Blue-Chip

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.

MichiganStudent

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. 

DeuceInTheDeuce

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.

LSAClassOf2000

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.

 

Belisarius

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.

Tater

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.

UMgradMSUdad

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.

dnak438

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.

funkywolve

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.

JT4104

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.

inthebluelot

December 2nd, 2012 at 12:22 PM ^

And everything you say is true. What was Cincinnati before Kelly transformed it? It had a couple of decent seasons and he took it to the next level. Jones could elevate both the program and his own résumé with a 4-5 year stint there. I think it's a win-win for both, and don't kid yourself. Purdue gets better QB and skill position talent than MSU, Minny, Indy, Iowa, Ill, NW, Maryland, Rutgers, and would have a better coach than all of those programs by far. That puts them in the top half of the conference. Add to that an almost certain upgrade on defense and you have yourself a program likely on par with what PSU, Sparty, Wisky and Nebraska will be putting out the next 5 years. I think it adds to the conference depth on day one.

MichiganStudent

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. 

snarling wolverine

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.

 

MH20

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.

Brodie

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. 

Fergodsakes

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.

RedGreene

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.