# Notre Dame's new head football coach will be... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 25, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860 "2009-11-25T02:20:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/181 "2009-12-03T15:38:19Z")
Because he already said it’s his dream job. _I_ sure as hell wouldn’t go, but I’m not a Catholic and I don’t understand anything to do with the Notre Dame mystique. Heck, I didn’t even like _Rudy_ all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/182 "2009-12-03T15:47:36Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Who is ND talking to? Those who know don’t talk and those who talk don’t know, once again. Yup, nothing is certain. There have been plenty of rumors, and fun little “facts” to back them up. My personal favorite has to be a friend of a friend of ND’s pilot revealed the itinerary from Durham, NC (Butch Davis) to SB, with a stop-off in Cincinnati (Brian Kelly). I think there might have been a Norman, OK stop in there, but I’m not putting any weight on it. > [@](#): > > But anyone who thinks Urban Meyer wants to go live in the Midwest again is kidding themselves - if he were, he’d have done it when he left Utah, and he wouldn’t have even gone out there in the first place. Rumor (there’s that word again) is that he was about to accept the ND job 5 years ago before his buddy Bob Davie called him up to tell him what jerks the admin was. That rings more true than most rumors to me - Davie never seemed like a very stand-up guy. > [@](#): > > Besides, in Florida, he can show a recruit a couple of very new championship trophies, the players who won them and are still on campus, and point out the sunshine and the girls, and he’s good to go. He doesn’t even have to travel out of state. So he’d want to go to ND, well, why? He’s not going to take the job. But why does Bill Parcells want to do what he does - go from job to job sprinkling magic fairy dust on broken down programs and turning them into gold? If Urban Meyer had that desire, he’d be in a fantastic position to do so (again). Maybe he’ll get that itch with Tebow leaving, a solid shot at a 3rd championship and not much else to prove in Gainsville. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/183 "2009-12-03T16:04:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Heck, I didn’t even like _Rudy_ all that much. Why do you hate America? Next I suppose you’re going to tell me that Sandra Bullock isn’t really Michael Oher’s mom. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/184 "2009-12-03T16:14:31Z")
I haven’t seen that movie yet, although I’m going to, just to annoy my fiancee, who is sick to death of all the play it’s getting on SNF and elsewhere. Is it good? ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/185 "2009-12-03T16:26:22Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Tell you what, **Munch** - you can have all the best coaching talent on your team, if you’ll let me have all the best athletic talent on mine. I’d bet on my team in the Doper Bowl, wouldn’t you? Counter example: Urban Meyer with Ron Zook’s players. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/186 "2009-12-03T16:42:40Z")
Wasn’t it Bear Bryant of whom they always said: “He’ll take his’ns and beat your’ns, and then he’ll take your’ns and beat his’ns.” At the college level coaching talent makes a _huge_ difference. Look at Texas Tech QBs, for instance. Are they all equally talented? Presumably not. Yet they all put up massive, massive passing numbers because the offensive coaching staff seems to be able to plug pretty much any decent athlete into their system and make it work. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/187 "2009-12-03T16:44:04Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I haven’t seen that movie yet, although I’m going to, just to annoy my fiancee, who is sick to death of all the play it’s getting on SNF and elsewhere. Is it good? I haven’t seen it either, but I’m generally a sucker for these kinds of movies, so I’ll see it at some point too. And cry like a little baby. Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to really like it, and quite a few of the people that told me it was good hate sports too, although I’m not sure how much of an endorsement that is for someone like you or I that really like sports. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/188 "2009-12-03T16:51:30Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > But anyone who thinks Urban Meyer wants to go live in the Midwest again is kidding themselves Why didn’t you tell us you were so intimately aware of what Urban Meyer wants and doesn’t want, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/189 "2009-12-03T16:56:52Z")
Gawdamighty :rolleyes: I explained that already. What the fuck is your problem, pal? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/190 "2009-12-03T17:04:21Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Counter example: Urban Meyer with Ron Zook’s players. Or Bob Stoops with John Blake’s. Blake was a horrible coach, but a superb recruiter. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/191 "2009-12-03T17:22:32Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What the fuck is your problem, pal? Again, **ElvisL1ves** : cool it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/192 "2009-12-03T18:32:11Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Counter example: Urban Meyer with Ron Zook’s players. Counter counter example: Rich Rodriguez with Lloyd Carr’s players. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/193 "2009-12-03T18:43:14Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Counter counter example: Rich Rodriguez with Lloyd Carr’s players. Congratulations - you’ve come full circle. You just brought up an example of a coach who can’t win with excellent talent that was highly regarded as prospects by all the scouting programs in the country. Now seriously - can we get off the recruitment pissing contest? ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/194 "2009-12-03T18:52:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Heck, I didn’t even like _Rudy_ all that much. I love Notre Dame and hate Rudy. He’s an annoying, pestering little prick, IMHO. First he successfully pesters the University of Notre Dame into admitting him, then he pesters Coach Ara into letting him on the team, and Coach Devine into putting him in a game, and then Hollywood into making a movie about his one damn play at Notre Dame. Now I understand he’s a motivational speaker about the power of pestering. To hell with him. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/195 "2009-12-03T18:59:49Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Counter counter example: Rich Rodriguez with Lloyd Carr’s players. I think what you meant to post was “another example that supports the importance of coaching” ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/196 "2009-12-03T19:50:21Z")
I am pulling for Ferenz to get the nod, but only because I am a Buckeye fan living in Cyclone country who would not feel bad at seeing the Hawkeye’s kneecapped (metaphorically). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/197 "2009-12-03T20:08:09Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I don’t see why it wouldn’t already be happening. If I was Rivals, you can bet I’d assign some intern to how many 5-star recruits were drafted (and in which rounds) of both myself as well as Scout and ESPN. If I was 2nd or 3rd, I wouldn’t say anything, but you can believe there’d be a giant banner on the front of the website/magazine if we were first. Same goes for the other two. Forgive the slight hijack and I see your point, however, your method misses the point. As far as the college team is concerned, which is about how well or poorly the recruit plays in college, whether and in what round the player is drafted by the pros is completely irrelevant. Grading [Rivals.com](http://Rivals.com), [scout.com](http://scout.com) and others should be about how well or poorly their recruits play in the NCAA and not the NFL. For instance, back in 1995 I had a discussion with a friend of mine about great Notre Dame quarterbacks. I said Tony Rice was a great QB and my friend argued that he wasn’t, because Rice never did anything in pro ball. My friend was using the wrong criteria, IMHO, just as your method appears to. Back on the issue of ND’s prospective new coach, I just hope the protesters who didn’t want Obama to speak on ND’s campus don’t insist that the new coach be pro-life and not pro-choice. I just want him to be pro-ficient, at coaching. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/198 "2009-12-03T20:13:03Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Forgive the slight hijack and I see your point, however, your method misses the point. As far as the college team is concerned, which is about how well or poorly the recruit plays in college, whether and in what round the player is drafted by the pros is completely irrelevant. Grading [Rivals.com](http://Rivals.com), [scout.com](http://scout.com) and others should be about how well or poorly their recruits play in the NCAA and not the NFL. Point taken. That’s an important distinction, just as when people try to say the Heisman winner of any given year must have been a terrible choice when he ends up tanking in the NFL (or NBA if you’re Charlie Ward). Different environment, different criteria, different results. > [@](#): > > Back on the issue of ND’s prospective new coach, I just hope the protesters who didn’t want Obama to speak on ND’s campus don’t insist that the new coach be pro-life and not pro-choice. I just want him to be pro-ficient, at coaching. Already happened back when they were thinking of courting Majerus for the basketball job. Absolutely ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/199 "2009-12-03T20:44:43Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Does 4 months count as a few weeks? > > Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia for Michigan just 4 months after renegotiating his contract with WVU. > > [Per Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Rodriguez) > > On a related matter, Notre Dame ask George O’Leary to resign shortly after becoming Head Football coach for inaccuracies in his resume and application. And WVU sued Rich Rod and got a 4 million dollar judgment. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860/200 "2009-12-03T22:27:34Z")
That Rodriguez case was unusual because coaches break contracts all the time for a better job and they don’t get sued. Roy Williams from Kansas to UNC is 1 example. It is becoming more common now for the school to put a buyout clause in deals where they coach has to pay to leave. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notre-dames-new-head-football-coach-will-be/518860.md?page=11)