Who's your list for next HC?

[Tex-Lager93]

lmfao this isn't impressive. Arkansas goes up to 7A. This is the equivalent of hiring Tom Brockett.

You people advocating for Kelley are so clueless I don't even understand how you're college football fans.

You realize that I went to UConn, right? Do I know college football...

 

[CL82]

I guess you didn't click on the spoiler ;-)

Didn’t see it until after I posted. I liked the old spoiler format better.

 

[Sportsfan71]

Thank you for compiling! As I see it now, there's two things I look at: 1) if they will actually come and 2) if he will even be successful.

Moorhead -- after how the Ducks' offense shredded OSU, Moorhead now has a great convo for his P5 HC interviews. He ain't coming now. 5% chance is now at 0%

Lashlee -- He is a southern guy. Clearly didn't like it here. 4 OC stops in what, 5 years? Not a good sign. He seems built for a Sun Belt/C-USA coaching job down south. I'll give it a 10% chance though but I don't even know if he'd be successful if he came.

Chadwell -- Why would he leave a ranked program to come to a bottom program? Not to mention he will be able to get a P5 job if he wants it. 0% chance.

Healy -- He is 11-10 at Charlotte. Went 13-21 at Austin Peay (does include an 0-11 year 1 though). I'm not denying he could be a good HC for us, but 11-10 at Charlotte doesn't necessarily make me think he can be successful for us even if he would come here.

Joe H -- I think this would be a very smart hire, especially if he could grab Liam Coen to be an OC/AHC. I'm sure AD DB has some inside info from former co-workers as well, always good to have some inside knowledge. Has HC experience in the Northeast but his Minnesota teams have struggled on D this year which is a concern. Would like to see where they are at the end of the season. I think he would come here and could be successful.

Bill O'Brien -- I honestly think we are too beneath him. If he wasn't the GM of the Texans, he'd still be HC. He won the division 4 time in 6 years, which is extremely difficult to do in the NFL. He worked wonders at Penn State admin a very difficult situation with the sanctions. There is zero doubt he could get a high level P5 job, especially given where Alabama coaches rehab program attendees end up.

Phil Longo -- This is a sneaky good move. Offensive minded (air raid), NJ guy. UNC has been pretty solid last 2+ years but is it Longo or Sam Howell responsible for the success on offense? Was solid at Ole Miss but that was just a tough program to be at in 17-18. No HC experience gives me qualms but I think we could overlook that if the DC/OC are seasoned.

Jason Candle -- Has been solid at Toledo, pretty run of the mill MAC coach. Doesn't really excite me and probably won't move the needle and rejuvenate the fan base. An Ohio guy through and through, so slightly worried about his ability to recruit outside of there.

Sean Lewis -- Another MAC coach who excites me a lot more than Candle. Was able to turn around a BAD Kent State program after 1 season. Only 35, former OC at Cuse. I think he deserves to be on the short list.

Bob Chesney -- Well he followed up the win vs us by losing to Merrimack by 14 so...if he finishes the season strong I think he deserves an interview for sure based on his track record. I think he could probably be successful, but I feel like the ceiling is pretty low with him but you never know.

Sean Spencer -- CT guy, great resume throughout the Northeast. His only knock is zero HC experience, which after Diaco I'm hesitant about. Was AHC at Penn State at least but besides zero HC experience hasn't even been a DC. Would love for him to be our DC if I'm being honest with a more experienced HC.

Eric Mele -- another NJ guy, never been higher than an RB coach. Hard pass.

Matt Canada -- Unsure of his baggage from the Maryland scandal, but has ~1 season of HC experience and being current OC of the Steelers is pretty significant. Unsure if he would come here though, unless he is desperate to be a HC again and other teams are worried about him.

Charlie Strong -- I'll pass. He's 61 and couldn't even success at USF.

Curt Cignetti -- His age (60) gives me pause but he's been super successful as a HC (90-29) and has been crushing it the last 2+ years at JMU. Former Recruiting Coordinator at NC State and then Alabama is an overlooked part of his resume I think that could be invaluable not only for recruiting but evaluating the transfer portal talent which is beyond critical for us the next 1-2 seasons going forward. I wasn't for him at first but he actually is definitely a top choice in my opinion. I think he'd come here and he would be successful.

Tom Herman -- I don't think Texas should have fired him, but I think we are so far beneath him. He'll land on his feet at a decent P5 program nexts season.

Willie Taggert -- I think he should also be near the top of the list. Can obviously recruit Florida after turning around a bad USF program going from 2-to-4-to-8-to-10 wins in his 4 years there. Flew too close to the sun with Oregon and FSU but can't really fault him. At FAU now so we can 1) afford him and 2) offer better facilities. Unsure if he would come, but I have no problems offering him the gig.

I'll take Charlie Strong as DC?!

Moorhead
Herman
Will Healy - Charlotte - young dynamic head coach with experience
Jason Garrett - Giants OC - hey a guy can dream!

 

[JMick]

Thank you for compiling! As I see it now, there's two things I look at: 1) if they will actually come and 2) if he will even be successful.

Moorhead -- after how the Ducks' offense shredded OSU, Moorhead now has a great convo for his P5 HC interviews. He ain't coming now. 5% chance is now at 0%

Lashlee -- He is a southern guy. Clearly didn't like it here. 4 OC stops in what, 5 years? Not a good sign. He seems built for a Sun Belt/C-USA coaching job down south. I'll give it a 10% chance though but I don't even know if he'd be successful if he came.

Chadwell -- Why would he leave a ranked program to come to a bottom program? Not to mention he will be able to get a P5 job if he wants it. 0% chance.

Healy -- He is 11-10 at Charlotte. Went 13-21 at Austin Peay (does include an 0-11 year 1 though). I'm not denying he could be a good HC for us, but 11-10 at Charlotte doesn't necessarily make me think he can be successful for us even if he would come here.

Joe H -- I think this would be a very smart hire, especially if he could grab Liam Coen to be an OC/AHC. I'm sure AD DB has some inside info from former co-workers as well, always good to have some inside knowledge. Has HC experience in the Northeast but his Minnesota teams have struggled on D this year which is a concern. Would like to see where they are at the end of the season. I think he would come here and could be successful.

Bill O'Brien -- I honestly think we are too beneath him. If he wasn't the GM of the Texans, he'd still be HC. He won the division 4 time in 6 years, which is extremely difficult to do in the NFL. He worked wonders at Penn State admin a very difficult situation with the sanctions. There is zero doubt he could get a high level P5 job, especially given where Alabama coaches rehab program attendees end up.

Phil Longo -- This is a sneaky good move. Offensive minded (air raid), NJ guy. UNC has been pretty solid last 2+ years but is it Longo or Sam Howell responsible for the success on offense? Was solid at Ole Miss but that was just a tough program to be at in 17-18. No HC experience gives me qualms but I think we could overlook that if the DC/OC are seasoned.

Jason Candle -- Has been solid at Toledo, pretty run of the mill MAC coach. Doesn't really excite me and probably won't move the needle and rejuvenate the fan base. An Ohio guy through and through, so slightly worried about his ability to recruit outside of there.

Sean Lewis -- Another MAC coach who excites me a lot more than Candle. Was able to turn around a BAD Kent State program after 1 season. Only 35, former OC at Cuse. I think he deserves to be on the short list.

Bob Chesney -- Well he followed up the win vs us by losing to Merrimack by 14 so...if he finishes the season strong I think he deserves an interview for sure based on his track record. I think he could probably be successful, but I feel like the ceiling is pretty low with him but you never know.

Sean Spencer -- CT guy, great resume throughout the Northeast. His only knock is zero HC experience, which after Diaco I'm hesitant about. Was AHC at Penn State at least but besides zero HC experience hasn't even been a DC. Would love for him to be our DC if I'm being honest with a more experienced HC.

Eric Mele -- another NJ guy, never been higher than an RB coach. Hard pass.

Matt Canada -- Unsure of his baggage from the Maryland scandal, but has ~1 season of HC experience and being current OC of the Steelers is pretty significant. Unsure if he would come here though, unless he is desperate to be a HC again and other teams are worried about him.

Charlie Strong -- I'll pass. He's 61 and couldn't even success at USF.

Curt Cignetti -- His age (60) gives me pause but he's been super successful as a HC (90-29) and has been crushing it the last 2+ years at JMU. Former Recruiting Coordinator at NC State and then Alabama is an overlooked part of his resume I think that could be invaluable not only for recruiting but evaluating the transfer portal talent which is beyond critical for us the next 1-2 seasons going forward. I wasn't for him at first but he actually is definitely a top choice in my opinion. I think he'd come here and he would be successful.

Tom Herman -- I don't think Texas should have fired him, but I think we are so far beneath him. He'll land on his feet at a decent P5 program nexts season.

Willie Taggert -- I think he should also be near the top of the list. Can obviously recruit Florida after turning around a bad USF program going from 2-to-4-to-8-to-10 wins in his 4 years there. Flew too close to the sun with Oregon and FSU but can't really fault him. At FAU now so we can 1) afford him and 2) offer better facilities. Unsure if he would come, but I have no problems offering him the gig.

just FWIW with Mele, since I threw his name out there in the context of an air raid hire, Mike Leach doesn't have offensive coordinators. Art Briles and Sonny Dykes were both just offensive assistants for him.

Mele was also the Special Teams coordinator, worked in offensive quality control, and was the "QB Coach" (Leach also doesn't typically hire QB coaches).

 

[huskysupporter]

After spending some time researching realistic options - I am all in on Sean Lewis. Checks off all the boxes for me.

 

[CCSUblue]

I'll take Charlie Strong as DC?!

Moorhead
Herman
Will Healy - Charlotte - young dynamic head coach with experience
Jason Garrett - Giants OC - hey a guy can dream!

As a Giants fan, I would hate to see Garrett anywhere near UConn. He's been terrible.

 

[Yup!]

After spending some time researching realistic options - I am all in on Sean Lewis. Checks off all the boxes for me.

You know, I gave CCSUblue a hard time about Sean Lewis because I felt we needed to see a bit more of him as a HC, but I’m really starting to like him too. He’s definitely moving up on my list.

1. Moorhead
2. Herman
3. Lewis

 

[Samoo]

What's a headway?

On average, about 10-11 pounds.

More than a henway

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I don't see any current or recent FBS HC who's not on Viagra and Lipitor taking this job. And I'd want someone with actual HC experience and a bit of life left in them. So my list starts with Scotty Walden of Austin Peay. To me, he's exactly the mad scientist UConn needs to make games fun again and bring a breath of fresh air to Storrs. Only 30, his offenses are dynamite.

Others I'd consider in addition to Bob Chesney:

• Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw St. (50)
• Jay Hill, Weber St. (46)
• Josh Conklin, Wofford (42)
• Matt Entz, ND State (48)
• Scott Abell, Davidson (51)
• Bob Surace, Princeton (53)
• Willie Simmons, Florida A&M (40)
• Troy Taylor, Sacramento St. (53)
• Bobby Hauck, Montana (57)

If we hire a defensive oriented HC, my next call would be to Ryan McCarthy at CCSU to become OC. I believe McCarthy only makes like $137K as HC there, so doubling his salary might get shake him loose.

How about the Marx Brothers?

 

[DoctorWho85]

Like a ten pounds, give or take.

This is such an underappreciated reply.

 

[UConnRock]

After spending some time researching realistic options - I am all in on Sean Lewis. Checks off all the boxes for me.

I'm with you on Lewis. He is young, runs an exciting offense, and has several years coaching at Syracuse so he knows the challenges of recruiting at a northeast school. Shows he can build from the ground up going from 2-10 his 1st year to 7-6 his second. Put up over 300 yards in offense against TX A&M in the 1st week. Makes approx $500K, so seems inexpensive. However UConn will have to overpay to attract decent candidates.

 

[huskysupporter]

Just to add some more to my Sean Lewis interest and how he checks off the boxes:
1. Young charismatic coach
2. Offensive background in solid offensive scheme
3. Head coaching experience
4. Winning at a program that never wins

I have zero problem with UCONN overpaying for him and giving significantly more money to assistant pool. If you identify a fantastic coach, you pay him.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Lewis is a solid choice. And should be on the short list if we can't get Moorhead. IMO, Moorhead needs to be target number 1 above all else. If he doesn't come here, Lewis, Cignetti, Entz, Herman and Harasymiak should all be on the short list.

 

[huskysupporter]

Lewis is a solid choice. And should be on the short list if we can't get Moorhead. IMO, Moorhead needs to be target number 1 above all else. If he doesn't come here, Lewis, Cignetti, Entz, Herman and Harasymiak should all be on the short list.

I don’t think there is even a .0000001 % chance Moorehead comes here. Even with a lot of money offered. There are a ton of roadblocks here - admission standards, recruiting area, assistant pay, lack of administrative support. Moorehead will have his choice of some very good P5 jobs.

Lewis has shown he can win at a school that doesn’t have a ton of resources. Unfortunately sounds like he is very committed to Kent State right now after signing a five year extension in August.

 

[Banta55]

I don’t think there is even a .0000001 % chance Moorehead comes here. Even with a lot of money offered. There are a ton of roadblocks here - admission standards, recruiting area, assistant pay, lack of administrative support. Moorehead will have his choice of some very good P5 jobs.

Lewis has shown he can win at a school that doesn’t have a ton of resources. Unfortunately sounds like he is very committed to Kent State right now after signing a five year extension in August.

I think it is going to be Harasymiak..

 

[huskysupporter]

I think it is going to be Harasymiak..

Would not be upset with Harasymiak either. I just think Lewis would be a slam dunk.

 

[Banta55]

Would not be upset with Harasymiak either. I just think Lewis would be a slam dunk.

Agree, id be happy with Chesney as well

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Would not be upset with Harasymiak either. I just think Lewis would be a slam dunk.

He knows the northeast and now has ties in the Midwest.

 

[CCSUblue]

Lewis or Harasymiak!
Would love either one!

 

[Yup!]

Just to add some more to my Sean Lewis interest and how he checks off the boxes:
1. Young charismatic coach
2. Offensive background in solid offensive scheme
3. Head coaching experience
4. Winning at a program that never wins

I have zero problem with UCONN overpaying for him and giving significantly more money to assistant pool. If you identify a fantastic coach, you pay him.

Sean Lewis would come here for $1.5m a year do you think that would be overpaying him? I love that number for a guy like him and I’m sure we can add another $2-3m for really good assistant coaches.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I don’t think there is even a .0000001 % chance Moorehead comes here. Even with a lot of money offered. There are a ton of roadblocks here - admission standards, recruiting area, assistant pay, lack of administrative support. Moorehead will have his choice of some very good P5 jobs.

Lewis has shown he can win at a school that doesn’t have a ton of resources. Unfortunately sounds like he is very committed to Kent State right now after signing a five year extension in August.

Regardless, AD David Benedict has to make that call. His offense was the most successful we've seen at UConn even with Edsall's restricting him. If Cincinnati can afford to throw over 4 mil for Fickell, there's no reason UConn who has a much hire budget can't throw 4.5-5 at Moorhead and have a good assistant pool. AD David Benedict is a good fundraiser and I'm sure he'll get a lot more sacrificial one and done payday games against top schools to supplement the coaching hire.

That being said, Moorhead's profile rose significantly after Oregon beat OSU pretty handedly. So I have no glimmer of hope that he'll come here, unless the BoT's suddenly wants to invest over 10 million per year on football. I think next up should be Cignetti or Entz who are proven winners with high scoring offenses. Herman and Lewis should be next. And Harasymiak will most likely be out coach.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I think it is going to be Harasymiak..

Anticipating many massively butchering pronouncing Harasymiak's surname, +1 for mid-30s Joe. Lewis, just too easy.

 

[Banta55]

Lewis or Harasymiak!
Would love either one!

What do you think of Chesney?

 

[Storrs South]

If they go with Harasymiak, it would be interesting to see if he would want his old OC at Maine who is now the Head Coach there, Nick Charlton. Only makes $153k; UConn can probably double or triple his salary as an OC.

He served in multiple roles under Harasymiak including WR/ST/QB coach and was the OC his last year there when they made the FCS Semifinals.

 

[Jimdish255]

Interesting that UCONN's former coach Skip Holtz is on that list & only 56 years of age. Six consecutive bowl appearances as of that writing. Man, could that guy dream up offenses!

I mentioned somewhat previously that Randy inherited a fairly successful program because of Skip Holtz and I was confused at the time why they wanted to let him go. But hey Georgia Tech, right?