College Coach Meter

by John Berkowitz on Oct 6, 2008 1:58 PM PDT

Salaries in college football have been escalating since the days when Rick Neuheisel was the conferences highest paid coach. The $1.5 million Willingham gets per year is no longer an elite coaching salary. Look for UW to end up paying $1.5 to $3 million depending on who they go after.

What were the potential UW coaching candidates up to this week?

1. Gary Pinkel (Missouri)

Missouri rolls over Nebraska 52-17. If you had to pick the guy to waive $2.5 to $3 million it would be Pinkel. The search has to start here. If Washington is serious they are going to have to make him think about it. Look for Missouri to counter and Pinkel to stay.

2. Brian Kelly (Cinncinati)

Kelly is off to a 4-1 start at Cinncinati this year with the lone loss coming to Oklahoma. Kelly is already in a BCS conference and has a team that is very competitive. Word on the street is he wouldn't mind moving up to the super power level if offered.

3. Chris Petersen (Boise State)

The Bronco's are undefeated and in the top 15. Petersen is a guy who should logically be plotting his next step up the ladder and into at BCS conference. Problem is he likes living in Boise and coaching the Bronco's. On February 22, 2007, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a new contract for Petersen, paying him $4.25 million for five years, or $850,000 per year. I think Eugene is his ultimate destination.

4. Gary Patterson (Texas Christian)

The Horned Frogs only loss this year was to Oklahoma. In seven years at TCU, Patterson's 62 victories place him in third place on the TCU career victory chart, and he is the only coach in school history to record four 10-win seasons. His teams have only failed to reach a bowl game once (2004), the Frogs have earned a spot in the Final Top 25 four times. Patterson turned down a $2 million dollar offer to coach at Minnesota.

5. Todd Graham (Tulsa)

Tulsa is 5-0 and beating the snot out of everyone. Graham turned around the program at Rice and has been the Coach at Tulsa since 2007. With an annual salary of $1,100,000 Graham is the second-highest-paid football coach in conference USA behind SMU's June Jones.

Honorable mention: Pat Hill, Dave Christensen, DeWayne Walker, Randy Edsall, Skip Holtz, Al Golden, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Whittingham, Bronco Mendenhall, Lane Kiffin, and Mike Riley.

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Gee thanks John!

Thanks for ruining my night John! I really like the idea of breaking down the coaches and how they are doing, but it back fired!!!

I lived in Tulsa for 3 years (Flight School). Tulsa football stunk, nobody cared about, I was really surprised they were even a Division 1 team. They had an old, small, run down stadium. Jenks and Union High School could sell out the stadium once a year, but TU couldn’t even come close.

I WAS really excited about Todd Graham, the fact he is winning at Tulsa is just amazing. That program was worse than Idaho!!! BUT, you had to say they were “beating the snot out of everyone”. So I checked out there website, and that they are. They’re scoring over 50 points a game, and there is no one on that schedule that should challenge them this year.

So you are probably wondering how you ruined my night. Well, turns out Tulsa is doing great, winning games, refurbishing that old dump to make it look like the Taj Mahal! They have beautiful new athletic center overlooking the field. THIS SUCKS!!!! How is it Washington can’t even keep up with Tulsa????? They have a beautiful new field/stadium/athletic stadium, and we have Ty.

I can’t wait till they fire him, find some money and put us back where we belong. Again, THIS REALLY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. – Take Riley off the Honorable mentions – nobody wants a coach that loses to Stanford and Utah, but can beat USC. He’ll be on OSU’s hot seat by the end of the year.

by Lear Pilot on Oct 6, 2008 6:47 PM PDT 0 recs

To be fair, Graham took over a winner.

You make it sound like Tulsa was trash before Graham, this is not true.

Steve Kragthorpe, for all his bumbling at Louisville, really did a good job there. He built that program in just a short time.

The two years before Kragthorpe took over at Tulsa, they had a combined record of 2-21.

In his first season, he went 8-5, had a down season the next year, but bounced back with a 9-4 season in 2005 and an 8-5 season in 2006.

So they were winning before Graham. But that isn’t to say Graham is not a good coach, because he is.

by JazzyUte on Oct 7, 2008 11:34 AM PDT up 0 recs

Honorable mention

I thought you would be happy he was out of the top five!

UW is a diamond in the rough.

by John Berkowitz on Oct 6, 2008 8:47 PM PDT 0 recs

Diamond in the rough

I do think with this freshmen class, a “veteran O-line” and Jake Locker that our next coach will have a fighting chance. But we are definitely in the DEEP rough!!!

by Lear Pilot on Oct 6, 2008 8:57 PM PDT 0 recs

Todd Graham or Skip holtz. My fav 2....i think

"There aint nothin' over till it's over. "
~Rocky Balboa

by Hook'em13 on Oct 7, 2008 8:36 AM PDT 0 recs

Western Connections

Whoever they hire really could use some West Coast recruiting connections.

I like Kelly, but he would have to bring some guys with some connections because it takes a couple of years to build a network,

More, and more it seems that Pat Hill will get serious consideration.

by John Berkowitz on Oct 7, 2008 9:49 AM PDT 0 recs

Gary Patterson is an interesting choice.

His defenses are always good, but even with his talent, his teams are always prone to not only let down games, but let down seasons. That happened last year, when TCU was thought to contend for the BCS, but only finished 8-5.

I think Paterson would work more in the Big 12 or Big Ten than the Pac Ten.

Just my opinion, though.

by JazzyUte on Oct 7, 2008 11:30 AM PDT 0 recs

Gary Pinkel

All I can say is that guy would be crazy to leave mizzou. he finally built them up to a top ten program, leaving would be absurd.

"There aint nothin' over till it's over. "
~Rocky Balboa

by Hook'em13 on Oct 7, 2008 12:39 PM PDT 0 recs

Nice List

I’m a bit surprised no high profile NFL assistants made your list, but what you have is pretty good. Since we are focused on successful college coaches, two other names that come to mind:

Greg Schiano

Kyle Whittingham

Both have had success against bigger programs, both are young risers, and both could probably be persuaded to make the move. Whittingham is especially interesting if he gets by Michigan this weekend. I know that he is a Mormon, but football is football. I doubt Utah is his dream job.

Shake that hand that shook the hand of Hustlin' Hugh

by Minny C on Oct 7, 2008 3:11 PM PDT 0 recs

Utes already beat Michigan.

To open the season.

You know, I could see Whittingham leaving Utah, but I can also see him staying here until he retires.

Kyle became the head coach when Urban Meyer bolted, but had an offer to coach at BYU, where he graduated and was an assistant under the legendary LaVell Edwards. It looked like he would take the job at the time, but declined and stayed at Utah, where he’s been coaching since 1994.

But when there is money involved, you can never really guarantee anything. I really thought after Hawkins pulled his name out of the Notre Dame job back in ‘04 he’d be a lifer at Boise State. Instead, he left a year later for Colorado.

by JazzyUte on Oct 7, 2008 3:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

you are right

and I knew that. I don’t know what I was writing at the time. JB probably thinks that about all of my posts.

Shake that hand that shook the hand of Hustlin' Hugh

by Minny C on Oct 7, 2008 5:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

Difference between washington and BYU

at Washington, The sky is the limit. at BYU, you aint goin to no mnc, best you’ll do is get killed in a BCS bowl.

"There aint nothin' over till it's over. "
~Rocky Balboa

by Hook'em13 on Oct 7, 2008 5:14 PM PDT 0 recs

Todd Graham

JazzyUte – You are right, he did take over a winner at Tulsa. But don’t forget he was the Defensive Coordinator under Kragthorpe, and helped build Tulsa into a winner.

More impressive is what he did at Rice. He took a 1-11 team, and had a 7-6 year, and a bowl game in his first and only season at Rice. At was the first Bowl game for Rice (2006) since 1960!!!!

I think we have better talent than Rice, and I don’t know about everybody else, but I’d be happy with 7-6 and a bowl game next year!

by Lear Pilot on Oct 7, 2008 5:22 PM PDT 0 recs