UConn hires Bob Diaco (Notre Dame DC)
EDIT: Bruce Feldman confirms the hire:
BREAKING #NotreDame DC Bob Diaco will be the new head coach at #UConn, source told CBS. 5yr deal, starts at $1.5 mil.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) December 12, 2013
ORIGINAL RUMORS: According to ESPN's Brett McMurphy as well as footballscoop:
Notre Dame DC Bob Diaco in "serious negotiations" to become UConn coach, source told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) December 12, 2013
Sources tell us Bob Diaco will be the new head coach at UConn. Happy for him http://t.co/sNnVtycOD5
— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) December 12, 2013
A lot of coaching news breaking tonight (Boise, EMU, UConn) -- hopefully some news out of Texas will come soon, too?
December 11th, 2013 at 9:34 PM ^
Serious losses on defense and offensive line with new coordinators and a rusty Golson...even Gorgeous Al cannot screw this up. Or can he?
December 11th, 2013 at 9:37 PM ^
December 11th, 2013 at 10:20 PM ^
You beat me to it. Sadly we appear to be capable of losing ANY road game, and this one is against a real team.
December 12th, 2013 at 12:12 AM ^
Instead of putting it on Al, Hoke is ultimately accountable for this. I even remember a quote from Lewan along the lines of...we don't play well on the road. That really worries me about the psyche of the team when traveling.
December 12th, 2013 at 1:38 AM ^
Does call a HB pass with a 5'8 RB against a ND defense that is stocked with NFL talent.
Enough said.
December 12th, 2013 at 5:45 AM ^
I'm one of the biggest Borges critics, but I actually loved that call. And for once, I put that 100% on a lack of execution.
December 12th, 2013 at 3:40 PM ^
That play didn't work out, but I don't understand your point about ND being stocked with NFL talent as a reason not to gamble. The point of calling a trick play is to gain an advantage when you think your regular offense might not be able to do so. ND is the kind of opponent you probably want to break out a trick play for.
December 12th, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
ran straight at, juked and then around him for a TD in a game at Iowa. Guy was good going forward, not so much side to side. He probably does not like that memory so much.
December 12th, 2013 at 1:08 AM ^
The game against ND is always winnable. Michigan lost by a TD when they went to the National Championship game. Denard threw 4 picks in that game, and ND won 13-6.
Always winnable.
December 11th, 2013 at 9:35 PM ^
Also note that Chuck Martin, who was ND's OC, just left to take the Miami (NTM) HC position. Looks like Kelly will have to come with a brand new staff. Given his temperament, I would look to get out from underneath him as soon as possible, too.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:12 PM ^
December 11th, 2013 at 11:43 PM ^
December 12th, 2013 at 12:00 AM ^
possibility he doesn't want the headache of being a head coach.
December 12th, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
portland state
December 11th, 2013 at 9:38 PM ^
When was the game never winnable? We beat them pretty easily this year and they lose a lot on the offensive and defensive lines.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:40 PM ^
December 11th, 2013 at 9:38 PM ^
What is sort of interesting here is that Brian Kelly said earlier in the week that while he did not endorse lateral moves for his coordinators generally, he did encourage them to take positions of leadership. If Diaco is going to UConn, that would leave both coordinator positions open at ND as Chuck Martin took the Miami (OH) job.
I believe Diaco is a New Jersey native, so this would be sort of a homecoming for him (on a regional level, I suppose it would be). One article somewhere even had Tom Herman's name attached to this opening as well.
December 11th, 2013 at 9:52 PM ^
re think his commitment? Are there any possibilities for recruitment here?
December 11th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
I'm thinking the classic lego guy
December 12th, 2013 at 12:17 AM ^
half of the ND team from the movie Rudy.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:03 PM ^
why does it say dec 12? they are witches, burn them!
December 11th, 2013 at 10:04 PM ^
I think its a great hire honestly hes a young guy, good recruiter he can really build this program to b decent
December 11th, 2013 at 10:14 PM ^
Probably a hire equal in stature or greater than Narduzzi. Not so much because Diaco is a more talented coach but he has certainly proven he can coach and recruit at a high level.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:24 PM ^
All things that weaken our rivals, even those rivals who are abandoning the rivaly, are good things. I'd really like to see Narduzzi go somewhere but I'll settle for this.
ND loses Diaco and we get voting back. What a day.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:31 PM ^
Narduzzi to ND as DC?
December 11th, 2013 at 10:33 PM ^
That would be a huge slap in the face to MSU.
December 12th, 2013 at 6:50 AM ^
December 11th, 2013 at 10:35 PM ^
Then Saban to MSU as DC, then Meyer to Alabama as HC, then Fickell back to HC at OSU, then Gerg Robinson to OSU as DC.
The end.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^
Fingers crossed!!!
December 12th, 2013 at 12:28 AM ^
Not that it's going to happen, but the meltdown in Columbus would be entertaining as hell.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:37 PM ^
Bigger hire than the previously rumored Lembo, good for Uconn. Diaco could be a good one.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:49 PM ^
Went from Narduzzi turning them down to ending up with a better candidate in Diaco.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^
Stephon Tuitt @DOCnation_7: Lol at this program!!! Everything is kept a secret!!!! guess this is called come here make something out of yourself & leave.
Jaylon Smith @JaeeSmiff9ENT: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Jay Hayes @JayHayesNY: Wow Coach Diaco left..
Andrew Trumbetti @AndrewTrumbetti: Coach Diaco was at my house today and had me believe he was gonna be my coach, guess things change quickly
December 11th, 2013 at 11:02 PM ^
It's gotta suck for those kids, the defense was one of the few bright spots for them this year.
December 12th, 2013 at 12:25 AM ^
are always at risk of leaving. Virtually every HC that any player has had was once a coordinator who left some program to be HC at another.
Is it fair that coaches can leave and not have to sit out a year while kids do? Not really, but that's how college football works.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:56 PM ^
Some horrible defenses under Charlie, so Diaco's work at ND was every bit as impressive as GREG's work to undo GERG.
Heck, ND once had Cornflakes Brown as D-Coordinator - he might have been worse than GERG.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:04 PM ^
I have a friend who's a MASSIVE Domer, and he absolutely loved Bob. He's not responding to my tweets to him, I'm guessing he's probably too busy crying his eyes out!
kinda like when Michigan has ripped his heart out 4 of the last 5 years!
December 11th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
Big loss for ND.
The guy can coach.
Depending on who ND gets as a replacement the game next year is trending more towards need to win than coin flip.
/braces self for 6 turnover implosion
December 12th, 2013 at 12:05 AM ^
ND had a handful of guys on D who were draft eligible and haven't announced their decision yet. I image this pushes them out the door - your draft stock is harder to improve when running a new D and you risk them hiring a guy who makes you look less impressive, whether it be his scheme is a worse fit or he's just not as good of a coach.
December 12th, 2013 at 12:36 AM ^
The OC (Martin) wasn't a big loss. Empty backfield? Rees as QB? Pretty obvious what was happening.
The DC job is a bit more intriguing. Diaco was much like NDs season this year. Beat BIG10 Champ, beat PAC12 South champ, lose to Pitt, almost lose to Navy... Meh. Diaco was not that great of a recruiter, despite what you may think. His biggest claim to fame was sitting in Ishaq Williams drive way at 4AM to try and steal him back from PennSt. He sealed the deal and Ishaq has been mediocre at best.
His blitzes weren't disguised well and some games (Navy) he just couldn't seem to grasp. He was a players coach for sure and they loved him to death. But count me on the side that says "holding" Navy to 300 is not OK.
Pay. Your. Assistants. They will be less likely to leave.
December 12th, 2013 at 12:43 AM ^
It's odd you say that the players loved him to death but that he wasn't a great recruiter, because that doesn't jive. Typically, coaches who are beloved by their team are great recruiters, either because the recruits like them for the same reason the players do, or because the recruits hear from the players how much they love their coach and recruits want to be a part of it.
Just because he doesn't have as many personal recruiting wins, doesn't mean he wasn't a very good recruiter. He's a likeable guy who is an accomplished coordinator. I promise he was a pretty big pull for many defensive recruits.
December 12th, 2013 at 1:22 AM ^
Perhaps I phrased that incorrectly. While everything you listed is accurate, he was not widely accepted as the "closer" per se.
December 12th, 2013 at 1:15 AM ^
December 12th, 2013 at 1:21 AM ^
Navy ran fullback dive over and over again and ND looked like they'd never seen a down of triple option before. Fullback had 210 yards on 26 carries that game. I remember reading NDNation after that, and the hatred for Diaco at the time was very much like some of the Borges hate this year.
December 12th, 2013 at 1:45 AM ^
Calling Alex Bars! We need a LT.
Also calling Jhonny Williams.
Swing these two and then just offer all of the top DBs and sit back and see if you can get a commitment or two.
December 12th, 2013 at 3:33 AM ^
Pretty sure Bars projects to RT. His dad played for the Irish anyway, don't think he's flipping.
December 12th, 2013 at 3:25 AM ^
I suppose any shakeup that causes a disruption for ND is a good thing in my book...because F Notre Dame!