AD Jeff Long

Submitted by BoFan on

I’m not a fan of discussing job candidates for a job that is currently filled and is likely to be filled at least to the end of the year.

But everyone keeps bringing up these tier II and tier III AD candidates, and I can’t believe no one is talking about Jeff Long:

- He dealt with a very difficult PR situation at Arkansas.

- He fired Bobby Petrino.

- He has SEC experience.

- He has Michigan experience.

- His new coach almost beat Alabama last week (Kiffin’s weak offense get’s an assist).

- His wife is from Ann Arbor.

- And…

...He is very well respected and chairman of the new college football playoff committee.

MGoBoard
Football

Talcelm

October 14th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^

I've lived in Arkansas since '05 and Jeff Long has made a tremendous difference for the dept. He has dealt with tough situations and has brought TONS I mean TONS of money into the ath dept from a state that has no real large donors even tho Walmart down the street. He has come under fire for moving sec football games from little rock to Fayetteville and replacing them with garbage teams....but I don't think he will leave anytime soon. The admin will throw bags of money at him to keep him....but woukd be a good fit at michigan.

Joined: 11/27/2010

MGoPoints: 580

PA_Blue

October 14th, 2014 at 9:18 PM ^

Hoke will not be back next year even if Brandon is retained.  Last year Brandon put out a statement defending Hoke saying he will be leading our football program well into the future.  He sent this out because of the rampant speculation about his job security and its negative impact on recruiting.

This year he has made no such endorsement.  He just said Hoke will be evaluated at the end of the year like every other coach.  Considering the shitstorm that's been going on and the negative impact it is having on recruiting, don't you think Brandon would make some statement about Hoke's job security for next year if he thought he would be back?

He's gone.

 

 

Joined: 10/04/2014

MGoPoints: 344

AmishRule

October 14th, 2014 at 10:08 PM ^

I love reading posts claiming Hoke will be here next year. Please, based on results as of today - no "what ifs" make your rational reason? And no " just because". I really wished Hoke would have been successful, but it isn't working and Michigan needs to move forward -- his evaluation is effectively done. Keeping Coach Hoke will not only be a program suicide, but a financial disaster. And I still believe Brandon will likely enter into a termination agreement soon. There are many mistakes and frustrations, the compounding effect becomes too much. I would not be shocked he walks before MSU.

Joined: 10/02/2014

MGoPoints: 691

Leonhall

October 14th, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^

reason, I am beginning to doubt that Dave Brandon will be fired. I think if he is around for the week after MSU, he isn't getting fired. I think others believe this too, and the reality of it is, if Dave Brandon is around, I don't know if he fires Brady Hoke. The bad thing is he will have to extend him if he stays. If Brandon is fired, Hoke will be fired. However, Brandon needs to be fired before November IMO, Do you think a newly hired AD who hasn't been around all season is going to walk into his office and fire Hoke on the first day? Don't most AD's who are currently employed at least give their current employer a month or more before they leave? How has this worked in the past?

Joined: 06/14/2012

MGoPoints: 16430

cbuswolverine

October 15th, 2014 at 1:11 AM ^

So what.  Hiring a head football coach isn't a skill.  Whoever hired Nick Saban at Alabama wouldn't move on to be the AD at another school and hire the next Nick Saban.  The idea that "football coach almost beat Alabama" means somebody should hire the guy who happened to hire that football coach is dumb.  

Joined: 08/14/2008

MGoPoints: 5958

Mpfnfu Ford

October 15th, 2014 at 12:45 AM ^

Are you allergic to context?

This Arkansas team is basically being built from scratch. Petrino, while he delivered results, consistenly had the lowest level of recruiting of any coach in the SEC other than Kentucky and pre-Franklin Vanderbilt. And on top of all that, the school was forced to fire him at a terrible time and basically had to set an entire season of on field results and recruiting on fire the year before Bielema shows up. 

So yeah, I think it's a pretty great sign for their program that in year 2 they're already competing against quality competition and are a few bad breaks/bad ref calls from wins over TAMU and Bama. Especially since Bielema is a guy who relies on his ability to build in the trenches and that's typically not something you can do overnight. That they're this far along already suggests they're going to be maulers in year 3 or 4 when he has his own upper classman linemen he's developed

Joined: 05/19/2012

MGoPoints: 6469

cbuswolverine

October 15th, 2014 at 1:15 AM ^

What does any of that have to do with what I said?

Yeah, it's a great sign for their program.  WTF does that have to do with Jeff Long?  He had to hire a coach.  He probably hired a pretty good one.  Congratulations.  That doesn't make him a head-football-coach-hiring-savant.  

Joined: 08/14/2008

MGoPoints: 5958

Mpfnfu Ford

October 15th, 2014 at 1:34 AM ^

It's a pretty strong sign for an AD when he's able to hire a good coach. Generally that's looked at as a positive. He was able to hire a guy NOBODY would have thought was getable, handled the absolute mess Petrino caused with dignity, refused to let the hiring process turn into a political mess with the NWA and Little Rock crowd hijacking the hiring process, and it's all turning out well.

I think that reflects well on Jeff Long. He's made VERY difficult decisions (the kinds of decisions Michigan fans should want their AD to make) for Arkansas football that weaker ADs wouldn't have made, and it's working.

Joined: 05/19/2012

MGoPoints: 6469

cbuswolverine

October 15th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^

Yes, that does reflect well on Jeff Long.  My point, though, is that "almost beat Alabama," doesn't reflect on Jeff Long at all.  Arkansas hasn't won a conference game in almost two calendar years.  That doesn't reflect on the athletic director, either, imo.

Joined: 08/14/2008

MGoPoints: 5958

AMazinBlue

October 15th, 2014 at 12:02 AM ^

Brandon has a pretty good case against him.  He just needs a kicker to really start the fire.  If we lose to MSU as has been predicted and seems inevitable, a three TD or more loss, especially in embarassing fashion will guarantee Hoke's ouster at the end of the season.

Brandon's demise will come shortly thereafter due to all the negative press about the quality of the program and how Hoke just isn't up to the job.  The speculation will ramp up and the blame will fall squarely on Brandon.

Brandon will cook up some plan or story to try to push it off on something else, it will backfire and the negative pub and embarassment force the Administration to cut ties immaediately and the search begins.

I agree that if Long is hired, Hoke might get to stay.  He might not have the objectivity needed to do what is necessary.  I am in favor of Bates.  I think he can bring in Harbaugh and close the ranks of the factions tearing the program apart.

The key is, Brandon has to be gone before Nov 15 to have enough time to get Bates (or whoever) and let Hoke go after OSU and start the first REAL coaching search since 1969.

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 7197

Mpfnfu Ford

October 15th, 2014 at 12:35 AM ^

Read Steven Godfrey's piece at SBNation on the deep cultural division at Arkansas between the NW region (Where Walmart is HQ'd and where they campus is physically located) and the Little Rock area where all the old money and traditonal influence is located. Michigan has a divided environment, but holy poop it's nothing compared to the deep divides at Arkansas. And Long has managed that with aplomb. He hasn't let those various interests lead him around, he's led them.

Also, the guy is clearly well respected given his position on the CoFoPlayoff. 

Joined: 05/19/2012

MGoPoints: 6469

Hannibal.

October 15th, 2014 at 8:34 AM ^

I'll take Jeff Long in a heartbeat.  The Bielema hire was a huge coup.  He plucked Bielema out of the Midwest, where he had been his whole life, from a strong program where he was a hero to an Arkansas program in shambles.  That is the type of hire we are going to need next.  We are going to have to pluck a proven winner away from a place where he is comfortable by breaking out the checkbook and also aggressively selling the benefits of the job.  Long has proven that he can do this.  He needs to do it for us next.  There isn't a single A list candidate within 500 miles of Ann Arbor right now. 

Joined: 09/09/2008

MGoPoints: 9051