OT: Hoke meets with Minnesota
November 24th, 2010 at 1:42 PM ^
This is much preferable to a mad scientist like Mike Leach landing there.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:45 PM ^
There is nothing good about that Minnesota job. Hoke was pretty savvy about his move from Ball State (leaving after his one good season) to SDSU (taking over an underachieving team in a talent-rich area where the prior coach had laid a nice groundwork already). I don't see him making the mistake of taking the job in Minneapolis at this point and stalling out his career.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:49 PM ^
Minnesots has the ability to be a decent program, it wouldn't be stalling out his career. Glen Mason did some good things up there, it can be done. Tim Brewster was just a joke, how does being a TE's coach your whole life prepare you for coaching in D-1A football?
November 24th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
Who says you need to coach football? I know someone local to Minneapolis that would be a great hire:
November 24th, 2010 at 2:15 PM ^
Quack quack quack, Mr. Ducksworth!
November 24th, 2010 at 2:21 PM ^
a creative judge sentencing a wayward coach to 3 years of selling Gophers' football to big time recruits.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
He was their most successful coach (by far) in the last 40-50 years and the fans weren't satisfied.
It is a terrible job.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:16 PM ^
I agree that Minnesota fans were idiots for wanting him out. However, he did get to coach there for 10 seasons, and at one point was a pretty hot name in the coaching field. In retrospect he should have struck when the iron was hot.
BTW, Lou Holtz was there before he went to ND.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
While I do think that Brady Hoke is a really good Coach I thought Minnesota was looking to make a splash with a big name head coach. I don't think the casual fan would even know who Brady Hoke is. If your Minnesota I would think your doing everything you can to pull Chris Peterson from Boise State he is a good coach and it makes a big splash.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:09 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Chris Petersen isn't leaving Boise State for what's currently one of the worst major-conference programs in the country. Minnesota could offer him $5 million a year (which they don't have) and he still wouldn't go there.
November 24th, 2010 at 7:11 PM ^
If Chris Petersen turns you down then that's fine but make him say no don't assume. Minnesota could double his pay (Glen Mason was making 2 million) and he might consider Minnesota if he wins all of his games this year and does not even play in a BCS game (6 conference champs, TCU (higher in BCS), OSU (draws big crowds), Stanford (keep rose bowl pac ten big ten), second SEC team (draws big crowds). Alabama did not say Nick Saban won't leave a good NFL job for a middle of the pack team in the best conference coming off probation and that has worked out well for them.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^
I think a big splash coach is overated. Tressel wasn't a big name coach either. To be honest I think Hoke is as good as Harbaugh. I really think if D. Brandon is looking for coaches he should consider Hoke.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^
My hope is for Hoke to go to Colorado. Takes him away from SDSU for our game next year and out of Minnesota for the future. Based on past performance, he looks like he will be successful moving up the coaching ladder.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:56 PM ^
November 24th, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
CU would be a very nice move for Hoke. Expectations are low after Hawkins, the competition after USC (and even they will be struggling with sanctions) looks pretty beatable in the Pac 12 South or whatever they are calling that division (UCLA, Arizona, ASU, Utah), there is a history of success, and the current roster does have enough talent to win 7-8 games next year (as evidenced by their immediate two game win streak since Hawkins got the boot and Cabral realized you don't have to stop running the football when you have the lead). Also, Boulder is a pretty nice town to bring a recruit to and they've historically gotten good players out of Texas and California.
I don't know how much he is on their radar but if he could get that job he'll be set up for a very nice head coaching career.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:22 PM ^
I think CU is fool's gold. (Granted, I don't know if Minnesota's any better.) The only coach to win there was McCartney, and well, let's just say his problem was less than admirable in some respects. He also coached there before the facilities arms race started up, and now CU has below-average facilities and no money to upgrade. There isn't much of a recruiting base there, either. To compound things, the memories of the McCartney years haven't totally faded, so fans don't have a ton of patience. Moving into the Pac-12 might have only made things tougher.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:59 PM ^
First off, I don't think they'll ever be what they were under McCartney. He benefitted from a lot of Prop 48 kids out of Texas and the fact that Oklahoma hit the skids after Switzer left (their season during that run was basically beat Nebraska and you win the Big 8).
At the same time, I have a lot of friends who are CU fans/alums and they are all desperate for any sign of success at this point. My buddy keeps trying to convince me (and himself?) that keeping Cabral may be a good idea because he "gets the tradition."
With the move to the Pac 12, their division rivals all kind of have the same shortcomings (lack of in-state talent, not so great facilities) when you're talking about Utah, ASU, and UA. UCLA is still a pretty big mess and USC is facing tough sanctions. It isn't going to be the same as dealing with the facilities arms race in the Big 12 (where football is king and a school like Ok. State is trying to outspend everybody).
The foundation is there to win 7-8 games next year and I think they would immediately embrace Hoke if he did that.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^
good for him. he deserves to keep moving up.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:55 PM ^
Sun in San Diego vs. the snow and cold of Minneapolis.
Boy that is tough decision. That snow better be a "Snow Bank!"
November 24th, 2010 at 2:30 PM ^
Hey man, I'll live in the snow and cold of Michigan over Florida any day. Nothin wrong with the cold...
November 24th, 2010 at 2:42 PM ^
There's more to living places than the weather, also.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:45 PM ^
I disagree with that statement.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
He might be perfect for a program of that stature, but (as has been noted elsewhere in this thread) the fans, and especially the goofy AD, wouldn't be satisfied by a string of 6/7/8-win seasons. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could move them into the 9/10-win level, Mangino-style. (That would be a huge task and I don't think more than a handful of coaches could even hope to do it. Nothing against Brady ...) I'd be much more frightened of crazy Mike Leach.
- - -
Aside: If you're buying Brady Hoke right now, there's a good chance you'll be "buying high." He hasn't yet had a _sustained_ run of excellence (although things look pretty good at SDSU). Subtract his 12-win year and his Ball State career looks pretty ordinary.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:07 PM ^
when discussing Minnestota on BTN.
November 25th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
I certainly didn't find it hard not to chuckle at that comment.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:08 PM ^
He was a great recruiter for us, and a great D-line coach.
hmmmmm....I wonder how much it would take to hire him as a DC?
It would never happen, but we can all want caviar wishes and champagne dreams.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:11 PM ^
The goofy AD may be on the way out, hence Brady's interest.
Think Stan Parrish will go with Brady if he takes the Minnesota job?
November 24th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^
Parrish just got fired by Ball State, so he's got nothing better to do.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:15 PM ^
If RR has Spreadriguez ball. Hoke has Hokey-Pokey ball?
I'll take the Spreadriguez over Hokey Pokey any, damn, day.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:07 PM ^
to coach at Minnesota for only 2 years and after going 4-7 and 6-5 to land the Notre Stain job. Wow.
At that time he had been fairly succesful with the Razorbacks, beating Oklahoma in that 1978 Orange Bowl, hitting the 1980 Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama and thrashing Texas a couple of times in the early 1980s, but his work in Little Rock waned before heading to Minneapolis.
Holtz was 10-12 in Minnesota.
The Gophers made a big mistake in firing Glen Mason in my opinion, who had the Gophers hitting 5 straight bowl games.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:09 PM ^
Notre "Stain," really?
November 24th, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^
again? Sorry.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:08 PM ^
He would be a nice choice.
I'm thinking Hoke or some one from the MAC might apply.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:25 PM ^
Dungy turned Minnesota down already. He recommended Marc Trestman, a CFL coach who is a local and an alum. Trestman is probably still the lead with Hoke a close 2nd.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^
He'd be a pretty good catch for them. I don't know if I'd want the job if I were him, though. I think I'd stay in the SD sun until something more prestigious opened up.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:01 PM ^
........I don't have any doubt that Minny moves up in stature amongst the B10. I don't think they will ever vie for a B10 championship, but they would always be a scrappy, tough game for anyone, IMO.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:07 PM ^
They're going to be in a division with Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, MSU, and Northwestern. They're going to have their hands full.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:50 PM ^
...........they will ever compete for the B10 title, however, I do believe they would be competitive nearly every year with the occasional team that is somewhere between good and very good. That is even with the division they would be in.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:37 PM ^
Minnesota gets to play Michigan and Nebraska every year, plus Iowa and Michigan State. Every coach that has gone there since the beginning of time except one, has failed and been fired, and that guy ended up fired.
November 24th, 2010 at 7:20 PM ^
Lou Holtz took the Notre Dame job after some success at Minnesota. But all the rest fit into the two categories you mentioned.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:59 PM ^
If I'm Hoke, I don't accept the Minnesota job. Even though they have fairly low expectations. They got tired of Mason winning 7-8 games a year, but I think if their next coach did the same, they'd be more content after their recent lows and the gauntlet that will be the Big 10. Hoke should stay at SD St. unless offered the Colorado job. Low expectations there, more fertile recruiting grounds in the area, and a athletic department that is financially strapped. This may be seen as a bad thing, but it might be attractive for a coach because he's almost guaranteed to finish out his contract because Colorado probably wouldn't want to pay for another buyout if he starts to fail.