It's been too long...Whattya been up to?

So family vacations and work travel have combined to create one of the longest dead periods in the seven year history of BS.

We've missed you guys though...and you look good.  Have you been working out? Running? Whatever it is, the summer suits you.

Turns out that the summer also suits Coach Haze.  If you follow us on Twitter, you know that we touched on the importance of the verbal commitment of Gelen Robinson to the, currently-under-remodeling, program.  Hazell wanted Big Dog's son to be a piece that he would build his defense around...and he got his guy.

badass.

Robinson knew a few days before he verballed that he wanted to be a Boiler...but made it official six days ago.  By official, we mean unofficial, because verbal commitments aren't always in stone.  That said, Robinson sounds a bit like some of the other key cogs to Hazell's first full class- they really want to be Boilers.

If you subscribe to GBI, you know how steadfast the commitment from Texas QB prospect, David Plough has been.  He tore up the Elite 11 camp and finished as one of the top quarterbacks in the invite-only televised event/camp.  During the camp, he wore a Purdue visor to show where he stood...afterward, he broadcasted to the college football world that he was going to be a Boilermaker regardless of who came at him.

Good for him...Good for Coach Haze...good for us as Purdue fans.  If his commitment sticks, Purdue will be in an enviable position in the coming seasons as they'll have options...talented, smart options at the QB position.  As for the immediate future, I've been asked a question a lot the last few months- "Who do you want the starter to be?"

Well, I still like Appleby, because I've met him and like him personally...plus he slings the ball and looks the part.  But, between the three real candidates for the job...two really...I wouldn't mind seeing either starting versus Cincy.  Both have parts of their game that are advantageous for the team.  So I'll defer to the coaches to make the right decision.  But regardless of whom they choose, I want to see Purdue in the position to win this year...not next. And really, I don't see a reason that either Etling nor Henry can't do it this fall. Let me clarify- it'll be equally challenging for both with the many underclassmen that will be playing significant roles...BUT, if the coaching staff thinks one gives the team a better chance to win right away, I'm good with that decision.

The honeymoon period is still on, afterall, around the Purdue football program...and the actions and behavior by the staff this summer have done nothing to shorten this semi-blissful time.

Who's Next?
A few sources reassured Purdue fans last week that Micah Shrewsberry wouldn't be a candidate to join Stevens in Boston.  But here at BS, we were concerned.  We like Shrewsberry.  I like him as a coach, like him as a man and like and know his family.

So when whispers started rising up about him heading to the league, I didn't like it...and of course, when the rumours went from hazy smoke to a blazing inferno, I was less-than-happy.  To some of you, it's no big deal, but others might know what I know- Shrewsberry helped the Boilers get out of their funk last season because Painter trusted him enough to pick his brain and heed his advice.

Stevens trusted Shrews before his pal Matt asked if he could steal him from Butler- that's two pretty solid basketball minds that agree that Shrewsberry was important to their staff.

And now, he's gone and a spot is open on Painter's staff...so what's the next move for Painter?

I liked Cardinal as a coach more than a year ago when he expressed interest in being on the staff.  But from what I have read and heard from John Purdue-ers, he's a natural at fund-raising and glad-handing...and he seems to really enjoy it.

So if you were in my age group (mid-to-late 30s), had made a great living for the last 15 years, had a position in which you didn't have to be part of the hectic schedule of your old job, and you were appreciated everywhere you went, would you leave it? I wouldn't.

That said, I think Cardinal was a candidate to take Shrewsberry's position on the staff...Before he removed himself from Matty's short list a few days ago, as Boiler Sports Report's (scout) Chris Emma reported a few days ago.

Kenneth Lowe, who also expressed interest in eventually coaching at his alma mater, and has played professionally in Europe, and currently coaches across the pond, has to be in the mix as well.  Purdue fans also have talked about Brandon Brantley, who currently coaches AAU (I believe) as a candidate.

In my opinion, if it's not Lowe, it's someone we don't see coming.  Painter is very respected in the coaching ranks and is known very well for teaching the motion offense to high school and small college coaches at camps and clinics.  His memory with names and faces, ability to handle adversity with poise and his success makes him someone that many other coaches want to be near.  Plus, the B1G, Mackey and Purdue's heritage still carry weight as a lure for a potential coach from the outside.

Regardless of whom is chosen, recruiting connections will matter.  If Painter's close to a decision, he's done an excellent job keeping it quiet...we'll watch as it develops.

Here are a couple of names that I'd like to see get a look- Darnell Archey- former Butler assistant who followed Graves to South Alabama.  Upside? Great Xs and Os training under Stevens...could help Boilers with FT shooting (I kid...or do I?). Jeremy Ballard of VCU- Shaka Smart assistant coach, young...driven.  Downside? No connection to Purdue...but might inject additional life into program. Dane Fisher- from Bucknell is another outsider with a good resume.  Fundamentals and playing within a system are a focus at Bucknell and Fisher has been mentioned as an HC candidate a few times in the last few years.  Finally, Ryne Smith...Sure, this is a long shot, but it won't stop us from rooting for our pal to get a look from his old boss and coach.

More to come, assuredly...if it happens while I'm on the West Coast, stay tuned to our Twitter feed...

The Good Witch Takes His Act to Beantown

Legitimately cutting down nets

We've joked before that Brad Stevens is a "good witch," because of the magic he was able to sprinkle onto his Butler University basketball program for the past six seasons, which included back-to-back national runners-up in 2010 and 2011.

Stevens, as you know unless you've been in a drunken stupor the past few days (and if you have, good for you for celebrating our independence in true American fashion), took the head coaching job with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. People were shocked, mainly because Stevens seemed to be a Butler lifer -- or at least he seemed committed to Butler for the foreseeable future. Stevens had been linked to jobs at UCLA, Illinois and other places over the past few years, but he and his family love Indianapolis and always felt more at home there than anywhere else. Add to that the fact that Stevens proved you can win at a smaller program like Butler (backed up not just by the two title game appearances, but the fact that he never won fewer than 22 games while compiling a .772 winning percentage and really, was within one rattled out heave from winning the 2010 national title over Duke) and it began to feel like that warm, fuzzy, feel-good story might continue.

Here was a guy who had nearly reached the mountaintop (and, really, in college basketball, the goal always seems to be reaching a Final Four -- national titles are, of course, the ultimate goal, but Final Fours are probably more frequently referred to when judging coaches) and who seemed to love where he was. Plus he was young, likable and seemed to say and do all the right things.

Then, jarringly, Stevens bolted for Boston. We've never made any secret of the fact that we like Stevens a lot. B-dowd's brother and sister-in-law graduated from Butler and I remember saying to them that I hoped Purdue could one day match the Final Four success of a big time program like Butler (the jokes write themselves sometimes!).

At the same time, he scared us a bit as Purdue fans. While we are unfailingly in support of Matt Painter and his approach, recruiting against Indiana and Notre Dame in the state of Indiana already meant the top players in the state were no easy feat to land. With Butler rising to levels of success IU hasn't seen in a long time (or ever, if you're considering back-to-back Finals appearances) and obviously far better than Purdue or ND basketball has seen, the idea that "mid-major" Butler could "steal" recruits away from the big boys took on serious life. After all, wouldn't you want to play for Brad Stevens? And what if you could play for that guy and be a national darling (like a Gonzaga but with actual substance and the ability to win big games)? And go to Final Fours? Well, hell, that sounds great.

So that was concerning enough. But again, liking the guy and what he was doing made it hard to be anything

but admiring of him and his own version of the "Butler Way." Butler had been sneaky successful for quite a while, under a number of coaches, but Stevens broke through to that proverbial next level.

As this all was happening, murmurs began in different parts of Indiana that maybe he was the guy who should be leading one of the more "marquee" national programs in the state. Painter is a likable guy and a very good coach, but did he have what it took to get to Final Fours? And what about Tom Crean? He can recruit like a mo-fo, but his in-game abilities as a coach have never been marveled at. Fans are restless. Naturally, people talked. What could Brad Stevens do with Purdue or IU's budget, facilities and name recognition?

For us, the more concerning thing was that IU would realize that pretty much anyone could recruit kids to IU -- what they needed (and still need) is a coach who can win tough games, instead of just the ones where his talent overwhelms opponents. Could that happen? We genuinely feared it. Because a Brad Stevens-coached Hoosiers team would be awful from a Purdue perspective in different ways. We'd still loathe them, of course, but they'd be a lot more difficult to hate with Stevens running things. And, of yeah, they'd surely be back in the Final Four on a likely regular basis, so that would be hard to stomach, too.

Now Stevens takes his act to Boston to coach the unlikable Celtics. People are already talking about him co-existing with Rajon Rondo. While I think Rondo is a jackass, I don't think it's fair to assume they can't coexist. Stevens is the type of guy who gets everybody on the same page and has a zen quality when it comes to keeping everyone calm and focused. Doesn't that sound like it might be a good quality to have for the NBA grind? As for Rondo, though, I think he'll be gone before the season starts, so Stevens will probably have a very mediocre team to build from the ground up. Maybe he'll mold them in his ideal shape. Or maybe he'll crash and burn like so many college coaches before him. If he does, what's the downside? He'll be markedly richer and he'll still be the hottest name in college coaching, even 3-5 years from now. In addition, he'll have been to the "promised land" of the NBA, which will undoubtedly help with coaching/recruiting college kids.

That's where my negative, Purdue-centric mind takes us. Three to five more years of Tom Crean's act in Bloomington might be just the right amount of time for a) NCAA infractions to come to light (not saying there are any, but if there are, they never stay in the dark forever) or b) IU to realize they'll be consistently talented and win games under Crean, but aren't likely to add to their musty collection of banners under him. What if that coincides with Brad Stevens becoming available again? Could the nightmare happen a few years down the road? That's the kind of thing that keeps a Purdue fan who has seen years of banana peels up at night.

Suffering from March Madness

In the meantime, we honestly wish Stevens well and, from a more narrow-minded and "now" thinking Purdue perspective, we're happy Matt Painter doesn't have to contend with Stevens either on the recruiting trail or on the court in the Crossroads Classic. For now, Butler's loss is the rest of the state of Indiana's gain, from that point of view. He's the rare guy who could make us pull for the Boston Celtics (at least a little).

In the end, I would suspect that it had nothing to do with not being unhappy at Butler. I think Stevens loved it there and wanted to coach at no other college or university. For those being cynical, I don't think it was an act on his part -- he believed in the Butler Way and his own way of doing things. However, sometimes in life new challenges become available to you that require getting out of your comfort zone. There's no shame in not taking on those new challenges -- especially if you're really happy with what you're doing -- but there's also a lot of people who would lose sleep wondering "what might have been," or wondering if they could have met those new challenges. The NBA is likely that for Brad Stevens -- a new challenge for an ambitious guy who is only where he is because of his gumption and confidence to take the leap and reach for new heights. How else to describe a guy who was working at Eli Lilly when offered the chance at a volunteer position at Butler, yet took the volunteer position and quit his paying job? This guy goes for it, which is just one more reason to admire him.

Happy trails, Coach Stevens. Continue to do what makes you happy.

Some More Observations From The Win over Northwestern



Pew pew! Matty knows the finger guns are always funny.

 There was no doubt a lot to like in Sunday's thumping of Northwestern at Mackey. The Boilers showed they weren't dead yet, despite recent evidence to the contrary. Terone showed major life in having perhaps his best actual shooting effort in quite some time -- perhaps ever as a Boilermaker. Sure, he's had streaks of point-scoring before, but going 4/5 from three-land? Never happened before. He's never had that high a percentage on that many shots -- he's never hit four in one game before. So that was very nice to see.

DJ Byrd also had a nice night, shooting 50% from the field and 100% from the line, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing five assists. That's the hustling DJ Byrd we know and love. And that's who he is. A guy who will get you 8-14 points each night, along with a lot of hustle, rebounds, assists and muscle. He's a combo, or a Leatherman, as Boilerdowd said. He's not a 20 ppg scorer. But it seemed like as the senior leader, he often felt like he had to be everything Rob Hummel was last year as a leader and hustler and primary scoring option, as well as a primary deep threat like Ryne Smith was... as well as a glass cleaner and defender like Chris Kramer was. I don't know any of this for fact, of course, but it sure seemed like DJ was trying to do it all and be the man the Boilers needed....and he was struggling under the weight of that pressure. Sound plausible?

In this game, you saw DJ do what he does. If someone else -- i.e., Terone or Hammons -- can dump in some points, DJ can be the player he is when he's at his best, which in turn makes this team better. So that was nice to see.

Another thumbs up goes to Coach Matt Painter, who it appears to us has decided to have the guys play who work the hardest and listen the best. Thus you saw Dru Anthrop get a lot of first half minutes, culminating in 17 overall (his most as a Boilermaker). You also saw Sandi start the game and get more minutes (16) than AJ Hammons (12). Was this a message to Hammons to work harder? Perhaps. If it is, I'm more than fine with it. I like Hammons a lot and love his game and have often found myself giddy with what he can become. But if Painter doesn't think Hammons is listening -- or, more critical if you're a Boilermaker, if he isn't working hard enough -- then I've got zero problem with Coach sitting the freshman down.

Related to that, I also think Matt is doing a good job of the thing that many fans of teams in down years pin their fading hopes to -- Hey, at least these guys are getting minutes. With guys like Ronnie Johnson, who is still prone to turnovers and moving a bit too spastically fast, the minutes are piling up and that's a good thing. It's exactly what Lewis Jackson did in his early years at Purdue and it led to him being so indispensable as a junior that he came back from an injury in February that year rather than sitting the whole year and redshirting.

I don't think anyone looked at the game with the Mildcats as a reason to be bullish on this year's team, but let me be a wet blanket anyway....Northwestern is not very good and they were dreadful on Sunday night. They looked like the Purdue teams that have been blown out this season by IU twice, Illinois once and, effectively, even this Northwestern team earlier this month. The Cats couldn't hit anything in the first half. Yet, down 18, they rattled home a three in the final seconds of the first session to cut the Boiler lead to 40-25. Still commanding, yes, but the Boilers had been up 29-9, and a 15-point lead is... how shall we put this... blowable.

Yet the Boilers continued to step on the purple throats in the second half, actually outscoring the Cats there by more than in the first half. As the Panda pointed out, the Boilers had their best shooting day in a while, cashing in at 53% from the field and 47% from three. Northwestern, on the other hand, shot an abysmal 29% and 22% from the field and three, respectively. Mercy, that is awful.

In addition, the free throw shooting situation continues to be bleak -- the Boilers canned just 57% of their shots from the line. That is just not getting it done and no matter how much these guys improve, consistently poor shooting from the line will limit them from ever growing into the team we hope they can be. It's really that critical.

And one more thing to note that I was less than pleased with -- the turnovers. No, not those delicious turnovers, but the kind that lead to fast breaks the other way (or in the case of Northwestern, slow breaks with bricks the other way). The Boilers turned the ball over 15 times against only 11 by the Cats.

So the Boilers shot terribly from the line and turned the ball over almost 50% more than their opponent and yet still won by more than 30. That should tell you just how atrocious Northwestern was.

In the end here, I'm not trying to be, as I joked, the wet blanket. There was a lot to like in this game and I think that no matter what, there's something to be said for the Boilers continuing to show up for games. Winning against anyone in the conference by 30 means you did an awful lot right, and there are countless examples in recent years of very talented teams who, once they realized their season was circling the drain, mailed it in (see 2012 Illinois Illini for further reading).

These wins feel really good for all of us, no matter what kind of season the team is having. You could make a very fair argument that the Boilermakers could finish the Big Ten season at .500 (would require one upset, plus winning two games against teams with currently the same record in the conference). At this point in the campaign, you look for small victories and steps forward where you can find them -- that would be a nice one to have.

Let's Pump The Brakes on John Shoop

Last week, Darrell Hazell made news when he rounded out his coaching staff by hiring John Shoop as his offensive coordinator. Adam Rittenberg, of ESPN.com's Big Ten blog, wrote an unusually personal take on the hire wherein he made it sound like he was still scarred from Shoop's time as the Bears OC.

As a Chicago Bears fan, my fingers are trembling as I type this ...

According to reports, Purdue has hired John Shoop as its new offensive coordinator.

FootballScoop.com first reported Shoop's hiring, and the Big Ten Network also is reporting it. Purdue hasn't officially confirmed the addition of Shoop to Darrell Hazell's staff.

OK, John Shoop. That John Shoop? Yes, that John Shoop. (Chill goes down spine). Breathe, Adam, breathe ...

I'm going to give Shoop a chance to show he won't do to Purdue's offense what he did to the Bears' offense from 1999-2003. Every new Big Ten assistant deserves somewhat of a clean slate from the Big Ten blog.

Sorry, just had a flashback of a bubble screen for minus-3 yards. Focus, Adam.  

Look, I get being traumatized by coaches. I'm a Giants fan and we had Ray Handley as a head coach. And all of us would have that sort of skittish reaction if Gary Nord every angrily burst back onto campus in his back brace. But as for John Shoop, I'd just like us to pump the brakes a bit.

Some of you commented via Twitter that this was an awful hire and that you have similar feelings as Mr. Rittenberg, essentially blaming John Shoop for the mess that the Chicago Bears were before Lovie Smith came in and brought them back to prominence. Or whatever that was.

But let's remember a few things. First John Shoop was named Offensive Coordinator of the Bears in 2000, for the final few games of the season. He was 31 years old at the time. Thirty-one!

His first real season as the OC was 2001. Dick Jauron was the coach (which should also make you Bears fans shudder) and Shoop was the ripe old age of 32. During that 2001 season, the Bears went 13-3 and won their division. Shoop had been a QB coach prior to that stint and with those 2001 Bears, his QB corps was Shane Matthews, Jim Miller and the legendary Danny Wuerffel. Those were his guys and that team -- with Jauron as HC -- went 13-3. So if you want to cherry pick seasons and act as though Shoop was the root of their problems when they were bad, you also need to give the guy some credit when they won and beat out the Packers for the division.

After bouncing to the Bucs and Raiders, Shoop wound up at North Carolina from 2007-2011 as OC. After a 4-8 year to begin his time there, Shoop's UNC teams went 8-5 each year from 2008-2010 and 7-6 in 2011. The thing that might concern you in there was that that was during the time when Butch Davis may have been bending some rules and the Tar Heels had to vacate two of those seasons' worth of wins. As you know if you read us, we really want nothing even resembling a dirty coach to come near the programs at Purdue. I don't think Shoop was really implicated but there is always the guilt by association factor. Which leads me to why you shouldn't worry too much about that...for now...

Let's give Coach Hazell the benefit of the doubt here. I think many of us gave Danny Hope the benefit of the doubt, probably longer than he deserved it. Coach Hazell has made multiple hires, decisions, statements, etc., that almost all of you have really liked. Given all of that, isn't it safe to assume he's done his due diligence on Coach Shoop? I think -- for now -- it's fair to continue to be optimistic.

To those who claim the offense will be boring under Hazell and Shoop, I am not necessarily convinced you're correct. However, I also remember OSU fans being irritated with the vest for never really opening it up....as they boringly marched their way to 10-11 win seasons and Big Ten title after Big Ten title and BCS bowl after BCS bowl. Yawn. How borrrring.

Another way to look at this is that Shoop not only has college experience running a pro-style offense, he also has NFL experience as an offensive coordinator. Compare that to Gary Nord, Tim Tibesar, Danny Hope, etc. There was no real success at any significant level within Danny Hope's coaching staffs. That's noteworthy. 

No, I don't know if Hazell and Shoop will lead our boys to the promised land. In fact, I can tell you that it's going to have a lot more to do with the players buying into the system, accountability, focus, commitment and so forth. If Coach Shoop doesn't work out, I also have confidence that Darrell Hazell is capable of making the difficult decisions that Danny Hope never could.

Hazell's Quiet Hiring Process Continues...

We've had people as us what we think of the coaching staff hirings thus far...so here's our quick take.

J posted about the initial hires a few weeks ago prior to KSU's bowl game, but I'll continue based on what we've heard.

Hazell has now hired six coaches...all with ties to the state of Ohio.  That makes sense for a lot of reasons, as much of Hazell's resume references the buckeye state.

This hiring process is a ton different from that of Danny Hope- Hope had some carry overs from Tiller's staff, had a year to build his staff, didn't have much of a budget and didn't seem to have his sights set very high during the hiring process.  But, as Hazell is showing, coaches generally go with what they know.  Hope knew D-IAA, and had some coaches from the lower division...Hazell knows and is connected to the state of Ohio...so...

We love the hire of FSU's former LB coach, Greg Hudson as the DC. Hudson is a name that's well known in college football and the units and teams that he's coached have been generally good...he'll focus greatly on speed, it would seem, based on his past experience.

The OC hire is not yet public...but Hazell's staff already has two former coordinators within it.

Jim Bollman (today's quiet hire) was OC at Youngstown State, and years later at aOSU.  He was also OL coach there for a few seasons...and he'll be the same at Purdue.  An Ohio State fan friend of mine told me that Bucknut fans don't like Bollman much.  As a fan of an opposing team, I can tell you that I never thought of aOSU offensive lines as soft or easily pushed around...in fact, I thought they were pretty big, damned strong and kinda nasty, as a rule. That's good...those guys need to protect the franchise, so to speak.  The last time Purdue had a rock solid offensive line, top-to-bottom, was in the early oughts.  It'll be good to have one again in the next few seasons.

The other former coordinator on Hazell's staff is his old DC from Kent State, Jon Heacock.  There was talk before Hudson was hired, that Jon's brother Jim, another former Buckeye might be hired as DC.  That obviously didn't happen.

So Hazell has a mix of younger up-and-comers (Freeman LB & Williams RB), and established guys (Hudson DC, Heacock DL, Bollman OL, Sherman WR), on his staff so far...all have D-IA experience, some have NFL experience. It's a pretty good looking staff on paper...and Hazell's not even done yet.

For those of you who have had a hard time keeping up with the cryptic updates out of God's country, don't feel bad...it's been tough to keep up. None of Hope's coaches were retained...but a few of the office and off-field personnel will stick around, it seems.

We're hoping that Hazell's staff is out hitting the road very soon. The quiet period has been over for a bit and signing day is fast approaching.  Purdue lost a verbal last week, but supposedly picked up a good one today (according to rumors).  We don't talk about recruiting, especially recruiting rumors around here generally as we think it's kinda silly to chase the wind that way...Once guys are signed, we tell you...even solid verbals aren't so solid, as we all are reminded about every other year.

There will be more news in the coming days/weeks about the football program...even if it's not shouted from the mountain tops, we'll try to weigh in on it.

Greg Hudson Named Defensive Coordinator; Hazell's Staff Taking Shape

"There's the door, Tim."

Gold and Black and H&R are reporting that Greg Hudson, recently of Florida State's coaching staff, has been tapped by Coach Hazell to be Purdue's new defensive coordinator:

Hudson, the Seminoles' linebackers coach and assistant head coach the past three seasons, was part of a Florida State defensive staff that oversaw a unit that ranked second nationally this season in total defense, allowing just 253.8 yards per game and an national-low 3.89 yards per play, according to NCAA statistics.

Obviously, it's early to be making excited statements, but regardless of how this works out, you can only judge things on what you know at the moment you're assessing them. And put in a nutshell, hiring a coach who was a key cog in a unit that was one of the best in the nation on a team that won 12 games is a ginormous step up from taking a guy from the CFL. (Happy trails, Tim Tibesar. I hope that the month you spent polishing your resume instead of preparing your defense bears fruit for you.)

Heacock

Hudson is now the fifth coaching defection from Jimbo Fisher's staff, which is just amazing. I guess if you want to advance your coaching career, go work for Jimbo.

The older readers among you might remember that Hudson, who is 45 years old, played linebacker for Notre Dame in the '80s. We'll try not to hold that against you, Greg. Hudson then coached at UConn, Cinci, Minnesota, East Carolina and finally Florida State for three seasons. At Minny, Hudson coached under legendary Glen Mason and while we like to joke about Mason, in the three seasons Hudson was there the Gophers went 25-13 and 3-0 in bowls, including Minnesota's first 10-win season since 1905.

Most of Hudson's positions have been as a LB coach, but he did serve as Eastern Carolina's DC from 2005 to 2009 under Skip Holtz. Those ECU teams went to four bowls, won nine games twice and went 38-27 over that span.

Shermanator

So Coach Hazell has a guy who is still relatively young, has been a successful position coach and coordinator on the D-1 level (as well as "assistant head coach," which can mean something and nothing depending on where that title is bestowed upon you) and is coming off a stint with one of the best defenses (statistically) in college football.

Given the facts we know right now, this feels like a very good hire. Having a guy who might be eager to continue to prove himself as he climbs towards a head coaching job is usually a good thing.

This Jafar isn't evil.

Additional coaching news from G&B includes the fact that Hazell's DC at Kent State, Jon Heacock (who followed Tressel as HC of Youngstown State in 2001) will likely be joining him as a position coach for the Boilermakers. Which is good, since as you can tell from the photo earlier in this post, Heacock will fill Gary Nord's role as "stern older white guy."

Also, G&B reports that Virginia Tech receivers coach Kevin Sherman and Kent State RB coach Jafar Williams are likely to come on board in West Lafayette.

None of this is officially confirmed, but if state-run media is talking about it, it's about as unofficially official as it gets.

No word yet on hat brim requirements. 

The Hazell Handsome Hour - Tonight at 9:30 PM

The good news is that evidently word finally reached Chicago that Darrell Hazell has been hired at Purdue and so the Big Ten Network is going to air the presser live at 7 PM -- unless, of course, Wisconsin hires someone by then. You'll be able to find a stream of the press conference on Purdue Sports as well.

Following that, have some Hazellnut-flavored egg nog and join the Handsome Duo as we discuss the new Purdue coach with everyone's pal -- and sometime antagonist -- Brendan Murphy, the man who broke the story.

We're also endeavoring to get another guest on to discuss Hazell and his time at OSU so we can hear what others think we're getting.

Regardless, you won't want to miss it -- especially since you never know what kinds of pratfalls and misdirection BTR has planned for us all!

The high-wire act begins at 9:30 PM, Eastern, tonight at this here link.

Darrell Hazell is Purdue's Next Coach

Nine days after Danny Hope was shown the door by Morgan Burke, Purdue fans and college sports fans in general learned who would become Purdue's next head football coach.  We talked about Kent State's coach, Darrell Hazell Monday evening and yesterday afternoon as a possibility...tonight we'll talk about him with assurance: Darrell Hazell will be Purdue's next head football coach.  But the last 24 hours have been pretty hazy.  We didn't enjoy them, but let's relive them anyway.

The combination of misinformation, flat-out poor information, conjecture and facts created a murky fog that settled in as the story broke at the end of the work day. If you were fortunate enough not to be near your computer or phone during that period of time, here's a general timeline:

Brendan Murphy broke it first at 5:00pm on the nose via Twitter:

And the information got wings via Twitter, Facebook and some websites*, unsurprisingly...but other sources began pulling back the expectations a bit as new info trickled in.  At 5:30, FoxSports Radio 1350 am of Akron, OH was told by Hazell that he had not accepted a job.

In the six o'clock hour GBI warned Purdue fans to not completely believe everything that was on Twitter- fair point.  But this was after they had tweeted that Hazell was coming to Purdue...then, at 7:20, they published a retraction on their site that spread quickly and people began filling in the blanks in the wake of Bielema's move away from Wisconsin and to Arkansas.

I not only believed Murphy's initial report, but I also believed GBI's a bit over two hours later.  I've grown to trust both sources as they typically do not miss the mark...and I've never known either to publish unfounded stories.  My guess was that after Murphy had heard that the contract was all but wrapped-up, something had changed.

The anger quickly grew within the ranks of Purdue fans- Many thought, not only had Burke missed out on Jones on Sunday, but now it seemed, he had lost his second choice two days later.  So for a little over one hour Purdue fans stewed and thought aloud about what was next.

But at 8:31, things changed again...as it became official.  CBS' Bruce Feldman tweeted that Hazell's deal was done and he'd lead the Boilermakers:

That was quickly followed by BTN's Tom Dienart's blogpost talking about Hazell as Purdue's head coach...EsPN followed suit as did everyone else. And the 3.5 hour roller coaster was over.  And to his credit, at the end of the process, we think Morgan Burke has made a very solid hire in Darrell Hazell.

Hopefully in the coming days, we'll find out the full story of why there was a pendulum swing in the information, but I doubt it. Hell, it could be as simple as the telephone game causing a misunderstanding, or as complicated as a third party (wife, agent, players, etc.) getting in Hazell's ear; as I said, we'll probably never know.

As I type, there's still no word on when Wednesday's press conference will occur, but there will be one tomorrow announcing Hazell's new post at our alma mater. Players who played for him at aOSU and Kent State alike have been singing his praises via Twitter...and current Purdue players seem legitimately-excited about officially having a coach once again.

Hazell is Purdue's first black coach in basketball or football, and only the fourth black Big Ten football coach. He has no direct connections with Purdue, but his OC at Kent State, Brian Rock, is a name you might recognize.  He was WR coach at Purdue a few seasons ago. There are no details available at this time on if Hazell will bring some, none or all of his staff from KSU...but those who come will get raises.

He made $400,000 as his base salary at KSU, but had a few incentives reached this season that bumped him up.  His buyout was $900,000. A couple news outlets said he was offered a $1.5million base salary...we haven't had this confirmed yet, but J published that number as his educated guess yesterday as well...because he's smart.  We'll have everything confirmed in the next 12-18 hours, most-assuredly.

We're excited to hear Darrell Hazell named as Purdue's next football coach...but can't say we felt the same about Hope five years ago.  We liked the guy from the beginning, and thought he deserved a chance to do well and have the full support of the Purdue fans.  But, we didn't think he was even close to the best option for the program at that point.  We were hopeful that he'd grow into the position.  Conversely, Hazell's resume, specifically his seven seasons as an assistant coach at aOSU, make us confident that he understands how to win...and his 11 win season at a perennial loser, in just his second season at KSU, makes us believe that he's simply a winner.

Hazell set to make a splash at Purdue

Moving Forward

There are tons of opinions out there about if he's the right hire or not.  Honestly no one knows right now.  No one knows if a guy fits at a university until he's there.  While a resume is important, the moving parts around him are as well.  If you're not a fan of this hire, but you thought it was time for Hope to go, you're probably thankful that a new era is upon us.  If you didn't want Hope gone, and don't like Hazell, the only thing that is going to get you on board, is time and winning a few games. If you're like us and thought it was time for a change and you like the hire, tonight, you should be grinning and sighing a bit.

"Nati Ice
Colorado has still not yet heard a final answer from Butch Jones.  And yesterday in a press conference, Jones acted like all was well at Cincy simply because he was at the press conference...but refused to address the elephant in the room.  The longer this drags on, the more I believe Jones is a bit of a prima donna or is awaiting a bigger, better deal.  That type of outlook and mentality will never work in West Lafayette.  We really liked the idea and resume of Jones more than we've liked what he's shown the last few days. Plus, we're just glad this chapter is put to bed.

Time for a New Tradition

Arnette Tiller coined the term "Boiler Up!" at a pep rally as her husband's Boilers were getting ready to play Oklahoma State in 1997. The phrase caught on with many Boiler fans, but at BS, we were never big proponents of it because it was derivative of "Cowboy Up!", which was yelled at Wyoming- Tiller's job before Purdue.  So, we'd like to propose a change...but we're open for suggestions...as these Boilers are just weeks from playing Oklahoma State in a bowl game of their own.

"Boiler Up, Hammer Down" was a salve...but "Hammer Down!" seems to work well by itself...and "Hail Purdue" is still a favorite.  Of course, if you wanna move away from these in favor of a phrase we use around here all of the time, you can try that too...but let's all work together to make "Boiler Up!" a thing of the past.

The train is coming...

Choo choo, muthas!

Welcome to God's Country, Coach Hazell!!

*A cautionary note to aspiring writers- you're not scooping a story if you're merely publishing someone else's scoop on your outlet.  EsPN might tell us differently, but there is only one scoop...and just like with a good joke, timing is of the essence.  No need to force the issue.

What's an Entertainment Network to do???

EsPN's television arm has been in a pickle for a few years- they've got "sports news" programming which is supposed to be fair in its presentation of different sports stories...but they also have contracts with the ACC in basketball and SEC in football that force them to pimp their own self-interests and get a return on investment.

In the oughts, we heard that Urban Meyer's Florida squad was coached in such a manner that few programs in the country could compete with them, their speed and their overall scheme.  And when Meyer was hired at an Ohio State University, we were told that he would change the B1G with recruiting techniques and intensity that the league had NEVER seen.  Now, there's clearly an easy joke in there someplace about the methodology by which recruits are acquired and retained in the bestest conference ever...but I guess they were right.  aOSU's 12-0 record was a result of Meyer's recruiting efforts (please disregard that most of the impact players were from Tressel's classes...those guys are slow, plodding B1G types, I'm told).

But, the story got even muddier today in the EsPN initiative to control the college football narrative. An old Big Ten Olineman, by way of Iowa, then Madison, has landed at Arkansas to be their head coach.  That's right, in a shocking move, Arkansas hired one of the least-likable B1G head coaches, Brett Bielema.  He's been Wisky's HC for seven seasons and finished atop the conference the last three years...and his teams have done it by running the ball extremely effectively with hard running RBs and massive Nordsman lineman from the tundra of the Northern US.  That style of play can't compete in the super-duper-fast SEC, right?

I don't know, and quite honestly, really don't care if Bielema wins a game while at Arkansas...same goes for Urban Meyer for the Bucknuts. As you know, here at BS, we really don't like too many teams within the conference. Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt or unlikable schools and programs just make it easy to not like them. We kinda would like to see both Beilema and Meyer in the SEC together, honestly.  One used to cheat there, the other will soon cheat there...but they both suck (click here for a funny article; in hindsight).

But, our dislike for conference foes is outweighed by disingenuous pseudo-journalism displayed on a daily and nightly basis at EsPN (and elsewhere, for that matter).  If you're just visiting, before you say it, lemme explain that we aren't journalists- we're Purdue fans who give our opinion on what's happening in sports and other stuff.  We never claim to be journalists as do so many on the network.  Sure, there are a couple real journalists on that network Van Pelt doesn't seem to have been indoctrinated...and there are others...but they're tough to come by.  The company line typically wins out.

So in the very near future, as aOSU is in the NCAA football Final Four and Arkansas is competing in the SEC, look for the mothership to contradict herself with great regularity.

There's also a nugget of info from the Arkansas coach search that with which we Purdue fans can all learn- Sources had said Mike Gundy was going to be announced as Arkansas' coach just in the last few days...didn't happen.

Just as in recruiting, nothing is a done deal in coach searches until a guy is signed.  From what the Twitterweb (read as, our pal BMurph) is saying...that might be the case for our Boilers.  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

What do we really know?

Really not many people know much of anything...well not much absolute truth, anyway.

Jones spent four hours in West Lafayette and brought his wife along for the trip yesterday...a day later (today), he spent six hours at Colorado...brought his wife again.

Colorado was very public with their thoughts about the interview...perhaps that was because they had reason to be confident (read as a contract signed)...perhaps not.  The called today's meetings "very productive."

Jones seeking a home where the Buffs roam?

Burke has handled the process much more privately and quietly than CU's AD...it could be because he hasn't had confidence or it could be because that's just his chosen tactic.  It still makes no sense to me that Burke allowed Jones to be seen on campus yesterday as it clearly wasn't in the bag; it seems the photos and public exposure could have been avoided.  I read that as an intentional leak and confidence that Jones was the guy...I think I read incorrectly.

There's wiggle room in this process and that's by design...agents are smart enough to take what they're given...if it's silence, it can be used to help their client...if there's talk, it can be used too.  We saw this in Painter's re-negotiations...we're seeing it now as Purdue seeks to find its next head football coach.

In Painter's case, "Buddy" Baker didn't want Purdue to look dumb at the end of the day in order for his client(s) to make money...so he negotiated and pulled strings that helped three of his clients get raises...all as Painter sat back and had Mizzou chase him, and finally Burke had to pony up.

In the football coach candidate case, there are still rumors that Jones is a target of University of Tennessee...probably perpetuated by Trace Armstrong; who, by the way is OK with making Purdue look like a pawn as he and his client make a play for extra cheddar.

Back in 1996, Burke sought Bob Davie and landed on Joe Tiller. That ending was A-OK for Burke and the university.

This time, he wanted Butch Jones...and it sure seems like he's not landing for good in West Lafayette either.  The signs are pointing to Darrell Hazell as the guy now...Burke's not standing pat as Jones seeks a prettier girl.  In fact, the trustees' plane took a trip to Akron this afternoon...which is about 20 miles from Kent State's campus. Then this evening, GBI reported via Twitter that Darrell Hazell is "very much in play"...according to a source.

Hazell took over for Doug Martin at Kent State.  In those seven seasons prior to Hazell's last two years, Kent State's best record was 6-6.  After a 5-7 first season...Hazell's flashes were 11-2 this season.  Kent State's program wins about 39% of their games historically...and has been to two bowls prior to being invited to the GoDaddy.Com Bowl this season.

Hazell was asked today about being named in connection with other program openings...he said nothing to deny it...nothing to confirm it; feels like we've heard this before.

Hazell is 48 years old, has coached from the East Coast to the Midwest and is originally from New Jersey. He went to a small school in Ohio for college and spent most of his coaching years, 7 seasons, at aOSU coaching a ton of very good wide receivers and even being Tressell's Assistant head coach.

A few days ago, it was Jones, then DeRuyter was the second fiddle in this contest...a week ago Jones, Dykes and Doeren...and today Hazell has floated to the top of this nebulous list.  I guess we'll all know soon what's truth and what's conjecture...hope to, anyway.

Monday Football Gumbo

Sunday afternoon and evening lit up the Purdue football Twitterverse as a lot was happening.

First, Butch Jones came to West Lafayette via the Purdue trustees' private plane along with his wife.  Whatever they did/talked about took around four hours...Then he went back to Cincy without any announcement.

Not Purdue's plane.

During his visit on campus, it was revealed that Purdue would be playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl...but at that point, our Boilers didn't know who they'd be playing.  A bit later, it was revealed that they'd square off versus their bowl opponent from 1997, Oklahoma State.  And just as Purdue is involved in coaching opening news, so is Okie State...but on the other side of the rumor mill.

The Cowboys' coach is linked to talks for both the Arkansas and Tennessee jobs...and, of course, he won't confirm or deny any of these suspicions.  So as Purdue's team looks to follow an interim coach into battle on January first, Oklahoma State might not be following their 8th-year coach...but an interim of their own, should Tennessee or Arkansas get their way.

But, with T. Boone Pickens and his large bags of cash on the side of OK St., who knows what will happen.  What we do know is both programs are in separate states of limbo at this point. If you have any questions about the situation, don't ask Pickens, he's an old man...whereas Gundy...he's a (younger) man...he's forty (five).

Oklahoma State is 7-5, and unlike Purdue, had no glaringly-bad losses during the season.  In fact, all of their losses came to bowl teams and they were competitive in most of those.  Unlike Purdue, they had two wins versus bowl teams, but those two teams (Iowa State and Texas Tech) weren't world beaters. In a ten-team Big 12, they're fourth.  In a 12-team Big 10, Purdue is eighth-best in the conference...and the RPI has the Big 12 as a slightly-tougher conference.  But, Oklahoma State is a top-five offense in many categories...and Purdue's defense has struggled for much of the year...so that doesn't seem like it's great news for our boys.

We'll talk more about this in the coming weeks.  In fact, we've got 30 days to really think about this one and chew on it as the game will be played on January 1.

Before then, Purdue will surely have a new coach...but as of now, we don't know who it'll be.

Burke, Marve and the rest of the team talked about their upcoming bowl game at the late afternoon presser...but Burke refused to answer questions about the coaching situation.  Since Jones was brought on campus, I was hoping we'd hear an announcement this afternoon...but since then, we've all learned that he'll be going to Boulder to talk to the University of Colorado about their opening.  From everything I've heard, Colorado, like Purdue, is very serious about finding the right coach and is ready to give Jones' a sizable raise to move out West.  But, according to Colorado's Rivals site, Colorado's search isn't as far along as Purdue's seems to be.

Jones and his wife met in college in Michigan, and Jones has never worked further West than he currently does...but, he definitely will soon; hopefully it'll be a bit more to the near-West.  It seems we'll know either way early this week.

My thought is that a half million dollars is a lot of money, and it sounds like Colorado will offer Jones that much more than Purdue.  That's kinda tough to turn down, regardless of where you come from and where you've been.  My gut feeling isn't good about this right now...and really, isn't very good about the hiring process at this point.  The guy I wanted to see at Purdue took a job at NC State for about $700,000 less than Burke seems to be willing to pay the next guy, and it seems he never really got past the initial phase of this search by the Athletic Department.

NC State's hiring of Doeren over Sonny Dykes shook everything up a bit...Dykes is now rumored to be talking to Cal who is also talking to DeRuyter...who is said to be in the running for the Purdue job along with Dykes. DeRuyter is also said to be a candidate for the Colorado job if Jones doesn't take it first.

Until we see and hear a press conference formally introducing the next coach, it's going to be a pretty tense time.  Regardless of when that conference comes, here's to it being the right fit.

Hope's Last Hurrah Handsome Hour

Listen to the Handsome Duo and their beautiful guests, Brendan Murphy and Derek Schultz.

Tune in now:

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

(Sorry about technical difficulties...after the audio cuts off, jump over here to see/hear the awful exciting conclusion of tonight's show.)

Coaching Carousel Predicto!!!

All of these stabs in the dark predictions were written in the last twelve hours...and they're already out of date!

Kentucky has hired Mark Stoops (not Mike, mind you), the DC under FSU's Jimbo Fisher...but there are still a ton of jobs out there that need to be filled and a ridiculously-deep coaching talent pool.

Kick back, grab your favorite beverage and read as we throw some crap against the wall.

Away we go...


zlionsfan says:
It's college football's silly season, the time of year when athletic directors spend millions of dollars of boosters' money to fire the guy on whom they spent millions of dollars to fill the gap left by the guy they fired ... you get the idea. Often, this works out like a hole-in-the-wall bar: it's usually the same guys over and over again, just in different places, and there's always at least one guy who gets thrown out before the end of the night for being a jerk ... nobody can figure out how he got in or got a seat at the bar, and most everyone wishes he'd never come in to begin with. (NOTE: this is not Danny Hope. He didn't work out as a coach, but he certainly wasn't a jerk. Far from it.)

Some guys got fired because they didn't produce: Hope, for example. Some guys got fired because they used to produce and then ran out of something, like Tiller: Jeff Tedford and Bill Cubit fall into this category. Other guys got fired because they could only afford one good player, or because they decided that it wouldn't be a problem to switch to a completely different type of offense even though the offense they were running happens to be both popular and successful right now. 

Where will they go? zlionsfan doesn't know, but will happily guess. The only thing better than being a fool is being a fool on the internet for everyone to see.

Dave Doeren would be handsome in black and gold.

Purdue: Dave Doeren. Burke isn't messing around this time. Dwindling support and miserable performance changed his mind; with a stack o' cash and a new mindset (we hope), he won't make the mistake of hiring low this time. Doeren's openly available, he's already familiar with most of the area, and he runs an offense that should make Boilermaker fans salivate. (483 yards per game, more than 40 points per game.)

Arkansas: Mark Helfrich. John L. Smith was only a temporary fix; Arkansas really wanted someone who could keep the program near the top of the SEC, so they'll be focusing on candidates with BCS experience. Helfrich runs an offense that will put points on the board while you are still looking for a parking spot, something that might counteract the impressive defenses in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge and elsewhere. 

Auburn: Sonny Dykes. Auburn boosters want to win right now. No, really, like right now, in the middle of the week. (They should have thought of that last season. Maybe "recruiting" someone to replace Newton would have been a better move.) They want offense. Dykes has offense. They have money. Dykes wants money. (Who doesn't?) 
Boston College: Butch Jones. BC wants someone who can focus on both athletics and academics. If Jones can get UC players to achieve in the classroom, he can handle BC kids, no problem. His record at Cincinnati might not be good enough to draw the likes of Arkansas or Auburn, but it'll be good enough for the ACC.

California: Tom O'Brien. There are always some ADs who think the new guy just didn't have the right situation at his last job. O'Brien couldn't get it done in Raleigh, but he does seem to have an eye for discipline and grades, things that will be a requirement at Cal. 

Colorado: Eric Bieniemy. Jon Embree got just two years in Boulder before being thrown to the curb for ... not being Bill McCartney, I guess. (Who, by the way, went 1-10 in his third season at Colorado.) This was a poor move because Embree is a good recruiter and because Colorado already wasn't a good job to take; it's also noteworthy when a black coach is fired, especially when he wasn't in a good situation in the first place. Bieniemy is a former CU player and the current OC, so there wouldn't be much transition, and hiring a black coach to replace a black coach might take some of the pressure off the CU athletic department.

Idaho: Kent Baer. Interim coach Jason Gesser had the chance to seal the job, but the Vandals went 0-4 under him, including a loss to Texas-San Antonio, so he likely won't get the permanent job. Baer was a candidate for the Broyles Award, ran a solid defense at San Jose State, and is a former Idaho DC.

Kentucky: Willie Taggart. Joker Phillips had three years to get things going at UK; at the end, he couldn't even beat Western Kentucky. If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em, and Mitch Barnhart will do just that, but not after losing out on some bigger-name candidates. 

NC State: Gene Chizik. Something of a risk for Kay Yow, given the scrutiny other programs in the conference have been under, but she wants a winning program in Raleigh, and the conference is weak enough that Chizik just might be the guy to push them into the national spotlight. 

Tennessee: David Cutcliffe. After the mistakes that were Kiffin the Younger and Dooley the Younger, Tennessee can't afford another flop, not in the SEC and not with a giant stadium to fill. Dave Hart will make the safe move, hiring a former coordinator to stabilize the program.

UTEP: Andre Patterson. Mike Price basically said "I think you should hire this guy." AD Bob Stull wants to fill the position within a month or so, and if he's looking for continuity, there's no reason to go with someone other than the current DC. (Why not Aaron Price? Sometimes it works out better for the son to get a head coach position somewhere that his father hasn't coached.)

Western Michigan: Mike Tressel. The Broncos don't have much leverage, especially not now that the best MAC teams can actually hold their own with BCS teams, so they'll look in-state at some lesser-known assistants. Just as Eastern looked to former Michigan assistant Ron English (who was at Louisville before the Eagles hired him), Western will hit Michigan State. Tressel has had some quality experience under Dantonio at both Cincinnati and MSU, and Western can use his defensive experience against teams like Northern Illinois and Kent State.

I would expect Pat Narduzzi to go to one of the jobs that will subsequently open up, probably Cincinnati. Beyond that, your guess is better than mine.

Boilerdowd guesses:
Arkansas: Chris Petersen
The Razorbacks are mad as hell, and they’re going to spend their way out of their self-imposed outhouse hole in which they’ve trapped their football program! Hiring Petrino was a deal with the devil...and John L. Smith as a bandaid is simply hilarious.  But this time, they’re going to throw money at the problem and hope it yields superiority over Nick Saban’s Tide...plus, they probably want a guy that isn’t going to have any baggage.

Auburn: Gary Patterson
Like Ark, Auburn is ready to put a lousy hire behind them...and will spend the dough.  Just as Chris Petersen, Patterson has been the apple of a ton of program’s eyes for a long time...and, like Petersen, the time might be now to move since a ton of money is on the table.  Chizik’s buyout coupled with Cam Newton’s Dad’s contract (that they’re still dealing with) do cost a lot. But in order for Auburn to continue to pay for the players they’ve got, they need to fill the seats and win with regularity. They’ll get a very good coach in Patterson who will win right away with Auburn’s defensive talent.

Boston College: Dave Doeren
Doeren is a defensive-minded guy who is smart and isn’t getting paid as much as he should be.  BC is a school that is pissed off that they’ve dropped off so badly since firing Jeff Jagodzinski a few years ago for having the gall to look at an NFL job.  Football karma has kicked their arse since...Doeren would change that.

Cal: Tim DeRuyter
His career has taken him all over the country, but he’s a California kid at heart...and he should be a really good fit for the Cal Bears who are looking to compete with a conference that suddenly has a ton of good coaches...and Lane Kiffin.

WMU: Pat Narduzzi
He already recruits the state of Michigan for the Spartans...and WMU is sick of being mediocre. Narduzzi’s defense could make them a novelty, and a champ, in the MAC.

Colorado: Mark Helfrich

After multiple coaches and a ton of seasons of drudgery in Boulder, Helfrich will bring back the fun in the incestuous Pac 12.  Helfrich won’t win right away...but he’ll make it entertaining.

Kentucky: Charlie Strong
Strong has been winning at Louisville...and is used to not having a ton of academic constraints to contend with.  Plus, he knows the area...At Kentucky he’ll have none of those pesky academic rules that keep athletes from focusing on training...and he’ll win right away.

NC State: James Franklin
This move would be odd if Franklin wasn’t currently at Vandy...he’ll help the wolfpack win the conference in two or three seasons.

Tennessee: Jon Gruden
He’s told the media (read as his co-workers) that he’s committed to EsPN.  But, this guy loves coaching...and UT’s boosters and AD have a boatload of money to woo him back into it.  If I were him, which I’m not, I would enjoy the easy ride at EsPN as long as possible...but coaches wanna coach.  If Gruden outright rejects the Vols, Dykes gets the job.

UTEP: Bobby Petrino
If you’re too unethical to coach in the SEC, where do you go? The Southwest, of course. Petrino will have UTEP in the position to bust up the four team playoff in a matter of two seasons.  Like him or not, he wins.

Vanderbilt: Kliff Kingsbury
He wouldn’t win right away...but he wouldn’t need to...granted, this is completely based on Franklin leaving, and he might not.  But if he was hired away, Kingsbury would be an exciting pick who might be able to compete with every team in the SEC, except Bama and TA&M, within a few seasons.

Jones in God's Country??

Purdue: Butch Jones
I actually am still hoping for Doeren to be hired by Burke...and believe that the quiet leak that he’s no longer a candidate might just be his people keeping things on the DL as Burke and he hammer out the details.  Maybe not though...and it seems that the Jones rumors are legit.  Would you rather coach in the Big East as it crumbles, or take a slight pay raise and move a bit North and West for the might B1G 12/14/16? Easy decision.  Burke’s got the money set aside for a guy who can win right away...with Purdue’s team speed, Jones can do that.

J says:
I might as well just throw darts. That said, I’ll still be more right than these other two clowns. Here we go. 

Colorado – Chizik. This is obviously a wild guess but it’s a program in a big time conference that hasn’t had much of an identity for the better part of a decade. Chizik could blend in here and if he builds a team to 7-8 wins per year, he’ll probably be well-liked – unless he’s being paid an asinine sum of money. It would behoove him – since he’s filthy rich now – to take a modest salary with nice bonuses, so if they do shoot the moon, he gets paid. Of course, this is all very unlikely to happen because Chizik gets $208,000 per month for the next three years as part of his buyout from Auburn. Any salary he makes elsewhere gets deducted from that buyout. So we’ll see. 

Kentucky – Hazell. There’s no reason you can’t win some games at Kentucky. It’s a school that loves to win, has a strong alumni base and is willing to play the game, if you know what I’m saying. I don’t think Darrell Hazell is a cheater, but he’s a good coach (one I’d love to have at Purdue) and he built an 11 win team at Kent State that might go to a BCS bowl game. Surely he could bring UK back to respectability. 

Tennessee – Butch Jones. I just think that Gruden is fool’s gold. I don’t see why Gruden would want to coach Tennessee at this point. I know they have rabid fans and want to give him a truckload of money, but they’re financially strapped in reality and you’re still competing against the best of the SEC with no real recruiting foothold. All that said, Gruden would be an amazing recruiter. Anyway, I choose Butch Jones for this. Jones makes a lot of money (upwards of $2M) at Cinci so it makes it hard to pry him away for a school like Purdue (aside from offering conference stability). However, a school like Tennessee that is just dying to spend money on people they eventually fire, Jones makes complete sense. He also knows how to recruit in the shadow of a power, as Cinci is in Columbus’ backyard. 

Purdue – Doeren. We’ve heard rumors that Doeren is off the board, but we’re speculating that is misdirection as Doeren still has games to coach. I was tempted to but Hazell or Kyle Flood here, but I’ll stick with Doeren just because it feels like it makes the most sense from a lot of perspectives, including the type of guy he is, the background he has, the money he makes, etc. 

Boston College – Kirby Smart. Why not? No idea on this one. BC football is kind of a mess, but does have a proud history and thinks they are Notre Dame’s rival. Why not a young, defensive-minded coach from Alabama?

Auburn – Petrino. Auburn is willing to get down in the mud and “play ball.” They proved that in the Chizik era and are still being investigated as a result. And yes, Cam Newton’s situation was cleared… right. I’m sure his dad only offered Newton to other schools for a price and not Auburn – Cam just decided he loved that part of Alabama. Petrino will be perfect for Auburn because he’s a slimeball who wins. They’ll absolutely love him as they drunkenly scream at a scared eagle that slams into the press box windows. 

Cal – Helfrich. I don’t have a lot of basis for this one, either, but I think Helfrich will be a head coach sometime soon. He’s another guy I’d love to see at Purdue, but I see him fitting into the Pac12 a little better as he’s almost always coached in the West. He could get Cal’s offense flying again and they’d instantly love him after a lot of frustration recently. Sounds familiar. 

Arkansas – Dykes. Sonny Dykes has SEC written all over him. We love the guy and he was our top choice for Purdue (you’re welcome for the list, by the way, Morgan).  But we think someone with much deeper pockets will keep Dykes in the south. That’s another thing… proximity might matter in this instance, as Dykes is at La Tech and might not need to move very far. I see Arkansas for him because he just seems to fit to me, he’s not as slimy as Petrino (who as I noted, I think will wind up at Auburn) and he’s one of those guys that it’s fun to think about what he might be able to do with significant resources. Arkansas is a year removed from national title contention – it won’t be a long rebuild. From a football standpoint, this has to be a really attractive job. 

NC State – Kingsbury. I don’t know if Kingsbury is going to be a head coach just yet, but if he does get a job, it feels to me like it could be a place like NC State. Theoretically “big” conference but not top tier and thus a risk is worth it to them, yet it’s not taking a MAC job, something Kingsbury won’t do in my opinion.