Nebhawk

An article on 24/7 says that while Rhule contemplates this job, we are looking at Monken and Leipold harder.  I think Leipold is the best fit for this job as of right now.  He started the season 5-0.

I would prefer Urban Meyer as well, but don't see that happening.  Outside of Meyer, the rest are all the same risks and rewards.  We can all think that Kiffin or Sanders or Fickell would be great here, but in all honestly, they are all risks. 

The worst thing that happened in the last 10 years is the U of Neb, let things slide way to far down.  This started with Pelini and ended now with Frost.  Our rosters started falling down during Pelini's last two season and Riley did not upgrade, and frankly Frost might have even taken it down even further.

So this next hire should be able to start from scratch and rebuild the roster, staff and recruiting base.  We need some man sized recruiters to come in here.  We need to have some relationships that need mended in states with High School coaches.  We need to have alot things roll our way.  I think we are right now looking at a program that should be able to get 7-8 wins each season.  I think we need to let that happen, and on occasion win 9-10.  The last is going to be hard with Big 10 scheduling.  Now with USC and UCLA being added, this puts two more programs ahead of us right now.

Penn ST, Michigan, Ohio ST, USC and UCLA are ahead of us in talent.  Thats 5 schools.  We know that Maryland looks good on and off and is talented.  Illinois is talented.  When you start to look at the pecking order as of right now, we are down the line.  Don't care what recruiting rankings say, eye ball test tells you that these teams are more talented and experienced.

Regardless of all this who should be or shouldn't be talk, at this point a warm body that can talk and walk is going to make me happy.  For the record, I thought that Mickey should be retained, but the more time goes by I am starting to think that this whole thing needs blown up and restarted from the bottom. 

I will play along.........is Rhule a good fit and or option for this program?  Aranda has benefited from his recruiting.  Can he recruit to a Big 10? 

While I do think he is a good coach, I wonder if he is ready for the work that needs done here.  Coaching is one thing, but developing talent is another.  How long do we think Franklin stays at Penn ST?  I really think that we don't get Rhule and wonder if we really want him if there is a chance he leaves for Penn ST.

The only way I would view this a failure is if we end up with some coordinator from Bama or like school.  That would tell me that we actually are not relevant in the college football hierarchy.  To think that we are causing a few sitting coaches to get extended contracts already is a head scratching sight.  Fact is with the ever changing landscape, teams moving from one conference to another, no one knows what is coming in the future.  Heck, being at a school like Kansas might pay huge dividends.......Washington Huskies..........Kentucky..............you never know what is coming around the corner.  I think if you have a current P5 job, it might be worth staying put if your having some success. 

11 minutes ago, Ziebol said:

Fickell is the only name worth it especially  Rhule is out and Klieman isn’t being pursued. Trev is a massive failure and I’m not shocked.

I would not say that Trev is a failure.  I would say that the interest in Nebraska Football is a failure.  The BIg 10 move,  the fact we don't have a natural rival anymore, and we have no recruiting grounds established is the failure.  Money apparently can't bring in that big name we all desire.  Trev is finding out most likely that this job is not that appealing, just like Pedersen, Osborne, and Eichorst found out before him.  This is all if we don't end up with a big name.  I wouldn't complain about Leipold or Klieman, or Fickell.  I would say that Trev is a fine job if we get those guys, whomever it is

Just in a week or so, we will know this answer.  Thankfully!  The thing is we are a sorry program right now.  Risk/Reward.  For the one who takes this job, and does a good job, will be a hero.  Plain and simple.  We will never know who was targeted, who was asked, or who even was interviewed.  We will be spared the embarrassment of knowing certain coaches said out right no.  So, who ever takes this gig, we better be happy.  We better give them a shot to turn this around.  If we fail once again, I think that means the end for this program ever competing at a top scale.  This hire is that important.  So every one needs to relax, wait, and cheer on the next guy.  Its our last hope for relevance.  With USC, UCLA coming, we are now further down the pecking order.  Ohio ST, Michigan, USC, UCLA, Penn ST will be ahead of us from the start. Actually USC, will have a chance to overtake Michigan and Ohio St as soon as they join.  UCLA is going to cause some fits with those schools as well.  This job got alot harder with those schools being added. 

Right now who ever take this gig has their hands full with a major roster rebuild and staff rebuild.  This program right now is bottom 50, not top 50.  The job is still attractive, the program is in really bad shape.  We do have a few pieces that will work next season, but I don't know if they are worth keeping.  This roster needs overahauled, physically, mentally and whatever else there is.  We have to build linemen, that might take a few seasons(2) then we will season some form of progression.  This is a hard job.  So who ever desires this job either will take because of the money or because they truly think they can get the job done.  I am hoping for the combo, money and desire.  So that narrows the list down some. 

Klieman, Leipold, Monken, Mickey, Patterson, and maybe Kiffin.  At this point Patterson has a resume to build on,and maybe even win some games with his defense alone.  I don't know.

The program should be able to win 7-9 game per year.  Thats not unrealistic.  Bowl eligible every year.  on occasion win 10-11, like every 4 years.  Playing in a conference title game every 3-4 years would be nice. 

This hire is crucial.  With Ferentz having a few years left, Wisky now having a coaching change, Minny is going to be Minny with Fleck, the rest don't concern me.  Its time now to make that move into the upper quadrant of the Big 10.

After yesterday's game, I now am convinced that Mickey is not HC material.  First off, with 35 seconds left, you tell your returners to fair catch.  7 seconds lost right there............There was more things that convinced me that Mickey wasn't and isn't the best fit for this job or many at this point.  Run the ball when your up 14-3.  Don't care how or who, but find ways to run the ball somehow.  Mickey can tell Whipple what he wants and how it should be done. 

Now, I still think that this was not a fair audition for Mickey.  Our talent and roster is really below average...........we might have some skill players, but we have no trench players and really our linebackers on D are sub par.  Nevertheless, I think Mickey had to win 2 more games coming down the stretch, and did not get it done against Minny and now Wisky.  I do like Klieman.  I think he is a program builder.  He also took over a K-State program that was in way better shape than what we are currently in.  Snyder left him some pieces and left things on solid footing.  We are miles from being solid.  I would give Klieman a shot.

We have to have line players on both sides.  Simple.  Linemen, linemen, and more linemen.  I think we have decent skill players and some decent secondary players.  We need more linemen and linebackers for sure.  Casey can come back for one more season, so QB is the least of my concerns at this point.  I mean come on, Turman beat KSU in 94 as a 3rd stringer because we had line play.  Build the defense, then have a run game to supplement the defense until we can build an offense.  Look at Iowa, they might win 7-8 games this season with no offense.  Illinois has a strong defense, but with a better offense they would be pretty much undefeated, still they are a 8 win team.  If you want offense, then you will be more like Purdue, and win 6 games a season. 

Its really not a hard solution.  Building blocks are line players.  Second would be linebackers and edge rushers.  Third would be running backs.  Then I might think about QBs, WRs, and other players

Rhule, Kiffin, Malzahn, Leipold, Klieman, Chadwell, Patterson, Monken, Deion, Aranda, and Mickey.  Missing anyone?

Hell of a list, if we keep going we might have all 132 D-1 coaches as a possibility!  2 or 3 more weeks we will know.

Could be a chance that someone not even on the list gets the job!  Now that would be FUNNY!

I think if it is Rhule, its the best hire we have made since TO.  Will it work?  Time will tell, but this hire is a good one if true.  He has built programs.  Temple and Baylor.  He has put in the time and hard work and gotten results.  Sure, he might not win 8 games next season, but this team will improve each and every year.  The next thing that will concern most is the fact that he is a Penn St grad.  Whatever happens, happens.  Franklin appears to me to be staying put, but one never knows....could Auburn come calling...........?

Yes we have lacked an identity for 20 years now.  Solich was the last coach who we had that we all could say that this program had an identity with.  Callahan didnt build one, Pelini built a negative one based on his demeanor, and Riley.......Frost built a losing one. 

Aranda is not a good coach for rebuilding this program.  Rhule rebuilt Baylor, and now that his recruits are starting to leave, Aranda is losing momentum.  I watched KSU throttle them last night.  That game had players who looked like they could care less to be on the field.  KSU is not 28 points better than them.  Could this be because Aranda might be leaving?  Don't know.  But I am not a fan of him as my top choice.  He is a good name, but does not have that wow factor we need to shake up the recruiting world.  That coach might not be out there that wants this job currently, but to me its not Aranda. 

3 minutes ago, chamrocck said:

It’s not MJ but MJ is on the staff.  This was my expectation the whole time.

You could be correct, unless MJ goes to Arizona St as HC.

I think most are right when thinking that our next hire is a current coach or coordinator.  If we was going to be Mickey, it would have been done by now.  The next two weeks will fly by, and we should be  getting a new coach soon enough.  I don't like the new recruiting early season, but no matter, this next hire needs to hit the ground running.

4 minutes ago, Savage Husker said:

Yeah I agree with your points here. I said similar about transfers over the last several seasons. Not saying this to put words in your mouth, but since it’s been brought up, the part I’m focusing on here is finding a coaching staff that isn’t revolving talent like Palmer, JD, Wandale. I’m a believer in letting kids transfer out to bring someone in who wants to be here, but the culture established by the  coach needs to limit these instances from reoccurring. I have Frost the benefit of the doubt thinking that guys needed to go, but maybe it was his style that alienated and ushered kids out who really needed a different message to stick around. The Farnioks, Gates, and even some of the guys who decided to leave early last year like Jurgens, Rogers, Daniels and Thomas.

 

Again, not putting these words in your mouth, but that’s what I’m now sitting back wondering what coulda been if we hadn’t experienced all of those kids transferring out…or leaving early. 

I wouldn't wonder too long because we have never put together any kind of offensive line.  Those players wouldn't have had much success here.  We have overvalued Palmer.  He is not a game changer in this current offensive set.  This team needed him last week, and again this week, and he just drops the ball.  We need to reshape this roster with players who want to be Huskers, and with talent.  Have we really had a big time player that wanted to be here for the program first over themselves?  Anyway, we have to have someone who can build lines on both sides of the ball first.  We need roster builders.

Malzahn would interest me some, but he just finished coaching at a place where winning 7-9 game a season wasn't good enough, so why would he consider this job? 

I really like Malzahn, I think he could do a fine job here.  I like Leipold at KU, he can get things done I think no matter where he coaches.  This is the type of coaching hires we need right now.  We need builders.  I am not sure that KU didn't have more talent on its roster when Leipold arrived, than we do right now.  Being completely honest.

O'Brien just doesn't ring any bells for me at this point.  We have seen other coaches who were OC at Bama do more, and have more success on offense like Lane and Sark. 

Give me a break with this thought that the Big 10 is a great football conference.  Ohio ST and Michigan are great and USC will be great, but a whole, this conference is not stacked with National title contenders.  So, with all of this happening this season, and seeing that the West division was gettable, even with mediocre teams, can everyone agree now that our talent level has not been A.  Recruited and B.  What is here has not been developed. 

Honestly, this season can't be judged from here in because this team seems to me to have lost its spunk and have lost there will to compete.  Wisky lost to freakin Iowa today..............Iowa.

Trey Palmer is wasting himself......there is more than one reason why he left LSU.  Always keep that in mind...........! 

If we lose some players to the portal, we won't  be missing much.  Palmer, Grant, or whomever.  Palmer underperforms game in and game out.  Palmer is a tuxedo player.  Makes the spectacular, but can not make the 5 or 8 yard plays that this team really needs to keep things going.

Yes, the next coach will have his hands full.  Sure, Mickey had a stacked deck against him, but is, was he really an actual candidate?  Michigan today could do what ever they wanted.  They toyed with us the whole game.  Throwing bombs down field and then just running Corum twice for a first down.........we are not a good football team.  We lack talent so obviously when we play the best of the best in conference.  We are so consumed with Iowa, MInny, and or Wisky talent, thinking we match them on paper, but we are miles away from elite Big 10.  I am not sure who can fix this mess right now.  Honestly, this will take a few years for a good coach to straighten out.  A good coach, not a first timer or whatever.  This is going to be a man-up coaching hire.  Whomever will have to check their manhood and roll up there sleeves and get to work.  Thank you Harbaugh for running the ball, burning 6 minutes plus on most possessions or this could have been a beating.

Whipple may be the reason why Frost got fired as well.........the Northwestern game should have been a win if we just run the ball more, Georgia Southern would have been a win if we just ran the ball, and maybe now the Minny game would have been a win if we just ran the ball.  Yes I believe Whipple cost this team a chance to go bowling this season, and should have been fired with Frost after the Georgia South game.

Have you ever considered we played 10 yards back because we don't have enough team speed on D to stop the deep ball?  The reason Chinander played that way was because he did not trust our secondary.  Minny last week got every deep throw they wanted against our DB's and Safety's.  Minny!  We are not talking about the Ohio STate Buckeyes Wr core.  This all adds up to why this job right now is a huge rebuild.  We need better players on both sides of the ball.  We need better O-lines and D-lines to help out our backend players.  Curious, but has our Defensive numbers improved since the Georgia Southern game?  Where are we ranked in points allowed?  Yards allowed?  Passing Yards allowed?  Rushing Yards?  I don't know and have not looked, but lets assume our numbers have not improved with Busch.  Lets assume that maybe they are worse.  WE all think they look better on Defense, but are they?

The funny thing is that OU and Texas could have had it all by staying put along with USC.  I actually think conferences other than SEC and Big10 will do well.  SEC will get 3 or 4 teams in each year, but I think Big 10 will have a chance at 2 or 3.  That leaves some spots for the other conferences.  I thought all along that there should have been some wording about all conference champions get an automatic playoff spot, but that would be to easy.  This will work out for schools that play in a weaker division like the Big 10 West and have a few losses(3) if they would beat Ohio St, should be a lock to be a playoff team.  I think those conference title games should be automatic playoff contenders.

Lets see how Chadwell does without his QB.  His system reminds of Frostys and we now know that does not work in the Big 10.  No versions of it will work.  Power football is the key to winning the West or what ever pod or quadrant we play in.  Offense is the least of my concerns going forward actually.  We need to become an elite Big 10 defense.  We need to play a style on offense that we can recruit too.  If we can not get speedy receivers, then throw out the Frosty like schemes. 

Leipold is a good choice for me, but I don't know what his intentions are right now as well.  With the playoffs in college ball changing to 12 team format, this lets the other conferences at least have a chance to have a special season and lock up a spot.  ACC, Pac 12, Big 12, and Notre Dame will have at least a chance to send teams into this playoff.  Right now with SEC dominance, and Ohio ST/Michigan winner, its really cut and dried who gets in.  Lincoln Riley thought he was going to Pac 12 to have that, but they decided they wanted to butt head with Ohio ST and Michigan.  All I am saying is, coaches who coach in P-5 level jobs that are having some success might not want to join a conference where the odds are stacked for contending for a title on most years.  Big 10 is going that direction.  Ohio St and MIchigan are in control, adding USC and UCLA will make those two better along with themselves.  Where does this leave schools like Penn St, Wisky and Nebraska?

Deion would be a splash hire, but that would be it.  He is waiting for Florida St to come open.  If I were him, thats the job I would wait for.  He will have FSU in the top 15 in one season.  Recruiting is much easier when you can step out your back door and pick up 30 players who can run sub 4.4. 

Can we pull of Michigan St 2.0 in portal transfers no matter who the next coach is?  This will be key in how fast we can get to 6-7 wins next season.  Our current roster is not good enough at this moment to win more than 4-5 games next season.  WE need O-line and D-line impact players for next season.  Unfortunately, most college teams will need these areas filled as well.  So of all the coaches on the list, who can carry the biggest impact as far as getting portal players?  Rhule?  Leipold?  Campbell?  Monken?  Patterson?  I think we can rule out Patterson.  I think we can rule out Monken.  That leaves the other three, in which, Leipold actually has done well with the portal.  Rhule has not had that much experience and I don't know the level to which Campbell has used the portal.