Ringer02
Starter
That laughing isn't because Nebraska is a crap job, it's because coaches rarely make lateral moves unless they have an emotional connection to a particular school . Urban's kids also mocked people on twitter for thinking he was going to Ohio State in 2012 so they obviously don't know sh#t about what jobs a coach might find appealing. Schools get turned down by coaches all the time, is Texas a less prestigious job because Saban didn't want to go there? What about USC getting turned down by Mike Riley, does that mean Nebraska's a more prestigious job than USC? Les Miles turned down Michigan, does that mean Michigan is a less prestigious job than LSU? Of course not. When looking for a coach you have to consider "is the coach a good fit for the school?" and "is the school a good fit for the coach?" Meyer had no interest back in 04 because he recognized what a sh#t show the Athletic department was and frankly, he just probably didn't want to live in Nebraska, the comment that he turned us down because we fired a 9 win coach is bullsh#t. He took a job at Florida replacing a fired coach who had back to back 8-5 seasons and was fired midway through a 7-5 campaign that ended with them being ranked. Hell, Zook wasn't even getting blown out like Bo and Solich were. The expectations at Florida were no less than what he would have had at Nebraska. (I know that wasn't a part of your post but I see that get brought up all the time and it drives me crazy)We've made offers in the past to top coordinators and coaches. Urban Meyer turned us down in 2003 while he was at Utah and then took the Florida job. His kids also went on social media laughing saying their dad will not be going to Lincoln back in 2007 and Mark Richt even laughed at the idea back then and AGAIN on a radio program after Bo was fired. There's been rumors we've made offers to: Houston Nutt, Bret Bielema, Mike Zimmer, Jim McElwain, Greg Schiano. And reportedly all turned the job down. The job is not as prestigious as you think BUT... out of all rumored candidates in the past, I do not think the athletic department made a lucrative offer to any of them.All this "toxic" talk is nonsense. Flash enough money at a coach, and he'll come. It's as simple as that. People on a national level realize that Pelini was a nutjob and needed to go (which is why no other major school hired him despite his 9-win average), and that Riley is an absolute joke. Nobody rational would blame us for firing either one. If a coach is scared to come here because he's afraid he can't be a consistent winner and championship contender then I don't want him anyway.
If we want quality, we gotta pay up. I'd much rather pay for a successful coach who intends to leave in 2-3 years rather than be stuck in the dumps with a bad coach for 4-5 years that is the world we live in now. Other programs have gotten lucky: LSU, Alabama, Michigan State, Stanford, Oklahoma. I agree to disagree with you. We can't just flash money at every coach. There are going to be a lot of jobs open at the end of the year. We have to be smart about the next hire I do agree we need to hire someone who is not only successful at coaching but is a solid recruiter as well and can surround himself with great associates and recruiters.