mrlmichael

October 18th, 2010 at 5:25 PM ^

I would rather not see Minnesota hire Leach. They probably wouldn't become consistent Big Ten Title contenders under him but I am sure they would field solid teams. In the new Big Ten, we will see them every year.

Tater

October 18th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^

I think Leach is a great coach who got screwed at TTU because they got their knickers in a twist over his contact with Washington, and they didn't want to pay him as much as he had negotiated in his contract. 

It was demonstrated that the "shed" where he had  Adam James ice himself is bigger than the average dorm room, and documented that a dark room and ice are both appropriate treatments for a player with a concussion.

I think Leach can do at least as well as Glen Mason did at Minnesota if they give him the job.  It would be a lot of fun to have him in the Big Ten.  If Minnesota became stronger, it would make the Big Ten stronger.  I still entertain the "fantasy" that the Big Ten can once again be the best conference in college football, so I am definitely in favor of anything that makes the Big Ten stronger and more entertaining.

Leach could possibly do both.

 

FrankMurphy

October 19th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^

The guy's players hated him. He always came off as a jerk in interviews, so I'm not sure I buy the whole "Adam James is an entitled rich kid" story. Anyone who gets fired from a school and then sues asking for an injunction to force the school to let him coach the bowl game clearly lives on another planet.

Nick

October 18th, 2010 at 7:03 PM ^

This is the one guy that Minnesota could feasibly get that I was worried about.  They aren't a threat to get the big names and I didn't trust their ability to pick out a great up and coming coach after the PLAY4BREW fiasco, but someone like Leach is an obvious pickup.

He is a proven offensive coach out there who is only unemployed because of some questionable decision making and philosophical differences with an institution.

You can argue his tactics or his leadership but within a few years at Minny his offense would shred.

Programs in Minnesota's position need to jump on a guy like Leach cuz its the best they'll get.

FrankMurphy

October 19th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^

He's clearly a smart guy and a brilliant coach from an X's and O's perspective, but his personality is borderline dysfunctional and he repels everyone he meets with his attitude. 

Why is it that all college coaches who never actually played college football have weight and attitude problems (Weis, Mangino, Leach)?

Yooper

October 18th, 2010 at 5:34 PM ^

Minnesota is fortunate that he is basically untouchable by the major programs right now. He would make them competitive, to a point. There is only so much you can do there. But eventually he will develop a great QB and win a bunch of games one year

PurpleStuff

October 18th, 2010 at 5:41 PM ^

He won at least 8 games for eight straight seasons at TTU.  He had 9 straight seasons of .500 or better in the Big 12 (despite playing in the same division as OU and Texas).  Anyone who has been to Lubbock knows how impressive that is.

jtmc33

October 18th, 2010 at 5:45 PM ^

His ability to take a 2-star unknown Texas recruit and turn him into a success is proof he can coach.

I imagine he can find plenty of 2-star unknowns in Iowa, Minn, Wisco, and Illinois that will do just as well in his system.

PurpleStuff

October 18th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^

The guy just knows how to coach the passing game.  I think the Big 10 is a little better defensively than the Big 12, but he would definitely make Minnesota competitive.  I think the people at TTU figured they could just bring in a new coach to run that system without a hiccup but Tubberville hasn't exactly set the world on fire.  This will probably Tech's worst season in about a decade and I think it all comes down to not having Leach at the helm of that offense.

NateVolk

October 18th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^

That would be a great hire for that program.  There are huge inherent disadvantages coaching there. One of the biggest is a relatively lean in-state talent base.  Another is the perception that it is a total outpost in the arctic, making it hard to get high star southern talent.

A guy with some charisma, who is a winner, in a fun style of play that doesn't require the best high school recruits would be perfect for that program.   They'd win a lot too.

Added coolness: Seeing him push 500 yard games against Ohio State and Iowa would  further muzzle the "that won't work in the Big Ten" crowd.    

jg2112

October 18th, 2010 at 9:31 PM ^

Minnesota's in-state talent base is, year on year, comparable or better than Iowa and Wisconsin. Perhaps you've heard of David Gilreath, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., James Lauranaitus, Michael Floyd, Seantrel Henderson, MB III, and on and on. There is enough talent in the state, they just need a coach to keep it there and recruit other areas.

Also, you're flat wrong wrt getting southern talent. Have a look at Minny's roster. There are plenty of players from Texas, Louisiana and Florida. 

With the right coach there is no reason Minnesota cannot be as successful as Wisconsin and Iowa.  

MCGamechanger

October 18th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^

This would be a huge hire for the Gophers. Mike Leach has been a winner everywhere he has been. The year before he arrived at Kentucky, their quarterback passed for 967 yards. In Leach's first year, his quarterback, Tim Couch, threw for 3,884 yards; the year after that, Couch, who lasted for only a few disappointing years in the N.F.L., threw for 4,275 yards. After Kentucky, Leach moved to Oklahoma for a single season, 1999. That year Oklahoma went from 101st to 8th in the country in offensive scoring. Its quarterback, Josh Heupel, passed for 3,850 yards that season, which was 1,700 more than any quarterback in Oklahoma football history had thrown for in a season

Also, Leach learned to recruit in Texas with the high profiled recruits going to OU, UT, and A&M. With the exception of Crabtree not many of Leach's TTU players were NFL talents and he was still competing with the best in the Big 12.

willywill9

October 18th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^

I'm torn. I want Minnesota to be respectable; HOWEVA, aren't they in our division effective next year? That would certainly make our division more difficult...right?

909Dewey

October 18th, 2010 at 7:37 PM ^

 

Leach coming to Minny would be a very good thing for the conference.  Our 2012 schedule gets more brutal with each passing day...

BoBo24

October 18th, 2010 at 9:11 PM ^

I have heard Leach give the exact same response ("I will listen to anybody") many times on air. Callers ask him about his interest in different jobs almost daily. I think he would fit much better at Colorado or Texas A&M (how much would that piss off the TTU faithful?) or even Washington State (he is originally from the Northwest, MT I think). One or more of those jobs is likely to open up in the next year or two.