OT: Butch Jones (Cinci) to Purdue rumor
No mustache. Disappointing, Purdue, disappointing.
Here's the link to the Hammer and Rails story.
In all seriousness, this would be a very good get for Purdue.
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^
I attended CMU during the Kelly/Jones transition. Most people think I'm nuts, but I actually had a higher opinion of Jones after watching both. He makes better in game decisions. I don't know about his player development because he inherited a very good team and left before the roster was truly his. I would call this a major upgrade for the Boilers.
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:08 PM ^
Should amp up the in-state battles between Purdue and ND.
December 2nd, 2012 at 4:33 PM ^
I dont know about you but I"m pulling for Cincy to pull off the 3 peat and take Enos off our hands, hell I would even consider paying his gas money to get him out of Mt. P.
December 2nd, 2012 at 8:52 PM ^
I'm all in favor of that.
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:47 AM ^
Jones might be a better coach than I'd like to see in West Lafayette. Isn't Tim Brewster available?
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:57 AM ^
Why? If the divisions stay the same this is good for Michigan. Anything to make that division more competitive is a great thing because Penn State is going to fall off over the next 5-6 years. A strong Purdue would be great for the Big Ten as a whole.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
he won't be long for Purdue. He will go to a bigger school with more money, higher recruiting profile, and bigger fan base. His carerr trajectory suggests nothing else.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^
...Illinois?
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:35 PM ^
Unless Purdue mans up and shells out some of their BTN cash to stay relevant (assuming he makes them relevant.)
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^
Bingo. Purdue's AD is infamous for being cheap with coaches, especially with football and mens and womens basketball.. He lucked out with Painter (although Gene Keady hand picked him).
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:50 AM ^
This could lead to Narduzzi leaving for Cincy.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^
Yeah, he angled hard for that job when Jones got it. If they paid him Jones-type money he's looking at a million dollar/year raise. He might hold out for something better, but I don't think his stock can get much higher (in his current position) than it already is.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:52 PM ^
That would be an interesting full circle with Dantonio going there...That would be a great hire!
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:13 PM ^
Agree, Narduzzi has to leave this year. His stock has reached its zenith. After sparty’s finish this year he could be starting to tarnish.
December 2nd, 2012 at 11:53 AM ^
According to this from the Indianapolis Star, it definitely means that Purdue is willing to spend a little. Jones' salary was set to increase to $1.6 million in 2013, whereas Danny Hope had the lowest guaranteed compensation of any head coach in the Big Ten at $950,000, and apparently the word is that Purdue would be willing to double that for the next guy. Colorado, which also wouldn't mind a coach like Jones supposedly, is looking to spend in upwards of $2.5 million per year actually, per the article.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^
You have to admit it, given the Big Ten's relentless crusade for money: what's all the money worth if you won't use it to pay a decent coach? Given the costs of buyouts anyway, and the fact that want more than what Jope was giving them (bowl games the last three years) you might as well spend the money.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
This. The lower tier B1G teams will remain irrelevant until they start shelling out massive cash to get (and keep) worthwhile coaches. .
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
This would be, at best, a lateral move for Jones. Purdue might be in the Big Ten, but the Purdue job just isn't that great. They don't get many recruits with offers from higher-level Big Ten teams, and their fanbase doesn't do them a lot of favors, either.
No head coach at Purdue has gone on to another head coaching job since Jim Young, who left in 1981 and went to Army for seven years. The best record by a head coach in that time was that of Joe Tiller, who went 87-62 for a .584 percentage. Even counting Tiller's 12-year run, both the mean and median tenure for a Purdue head coach since 1970 work out to 5 years.
Purdue is a great place for an old coach to sign a "retirement contract," but it is a terrible place for someone who wants to go further in the business. Jones has a lot more potential than a place like Purdue, and would be wise to wait for a job where people actually go on to better things.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
Well, according to news reports, both Purdue and Colorado are wooing him. I'm not sure how Colorado fell so low, but right now, I would choose Purdue over Colorado. And, while it might be difficult to win championships at Purdue, i really don't think he needs to in order to be attractive to other teams, a few 8 win seasons with a bowl win or two should be enough to do the trick.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
and then hired a coach who was out of his depth (Jon Embree) and pulled the plug after two years. Now their elder statesman, Bill McCarthney (who coached for Bo) is calling the administration racist and urging people to resist Embree's firing. It is a big mess there. If I were Butch Jones, I'd be worried about the situation in Colorado. Purdue is probably the safer bet.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:24 PM ^
I live in Colorado and that program is a mess. Besides the uproar over the firing of Embree, it's a program that doesn't have a lot of talent. They looked like a JV squad against some of the teams they played this year. It's probably going to be a multi year endeavor just to get to the point where you're a consistent bowl team.
Purdue at least has and generally brings in decent talent. The chances of going to a program and finding success quickly are much better at Purdue then Colorado.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:05 PM ^
Personally, I would much rather live in Boulder than WL.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:16 PM ^
But when you're a college football coach working 15-hour days, you don't see a lot of whatever place it is you live.
Purdue is much closer to a lot of population centers than Colorado. Recruiting trips are probably shorter overall.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:03 PM ^
That would be a good get for Purdue. Jones is solid and at worse would get the best out of that program compared to Hope.
However, the lack of mustache is a severe problem.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^
Flowchart for becoming a major football coach in the midwest
Coach CMU -> Coach Cincinnati -> Accept position at major university
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:55 PM ^
Dan Enos is destined to coach Cincinnati and then coach Ohio after Urban re-retires in 4 years after he starts to feel really stressed out and sad again
December 2nd, 2012 at 3:02 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:22 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
If Purdue can be a 7-9 win team on average I think that would be huge for the conference. Especially since Indiana is turning into Baylor-lite, I think that side of the conference could be very interesting going forward.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:27 PM ^
This would be a great hire for Purdue. I'd be very impressed. I was assuming they'd make another Danny Hope-type move. This is a move that a middle-tier program in an elite conference should try to make.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:28 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:35 PM ^
Going from a non-AQ conference to AQ is a step up in and of itself. The Big East is crumbling apart. At Purdue he should have plenty of resources. He can tap into the Ohio recruiting contacts he's established at Cincy.
December 2nd, 2012 at 2:00 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 9:37 PM ^
yeah, because it's not the University of Cincinnati has one of the greatest law schools in the country
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
Skip Holtz was the coach of USF not UCF. Anyways this isn't surprising. USF was awful this year.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
Corrected, and I agree that Skip Holtz's firing is not surprising (so I took it off the thread title)
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
I would like to point out that Skip Holts is not UCF's coach. USF on the other hand...
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:45 PM ^
on the hammer and rails post brings back some dark memories.
December 2nd, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
It makes me feel kind of bad and yet I cannot help but smile at Lou Holtz's son being fired. Especially after that awkward pitch he gave a few weeks back regarding Skip and his job security at USF.
Lou, no one cares what your son did at 1AA-level UCONN over a decage ago. The most pertinent info is that your son took a decent program in a weak conference and completely torpedoed it to the depths of shit.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:29 PM ^
This really is a lateral move, don't kid yourselves. But it makes sense until Cincinnati can find a way out of the Big East's festering corpse.
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:55 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
December 2nd, 2012 at 8:14 PM ^
I know there's no current rumors of BK to the NFL, but it's just a matter of time before some teams start inquiring - especially if ND beats Alabama for the BCS title. JMHO, of course.
December 2nd, 2012 at 2:05 PM ^
Will be interesting to see where a few of Jones's coaches at Cinci with Michigan ties end up... would they go with Jones (if Jones wants them) or stay with Cinci.
Former M linebacker Roy Manning (2000-04) was the Running Backs Coach for the Bearcats this season. Cinci finished 31st in FBS with 200 rushing yards per game.
Carr's last Defensive Line Coach Steve Stripling (with M from 2005-07) now holds the same position with Cinci. The Bearcats rush defense was 27th in FBS allowing 130 yards per game; scoring defense was 12th, allowing 17 points per game.
December 2nd, 2012 at 4:52 PM ^
Purdue needs to hire a Purdue Man. Is Butch Jones a Purdue Man? It will take a Purdue Man to understand the history and great tradtion of the Purdue football program.
December 2nd, 2012 at 5:36 PM ^
He has B1G experience! SEC! And a personality we need in the conference. I bet he'd grow a mustache, too. Probably one like your avatar's....
December 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 PM ^
I love that there's a brah on here who apparently hates Cinci and negged everyone who said this was a lateral move
must be a Xavier alum