Now, if the Columbia administration is uncomfortable with the rank speculation that follows here, there's always one easy way its members could stop it.
But I think the chances are slim that the Bollinger team will say anything.
Anyway, based on what we're hearing I think there's a very good chance the mystery "big name coach" Bollinger is supposedly negotiating with is former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Head Coach Greg Schiano.
Schiano has made no secret of his desperation to get back to coaching.
But his bid to get back in this year seems to have died on December 14th when Pitt became the third big program to go another way after Nebraska did the same a bit earlier. Michigan was never really going to happen either.
Anyway, that December 14th day of death roughly coincided with the December 18th date that Rick Taylor delivered his report on the football program to Bollinger.
Schiano is the biggest name of any name still out there that even a fairly casual fan in this area would recognize.
Schiano is very connected in New Jersey and would conceivably have no trouble moving back there from his current home in Tampa.
Schiano has a 17-year-old son who is a high school senior who plays football and may like the chance to attend Columbia. He has committed to Bucknell, but that's not binding.
Schiano has a good relationship with New England Head Coach Bill Belichick and should thus be on Robert Kraft's radar.
In addition to getting a guy who should give some newfound hope to even the most downtrodden Columbia fan, Schiano has a reputation of being a stickler for academics at Rutgers. That could help him overcome some of the criticisms he might see coming to the Ivies from big time college football.
I am not touting Schiano here, I am simply making an educated guess about who the mystery man Columbia is talking to.
Again, if Bollinger and the rest of the administration doesn't like it, they can give us some real information.
12 comments:
The hair on the back of my neck just stood up. Absolutely incredible if this really happens. Hard to fathom how supposedly really smart people could blunder this badly and for the blundering to span decades.
I've got dibs on firegregschiano.com. Or I might just give up if that happens.
wignman:
Do you mind if I ask why you have such ire for Schiano?
Hiring, and paying, Greg Schiano would be really out of the box for Columbia, and Schiano.
Wingman, a few days ago you said here that Schiano was "a jerk of the highest order", moreso than Mangurian. You said also that "he was universally despised."
Although you said he did a fantastic job at Rutgers, why do you think he'd be good for Columbia as a
despised jerk? Isn't that a big disconnect?
If the Schiano guess is correct, are there any quesses as to the OC and DC? Ex-NFL or college? How good is he as a recruiter? This needs to happen ASAP. I believe that the existing core is good enough to win a few games with a run of the mill coach. If he comes in with a good group of assistance's, a 5 and 5 year is a possibility, as is canonization.
I do not think he is a good fit at Columbia. I'm not sure he is a good fit anywhere. Hiring the man is a mistake. Train wreck.
Schiano DID do a fantastic job at Rutgers. Too lazy to look up the history but I believe he came from Miami as an assistant and Rutgers was his first head coaching job. Also too lazy to look up records and stats but if you recall Rutgers was a lackluster program for many years. Schiano changed that with better recruiting. They were not a powerhouse by any stretch but competitive. I have no idea if he was always the same way before and after the turnaround but whatever the case, as Rutgers gained more exposure as a resurrected program, his ego basically made a very poor impression. I recall him being painted as a bully to players and media alike. He made no secret of his preference for a highly disciplined and demanding approach in his coaching style. Those players that can take it will make it. Others can leave. Then he suddenly became head coach of an NFL team where he followed the same pattern. His true colors were on national media display. He was driven out of town and burned his coaching reputation.
To people who find it difficult to find such details on the Internet, tough luck. It's all there.
Now, if this latest is true and he is in the running for the Columbia job what is the guarantee he will change his ways? It is same thing as Manguirian - a guy who is overbearing on players and an absolute and complete jerk of a personality to deal with on any level.
Maybe the billboard is still available and can be placed on campus.
Wingman, I misread your first comment, and corrected myself but don't see it here. Sort of doubt Bollinger is looking in that direction anyway.
Food for thought, or comment.
Given the bad logic of picking a coach before an AD, for all the reasons we have discussed, what do you suppose the chances are that CU makes a COMBINED offer, that of AD and FB coach, to an individual. Maybe this is what they are planning.
It certainly would allow them to pay a lot more $ by combining the positions. It would allow them to present a much more prestigious role and power to a "name" coach, and given the semi-stable condition of the rest of the program (BB having a good coach and the other teams finally reaching semi-parity last year) the new AD/FBHC could concentrate on FB for a good portion of the year.
What do you think?
I thought of that, too, Bigdawg. I also thought what if they were bringing in a package Ad/Coach - just to play along with Jake's guess above, how about Schiano and Pernetti bringing the band back together?
Again, I have no clue if that has any merit, just playing along with Jake's post..
Back in our day there was a hot rumor that Sam Rutigliano was going to come here after losing to Elway again. Instead, we got coach Garrett, who was part of the Brown's organization. Rutigliano went to Liberty I think...
Hi WOF: just to clarify, Sam was never a part of the interviews. Garrett wanted the job, since his son John was here. Art Modell, the owner of the Browns, was friends with Al Paul, and guaranteed Jim would be great at Columbia.
Yes, coach. But on campus and in the locker room, the first rumor was Rutigliano.
Coach Garrett would have won big if the admin did not get cold feet about him...
Garrett recruited good players, even in one year, and we would have had the top QB and running back in the league for three years.
Also had great assistant coaches.
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