- Before we get to the football coaching search, Gopher Basketball lost last night to Virginia. PJS captures the lowlights in this post.
***UPDATE*** - The Star Tribune is reporting that buyout costs may be the primary reason that Minnesota is having trouble landing an experienced, successful current head coach:
The question is whether Minnesota will be able to pay a significant buyout just to free a coach from his existing contract. University Regent Dean Johnson said Monday that it's "going to be difficult -- no doubt about it'' for the Gophers to pay a large buyout.
If, at this point, cost prohibits the hiring of a top coach, there should be a hefty discount on next season's tickets. If another B-List cost-effective hire is made, I will support the Gophers from home rather than continue to pay full price to watch a program that is not committed to putting a quality product on the field. Hopefully the announcement of the next head coach will prove the article wrong.
Minnesota's search for a new head coach has become a speculation and rumor mill extravaganza. Several names have been mentioned as potential candidates, and there have been a few false alarms:
- First, there were reports that Brady Hoke would be the next head coach, and that the announcement could have come as early as yesterday. Tom Dienhart now claims that Hoke is no longer interested.
- Second, an update from FootballScoop.com: "We have just been told that Brady Hoke, Paul Chryst, Troy Calhoun, and Randy Edsall have all informed Minnesota AD Joel Maturi that they are not interested in the head coaching job at Minnesota."
- Third, a false alarm was issued via Twitter on Monday that Larry Fedora was on campus and would be named as the next head coach. A Mississippi reporter now claims that he has not even been contacted.
- Fourth, Monday night brought with it speculation that Dan Mullen was to be named the next coach. Now, it is reported that he's after the Miami job.
- Fifth, there is more speculation about Phil Fulmer. We could be host to the namesake of the Fulmer Cup.
I must say that all of the commotion, and even the false alarms, made for an entertaining day on a rainy Monday. There are two names that haven't been mentioned recently: Kevin Sumlin and Al Golden. As of late, Sumlin's defense at Houston has looked like Swiss cheese. Golden would be a good fit, and he has the right name for the job.