Your Head Coach Selection

If you could, who do you hire?

  • Mike Bellotti

    Votes: 38 21.0%
  • Al Golden

    Votes: 11 6.1%
  • Troy Calhoun

    Votes: 6 3.3%
  • Jim Harbaugh

    Votes: 63 34.8%
  • Mike Leach

    Votes: 47 26.0%
  • Marc Trestman

    Votes: 4 2.2%
  • Kevin Sumlin

    Votes: 5 2.8%
  • Phil Fulmer

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Leslie Frazier

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Brent Venables

    Votes: 3 1.7%

  • Total voters
    181
Harbaugh is #1 with a bullet. Bellotti is a close second. Either could build up our program into a contender for a long time to come (Bellotti aided by the fact he would pass the job off to a brilliant assistant after 5-7 years. His track record of hiring assistants who went on to become successful head coaches is incredible).

While I disagree with you on lots of things, I am 100% on board with you on Harbaugh. I would find a way to pay him 3M a year and lock him up.
 


Leach is a no brainer, which is why it won't happen. It's also actually realistic...
 

My hope is that we hire someone who is a proven winner at the FBS level. Not is NOT the time to risk this position on someone who we think 'could' be a good coach. We have to hire someone who we KNOW will be a good coach. We took a risk with an unproven coach with Brewster, and we paid dearly. We need someone who we know can come in so we can quickly salvage what is left of the momentum in our program that Mason built.

I would be thrilled with Harbaugh, Belotti or Leach, but I still don't think there is any way we hire Leach. I don't think Golden will have any interest in coming here, unless JoPa retired and Penn State hires someone else. But we are not going to wait for that.
 

The guy who the U picks as their next coach is not even on that list. Everyone will find out in the weeks ahead.
If he's not on that list, I'm nervous already.
 


I voted for Harbaugh as the one I'd like for HC, but I'm betting on Brady Hoke of San Diego State -he's rebuit a couple of struggling programs (Ball State and SDSU), has midwest ties (Michigan assistant under Carr) and, most of all, we could get him much cheaper than the higher profile coaches on the list.

Despite what Bruiniks and Maturi have to say about being willing to pay up to $3M for the right coach, I'm extremely skeptical - I think they'll try to sell us on the merits of a lesser profile coach costing in the neighborhood of $2M.

Thinking he's the sleeper even though he's not on this list of options. From Ohio, Big Ten ties, turned around two programs (it appears) & 50 years old.
 

I really like the idea of naming Mike Belotti HC. He had a huge role in establishing Oregon as a major player in the PAC10 and hand picked Chip Kelly to come to Oregon as OC and also as HC to suceed himself. He also mentored Tedford (Cal coach) and Chris Petersen (Boise St. coach). I anticipate Oregon and Boise St. possibly being ranked #1 and #2 in new poll. If he has a passion for coaching, age 60 is not too old . I like his experience and his results. We need a coaching staff that can coach blocking / tackling to the recruits we get. 2 of the 4 starting defensive linemen on the Iowa squad are from Minnesota. I think he will give the program instant credibility and if we are patient we may reach a competiveness against our trophy rivals. He is available in that he does not have a coaching job that will tie him up until possibly New Years .
I would love to get Harbaugh or Patterson or Peterson but I don't feel confident we will be able to land them.
Maybe a private / confidential search firm will be able to guage their genuine interest , however if their names get mentioned as possible candidates, they use that oppurtunity to receive an extension to their current job. I don't want to be used in that way and have the search drag on and on.
Al Golden sounds like a terrific option as well but Michigan may be looking for another coach too and may compete for him.
 

I think Belotti's age might actually be an asset in that this will be his last job and he won't be looking for the next SEC job to open up. He is also an asset in the fact that he can lead this program for 5-7 years and then make a seamless handoff to another qualified assistant of his choosing; this would be in contrast to a Harbaugh or Golden who may help to bring this team back to respectability but may only stay for 3 to 4 years and leave the program to try to find another candidate which is why I view the Belotti hire as hiring not only him but him and the successor of his choosing. I am not saying turn down Jim Harbaugh or Golden but I do see some nice benefits to hiring Belotti that should not be ignored.
 

OK I know next to nothing about college football. I watch the Gophers - that's about it.

I thought Brewster should finish the season - maybe ok to terminate his contract now but let him finish the year.

So with that said what about the Navy Coach? I perused a few GH Posts and saw no mention of him. Is this suggestion totally out of the question.

Indiana did ok when they hired a Basketball coach from a military academy 40 years ago.
 



Bellotti #1, Harbaugh #2, and Leach a very distant #3.

Leach scares me; with him comes a lot of distractions, and I'm not sure the Air Raid Offense would be very successful up here in November weather and in wind that can play a big factor in our East-West facing stadium. We would also be straying away from our tradition of running the ball, something essential to compete in the Big Ten, no?
 

OK I know next to nothing about college football. I watch the Gophers - that's about it.

I thought Brewster should finish the season - maybe ok to terminate his contract now but let him finish the year.

So with that said what about the Navy Coach? I perused a few GH Posts and saw no mention of him. Is this suggestion totally out of the question.

Indiana did ok when they hired a Basketball coach from a military academy 40 years ago.

Ken Niumatalolo
 

Lock up Belotti before Colorado comes swooping in!!
 

Leach: entertaining offense
Calhoun: Old school option.
Belotti: Always had solid teams
 



Troy Calhoun?

He's not even the best service academy coach. Ken Niumatatolo at Navy is the guy we want, if we take someone from A-N-AF.
 





Top Bottom