Although we will have a coaching hot board shortly, this will be a difficult task for one main reason - Although we have a sense of what Julie was after, we don't know who is making the next decision. My gut says that they will hire an AD and let him have major input on the hire. Rutgers is known to do things backwards, but this plan makes the most sense, as a new AD is going to want his/her guy running the marquee program.
*** I will begin by saying that I never talked to Julie about firing Kyle, replacing him, or making a specific hire. Only generalities about coaching and guys who are "out there". I got more specific with others connected to the program, but not her.
With that said, here is what I can say.....Ever since the last near-firing of Kyle, the name that keeps circling around the athletic department has been Pat Narduzzi. I don't mention this because I think they will target him, only to give you a sense that there was indeed a significant sense of loss -- "the one that got away." Julie liked that he was relatively young (around 46 at the time), had a bulldog mentality, had a strong reputation as a coordinator/recruiter, and was "hungry." When I spoke to her, she said that - if all things are equal - she always wanted "young and hungry."
The other thing that was swirling around her head was offense. If she was going to go the coordinator route, it was going to be someone with a big time offense. Everyone in her ear was saying offense, offense, offense.
Now.........You have to think that Rutgers has been putting out feelers to coaches all along. Since I've heard "young and hungry" from her several times, you have to figure that any search has been angled toward "young and hungry."
You are all probably thinking, "What about Schiano?" I have heard from several "connected" people that they felt Schiano had no interest in coming to Rutgers - mainly because he was setting up roots in Florida and wanted to stay down there. I will add, though, that Schiano is a very confident guy and - at the time - felt pretty confident that he would be hired down there. Would Schiano now consider a return trip to Rutgers? Schiano loves control, and what better control could he have than in being given input on the hiring of a new athletic director?
If we are going for the hiring of an AD first, obviously the person will have their own set of criteria and might veer from the "young and hungry" and "offensive guru" preference. But until then, you have to figure that a good percentage of the people contacted fit into these categories.
*** I will begin by saying that I never talked to Julie about firing Kyle, replacing him, or making a specific hire. Only generalities about coaching and guys who are "out there". I got more specific with others connected to the program, but not her.
With that said, here is what I can say.....Ever since the last near-firing of Kyle, the name that keeps circling around the athletic department has been Pat Narduzzi. I don't mention this because I think they will target him, only to give you a sense that there was indeed a significant sense of loss -- "the one that got away." Julie liked that he was relatively young (around 46 at the time), had a bulldog mentality, had a strong reputation as a coordinator/recruiter, and was "hungry." When I spoke to her, she said that - if all things are equal - she always wanted "young and hungry."
The other thing that was swirling around her head was offense. If she was going to go the coordinator route, it was going to be someone with a big time offense. Everyone in her ear was saying offense, offense, offense.
Now.........You have to think that Rutgers has been putting out feelers to coaches all along. Since I've heard "young and hungry" from her several times, you have to figure that any search has been angled toward "young and hungry."
You are all probably thinking, "What about Schiano?" I have heard from several "connected" people that they felt Schiano had no interest in coming to Rutgers - mainly because he was setting up roots in Florida and wanted to stay down there. I will add, though, that Schiano is a very confident guy and - at the time - felt pretty confident that he would be hired down there. Would Schiano now consider a return trip to Rutgers? Schiano loves control, and what better control could he have than in being given input on the hiring of a new athletic director?
If we are going for the hiring of an AD first, obviously the person will have their own set of criteria and might veer from the "young and hungry" and "offensive guru" preference. But until then, you have to figure that a good percentage of the people contacted fit into these categories.
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