You can’t be serious. You cannot be serious.
Meanwhile, another coach’s name leaked over the weekend according to several Pitt sources, and it is a coach with Pitt ties who has yet to be mentioned in the search.
Alex Van Pelt was Pitt’s starting quarterback from 1989-92, and according to sources, he is also a candidate to be the Panthers’ next head coach as he talked with members of the search committee last week.
I like Alex Van Pelt. He had the unfortunate luck of having to do too much too soon in Pitt’s offense. Coupled with the loss and turning pro early of a couple quality backs. He sometime gets a bad rap as a pure stat guy in Pitt’s record books.
Having said that…
We are talking about a guy who has extremely limited experience and just short of zilch in the college game.
- 2005…Frankfurt Galaxy, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2005…Buffalo Bills, Volunteer Offensive Quality Control Coach
- 2006…University at Buffalo, Quarterbacks Coach/Pass Coordinator
- 2006-07…Buffalo Bills, Offensive Quality Control Coach
- 2008-09…Buffalo Bills, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2009…Buffalo Bills, Offensive Coordinator
- 2010…Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Quarterbacks Coach
I’m going to assume this is to placate some more alumni who are pissed. Not at the coaching search, so much as not going after “Pitt guys” or something else. This does not compute and I refuse to entertain this notion.
I mean, there is trying to find a youngish up-and-comer. Then there is shooting blind. That seems to be where a certain tier of coach interviews fits: Van Pelt, Roman, Austin. They all have such limited experience as really running anything. Briefly reaching a coordinator spot at best. The paranoia in me almost thinks that these guys are being brought in more to make a guy like Todd Graham look that much better and like the best and only choice.
As for Graham, as you would expect the act is wearing in Tulsa. So you have the “sh*t or get off the pot” article demanding Tulsa force him to make the call.
Somebody out at 11th and Harvard needs to find the cajones to demand that Todd Graham makes up his mind immediately about his future.
If the athletic director won’t do it, then Tulsa president Dr. Steadman Upham needs to get on the horn ASAP and tell Graham he needs to decide right now if he plans to continue coaching the Golden Hurricane football team.
Some deep-pocket donors have understandably reached the boiling point while watching a coy Graham play footsie with the University of Pittsburgh over the past three-plus weeks.
The more one watches and reads about this situation, the more obvious it becomes that Graham’s going to go to the highest bidder. Not sure if TU can afford to pay him much more than he’s already making, which is a hefty salary. And if Pitt refused to meet his money demands the first time around, why would the school’s goofy AD do it now? Well, there is the fact a lot of Pitt people want that slimy AD fired and he can’t blow this hire.
How shall I put this? Ah.
It’s a fun fantasy. But that isn’t going to happen. The system doesn’t work like that. What leverage does Tulsa really have? Make a choice or…? They’re not going to fire him, because they would still have to pay him. All they can do is refuse to give him more years or money.
And then…? Graham can still take whatever time he wants to make a choice. It’s a typical rant/complaint with no teeth. In the end, most schools and the fans swallow hard and accept it — as long as they keep winning. It gets rationalized as the way of the business. That it is a compliment to the program that the coach is attracting such attention. Whatever you need to tell yourself (just ask Louisville fans under Petrino, Houston Nutt anywhere, etc.)
When you start losing, that’s when the wandering eye stuff really comes back to haunt a coach. The patience isn’t there for the coach and this sort of thing gets tossed back at the coach. So, if Graham doesn’t jump this year, he almost needs to jump within the next two.
In other coaching stuff. Tom Bradley interviewed with UConn on Sunday, and UConn lost one candidate. K.C. Keeler, the Delaware HC has pulled his name from consideration. The Huskies are looking at Bradley, Arkansas OC Garrick McGee and Mark Whipple — the former Steelers QB coach, Miami OC and also former UMass HC.
It seems Tom Bradley is now struggling to get traction with Pitt or UConn. And this kind of cheerleader column from Harrisburg is a bit silly.
The obvious choice is Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. He knows just about everyone in western Pennsylvania – high school coaches, business owners, plain folks. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like Bradley. He’s a really good teacher and recruiter and is almost uniformly loved by his players.
But Pederson has his eye on Tulsa coach Todd Graham.
The man is from Texas. He runs a flashy offense. Has no ties to the Pittsburgh area at all. Probably just taking the job as a stepping stone. But hey, this way Pederson can show all the local rubes that he sees the Big Picture.
And that’s what it’s really about for Pederson. Showing everyone he can see what they all can’t.
I would agree if someone like Roman gets hired. A coach like Graham that is a damn fine choice, though, hardly makes that case.
Seriously, pulling AVP into this search…at this point??? What exactly is going on over there in Oakland??? Has everyone gone completely off the deep end?
With the news that Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris has accepted the same job at Clemson, Todd Graham reportedly will promote from within to fill the vacancy. That is if he remains the coach.
The Tulsa World reports that Graham met with his team Sunday night and said he is still their coach, although he did not dispel rumors that he could leave to take the Pitt position.
As for who will get the promotion, the paper reports that two likely candidates are running backs and special teams coach Bill Blakenship and passing game coordinator and receivers coach Mike Norvell.
Graham also told the team he’ll hire a quarterbacks coach, but that he has to do what is best for him and his family when it comes to the possibility of leaving Tulsa.
Let’s face it, we working stiffs with family responsibilities would be crazy not to improve our financial situation. So, let’s try to get the best coach available who will take Pitt football to the next higher level and worry about coaching tenure when the time comes. Hail to Pitt!
Personally, I don’t like the idea of hiring a coach who is not expected to hang around if he has success, but I suppose that’s part of college sports today.
Apparently, there are rumors that he’s also gone back to Tulsa and given them a chance to counter Pitt’s offer. Again, this is coming from some folks in and around the Tulsa area. No one from Pitt has confirmed that Graham has received an offer.
Some may look at this and say, “Well, by going back to Tulsa, it says he really doesn’t want to be at Pitt.” Could be. One could also just as easily say that this is a guy doing what’s best for his family, and also showing a bit of decency going back to his current employer and saying “I’ve got a better offer from “X”, but I want to give you a chance to keep me around.” Find me one person who WOULDN’T at least consider doing this in their respective profession if given the opportunity.
Sorry, but this is the way it tends to work these days. If he takes this job and comes in and wins, he may eventually look to better his life with a more lucrative deal elsewhere; at that point, it’s up to Pitt to pony up and keep him around.
I just want to see the guy be given a fair chance if he gets the job, and I’m not sure he’s going to from a large segment of this fanbase.
At this point, it seems he’s already been given three strikes by half the fanbase because he’s not from the Pennsylvania area, he’s not named “Tom Bradley” and he may not see Pitt as a destination job.
Well, Pitt can be a destination job, but that’s up to Pitt. If Pitt wants to be a destination job, play ball and pay the guy to keep him here if he wins. If he’s looking for more money down the road, it’ll give him more incentive to come in here and hit the ground running. As Zeise mentioned, Pitt HAS a track record of paying guys once they produce – they did it with Jamie Dixon.
Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll qualify everything I said above by saying that Graham is my favorite of the candidates who were out there. He was one of my favorites the first time around, and I would’ve been thrilled with either him, Bradley or Cristobal…or even Teryl Austin. All four would’ve been better than what we had (Wanny) and better than where we were going (Haywood).
1. Graham’s ego seems to be bigger than SP’s. Never good. 1.8 or 2mm for this guy is ridiculous.
2. Bradley is too passive and seems like he is out at this point or they would have pulled trigger already.
3. Kudos to Keeler for nixing UCONN and actually having a press conference and an angle for the decline – recruting. Bradley should take media lessons from this guy. Wish Pitt went after Keeler but not going to happen.
4. Austin has no experience so does not fit for now but we need to handle this right with him as he could be a future HC hire here
5. is Cristobal the guy? Seems to fit what they are looking for without the ego of Graham. I am intrigued!
Stoosh, maybe you have a point there. Tulsa going 10-3 in C-USA in 2010 trumps going 10-3 in the BE in 2009 any day. And finishing in a tie for 1st in the BE is irrelevant. As far as what the three assistants under consideration would have done, why anyone with any knowledge of the game would know that if they were in charge, Pitt would have won the BE outright and not just tied for the same. Great post!
>Comment by maguro 01.10.11 @ 11:53 am
Not to mention a couple of those highly prestigious NCAA investigations that everyone wants in a coach!
Van Pelt is one of mynall time favorite PITT QBs but he isntmreadynfor the big time yet.
There should only be 3 candidates at this point
Bradley
Austin
Graham
If Graham is the choice then set a time table and an amount and given him an ultimatum. Atnthismpoint itnappears we maynbe getting bogged down in diplomacy.
My choice is Austin or Bradley as both seem to want to be here.