Pat Hobbs is waiting for his Ron Burgundy moment. With a large audience around him, he’d like to capture their attention and prepare everyone for a huge announcement. Instead of yelling “cannonball,” Hobbs will confidently introduce Rutgers’ next head football coach.
Hopefully wearing more than a Speedo.
In the days since Hobbs made the decision to fire Chris Ash after an 8-32 record (3-26 B1G), the big names have been the ones that have received the most attention. Rutgers needs to make that “splash” hire in order to restore faith and confidence in a program that has been treated like a punching bag since joining the B1G.
Those big-name coaches have floated to the top. Names like Greg Schiano, Butch Jones, Jim Leavitt, even Joe Moorhead and P.J. Fleck have been included. Any of those names would certainly attract some attention.
On Monday, when addressing the media, Hobbs made it clear that he wants to hire the guy who gives Rutgers the best chance to win. Someone who will not only put a competitive product on the field, but will compete for conference titles annually.
“I’m looking for the very best coach who will make Rutgers football competitive and compete for B1G championships,” Hobbs said. “I want to go to a Rose Bowl.”
Yes, the names mentioned above have a track record of turning struggling programs into competitive football teams. Each one of those individuals would also be worthy of a phone call — what does it hurt, right?
But there’s another name that hasn’t been included quite as much as the others. Buffalo’s Lance Leipold has been included in the conversation, but more so as an afterthought or a security blanket as opposed to a serious candidate. He doesn’t have the same appeal or allure as some of those other well-established head coaches.
Leipold should be the guy Hobbs targets in the hiring process.
That may sound strange considering the fact that Ash — another relatively vanilla hire — had such little success over a four-year span. But Ash was in over his head from the start. Not only was he taking over a program that was behind the rest of the B1G in the facilities department, Rutgers was also battling an NCAA investigation at the time of his arrival. Attempting to break down the entire program and start from scratch is a little too much to ask for a first-time head coach.
The situation isn’t much better right now in Piscataway. So what makes a Group of Five coach capable of trying to turn Rutgers into a team that no longer rolls over to the likes of the power programs in the B1G? I’ll let Leipold’s resume do the talking.
Prior to taking over at Buffalo, Leipold was a six-time NCAA national champion at Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. In eight seasons (2007-14), he had as many losses (109-6 overall record) as national championships. Life was good coaching a program that was head-and-shoulders better than most of the competition.
Then Leipold took a leap of faith. He jumped directly from the Division III ranks to the FBS level and took over a weak Buffalo program, one that’s enjoyed patches of good years on the field, but has never had any sustained success worth noting.
Last season the Bulls posted a program-best 10-4 record, the first time Buffalo has hit the 10-win mark since joining the FBS ranks in 1998. In 2017, the Bulls finished with a 6-6 mark. Though they just missed a bowl game that year, Leipold was responsible for leading the program to back-to-back seasons with a .500 record or better. Another first for Buffalo.
For what it’s worth, Leipold’s Buffalo teams have actually been fairly competitive against B1G competition, too — more than what Rutgers has been since joining the league. The Bulls are just 1-3 against B1G teams (with the lone win coming over Rutgers, ironically), but they’ve fought well in each outing:
Leipold has accomplished all of this with recruiting classes that have ranked in the 100s in each of his five seasons. And while there might be concerns about his lack of success on the recruiting trail, his ability to win 10 games with that kind of talent should speak to his ability to develop players over time.
At a place like Rutgers, where you’ll continually lose recruiting battles to the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and maybe even Maryland, having a coach with exceptional development skills is important.
When the 2020 season kicks off, Leipold will be 56 years old, and his buyout from Buffalo is only $1 million. As a guy who started at the lowest level of NCAA football and worked his way into the FBS ranks, Rutgers would probably be his final stop. If it works out, the Scarlet Knights could have their coach for the next decade or longer.
It’s hard to imagine Schiano, Jones or anyone else mentioned on the list above, wouldn’t take a leap at another opportunity if it came knocking.
Leipold isn’t going to be a name that attracts Sports Illustrated or ESPN to Piscataway. It probably won’t be the popular hire among the fan base, either. While perception is important, it’s certainly not the only thing that should be factored into the decision.
Hobbs said during his press conference that taking over at Rutgers “is not an easy job.” In all seriousness, it could probably be considered the Buffalo of the B1G. Leipold’s already proven he can turn a yearly loser into a competitive product.
It may not be the splash hire the fans want, but Leipold could provide Rutgers with the splash results it’s desperately seeking.
https://saturdaytradition.com/rutge...st-option-for-rutgers-during-coaching-search/
Hopefully wearing more than a Speedo.
In the days since Hobbs made the decision to fire Chris Ash after an 8-32 record (3-26 B1G), the big names have been the ones that have received the most attention. Rutgers needs to make that “splash” hire in order to restore faith and confidence in a program that has been treated like a punching bag since joining the B1G.
Those big-name coaches have floated to the top. Names like Greg Schiano, Butch Jones, Jim Leavitt, even Joe Moorhead and P.J. Fleck have been included. Any of those names would certainly attract some attention.
On Monday, when addressing the media, Hobbs made it clear that he wants to hire the guy who gives Rutgers the best chance to win. Someone who will not only put a competitive product on the field, but will compete for conference titles annually.
“I’m looking for the very best coach who will make Rutgers football competitive and compete for B1G championships,” Hobbs said. “I want to go to a Rose Bowl.”
Yes, the names mentioned above have a track record of turning struggling programs into competitive football teams. Each one of those individuals would also be worthy of a phone call — what does it hurt, right?
But there’s another name that hasn’t been included quite as much as the others. Buffalo’s Lance Leipold has been included in the conversation, but more so as an afterthought or a security blanket as opposed to a serious candidate. He doesn’t have the same appeal or allure as some of those other well-established head coaches.
Leipold should be the guy Hobbs targets in the hiring process.
That may sound strange considering the fact that Ash — another relatively vanilla hire — had such little success over a four-year span. But Ash was in over his head from the start. Not only was he taking over a program that was behind the rest of the B1G in the facilities department, Rutgers was also battling an NCAA investigation at the time of his arrival. Attempting to break down the entire program and start from scratch is a little too much to ask for a first-time head coach.
The situation isn’t much better right now in Piscataway. So what makes a Group of Five coach capable of trying to turn Rutgers into a team that no longer rolls over to the likes of the power programs in the B1G? I’ll let Leipold’s resume do the talking.
Prior to taking over at Buffalo, Leipold was a six-time NCAA national champion at Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. In eight seasons (2007-14), he had as many losses (109-6 overall record) as national championships. Life was good coaching a program that was head-and-shoulders better than most of the competition.
Then Leipold took a leap of faith. He jumped directly from the Division III ranks to the FBS level and took over a weak Buffalo program, one that’s enjoyed patches of good years on the field, but has never had any sustained success worth noting.
Last season the Bulls posted a program-best 10-4 record, the first time Buffalo has hit the 10-win mark since joining the FBS ranks in 1998. In 2017, the Bulls finished with a 6-6 mark. Though they just missed a bowl game that year, Leipold was responsible for leading the program to back-to-back seasons with a .500 record or better. Another first for Buffalo.
For what it’s worth, Leipold’s Buffalo teams have actually been fairly competitive against B1G competition, too — more than what Rutgers has been since joining the league. The Bulls are just 1-3 against B1G teams (with the lone win coming over Rutgers, ironically), but they’ve fought well in each outing:
- 2015: at Penn State — L, 27-14
- 2017: at Minnesota — L, 17-7
- 2018: at Rutgers — W, 42-13
- 2019: at Penn State — L, 45-13
Leipold has accomplished all of this with recruiting classes that have ranked in the 100s in each of his five seasons. And while there might be concerns about his lack of success on the recruiting trail, his ability to win 10 games with that kind of talent should speak to his ability to develop players over time.
At a place like Rutgers, where you’ll continually lose recruiting battles to the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and maybe even Maryland, having a coach with exceptional development skills is important.
When the 2020 season kicks off, Leipold will be 56 years old, and his buyout from Buffalo is only $1 million. As a guy who started at the lowest level of NCAA football and worked his way into the FBS ranks, Rutgers would probably be his final stop. If it works out, the Scarlet Knights could have their coach for the next decade or longer.
It’s hard to imagine Schiano, Jones or anyone else mentioned on the list above, wouldn’t take a leap at another opportunity if it came knocking.
Leipold isn’t going to be a name that attracts Sports Illustrated or ESPN to Piscataway. It probably won’t be the popular hire among the fan base, either. While perception is important, it’s certainly not the only thing that should be factored into the decision.
Hobbs said during his press conference that taking over at Rutgers “is not an easy job.” In all seriousness, it could probably be considered the Buffalo of the B1G. Leipold’s already proven he can turn a yearly loser into a competitive product.
It may not be the splash hire the fans want, but Leipold could provide Rutgers with the splash results it’s desperately seeking.
https://saturdaytradition.com/rutge...st-option-for-rutgers-during-coaching-search/
