All this is fair- but the records are the records and you play who is in front of you. I thought people were complaining about wins and loses and not competitiveness in those wins and losses. But even with a new coach- I don’t expect Duke to blow away the Costal competition.
Ther is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the Blue Devil mascot decommitted from next year’s football team.
Actually, I wondered what happened to last year's Blue Devil Mascot, did this year's Mascot eat him?
Can't see Butch Davis at all. Isn't he like 70?
Youth. Duke needs youth.
Youth will temper expectations and more than likely invigorate recruiting.
For a point of reference, Dabo Swinney was 40 when he took over Clemson's program - with his only head coaching experience being the interim head coach for the previous two years.
Unlike with Dabo, Duke should hire a defensive minded coach. The identity change Duke football needs.
More aggression. Less finesse.
More Billy Granville, less Daniel Jones.
Although older than when Dabo took over at Clemson, Bill Clark (age 53) is the head football coach at UAB, has a background in defense, and resurrected UAB after their brief hiatus. His age could possibly keep him with a P5 program, if successful, for a long stretch.
The bonus is, he’s an Alabama native so there wouldn’t be a needed learning curve in deciphering his accent.
It's too bad that Scottie Montgomery didn't succeed at ECU, because I liked his offense while at Duke.
A younger black coach would be a very smart hire, but unfortunately Scottie isn't the answer.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
I really wanted him to knock it out of the park at ECU and then come back and take over for Cut after a few years of seasoning, but yes clearly he isn't the guy (although I think he was a particularly bad fit for ECU and would have done better just about anywhere else).
I wouldn’t write Scottie of entirely—the guy they hired to replace him hasn’t done any better. Now that it’s in a more competitive conference ECU can’t keep up with more national schools in urban settings.
I love Scottie’s passion for Duke and the two stints he had served in the NFL would look great to recruits. If he could bring an experienced coaching staff with him, through NFL contacts, I would listen to what he had to say if I was the AD.
Scottie left ECU in shambles. The Pirates hired Mike Houston from James Madison. Houston had led the Dukes 2x to the FCS (1-AA) national Championship game, winning it all once. No comparison whatsoever.
I would welcome Scottie back as OC. He absolutely should not be a candidate for the head coaching position.
If it were up to me, I would consider a move to a triple-option scheme. It's a system that has been proven to be a talent equalizer. Paul Johnson at GT has shown that you can win at a fairly high level with that approach, although it does limit you in recruiting. If we acknowledge that Duke is not likely going to recruit in the top half of the ACC anyway, the triple option is a way of being competitive with less talent. Navy, Army, and Air Force all have accomplished coaches who are in their mid-50s. Some basic searching indicates that Calhoun (Air Force) and Monken (Army) make around $1 million/year, while Niumatalolo (Navy) makes around $2 million. Duke certainly has the money to offer any of the three; whether they'd be interested, I don't know. Ultimately, I doubt Duke goes down that road. The triple option has developed something of a stigma in big-time college football, and most seem to want something flashier.
I think the much more likely option is to hire a young coach who has succeeded at the G5 level. Perhaps we can find our own Dave Clawson. Honestly though, coaching hires are a crapshoot.