Who's in line to be next coach at Notre Dame?

[Analog]

It seems inevitable Charlie Weis will be replaced on the sideline for the Irish in 2010. Here's a look at the scoreboard of candidates to take his place:

FAVORITES FOR NOW

-- Brian Kelly, Cincinnati

-- Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

-- Gary Patterson, TCU

-- Butch Davis, North Carolina

LONG SHOTS

-- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

-- Jim Harbaugh, Stanford

OUT OF THE RUNNING

-- Nick Saban, Alabama

-- Urban Meyer, Florida

-- Jon Gruden, ESPN

-- Tony Dungy, NBC analyst

 

[RKS]

Hopefully UC can keep Kelly for a few more years. While ND can offer more money and prestige, it's certainly more difficult to get to the NCG as an independent than in a weaker Big East especially when you are constrained by higher academic standards. Even though UC has great grad rates compared to other top BCS teams, link, it's still not as demanding as ND. In Cincy, Kelly can tap into the strong local prep players and stay away from the collegiate graveyard in South Bend.

 

[Gibsons]

Hopefully UC can keep Kelly for a few more years. While ND can offer more money and prestige, it's certainly more difficult to get to the NCG as an independent than in a weaker Big East especially when you are constrained by higher academic standards. Even though UC has great grad rates compared to other top BCS teams, link, it's still not as demanding as ND. In Cincy, Kelly can tap into the strong local prep players and stay away from the collegiate graveyard in South Bend.

Notre Dame's problem the last few years has not been recruiting.

 

[Spineshank]

Its gotta be etiher Meyer, Kelly, or Stoops.


Who the hell came up with Butch Davis? And Harbaugh isnt going to go to ND.

I want to know whose gonna pluck away TCU's defensive coordinator.

 

[Spineshank]

Its gotta be etiher Meyer, Kelly, or Stoops.


Who the hell came up with Butch Davis? And Harbaugh isnt going to go to ND.

I want to know whose gonna pluck away TCU's defensive coordinator.

 

[meltdown75]

Hamburglar.

 

[SP33Demon]

I'd be shocked if Stoops left Oklahoma for Notre Lame.

 

[drum]

Hamburglar.

He said the NEXT coach at ND

 

[meltdown75]

He said the NEXT coach at ND

hahahahh

 

[her209]

Joe Montana

 

[ElFenix]

where's the option for 'weis will somehow manage to not get fired'

edit: texas is now 7 wins ahead, all time

 

[CPA]

Kelly isn't going anywhere.

And ND needs to get into a conference if it ever wants to play for the NC again.

 

[Genx87]

Why do people ride Ferentz jock? He had a few decent years a half decade ago and this year the Big Ten is so utterly pathetic a team with that kind of offense can still go 10-2.

 

[Gibsons]

It's official.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4700891

Not that anyone's surprised.

 

[PepePeru]

I'd be shocked if Stoops left Oklahoma for Notre Lame.

You're not alone.

People seem to think Stoops is going to leave Oklahoma anytime another program opens up. Is it because he's so underpaid at OU with that nearly 5mil a year salary?

Is it because he has such a hard time recruiting players? Don't think that's the case, given this list of individual award winners during his tenure.

2008 Sam Bradford Davey O'Brien Award
2008 Sam Bradford Heisman Memorial Trophy
2004 Jason White Davey O'Brien Award
2004 Jason White Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
2004 Jason White Maxwell Award
2004 Jammal Brown Outland Trophy
2003 Teddy Lehman Chuck Bednarik Award
2003 Jason White Davey O'Brien Award
2003 Teddy Lehman Dick Butkus Award
2003 Jason White Heisman Memorial Trophy
2003 Derrick Strait Jim Thorpe Award
2003 Derrick Strait Bronko Nagurski Award
2003 Tommie Harris Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award
2001 Rocky Calmus Dick Butkus Award
2001 Roy Williams Jim Thorpe Award
2001 Roy Williams Bronko Nagurski Award
2000 Josh Heupel Walter Camp Award

He's lost 2 home games at OU.

He's won 6 conference championships.

He's going to turn all that down to coach at ND?

A team that hasn't been relevant in 20 years?

I too would be shocked.

 

[Gibsons]

You're not alone.

People seem to think Stoops is going to leave Oklahoma anytime another program opens up. Is it because he's so underpaid at OU with that nearly 5mil a year salary?

Is it because he has such a hard time recruiting players? Don't think that's the case, given this list of individual award winners during his tenure.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that. OU has pretty much always recruited well.

Only way I could see Stoops leaving is if he's just looking for the next thing, a new challenge. I'd also be surprised if he left.

 

[PepePeru]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that. OU has pretty much always recruited well.

Only way I could see Stoops leaving is if he's just looking for the next thing, a new challenge. I'd also be surprised if he left.

The rumor mill has been churning for years now. Will he coach the Cleveland Browns, the Redskins, the Cowboys? Will he go to Florida?

It would seem if he's not leaving OU to go Florida of all places, it would seem awfully arrogant of ND to think he's headed there.

Sure I can see the 'challenge' aspect, but given OU's season this year, and BCS choke jobs, he's had his fair share at OU, it would seem.

Who knows, though.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

You're not alone.

People seem to think Stoops is going to leave Oklahoma anytime another program opens up. Is it because he's so underpaid at OU with that nearly 5mil a year salary?

He's lost 2 home games at OU.

He's won 6 conference championships.

He's going to turn all that down to coach at ND?

A team that hasn't been relevant in 20 years?

I too would be shocked.

That's the thing, Notre Dame isn't anywhere near as good a job as it was 20 years ago. Back then they could snag any coach they wanted any time they wanted. Now most of the big name coaches are happy where they are, running big time successful programs and making a fortune. Not that long ago a coach would have happily quit Florida or Oklahoma to get the Notre Dame job. Now it might be the other way around. Not long ago ND was the premiere program in the NCAA, now they're not even close.

 

[vi edit]

Why do people ride Ferentz jock? He had a few decent years a half decade ago and this year the Big Ten is so utterly pathetic a team with that kind of offense can still go 10-2.

The last few years they've been absolutely ravaged by injuries, and they traditionally aren't a high power recruiting school. Given what he can put together with the pieces he has, he fields a good team.

In the last couple years they have beat LSU in a bowl game, lost by 2 to Texas, gave Florida a serious run for their money, and absolutely thumped South Carolina.

The man can coach a football team.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Who would even want the job? It's not like it's 'MF-OMG-ND!' anymore. Nor will it ever be. The program has been run so far into the ground I don't know how you would ever resurrect it. What high school kid goes to bed at night dreaming of playing for ND?

Who said Meyer? He'd have to be a moron to leave a perennial BCS champion contender to go to ND. Stoops? How frustrating would it be to watch all those kids you try to recruit go to a school they can actually qualify for academically?

Let's face it... ND ain't ND anymore.

 

[ElFenix]

unless the next guy is even more underperforming, i'm going to miss charlie weis. .550 football couldn't have happened to a nicer program (though south carolina would kill for that record).

hopefully rich rod will stay on long enough at michigan that texas will catch them.

Who said Meyer? He'd have to be a moron to leave a perennial BCS champion contender to go to ND. Stoops? How frustrating would it be to watch all those kids you try to recruit go to a school they can actually qualify for academically?

Let's face it... ND ain't ND anymore.

oklahoma. first they stole their land. then they stole their colors from harvard, their fight song from yale, their players from texas, and their state song from broadway.

 

[PepePeru]

unless the next guy is even more underperforming, i'm going to miss charlie weis. .550 football couldn't have happened to a nicer program (though south carolina would kill for that record).

hopefully rich rod will stay on long enough at michigan that texas will catch them.



oklahoma. first they stole their land. then they stole their colors from harvard, their fight song from yale, their players from texas, and their state song from broadway.

Texas' most beloved & decorated coach was born in Oklahoma & played for OU.

 

[Pepsei]

i don't want to make a definite guess right now and have it bite my ass a couple weeks from now.

 

[shiner]

Texas' most beloved & decorated coach was born in Oklahoma & played for OU.

And don't forget their stadium is named after him, an Okie.

 

[shiner]

and Stoops isn't going anywhere...

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It didn't take Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops long to take himself out of the running for the Notre Dame job.

Stoops said Monday he plans to stay at Oklahoma "hopefully for a good while" and won't be interviewing for any coaching positions after his worst regular season in 11 years with the Sooners.

"What I'm saying is I'm going to be at Oklahoma next year, so I can't be in two places at once," Stoops said on a conference call.

Stoops' name surfaced weeks ago as a potential replacement for Charlie Weis, who was fired Monday following five mostly lackluster seasons at Notre Dame. Stoops responded to the earlier reports by saying "Notre Dame has a coach, and I have a great job" -- a comment some believed left the door open for him to leave once Weis was fired.

Stoops left no doubt this time.

"I fully intend to be at Oklahoma, and hopefully for a good while," he said. "You never know what the good Lord brings you but in the end I couldn't be more excited about -- even through a tough year -- the good, quality kids we're working with [and] the great people that I work with daily in our administration.

"I can't help what's said, but in the end, again, I couldn't be more excited and pleased about what we're doing here and what the future holds," he said.

Stoops is under contract with Oklahoma through the end of 2015 after agreeing to a two-year extension earlier this year. That deal, loaded with incentives aimed at keeping him with the Sooners, is one of the richest in college football and would pay him more than $30 million -- or about $4.3 million annually -- if he were to stay for the full term.

Last year, he collected a $3 million bonus for remaining as the Sooners coach for 10 years. Under the new contract, Stoops receives a $700,000 stay bonus at the end of every year with an additional $800,000 -- for a total of $1.5 million -- if he is still the Sooners' coach on Jan. 1, 2011.

The contract also includes incentives for championships, bowl games and high graduation rates.

Stoops said he plans to stay as long as university leaders agree.

"What I am saying is I intend to be at Oklahoma. That's the only place right now -- yes -- what I'm looking to do," Stoops said. "I will never confirm or deny whether I talk or [do] not talk to anybody. And I won't be interviewing for any jobs."

Stoops is 116-29 in his time at Oklahoma, leading the Sooners to seven BCS games and one national championship. With injuries to Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, tight end Jermaine Gresham and numerous others, he lost five games in the regular season for the first time as a head coach. Oklahoma is awaiting an invitation to a bowl game.

Stoops passed on the chance to say why he preferred to coach at Oklahoma over Notre Dame.

"I'm not favoring anything over anything else," Stoops said. "What I'm saying is I couldn't be more happy and pleased with what we're doing here. And again, I'm not confirming or denying anything about Notre Dame or any other job. My point is this is what I love doing right now."


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press