reading too much into his time at Washington. Remember too, the fact that he hasn't done as well there is another big reason his name enters the discussion; he might be in the market for a new job. Not to mention the fact that Willingham is from the area.

[blazindw]

His first three years at Notre Dame reflect an overall record that is identical to both Weis' and Bob Davie's first three years. That isn't saying much, but let's face it, Notre hasn't been the Notre Dame of old since before Lou Holtz retired. Willingham was not fired at Stanford and his firing at Notre Dame was consider contraversial because he was only given three years.

IIRC, Ty had the second highest winning percentage in Notre Dame history (among all ND coaches) for his first three years. I believe he had a better % than Knute Rockne even.

[Indoor66]

IIRC, Ty had the second highest winning percentage in Notre Dame history (among all ND coaches) for his first three years. I believe he had a better % than Knute Rockne even.

Bet his locker room speaches were not as good. :)

[formerdukeathlete]

Willingham would enter the discussion, regardless of race. He took Stanford to bowls 4 out of 6 years. His first three years at Notre Dame reflect an overall record that is identical to both Weis' and Bob Davie's first three years. That isn't saying much, but let's face it, Notre hasn't been the Notre Dame of old since before Lou Holtz retired. Willingham was not fired at Stanford and his firing at Notre Dame was consider contraversial because he was only given three years. I am not sure that Willingham would be the right choice for Duke, but I think you might be reading too much into his time at Washington. Remember too, the fact that he hasn't done as well there is another big reason his name enters the discussion; he might be in the market for a new job. Not to mention the fact that Willingham is from the area.

yes, Willingham 06 Wash. season was an improvement over the 05 season, but now 07 regressed. Waxhington boosters were not entirely thrilled by the first 05 season, 06 showed promise, now 07 seems to be confirming their fears.

Willingham did a good job for Stanford, no doubt. Then he lobbied like heck for the ND job, and while his record was not that bad - decent for a head coach at most schools, anecdotally questions arose about how energetic a recruiter he was, whether he really liked it there, etc.

If Washington says ok and waives the buyout, then perhaps he makes sense. But, is the fall-off in record a function of disinterest in recruiting, or maybe that he is burned out...these are things i would be concerned about.

That he is from the area, I guess that is a plus, he was an assistant for NC State years ago.

[Bluedawg]

yes, Willingham 06 Wash. season was an improvement over the 05 season, but now 07 regressed. Waxhington boosters were not entirely thrilled by the first 05 season, 06 showed promise, now 07 seems to be confirming their fears.

Willingham did a good job for Stanford, no doubt. Then he lobbied like heck for the ND job, and while his record was not that bad - decent for a head coach at most schools, anecdotally questions arose about how energetic a recruiter he was, whether he really liked it there, etc.

If Washington says ok and waives the buyout, then perhaps he makes sense. But, is the fall-off in record a function of disinterest in recruiting, or maybe that he is burned out...these are things i would be concerned about.

That he is from the area, I guess that is a plus, he was an assistant for NC State years ago.

"anecdotally (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=anecdotally) questions arose"? "observations of usually unscientific observers" so we are using innuendo and rumor to disqualify him. When someone wants to disqualify a coach and has nothing factual to base it on they always call them a "lazy recruiter." That is a weak arguement.

[Duvall]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Revisited/getcha.jpg

[SoCalDukeFan]

His last two recruiting classes at Notre Dame are considered by Notre Dame fans to be poor classes.

Recruiting football players to Duke has gotta be a very tough job.

Karl Dorrell is almost certainly going to be fired at UCLA. He is supposed to be a very high character guy. However I hope Duke does not go after him. He shows little emotion and is not well regarded by Bruin fans. His win over USC last year probably saved his job then. I am more impressed by Dwayne Walker, UCLA Defensive Coordinator. I know of no ties to the North Carolina region of either Walker or Dorrell.

SoCal

[formerdukeathlete]

"anecdotally (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=anecdotally) questions arose"? "observations of usually unscientific observers" so we are using innuendo and rumor to disqualify him. When someone wants to disqualify a coach and has nothing factual to base it on they always call them a "lazy recruiter." That is a weak arguement.

Well when we share observations of others, however concretely and / or accurately transposed onto a message board, when shared, communicated by someone other than the person who made the observations, this is really hearsay. Another poster mentioned that according to what he knew, Willingham's work ethic vis a vis recruiting was in question at ND. My data includes comments from my high school principal, where Willingham recruited.

You cannot argue with win-loss and trends, however. Now, if Willingham is fired and becomes available without a buyout - who are you more comfortable with as an energetic recruiter, Mike Shula who spent 10 hours in the home of Tim Tebow and who was fired prematurely, or Willingham, with anecdotals such as the above and otherwise posted here, who may have been fired justifiably?

[acciconoclast]

Dave Glenn update today from his WRAL blog

"Monday update:

Good news for Duke: Johnson obviously did not get the Nebraska job.

Bad news for Duke: Georgia Tech, and perhaps others, have joined Duke and SMU in scheduling a meeting with Johnson this week.

Also: Grambling coach Rod Broadway, a former Duke assistant and the former head coach at N.C. Central, will speak with the Blue Devils this week about their vacancy. It's not clear where Broadway stands in Duke's pecking order.
daveglenn2
December 3, 2007 9:14 a.m.
Report abuse"

[Double DD]

"anecdotally (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=anecdotally) questions arose"? "observations of usually unscientific observers" so we are using innuendo and rumor to disqualify him. When someone wants to disqualify a coach and has nothing factual to base it on they always call them a "lazy recruiter." That is a weak arguement.

Willingham's last 2 recruiting classes at Notre Dame were probably the worst in the school's history. His last year at ND, he only recruited 1 4-star player before being fired. That's as many as Roof has gotten this year before being let go. He'd better hope that laziness was the reason for his terrible recruiting. If he was working hard, and failing this miserably, imagine how bad he would be at a school like Duke without the name cachet that Notre Dame football brings.

[Bluedawg]

Well when we share observations of others, however concretely and / or accurately transposed onto a message board, when shared, communicated by someone other than the person who made the observations, this is really hearsay. Another poster mentioned that according to what he knew, Willingham's work ethic vis a vis recruiting was in question at ND. My data includes comments from my high school principal, where Willingham recruited.

You cannot argue with win-loss and trends, however. Now, if Willingham is fired and becomes available without a buyout - who are you more comfortable with as an energetic recruiter, Mike Shula who spent 10 hours in the home of Tim Tebow and who was fired prematurely, or Willingham, with anecdotals such as the above and otherwise posted here, who may have been fired justifiably?

I generally don't buy anecdotal anything. I usually follow what I call the the Boortz Rule (http://boortz.com/)

Don't believe anything you read, or, for that matter, anything you hear, unless it is consistent with what you already know to be true, or unless you have taken the time to research the matter to prove its accuracy to your satisfaction. This is known as "doing your homework."

He is low on my list…Logan and Hatcher are still my top two. I just don’t want to see anyone attacked based on what amounts to hearsay.

[formerdukeathlete]

I generally don't buy anecdotal anything. I usually follow what I call the the Boortz Rule (http://boortz.com/)


He is low on my list…Logan and Hatcher are still my top two. I just don’t want to see anyone attacked based on what amounts to hearsay.

And, that would be to comment on your own research and fact finding. Notre Dame's decision about Willingham had to do with fall off in recruiting - check with Notre Dame boosters, alums you might know.

My alluding to questions about recruiting is nothng more than what a few others have posted. It is out there.

Willingham sans a buyout is something to consider, I cannot dispute this. He would not be on my list. I am a Paul Johnson man. But it comes down to money and cost benefit perhaps. If we have to pay Johnson 2 million and Willingham is 800k, leaving 1.2 million on assistants, maybe this would change things. I'd want to see that sense of mission, commitment to turn the program around.

[Bluedawg]

And, that would be to comment on your own research and fact finding. Notre Dame's decision about Willingham had to do with fall off in recruiting - check with Notre Dame boosters, alums you might know.

My alluding to questions about recruiting is nothng more than what a few others have posted. It is out there.

Willingham sans a buyout is something to consider, I cannot dispute this. He would not be on my list. I am a Paul Johnson man. But it comes down to money and cost benefit perhaps. If we have to pay Johnson 2 million and Willingham is 800k, leaving 1.2 million on assistants, maybe this would change things. I'd want to see that sense of mission, commitment to turn the program around.

My comments on him center around my sources telling me that he will be fired from Washington and that he is on Duke's list.

I have gone on the record saying that I did not want a repeatedly fired coach. i don't want someone else's hand-me-down.

[langdonfan]

David Glenn of 850 AM in Raleigh has confirmed that Duke is interested in Paul Johnson, Rod Broadway, Steve Logan, and possibly others. Glenn is also reporting that Johnson, Broadway, and Logan are all showing interest in the position.

[diablesseblu]

My comments on him center around my sources telling me that he will be fired from Washington and that he is on Duke's list.

I have gone on the record saying that I did not want a repeatedly fired coach. i don't want someone else's hand-me-down.

I agree completely with your last paragraph. At Washington, Todd Turner would not fire him unless there were issues other than just their record.

[Olympic Fan]

I am a little flabbergasted about the number of recent posts in theis thread about a coach that is not and will not be on Duke's radar.

[diablesseblu]

I am a little flabbergasted about the number of recent posts in theis thread about a coach that is not and will not be on Duke's radar.

Maybe it's on people's minds because he's an NC native?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

David Glenn of 850 AM in Raleigh has confirmed that Duke is interested in Paul Johnson, Rod Broadway, Steve Logan, and possibly others. Glenn is also reporting that Johnson, Broadway, and Logan are all showing interest in the position.

This is good news. If we can land any one of the three, Duke football will be on the way up! They have been in my top 3 since day one. Cutcliffe and Hatcher round out my top five.

Posts: 711 I think I'll go have a slushy to celebrate!

[AtlBluRew]

... But it comes down to money and cost benefit perhaps. If we have to pay Johnson 2 million and Willingham is 800k, leaving 1.2 million on assistants, maybe this would change things. I'd want to see that sense of mission, commitment to turn the program around.

If only there was reason to think that the money not spent on the head coach would in fact be spent on the assistants.

[365Duke]

This is good news. If we can land any one of the three, Duke football will be on the way up! They have been in my top 3 since day one. Cutcliffe and Hatcher round out my top five.

Posts: 711 I think I'll go have a slushy to celebrate!

I would be very happy with anyone of these 3. In order PJ, SL, RB!

I guess I have to go to class with my measly 101:D

[wolfpackdevil]

i would love to see a little deversisty in College Football

With less than 10 african-american coached in D1, i would love to see Rod Brodway get the job

he showed great sucess at NCCU, and GSU, give him the job!!!!!!

[formerdukeathlete]

i would love to see a little deversisty in College Football

With less than 10 african-american coached in D1, i would love to see Rod Brodway get the job

he showed great sucess at NCCU, and GSU, give him the job!!!!!!

Duke is in the process of raising as much as $75 million from private sources to help football. Stadium and scholarship endowment fundraising will be ongoing, and will be helped by picking the best coach available.`

[Capn Poptart]

Duke is in the process of raising as much as $75 million from private sources to help football. Stadium and scholarship endowment fundraising will be ongoing, and will be helped by picking the best coach available.

Hallelujah! Better late than never!

[diablesseblu]

So what are Duke's chances for a great hire?

It's disconcerting to think PJ may be in Dallas tonight and actually considering going to SMU. This is not to say he's the only choice out there, but for my money, he's far and away the best hire for Duke.

Attended my first football game in WW was 1957 (whew!). How about a little golden anniversary "luv" from the administration with a commitment to a great hire? Every missive I get from Duke mentions "excellence".

If they don't finally get football definitively positioned for success, why should we believe they haven't tacitly compromised the possibility for an excellent program?

[pratt '04]

Alleva met with Paul Johnson on Monday. No word on how it went.

Blue Devils Talk with Johnson (http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353723501&path=)

[dukemomLA]

I'm happy with either Broadway or PJ -- as stated before my preference is Paul Johnson. Just SOMEONE to turn this program around!! I truly am appreciative of the job & recuirting Ted Roof has done.

He truly has established a firm foundation on which to build. I pray that he does not (....well as anyone can) feel animosity about his fire. Thanks to Coach Roof for all you've done. But with the W-L record, there is no dispute that it's time for a change.

Come on, Paul J... I KNOW you must read this amazing website, so sign on the dotted line!! Especially demanding more support of the FB facilities. We're here for you. You have no idea how exciting it is to be in the ACC!!!!

[Bluedawg]

Blue Devils Talk with Johnson (http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353723501&path=)


Johnson, 50, is becoming Duke’s early leading candidate for its job because of sustained success at Navy and previously at Georgia Southern. Duke has had one winning season since 1989 and none since 1994, conditions that are similar to those Johnson found at Navy in 2002.

The question now becomes, knowing how much energy it takes to turn a team around would Johnson want to do it again...and so soon?

My other concern was expressed in this post (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=69353&postcount=46)in another thread.

[Bluedawg]

So what are Duke's chances for a great hire?

With the names being floated, PJ, Steve Logan, Rod Broadway, Chris Hatcher I think the chances are really pretty good.

[wilson]

The question now becomes, knowing how much energy it takes to turn a team around would Johnson want to do it again...and so soon?



To me, that's really of no concern. If he ends up in Durham (which I hope he does), then it pretty much by definition means he's up for it. I echo the notion that he's a fantastic fit for our program. The sum of his teams are always remarkably more than the sum of their parts, and I would expect him to instill some of the discipline that our team has so sorely lacked in recent years.