I don't think that would be very smart. While there are some assistants on his staff that i like (the defensive coordinator and the new QB coach) i wouldn't want an assistant who has three years of coordinator experience at this level.

Plus, that route of promoting assistants has been done before with those who actually had 1-A head coaching experience in the past. See Billy Lynch and Stan Parrish. Both fired this year. Also, seems like every year WVU's coach is always on the hotseat.

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

If I were NIU, I'd bring in Paul Petrino and talk to him. He's only got 1 year left on his current deal with no guarantees of anything going forward.

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You know me like that.

I don't know if i want an OC from a 6-6 BCS school. The last OC who left Illinois isn't doing such a hot job at New Mexico. In fact, he's holding on for dear life after multiple bad decisions coupled with two bad seasons.

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

So apparently, Coach Kill is leaving us only five of his assistants. We have a bowl game in only 10 days. We barely have enough time to practice (due to the team having most of this week off due to finals) and certainly won't get in the 15 that are allowed. I'd love to see how well you can run a practice with only five coaches, none of which include the OC or DC.

This team is going to have to come together quick and do it for themselves.

That's a shame though. It would be a good idea for the NCAA to put rules in place in the future that prohibit schools from talking to other coaches during the season. It only creates distractions for the team they are being paid to coach and puts players in a bad spot.

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

So............take Fresno plus the 3 points?

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Just trying to be helpful but I'd be glad to keep him as an Illinois fan.

He's only led 3 different programs now to record-setting offensive numbers, NFL experience, leading the nation in scoring and yardage at Louisville, and averaging 43 points/game in the second half of this year with a freshman quarterback.

But, by all means, ignore him because Mike Locksley is a bad coach.

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You know me like that.

Yeah, that's going to work. Blame Jerry Kill. He agreed to leave before the season was over. He could have turned down the job.

If we're going to go after a BCS offensive coordinator i'd much rather have Gus Mahlzan.

Plus, i'm pretty sure before Locksley left Illinois you probably thought he was a good coach as well.

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

Why don't you call Nick Saban and ask whether he's looking for a change of venue?

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Fire Phil Emery

Even if he did stay it is still a distraction. When you're more busy interviewing for other jobs than the team you are paid to coach for that is a problem.

He already said he was breaking down Minnesota game film the week of the MAC Championship. I mean, seriously? You are being paid to coach a team in their biggest game the last five years and you are breaking down game film for another school on our dime?

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

That is certainly a great comparison there. Let's compare a BCS head coach making $4 million with proven head coaching experience to an OC making $500k with no proven head coaching experience.

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

Malzahn will earn more money and exposure being the OC at Texas than he would at NIU.

Maybe Bill Cowher?

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You know me like that.

Not particularly. I thought he was a better recruiter than a coach.

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You know me like that.

How probably most Illini fans feel about Zook.

At some point he is still going to have to be a 1-A head coach before he is given a shot at being a head coach at a BCS program.

Has anyone been given a BCS head coaching opportunity after having only been a head coach at the high school level?

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Forward, Together Forward

Go Huskies!!!

Tim Brewster

There a lot of coaches that got BCS chances without any head coaching experience. Kevin Wilson is one.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

His recruiting streak is drying up as well. Illinois looks to be stuck in Neutral after next year depending on how good Scheelhaase can be his Junior/Senior year and whether they can keep Petrino.

Rumors are starting to pop up that, given the choice of keeping Zook and losing Petrino to someone, fan base would rather launch Zook to keep Petrino as HC.

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You know me like that.

Plus on top of that, plenty of coaches have never been a head coach and become a head coach at a D1 school....

Bret Bielema comes to mind.

Mike Leach also had no head coaching experience unless you count the Pori Bears of the Euro football league.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Bob Stoops
Bret Bielema
Gene Chizik
Chip Kelly

That's just BCS teams this year.

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Fire Phil Emery

The other thing is that more often than not being the head coach of a non-BCS team is a career dead end. Obviously some do well and move on but most of them end up being average for a while and eventually get fired and end up as an assistant again.

Mike Locksley actually is a pretty good example of this. He may actually have benefited from working his way up through the coordinator ranks and eventually making the immediate jump. Petrino is probably going to take that route.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Just looking at the Big Ten - add Pat Fitzgerald, Ron Zook, Bo Pelini (soon to be Big Ten)

RichRod was a head coach at the NAIA level in the early 90s, but he went from coordinator at Tulane and Clemson to head coach at West Virginia.

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Fire Phil Emery

How can NIU even replace the genius of someone who was 2-12 against FBS teams with winning records?

Do we need to continue going through the conferences? I think we can find a couple of more examples.

11 posts in a row without a response from NIU_H and you want to know if you need more examples?

Posse up!!!

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Just because you are bringing a dull knife to a gunfight is no reason to whine.

Am I "in the fight"?

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Apparently, but you are not the dull knife either.