Movbez4 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Courtesy of coaches on the hot seat .com 1. Paul Johnson - 10-1: One of the best coaches in the game and a guy that has proved that he can win at every level and can run any offense that fits the players he is presented with. He had a passing attack as an offensive coordinator at Hawaii, he won championships at Georgia Southern, and he has made Navy a competitive football program, which is next to impossible with the type of players he has to recruit to Annapolis. Johnson would more than likely put in an option running attack in Lincoln, and he would reestablish the Nebraska identity as a smash-mouth football program. Johnson is one of the coaches that the other Big 12 coaches would hate to see in Lincoln. 2. Jim Grobe - 15-1: Probably should have been hired the last time Nebraska was looking for a head coach, and in the interim 4 years he has proved his worth and ability even more. What he has done at Wake Forest is next to incredible, and like Johnson this guy can coach the game of football. He is a good recruiter and his personality fits the Nebraska people to a tee. Understated, modest, but will also field a team that will take no quarter from anyone. Grobe is another one of those coaches that other coaches in the Big 12 would not like to see in Lincoln. 3. Bo Pelini - 20-1: A former Nebraska assistant that has proved he knows how to coach defense at the highest level of the game. The thing with Pelini is if he can be an effective head coach, and there is only one way to find that out, and the question is if Nebraska would be willing to take a chance on a guy that has never sat in Hot Seat. Pelini understands well the expectations at a place like Nebraska, and he would embrace the Husker fan base which would be a big change from the current coaching staff. Can Nebraska afford to take a chance on Pelini? Tom Osborne was an assistant on the Husker staff when he was the made head coach at Nebraska. Enough said. 4. Bronco Mendenhall - 40-1: One of the bright young lights in the coaching business, his personality would fit in well on the plains of Nebraska. Mendenhall has done a good job of turning the BYU program around, and he will certainly be someone that will be considered for big-time jobs in the near future. Bronco would embrace the opportunity coach at a place like Nebraska, and no doubt he would put a winning team on the field week in and week out. This would be an outside of the box hire, but a guy that would win big in Lincoln. 5. Joe Glenn - 50-1: One of the top coaches in the game, Glenn has gotten caught up in the difficulty of coaching at a place like Wyoming. Glenn won one I-AA National Championship at Montana and was a runner-up in another. His approach to the game mirrors Coach Osborne's in many ways, and he was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. If Glenn had taken another job instead of Wyoming, at a place where the opportunity to win games is greater, he would be on the top of Nebraska wish list right now. Glenn would fit well at Nebraska, and he would win big. 6. Turner Gill - 75-1: A legendary QB for the Cornhuskers, Turner Gill understands the Nebraska football program inside out, and no doubt he will get an interview from Tom Osborne. Coach Gill seems to have the Buffalo program turning around, and if he can keep that program moving up, he will be up for a number of jobs in the coming years. Hiring Gill would be a big chance for Nebraska, because there would be tremendous pressure on him to restore the program pretty quickly, and the people making this decision need to decide if this is a position for a guy that has never been a head coach at his level before. Gill would be an innovative and trail-blazing hire by Nebraska, and he will certainly be a serious candidate for the job. The real problem for Nebraska is that there is not an obvious perfect hire for the Cornhuskers. The decision on the new coach must be driven by the idea that hiring someone that fits in well in Nebraska is the most important thing, once basic coaching competency is established. Bill Callahan was just a terrible hire for the Cornhuskers, and we have no doubt that Coach Osborne will be looking to bring someone to Lincoln that has all of the following characteristics: 1. Integrity beyond reproach 2. Understands the demands of coaching at place like Nebraska 3. Wants to stay at Nebraska for a long time and make this his last job 4. Is committed to reestablishing Nebraska's football identity as a hard-working, over-achieving, championship goal-setting, and winning football program 5. Fits in with the fans of the Nebraska football program. Since a few of us here at Coaches Hot Seat have had the opportunity to spend some time in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska over the years, we would like to say a few things about the Nebraska fans and people of that state. They are the truest of the true, the steadiest you will ever find, and when you get right down to it, the people of Nebraska are some of the best you will meet anywhere. It says a lot about just what kind of men Pederson and Callahan really are, to have the Cornhusker fans turn against them so vehemently. The Nebraska job is a terrific opportunity for some coach out there, and for that coach that is lucky enough to get that job, if he embraces all that Nebraska is he will come to realize he has got one of the best jobs in the land. Memo to Coach Osborne: Hire a winner! (We have no doubt you will.) Quote Link to comment
Blackshirtsguru Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Everytime I read more information about Paul Johnson the more I really like this guy! He is a proven winner where ever he has been!!!! Quote Link to comment
papersun87 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Glancing at Paul Johnson's Wikipedia page . . . looks like he has a 99-35 career so far, with his only losing season his first year at Navy when they went 2-10, and a 62-8 record as the coach of Georgia Southern. Impressive . . . wonder what he could do at a BCS school . . . Quote Link to comment
billdozer15 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Glancing at Paul Johnson's Wikipedia page . . . looks like he has a 99-35 career so far, with his only losing season his first year at Navy when they went 2-10, and a 62-8 record as the coach of Georgia Southern. Impressive . . . wonder what he could do at a BCS school . . . Hopefully, he could avoid running it straight into the ground without hitting the brakes. But by the time he would get here that will have already happened. At a glance it would look like he can build a team out of rubble given little or nothing.......looks we have one of the criteria already covered. Quote Link to comment
hack Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 the ODDS with get EVEN!!! Quote Link to comment
admo Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I like Johnson & I like Glenn. Whoever Dr. Tom picks, even if it's Gill or Pelini, I'm onboard. I just want to see the Huskers return to Glory! GBR!!! Quote Link to comment
hack Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 johnson's name has been said once or twice. i'd go with him before pelini. the guy turned navy into a winning program. *NAVY*, people! what does that mean? means he can work with anyone. not to knock Navy, but kids who go there are students first and foremost. they can offer football scholarships but they still have to meet Annapolis standards. and that's pretty exacting. i can imagine a bob stoops type turnaround in lincoln if johnson got the nod. because as has been said before, it's not talent, it's coaching and motivation that's subject. johnson does more than win, the molds winners. IMO. Quote Link to comment
Blackshirtsguru Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 johnson's name has been said once or twice. i'd go with him before pelini. the guy turned navy into a winning program. *NAVY*, people! what does that mean? means he can work with anyone. not to knock Navy, but kids who go there are students first and foremost. they can offer football scholarships but they still have to meet Annapolis standards. and that's pretty exacting. i can imagine a bob stoops type turnaround in lincoln if johnson got the nod. because as has been said before, it's not talent, it's coaching and motivation that's subject. johnson does more than win, the molds winners. IMO. You hit the nail square on the head there Hack! PS....your avatar is still creepy! Quote Link to comment
hack Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 You hit the nail square on the head there Hack! PS....your avatar is still creepy! a man with jim carey in a tutu as his avatar surrenders the right to criticize mine. ;p Quote Link to comment
Dan_F_30 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I've been saying Johnson since this whole fiasco started. The guy is a good upstanding guy and has been able to win at lower universities and has run multiple offenses. I really think he would be able to adapt offenses to fit our players. Quote Link to comment
Spiderman Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Honestly, it makes a case for all of them. Personally, I'd like to see Bo. Him getting Turner Gill to be OC/future HC would be gravy. Not that I doubt Gill's ability to do the job--I just would like Pellini to run the defense. I think Gill would maybe consider taking the OC job with the idea that he'd be HC in a few years when/if Pellini leaves. I view Pellini as someone that would not end his career at Nebraska. Quote Link to comment
huskerpilot Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Not Gill...honestly. His team really isn't turning around. Right now he is at 3-5. Thats worse than nebraska, against a much weaker schedule. Granted he has NOTHING to work with, but a good coach should be able to beat Syracuse or Ball State. Can you imagine if we played at this level for more than a couple years? No, he might be a good coach, but lets let him prove himself a little before he is tested on us. Quote Link to comment
huskerpilot Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Oh and FYI, Really appreciate this list. Great job laying it all out. You should send it to Osborne, and I'm not joking. He could probably use all the help he can get from the fan base. Quote Link to comment
Movbez4 Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 Brian Kelly should be added to the list as 75-1, as he would be a nice pick up, but he has a decent size buyout from UC. Quote Link to comment
papersun87 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Glancing at Paul Johnson's Wikipedia page . . . looks like he has a 99-35 career so far, with his only losing season his first year at Navy when they went 2-10, and a 62-8 record as the coach of Georgia Southern. Impressive . . . wonder what he could do at a BCS school . . . Hopefully, he could avoid running it straight into the ground without hitting the brakes. But by the time he would get here that will have already happened. At a glance it would look like he can build a team out of rubble given little or nothing.......looks we have one of the criteria already covered. Here are his records so far at Navy: 2002: 2-10 2003: 8-5 2004: 10-2 2005: 8-4 2006: 9-4 2007: 4-3 so far And he's 2-2 in bowl games. That brings his record at Navy to 41-28, which is obviously stunted a bit by that first year. But to bring a 2-10 team in his first year to 10-2 in his third is no small feat. I don't know, I'd still like to watch Navy a few times first to get a feel for what he's like during a game. The numbers are impressive (heck, since 2004 he's fielded a better record than Nebraska, but against COMPLETELY different competition), but numbers obviously don't tell the whole story. There's a quote from him, again on his Wikipedia page, that says he would throw the ball more often if he had a quarterback that was suited for it. Quote Link to comment
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