UW Coaching Search - Mora or Hill?
by John Berkowitz on Nov 28, 2008 10:41 AM PST
48 comments
The coaching search continued over the Thanksgiving holiday and we know a few more things then we did a couple of days ago. What we do know is who won't be the next head coach of the Huskies.
Gary Patterson reportedly told Scott Woodward he wasn't interested in leaving TCU. He thought UW wasn't the right fit for him. Todd Graham from Tulsa also was rumored to have turned down the opportunity to interview. Rumors also were floating around that Jeff Tedford turned down the opportunity to interview. We haven't heard anything about Texas Tech's Mike Leach either which means he probably isn't in it.
On the positive side Dennis Franchione said he was interested but UW was not interested in him. Same thing with Phil Fulmer who was recently fired from Tennessee. Fulmer called it one of the elite jobs in all of college football. Looks like Phil isn't interested in retirement. Lane Kiffin is rumored to be very high on the list to replace him as head coach of the Volunteers which makes little sense to me.
What that leaves us with today is Jim Mora, Chris Petersen, Kyle Whittingham, Pat Hill, and possibly Brian Kelly still on the "A" list. Hill and Kelly have the Saban seal of approval. Petersen is also high on the list but most think his eyes are on the Oregon job one of these days and not Washington. Kelly is still in the mix at Tennessee if rumors about Lane Kiffin turn out to be false. I personally think Kelly would be a great hire.
I think most people can get behind a Whittingham, Petersen or Kelly but a persistent rumor going on over the holiday is that Pat Hill is the only one left who has interest if Mora does not take the job.
Hill hasn't had a great season at Fresno St and his team has been playing second fiddle to Boise State for most of the decade. While Hill is a solid coach he won't ignite Husky fever and he may ignite quite a few longtime season ticket cancellations if he is named head man. UW needs to make a splash with this hire and Hill isn't it.
The job is still Jim Mora's if he wants it. In a perfect world he is the first and last choice. Nobody out there can unite the Husky nation like he can. It looks like that decision will be made over the weekend so stay tuned because whoever the new coach is likely to be named no later than December 6th.
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I could live with that
I like Petersen
by John Berkowitz on Nov 28, 2008 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
Kelly
Brian Kelly sounds like a home run. Don’t know his personality, but he knows how to win and rebuild programs at all levels. Sounds like he is young enough. Hill does not excite many fans, but would certainly be an upgrade. He does take some shots for playing second fiddle to BSU, but he really made that Fresno program what it is. Fresno is the third or fourth option in the norcal where Boise State is the #1 option for a very lare area.
All of those options are a big upgrade with Mora and Kelly as home runs in my opinion. Fulmer is an interesting proposition, he has won a lot of games in his career, but I think people want someone younger and on the up and up. That is why Mora/kelly should be #1 options. The best coaching hires had this in common –
1. Pete Carrol
2. Bob Stoops
3. Nick Saban
4. Urban Meyer
by Fighting Husky on Nov 28, 2008 11:29 AM PST reply actions
Christensen
Christensen ought to still be on the list as should a number of other regarded coordinators. I know there is a strong bias towards someone who has “head coached” before, but I would point out that Bob Stoops never had a head coaching job before taking over at Oklahoma. He’s done ok. I would have to think that an up and up coordinator would be a strong preference over a fall-back option like Hill.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Interesting
Hopefully John is right and Mora is still a possibility, and that we’ll know sooner than later who our coach will be.
Gekko – I like Christensen, but think he should be plan b and only be considered after successful head coaches are no longer available. Coordinators will always be some what risky.
Norm – Not a winner? Come on! He was a winner at Atlanta, one of the most successful head coaches at Atlanta. And oh by the way, there is this shmuck in LA who wasn’t very good in the NFL and turned out alright, ever heard of this guy named Pete Carroll??? He seems to have a LOT of similarities with Mora.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
He has had 7 winning seasons out of 15 head coach seasons.
Only .541 over 15 seasons and handles press conferences like Willingham.
Maybe just Average…………
huh?
Who are you talking about with the 7 winning seasons out of 15 head coach seasons? Not Jim L. Mora, that’s for sure…
I'm not the one who's wrong here
Jim L. Mora has been a head coach for 3 seasons, all with Atlanta, from 2004-06.
Avoid Keystone Light and Keyboards at the same time, Norm
None of us have a clue as to what you are talking about.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
......
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………You win the award for “doing the impossible”. You have actually made me feel dumber with that comment. Google is a great thing, please use it.
I'm with Gekko...
Christensen should defenently be in the mix. Actualy when you look closly he makes more sence than Mora:1) He has alot of experience at the college level, 2) He has tons of recruiting experience including here in the NW with UW when he was an assistant to DJ. 3) Comes with a proven college offense 4) Has expeience developing QB’s at the college level. Other then experience as a head coah he pretty much meets all other criteria. It would seem more than Mora does.
There was a poster on Dawgman yesterday that said he is a High School coach in the Missouri area. He said he has been extremly impressed with Missouri’s effort in recuiting and says that Christensen is very hard working and an excellent recruiter.
If others are dropping of the board I’d hope Woodmert would take a closer look at him. I’d perfer him to Hill as Hill’s offense doesn’t excite me much.
Well, he doesn't make more sense than Mora...
but he’d certainly be more of a welcome choice than Pat Hill.
The thought of Pat Hill makes me physically ill, because I know that hiring him will only lead this program further down the path to complete irrelevance. I mean, I see hiring him as committing to that path toward playing at Qwest permanently.
by discovolante on Nov 28, 2008 1:05 PM PST up reply actions
And at least Christensen has the potential of being an unknown quantity
Depending on Pat Hill to exceed his historical norms after many, many years of establishing his record is delusional at best.
by discovolante on Nov 28, 2008 1:10 PM PST up reply actions
If you're right, it's too bad
You may be right that Pat Hill won’t be splashy enough for disgruntled fans, but it shouldn’t be that way. Hill’s taken a nothing program and taken it to a completely different level at Fresno State. The Bulldogs play inspired, emotional football. And they play tough teams tough.
They’ve been second fiddle to Boise State for a while. So what. Lots of teams have not done as well as the Broncos. Would we turn down Jeff Tedford because USC is better than Cal?
The fools who insist on Mora or nothing are not thinking clearly. They’re painting themselves into a corner by insisting that Mora is the only acceptable choice. For the sake of argument, let’s concede every point they’re making: Emmert should never have allowed Willingham to be hired, he should have fired him after last year, he should have hired Mora last year, Mora would have come here then, Mora won’t come here now, Mora would be a guaranteed winner at the UW. Every one of those is at least debatable, but the real problem is that they’re irrelevant. What are you gonna do NOW? Maybe (maybe) Mora’s not available anymore. Are you going to quit being a Husky fan because you think Emmert’s a moron? Are you going to start the chorus of skepticism against the new coach right away so you can be proven right as soon as possible?
I suspect they’re bluffing — well, I hope they’re bluffing. I’d hate to think that guys who are big enough fans to start websites and write articles would throw in the towel because the administration failed to conform to their ideal. But the REAL problem is that they might be wrong. They don’t acknowledge the huge uncertainty in hiring coaches, how difficult it is to actually predict who will do well and who won’t. What if Emmert hires Hill and he goes 4-9, 8-5, 10-3 his first three years? What then? They’ll be back because they’re Huskies. Meanwhile, they’re playing dog-in-the-manger with their love for the program.
My point isn’t that we should hire Hill — I don’t know.
Um, Jim Sweeney ring a bell?
Hill took a “nothing program” to a “completely different level”?
Hill’s predecessor at Fresno was Jim Sweeney. Sweeney posted a 144-74-3 record at Fresno, good for a .658 winning percentage – higher than what Hill has done at Fresno. The same Jim Sweeney that posted a 26-59-1 record at WSU, worse than the 2 coaches that preceded him and every coach after him (excepting the 1 year each tenures of Jackie Sherrill and Warren Powers).
And maybe Hill’s teams play “tough”, but that hasn’t translated in the last 4 seasons into good defensive numbers.
Yeah, that's true
I probably overstated that case at least a little. Fresno State was hardly a long-term loser when Hill got there, and that does undermine my point at least to some degree.
Of course, Fresno State plays a more impressive schedule now. Sweeney’s “BCS” competition was limited to the Oregon schools and WSU, none of whom was much to look at during most of his tenure. But your retort will be that Fresno State usually loses to the big teams it plays., so why should we be impressed by that. Which is true. Maybe they’ve just had a better publicist the last ten years.
Really, my point isn’t really that Hill is the best choice, but that people who are holding out for one particular candidate — and claiming their continued support hinges on it — are being stupid.
sure
While Mora is my top choice, I’m not going to quit my tickets and my support if he isn’t hired. There are others out there that would give me hope as well, though they are probably longshots as well (Jeff Tedford, Kyle Whittingham, Brian Kelly, Mike Leach).
I’m not excited by Pat Hill. While I get that he’s played a tougher schedule than Sweeney’s teams did, and I get that Fresno has a limited budget, I still can’t get past the fact that under him, Fresno has been 2nd and often 3rd fiddle in their conference and hasn’t won a conference title (a shared one at that) since ’99.
And while people like to talk about how “tough” his teams are, what does that actually translate into? His teams (generally speaking) run the ball well, but his defenses are mediocre; usually below-average to bad vs. the run and slightly above-average vs. the pass.
I’m also troubled that so many Fresno State fans would be happy to see him go. Haven’t we heard this before from Colorado fans (Neuheisel), Cal fans (Gilby) and Notre Dame fans (Willingham)?
If it’s Hill, I’ll still go to games and cheer them on loudly as I always do, but I’m afraid we’ll never be more than mediocre with him as coach. I doubt he’ll generate enough excitement to get the stadium remodel done. And I doubt we’ll ever get to a Rose Bowl.
Not Gilbertson
Giobertson came here as an OC, so you can’t put him in the same category with the others. However, your general point is good: we should hire a young, enthusiastic winner whose fans and players are crushed to see leave but knew it was only a matter of time. Kelly. Or somebody we’ve never heard of at Div 1-AA.
I have to say, though, I am not as down on Hill as a lot of people are. I don’t think he’d be a disaster, and I can see how he might work out fine. He’d cure a lot of the un-reality surrounding our program since Lambright left.
I'll renew
if it’s Hill. I think he will get us to a lower tier bowl by year two.
I would prefer Mora but Hill is OK by me.
Boise doesn’t have the recruiting restrictions Hill has at Fresno and that could very well be the difference between the teams. Hill won’t have those restrictions as the Husky head man and he knows California recruiting. He can get this train wreck back on the track.
Jack
Sounds familiar
Reminds me of: “Willingham will have more success at Washington because his recruiting won’t suffer from the restraints of the admissions requirements at Notre Dame and Stanford.”
by discovolante on Nov 28, 2008 1:25 PM PST up reply actions
and "Willingham knows west coast recruiting."
by discovolante on Nov 28, 2008 1:26 PM PST up reply actions
No, Fresno fans are just kind of sick of him and wouldn't mind if he left
Yeah, that’s JUST what we need.
by discovolante on Nov 28, 2008 4:01 PM PST up reply actions
hill isn't so bad...
i suppose i am crazy, but…. Mora certainly would bring a ton of love and affection to this job, and more than likely would be the best candidate, or at least the best ‘fit’ for UW. having said that, i don’t feel Pat Hill would be the worst fallback candidate in the world. Hill has squeezed more production out of less talent (if we are going by star ratings) than probably any other coach in America. yes, the Boise’s and Utah’s have gotten themselves into BCS games, etc., but Hill has an ass-kicking quality and no BS approach that would exemplify the type of attitude the coaching search committee is looking for…one that would uphold the tradition of UW football… really, at this point, UW needs someone who’s creed is “anyone, anytime”. this program needs a jolt, and Hill may just be the guy to give us that jolt. the hockey-sticks moustache is just an added bonus. :-)
the anybody, anywhere
is not what UW’s motto should be. Our administration has that attitude now, Oklahoma, BYU, and Notre Dame and next year we have LSU…not what we need, not now at least.
Hill will kill this program.
If this is really the best we can do than this job must be looked down upon because this list is PATHETIC!! Mora than Hill……….WHAT!?!?!? If we want to have a back up if Mora isn’t available it should be Brian Kelly. He has done nothing but win. He went through 5 QB’s this year and is in great position to win the Big East title. We all know i am all about Leach but Kelly would be a VERY solid hire.
Hill 10, Petersen 61
Hill is in Fresno, California
Petersen is in Boise, Idaho
I think it is silly to talk about “squeezing production out of less talent”. It doesn’t get any worse than Boise. Hill can’t compete with the more innovative coaches in the game. He’s a good man, but not our man.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Since when..
Does one game determine a decision like this one? I am not a Hill guy, but I dont think the results of tonights game should decide what the Huskies do.
Also… bigdave, How can Hill or any other coach kill the program? I think TW has already done that. 0-12 is about as dead as a football team gets. Instead, I think the issue is who can resurrect the program?
Well either way...
he wont resurrect the program. He will continue what Ty has started. He will take our dying/dead program and take any and all hope we could ever have to make it back to the top of the PAC 10. He will make us Vanderbilt….20 years in between bowl games.
If Hill is rumored to be #2 or 3 on their list we are in SERIOUS trouble. He shouldnt even be mentioned. Walker and Sarkaisian (SP??) should be taken before Hill. This could be a mess….
Olydawg - we are not talking about one game
we are talking about a man who has won the WAC title one time in his career, by my count. did you see the Nevada game earlier this season? Fresno St needed a walk-off record long FG to win that one. This is not our man.
Disco – welcome to the Armageddon.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
i guess you're right...?
Hill obviously does not look like anyone’s favorite here, but Brian Kelly, despite the illusion that he wins everywhere he goes, is a gadget play specialist who, unless he can seriously ‘mature’ his approach to calling plays, will go three and out at UW. I know a kid who played for him at Central Michigan…he liked Kelly’s fire, but felt he lacked the “it” factor that many successful coaches have. If Kelly ends up here, I would love nothing more than for him to be successful. However, given that he has become a “hot” name in the press because he’s “won” everywhere he’s been, I hope that doesn’t get him here and get him exposed at the Pac 10 level. Keep in mind, his “winning” at all these programs came during very short tenures, and he has parlayed a productive season or two into a new job every couple of years. I could be 100% wrong about all this, but I guess this forum is for opinions…
I can see what you are saying
but keep in mind that you would leave your current job for a promotion 90% of the time. He has gone from Div 2 to MAC to Big East and there is no debating that he has “won” everywhere he goes. Cincinnati is Big East Champs and was 10-3 last year. I think we would do ourselves a lot of good if we broaden our search so that names like Hill are not actually as high as we think it is. That just makes me sick to think that he could actually be that high on our list….
I don't understand all the love...
Kelly gets. Just seems like there are better canidates out there.
it's simple - he wins
Brian Kelly at Cincinnati:
Took over for Mike D’Antonio, who continued the moderate success of his predecessor Rick Minter (some 7-win seasons with a few 7-loss seasons mixed in). Has gone:
10-3
10-2
The best 2-year stretch at Cincinnati since Sid Gillman was the coach in the ’50’s. Continued his success this season despite losing highly-regarded QB Ben Mauk to graduation. Has succeeded at Cincinnati with both offense and defense – defense currently ranks 37th in the country, giving up 325.3 ypg, and is 18th against the run, giving up 105.0 ypg. This is consistent with last year, when his defense ranked 19th in the country against the run, giving up 114.2 ypg.
Brian Kelly at Central Michigan:
Took over in 2004 for Mike DeBord, who in 4 seasons had gone 12-34. Central Michigan had last had a winning season in 1998 (6-5) and last had back to back winning seasons in 1990-91. Kelly went:
4-7
6-5
10-4
Built Central Michigan back up to a winning program. By his 3rd season there, had developed a strong offense (#32 nationally at 375.3 ypg) and a decent defense (#67 nationally at 341.6 ypg) that was strong against the run (126.5 ypg).
Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State:
Took over in 1991 for Tom Beck who had restored the program after 2 awful years, and continued Beck’s success, finishing with a higher winning percentage (Beck: 50-18, .735; Kelly: 118-35-2, .768).
So not only does Kelly win everywhere he goes, he’s shown an ability to build up a down program (Central Michigan) and his teams play pretty good defense, especially against the run, in addition to his “gimmick” offense.
Thanks for the breakdown Kirk
I guess I really didn’t know that much about him. Definitly sounds like a guy we should be after.
however.....
if you read the www.collegefootballtalk.com rumor mill you’ll see that ND may be in line ahead of us for Kelly, especially after the beatdown USC will lay on the Irish tonight.
Mora????
I’m not really sure hwy all the hype around Mora he has really done anything at either Atlanta or currently in Seattle.
Why no interest in the following:
OC from Missouri
Chip Kelly
Charlie Strong
Brent Venable
At this point it would seem that all the a-list popular candidates will be off the table before we even make an offer. Hell I would take Kiffin over Mora.
are you nuts?
You’d take Lane Kiffin over Jim Mora? I think we can safely discount any opinions you have about football from now on…
Willingham has ruined UW
Why would any “good/great” coach in their right mind want to come to UW? Willingham has left an absolute disaster! What stupidity to not have fired his A$$ last year! Hell, any new coach coming in would be under such scrutiny that he would be afraid to scratch anywhere!
Actually quite the opposite:
1) The job will pay top 10 $
2) There is quite a bit of young talent on the team
3) Two more years of Jake Locker
4) Expectations will start out pretty low. Pull off 6 wins next year and the new coach will be king.
5) Lot’s of exposure as Seattle is a top 20 media market
6) Abundant resources
7) Great tradition
Well gentlemen...
the fun starts tomorrow as most teams end there regular season today. I would look for more substancial rumors and hear say to be comming out. Candotta has said that UW was in contact with Leach but Leach didn’t want to talk untill the season was over. I’ll be interested in what happens with him. It’s been my opinion for a while now that he would be our new coach. Get your pirate gear out maties as there may be a new captain headed to UW!!!
snostrebla...
your ‘actually quite the opposite post’ was dead on the money, my man. the huskies are like the stock market in the dark days. can’t necessarily predict what’ll happen in the short run, but with a little patience, can’t go anywhere but up in the long run.
Kelly or ?
Kelly, to me is the top candidate. He’s a program rebuilder and I believe he’s the only candidate who can say that. Leach should probably get some credit there too and Tedford. Mora has never been a head coach in college football. I would still be ecstatic to get him. I think he could get the job done at the college level but it is a different animal. My only question about Kelly is how difficult is the recruiting transition to the west coast?
1 Kelly
2 Tedford
3 Leach
4 Mora
5 Whittingham/Petersen
Weiss
I don’t think Weiss gets fired. Like someone else said improvement was shown and his recruiting classes have faired very well. How is he doing this year? I think that’s one thing that saved Willingham and the pressure to keep a minority coaching icon, his recruiting class was mondo last year.
Can Kelly or Leach or ? round this class out to average status?
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