And it is already making my head hurt.
Since I didn’t see this coming (and yes, DeVanzo I owe you a DT from our bet during Saturday’s liveblog), I just haven’t given the whole next guy to coaching Pitt a lot of thought. Instead, I had been trying to draft a post rationalizing why I was keeping my season tickets. Now, the only way I have to resume work on that is if Paul Rhoads gets hired.
Others already have their lists out. Chris Dokish, Paul Zeise, Chris Mack, and Chris Peak (subs only — and I am of the belief that he put that picture of Paul Rhoads at the top just to see how much I will freak out at that prospect).
Lots of good points and interesting suggestions in the lists. I don’t think any one list is that much more superior than the other. I agree/disagree with some assessments on all of them. My feeling is to try and keep an open mind about all of them (well, almost all).
The recruiting class while somewhere in the top-20 nationally is a factor. Some fallout and losses are inevitable after a coaching change. You are not going to keep them all, no matter who you would hire. How much you want to keep that class intact plays into which candidates should rise or fall on the list.
Now if you want to make as much of an effort as possible to retain this present recruiting class, then you look to guys like OC Frank Cignetti or Penn State’s DC (and the guy doing most of the heavy lifting these days in Happy Valley) Tom Bradley. They have had contact with a large majority of the recruits and would probably be able to keep the largest number.
That doesn’t make them the best candidates or guys with an inside track. Just a factor in play.
Another factor is money. Pitt paid decently for Wannstedt, but it should also be acknowledged that it wasn’t the market value generally assumed for a coach with Wannstedt’s background. Pitt really did get a hometown discount. Assuming that if Pitt wants to hire a head coach with almost any head coaching experience or a coordinator from a BCS contending program, the salary has to start somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.25 to $1.75 million. Don’t believe me? Check out the annual survey of coaching salaries in 1-A. Butch Jones even got $1.1 million for leaving Central Michigan. Charlie Strong is getting $1.6 million at Louisville after being Florida’s DC.
Then there is the “Pitt guy” issue. I didn’t want that to be an issue last time, but it was. I think playing a large role in that was that Ben Howland’s departure was still too fresh in people’s minds. There was a bit of an outsized sense of betrayal with his departure. Add in the fact that Walt Harris’ relationships with local high school coaches had deteriorated in recent years that there was a sense that a local guy was needed to restore those ties.
This time around, thankfully, it does not appear to be as much of an issue.
Since I haven’t had a lot of time to research this let me just offer some thoughts on a couple guys.
Frank Cignetti, Pitt OC. A year ago people were drooling over him as the future at Pitt. The coach-in-waiting someday. Luster’s gone after this past season, but there is a question of how much he was handcuffed by Wannstedt’s decisions or direction. He is still a fine option in my view. I’m of the opinion that Wannstedt’s directives, Sunseri’s limitations and the O-line were more of a factor than Cignetti this year.
Tom Bradley, PSU DC. It is at the point in Happy Valley, that everyone seems to be looking longingly at Al Golden who is younger than Bradley or nationally. He is from Western PA and has been an outstanding recruiter. If he takes the Pitt job at this point, he isn’t going to go back to PSU. I think he realizes that his choices are limited if he ever wants to be an HC. One of the best candidates. Fine recruiter. Actually shown the ability to coach on gameday. Obviously Chris Dokish disagrees with me.
Dick Rod, Mich HC. I don’t see it happening. One because if he is fired it would not be until after January 1. Two, there would be a pay cut. Third, Pitt’s administration seems to place a premium on ability to get along with the head coaches. Dick Rod has earned a notoriously prickly reputation from his WVU time. Add in the academic stuff at Michigan andit should make Pitt wary. Still, that would be wild to see Hoopie fans lose their minds, and while I may not think much of the man, I respect the coach.
That ability to get along with your boss. Not to mention other factors such as money will also be why Mike Leach won’t be a legitimate candidate. No matter how much fun that would be to have the Pirate.
Not in favor of any NFL guys. I think the days of mining for the next Pete Carroll are over after Wannstedt, Callahan, Gailey, Groh, Brewster, Weis, and so on. Part of it is that they cost more since they come from NFL-level pay. A fools errand, and I don’t think Pitt has the luxury of waiting for them to learn/relearn college. So, no Russ Grimm, Marvin Lewis and probably Tim Lewis.
Brady Hoke now at SDSU already seems like he’s headed for bigger and richer things. SDSU is ready to pony up to Pitt money levels to keep him and he seems to be one of the guys Michigan is keeping in the back-pocket.
Likewise Chris Petersen at Boise State isn’t going anywhere. I know it can’t hurt to ask, but it does waste time. Plus, it would get too confusing with AD Pederson, the Pete. Some of us lack editors to keep things clear.
I have little interest in Al Golden. He’s definitely holding out for the PSU job.
I have no problem with top-flight coordinators. Teryl Austin is worth a close look, I believe.
I’m not totally sure Pitt could get guys like Gus Malzahn (Auburn) and Dana Holgorsen (Oklahoma State) . These guys seem very hot at the moment and might look to a bidding war or wait to see about some other jobs. Not objecting to either. In fact, I know I’d be excited. Just not sure Pitt will land them.
Other names I would put under consideration/buzz but really need to look at closer: Mike Haywood, Miaimi (OH) HC; Kevin Sumlin, Houston HC, Doc Holiday, Marshall HC. Plus there are some more coordinators out there I need to research.
Oh yeah there is his whole “kid playing there” thing too huh.
I think Holgorsen would be my first choice.
He gave up on so many plays this year, it’s ridiculous.
I say good-riddance and hope he doesn’t play in the bowl.
HTscriptP
“He was working with a first-year starter at quarterback and turned Brandon Weeden into one of the most productive passers in the country. Oklahoma State’s top returning receiver has been hurt for most of the season, but he took a player with 20 career receptions and helped make Justin Blackmon the favorite for the Biletnikoff Award.
That’s not to say this is a gimmicky, chuck-and-duck offense. His running back was an All-American two years ago, and Kendall Hunter is right back there again this year, needing 39 yards to equal his production in 2008.
His passing offense ranks No. 2 nationally. His rushing offense ranks No. 31. Together, it ranks No. 3 in scoring offense and No. 2 in total offense.
And all that came from behind an offensive line with four new starters this year.”
1 Holgorsen
2 Golden
3 Gattuso
Its a little risky to assume a coordinator will have the same success as the head guy — much evidence its not a slam dunk transition, but the guy has put up major numbers at OK State in a tough conference…not to be taken lightly.
I like that Golden had the brass to jump on a sinking ship like Temple and has clearly done very well by them.
Gattuso has a great track record and apparently is well liked, so not a bad number 3 pick at all.
I just hope the ‘brass’ doesn’t get sentimental and/or stupid and go with the loyalty or charisma pick…ala Wanny/Johnny Majors II/Foge F. Good men all, but not right for the job. Good night and good luck, Dave W…thanks for makin’ the honest effort and get on the recruitin’ trail asap.
Give it a rest already — clearly Pat Bostick was lucky to get a major D1 scholarship…the dude is strictly average, at best (please don’t bring up WVU and ND wins — he was BAD and the D and Shady played out of their minds in those games). Every time he drops back it looks like he’s about to fall backwards and he has virtually no arm strength. Palko became the third leading passer in Pitt history, behind a guy named Marino, so don’t think nepotism was the issue there. Sunseri ain’t great, probably not even good, but had a pretty good year for a first year QB. If Myers is better next year, he should play, and a new coach should help with a more objective decision on that. Pat’s a good teammate and likely a solid citizen, but that doesn’t make him Joe Namath…or even Alex Van Pelt.
I would not be one bit surprised to see Dana…. I have been told that Malzahn wont be a candidate… Reasons are all different, and truthfully I dont have anything good for it.
I know Golden and SP have talked at this point. Holgorsen is a big possibility… Rhoads is not an option nor is Pitt interested.
Teryl Austin may get some looks too…
Sal Sunseri under no circumstance is going to get an interview… He is a career assistant, and no one that is in the know has mentioned him.
No doubt the QB issue has been overworked, but that decision started me to wonder about DW. I’ll take a kid who knows WHERE to throw over one who throws it HARD somewhere. Bostick has a “relatively” weak arm compared to Sunseri, but he knew the offense and could make decisions fairly quickly. SS cannot throw long any better than Bostick, and I didn’t see Sunseri being asked to run a lot, or throw more than short-to-intermediate passes … so where was the big upside that DW saw?
The entire thing reminded me of Cowher and Stewart-Miller. Stewart could throw it through a wall … if it wasn’t moving, but didn’t know the playbook; Miller knew the offense, was accurate, but not the athlete that Stewart was. Cowher picked Stewart and then stubbornly resisted change and wasted several Steeler teams trying to prove himself right. I don’t see PITT practices, so I don’t know who looks better there, but quick/good decisions are what you need from the QB and Sunseri rarely gave us those. DW rolled the dice on Sunseri’s downside (inexperience) and they came up snake-eyes. Who knew … nobody, but it was DW’s decision and he owned the consequences. In at least 2-3 games, better QB play would have made a big difference. Stubbornness was one of many DW deficiencies, but that QB decision – for whatever reason, started his exit IMHO. Also a reason why Cohwer would be a bad choice.
link to post-gazette.com
“Reached through text message Tuesday evening and asked if it was safe to say he would forgo his senior year with Wannstedt stepping down, Baldwin responded, “No, it’s not safe to say that. It doesn’t change my quarterback!”
At first, it sounded as if Baldwin was non-committal on his future, but when asked, “Why would you stay [for your senior season] when you have no chemistry with QB Tino Sunseri, a new coach/system taking over next season and possibly hurt your draft stock for the 2012 draft, Baldwin clarified, “Oh, I misunderstood you . . . Heck yeah I’m leaving. It can only get worse. They had me running a lot of deep routes [this year] and yards were hard to come by. I barely ran intermediate routes; it felt like they were purposely trying to disrupt my draft stock.”
Baldwin always struck me as a guy with enormous talent that wasn’t all that interested in the team or having a great work ethic. He certainly thinks very highly of himself though, he would be a great fit with the Bengals.
The article also mentions how many of the players rallied around the stache in text messages, twitter, and facebook. Its too bad they didn’t rally around him on the field, perhaps he would still be here if they did.
Pinkston wrote, “These people don’t know they made the biggest mistake ever letting OUR coach go. He’s more than just a coach, he’s a father to 96 kids on the team. We came from many different backgrounds. Some of us wouldn’t be in college or have the chance to experience college football. We have players on our team who have been turned down at other D1 schools and he took them in and made them family. Thank you coach for everything. You’ve done so much for me and my family. I would never of had this chance if it weren’t for you. I know my mother greatly appreciates what you have done for us. He didn’t deserve this from a guy who only came and switched us from ADIDAS to NIKE. Thank you, God bless, hail to Pitt and coach “Wann” and his family.”