Why would you fire your Athletic Director in September?

[knapplc]

Here's why:  You're going to replace your football coach.  The season is done in just over two months.  That means you have a very short amount of time to:

 

1)  Conduct a search and hire the right Athletic Director for your school

2) Give that person time to conduct a search to hire the right football coach for your school

3) Give that coach enough time to salvage/rebuild the recruiting class

 

This is 100% about firing Mike Riley and not trusting the man who hired him to replace him. 

 

So what happens next?

 

Ronnie Green has a press conference scheduled at 2:30.  Best-case scenario, he has a knock-your-socks-off Athletic Director already hired and coming to the podium with him.  This is highly unlikely.

 

Green will announce Eichorst's termination and his plans to fill the vacancy.  He will most likely express support for "all of our coaches" and our commitment to excellence.  Bap bap bap. 

 

Within the next two to six weeks, UNL will hire a new Athletic Director who will announce they are going to evaluate all sports.  This means they're going to fire Mike Riley if he isn't already gone and he isn't winning every game since Eichorst has been fired.

 

Sometime around the end of November we'll learn Riley's fate.  If there's an amazing hire and it isn't someone not going to a bowl or not Jon Gruden, we may not know who will replace Riley until January.

 

So, short story long, buckle up folks.  We've got another three or four months of rocky road ahead. 

[Fru]

The last 16 years haven't been the most enjoyable as a fan. But they sure haven't been boring. 

[Crusader Husker]

1 minute ago, Fru said:

The last 16 years haven't been the most enjoyable as a fan. But they sure haven't been boring. 

Boy is that true...

[huskerfan69]

well it's going to be awkward when riley wins out and we get the last spot in the final 4. 

[The Duke]

Spot on Knapp!

 

This is about righting the entire ship. They wouldn't make this move unless they already had a plan in place.

[GSG]

5 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Sometime around the end of November we'll learn Riley's fate.  If there's an amazing hire and it isn't someone not going to a bowl or not Jon Gruden, we may not know who will replace Riley until January.

 

Will Jon's son Deuce be our new strength coach?

 

[Fru]

1 minute ago, huskerfan69 said:

well it's going to be awkward when riley wins out and we get the last spot in the final 4. 

 

It would be the most Mike Riley thing ever to turn this team around and win the B1G title game. 

"Boy we uh, just believed and uh worked hard. These guys uh, played well and uh, gosh it uh, just all seemed to work out." 

[TGHusker]

Well stated Knapp.  This puts some hope back into my steps.  I always wanted MR, the Nice One, to succeed, but in the back of my mind I knew he wasn't the one to bring us back to where we need to be.  Starting in Sept means that the administration finally has said enough. Enough of the past 16 years, enough of selling the program, the fans, and the players short.  With this bold move, I suspect they are ready and willing to spend the money on a top notch coach. It is pay me now with a great coach or later with all of these buyouts.  Time to stop the revolving door, get a coach who has the proven record to sustain success and enjoy long term success here at NU. 

[Red Five]

Agree with everything but this:

 

6 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Sometime around the end of November we'll learn Riley's fate.  If there's an amazing hire and it isn't someone not going to a bowl or not Jon Gruden, we may not know who will replace Riley until January.

 

 

Why will we have to wait until January?  Head coaches in middling bowl games leave there teams all the time for a new job.  And assistant coaches hired as head coaches do double duty during bowl games (see Pelini, Bo).

[seaofred92]

1 minute ago, Fru said:

 

It would be the most Mike Riley thing ever to turn this team around and win the B1G title game. 

"Boy we uh, just believed and uh worked hard. These guys uh, played well and uh, gosh it uh, just all seemed to work out." 

hip hip!

[khaake]

2 minutes ago, The Duke said:

Spot on Knapp!

 

This is about righting the entire ship. They wouldn't make this move unless they already had a plan in place.

Seems like I've heard that song and dance before.

[TGHusker]

If they have a plan in place - I wonder if they have a coach in mind also - maybe one who isn't actively coaching right now??

[ColoradoHusk]

4 minutes ago, Fru said:

 

It would be the most Mike Riley thing ever to turn this team around and win the B1G title game. 

"Boy we uh, just believed and uh worked hard. These guys uh, played well and uh, gosh it uh, just all seemed to work out." 

That would be totally Mike Riley.  It's like we're getting Munsoned out there.

[junior4949]

5 minutes ago, The Duke said:

Spot on Knapp!

 

This is about righting the entire ship. They wouldn't make this move unless they already had a plan in place.

 

Color me skeptical about the plan in place.  Maybe I wouldn't be if we haven't been here before.  Unfortunately, we have.  It was right at a decade ago.  There's just three weeks that separates on the calendar that firing and this one. 

[4skers89]

7 minutes ago, Fru said:

The last 16 years haven't been the most enjoyable as a fan. But they sure haven't been boring. 

I'd take boring over all of the friggin drama. If I don't have to see another article about our coach acting up or will a coach be able to turn things around, I'll be happy. This is football not some damn soap opera.