I would think that if Solich was a great coach outside of riding TO's coattails for a few years he would have got another crack at major college football at some point.
Solich was 59/60 when he was fired. That year and the next, there were very "major college" options open, so he took a job that was a good geographic fit for him and his family. And somewhere that he had the opportunity to build something, a stated desire for him. Most major programs don't hire coaches who are close to drawing social security, at least for the first time, for obvious reasons having little to do with coaching prowess. That was especially true in the early to mid-2000s where a serious youth movement was afoot.
Looking back at the list of p5 hires between '04 and '05, I imagine many ADs are kicking themselves (usually in the unemployment line).
P.S. We don't really even know if he's gotten interest that he's turned down during that time. Would he leave what he has in Athens for a bottom 1/3 p5 school? I wouldn't.
