OT: Report: Pat Narduzzi turns down offer to become UConn’s coach

[sutomcat]

Take the emotion out of it - would you be shocked if UCONN had a better team (on-the-field) than Rutgers in 3 or 4 years? Beat them in a bowl, for example?

I wouldn't.

And RU and UCONN have been pretty even over the past decade & I don't Rutgers finishing ahead of Michigan, Penn St, Ohio St, MI State anytime soon. Not more likely than UCONN finishes ahead of Boise and UCF.

I would be shocked.

Right now, Rutgers has far better talent than UConn. Position by position, it isn't close. UConn has a few good players but sane people understand that teams are judged by their records. UConn was a 3-9 team playing a very weak schedule, the talent jives with the product on the field.

Rutgers actually has more talent that its record indicates but looking at things like NFL draft projections, the size and speed on the field, results on the field, etc., it is clear Rutgers is far ahead of UConn right now.

UConn is about to change head coaches and systems. This is a cataclysmic event that is going to cause a lot of turnover as players bail for many reasons. That will results in a 3 or 4 year period, if things go well, before UConn can get to decent numbers for depth again. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that UConn is having a horrible recruiting season and will end up with the worst class of any school in the Northeast by a large margin (it is far too late in the recruiting season to salvage it).

UConn has a first time head coach who is going to make a lot of mistakes that will affect the bottom line. Even if Daico proves to be a capable head coach, it will take several years before he learns to do his job well (if he ever learns).

Right now, RU still has the same HC and most of the existing staff is still on board. They have a huge advantage in talent, they have a big advantage with stability. Their troubled HC will probably be fired next season and that will cause similar issues for them but for now, this is another big advantage for them

But the biggest advantage RU has it that they are going to be playing in a good football conference that is respected pretty much universally. UConn is going to be playing in a bad conference that good HS players are generally not going to want to play in. Kids want to play in front of big crowds, on TV, against good teams.

RU has a far bigger fan base, fan support is vastly different between these schools. RU will play in much better TV slots, against much better and attractive teams.

This doesn't even get into the problems UConn has being located in the middle of nowhere, or having a stadium located off campus, or the huge money issues UConn faces trying to keep up with the Joneses.

No one in their right mind would think that UConn is going to be better than Rutgers in 3 or 4 years. If things break perfectly in every way, maybe UConn might have a similar record to RU, but they won't be anywhere in the same neighborhood in terms of quality to Rutgers in this time frame.

I do appreciate your blind and undying love for your school but you sir, are a raving lunatic.

 

[sdhusky]

I would be shocked.

Right now, Rutgers has far better talent than UConn. Position by position, it isn't close. UConn has a few good players but sane people understand that teams are judged by their records. UConn was a 3-9 team playing a very weak schedule, the talent jives with the product on the field.

Rutgers actually has more talent that its record indicates but looking at things like NFL draft projections, the size and speed on the field, results on the field, etc., it is clear Rutgers is far ahead of UConn right now.

I do appreciate your blind and undying love for your school but you sir, are a raving lunatic.

You do know that UCONN just beat Rutgers and finished with the same conference record?

You do know that our Frosh QB threw for over 450 yards in our last game and went 25/33 with 2 TDs and no INTs against Rutgers the week before?

That we are bringing back a 1000 yard receiver and are bringing in a 10,000+ yard running back?

Who has a better head-head record since UCONN moved up to the BE in 2004?

 

[HeaterCuse22]

You do know that UCONN just beat Rutgers and finished with the same conference record?

You do know that our Frosh QB threw for over 450 yards in our last game and went 25/33 with 2 TDs and no INTs against Rutgers the week before?

That we are bringing back a 1000 yard receiver and are bringing in a 10,000+ yard running back?

Who has a better head-head record since UCONN moved up to the BE in 2004?

"UCONN. We are the shiniest turd in the bowl."
~sdhusky 2013

 

[LennX6]

Funny you say Michigan State... I had Dantonio pegged for a bigger job too. Maybe not Texas if Saban declines, but something not too far off from that...

Texas has been so light years in Texas time (4-5 yrs) to true relevancy involving what they feel is their rightly spot in the BCS title game. They will be hiring more on resume and "name" . Sadly they almost have to.

 

[LennX6]

Good hire but the big question will be what coordinators are they going to get in. I bet Diaco will be HC/DC to save some $. They spent their entire TV funds on their HC!

Now it makes a little more sense why we didn't hire him.

 

[LennX6]

it's going to be really hard to get BCS a-list conference recruits to flop over to conference usa. that's not going to happen.

the 2nd thing is, which syracuse kids could diaco possibly target?

We used to pluck great players out of Connecticut. (Freeney, Wooden) . I think P was part of that. There are good players there now, we should own that turf. Same with Massachussetts. UConn BC Rutgers should be worried about us taking THEIR" home grown recruits". They used to.

 

[PhatOrange]

We used to pluck great players out of Connecticut. (Freeney, Wooden) . I think P was part of that. There are good players there now, we should own that turf. Same with Massachussetts. UConn BC Rutgers should be worried about us taking THEIR" home grown recruits". They used to.

There is not enough players in ct to care but we are getting one of the state's top players his year and are solid with the state's top player next year.

 

[sutomcat]

You do know that UCONN just beat Rutgers and finished with the same conference record?

You do know that our Frosh QB threw for over 450 yards in our last game and went 25/33 with 2 TDs and no INTs against Rutgers the week before?

That we are bringing back a 1000 yard receiver and are bringing in a 10,000+ yard running back?

Who has a better head-head record since UCONN moved up to the BE in 2004?

Read my post. You asked about the future and are lost in the past. I explained my position in detail and you ignored it completely. It is like arguing with a parrot. I am done here...again, good luck in the future.

 

[retro44]

You do know that UCONN just beat Rutgers and finished with the same conference record?

for what, 6th place?

you destroyed any argument you had by comparing yourselves to a bottom feeder moving forward. Think before you hit send

 

[GFTakedown]

You do know that UCONN just beat Rutgers and finished with the same conference record?

You do know that our Frosh QB threw for over 450 yards in our last game and went 25/33 with 2 TDs and no INTs against Rutgers the week before?

That we are bringing back a 1000 yard receiver and are bringing in a 10,000+ yard running back?

Who has a better head-head record since UCONN moved up to the BE in 2004?

Q: What happened when players started question Coach P style of play?
A: They didn't perform on the field!

Q: What happened when players left Rutgers and questioned Flood's style of play?
A: They didn't perform to their level!!

According to your reasoning, Towson or UB is a better team than UConn, (Which I can't deny) Not that I am defending Rutgirls (OH MAN) but they got morally crushed by Cincy and USF the previous weeks to the game with UConn. They had nothing to win about playing good against you guys because with 1 or 2 wins they still would be going to the Pinstripe bowl.

 

[zls44]

Now it makes a little more sense why we didn't hire him.

@coachingsearch
Bob Diaco plans to offer the defensive coordinator job to Notre Dame DL coach Mike Elston, per source.

 

[Alsacs]

Read my post. You asked about the future and are lost in the past. I explained my position in detail and you ignored it completely. It is like arguing with a parrot. I am done here...again, good luck in the future.

sdhusky ignores any post filled with logic that doesn't fit his narrative. It is almost as if he is the Baghdad Bob of UConn fans in that he refuses to accept or acknowledge any point that doesn't fit his argument.

UConn has as I have said 3 to 5 years of Big East exit fee money to keep themselves afloat in the arms race, and if they are still in the AAC after that time their football program will be mid-major. The only conference in the foreseeable future that could expand is the Big XII and they wouldn't want UConn before Cincinnati, Central Florida, South Florida, but UConn fans won't acknowledge that. Instead, they think the fantasy of the B1G adding them is still out there. Good luck to them in the future, but they are now on the kiddie table. I would rather be the smallest fish in a big pond than middle sized fish in a small pond. UConn has never won 9 games in a season and they want to talk about doing anything in football. My god beating South Carolina in 2009 is nothing more than a decent win and that is the best win they have in the last 10 years.

 

[zls44]

sdhusky ignores any post filled with logic that doesn't fit his narrative. It is almost as if he is the Baghdad Bob of UConn fans in that he refuses to accept or acknowledge any point that doesn't fit his argument.

UConn has never won 9 games in a season

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/connecticut/2003.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/connecticut/2007.html

Oops.

 

[sdhusky]

Read my post. You asked about the future and are lost in the past. I explained my position in detail and you ignored it completely. It is like arguing with a parrot. I am done here...again, good luck in the future.

Coaching matters.

I read your post. Other than Rutgers being in a better conference, all those things have been in place during the years RU has watched UCONN win BE championships and UCONN beat them on the field. We won BE championships while coming last year after year in recruiting.

We hardly ever, if ever, beat Rutgers for recruits under Edsall. It's only under PP that we started winning head-head battles. We have more 3 star players for next year - even with PP being fired - than Edsall ever had.

I can tell from the Diaco press conference that some players are going to want to play for him and fact is that if you are honest, UCONN as an institution, has a lot to sell to players other than just conference affiliation.

Even without winning many battles, we put 5 guys in the NFL draft last year - I really don't buy the talent gap that you might imagine exists by reading the recruiting rankings. Fact is that the recruiting rags absolutely suck at evaluating talent in this part of the country. There are plenty of prospects who are 2 stars who can play. The bigger question is can Diaco ID them and can he coach them up?

We have a kid coming in who ran for 490 yards in his last game in hs. He has 3600 yards and 64 TDs on the season. 3 stars? Really?

If Ollie is a better coach than Hopkins, UCONN will win more games. If Diaco is a better coach than Shafer, we will win more games. Its not that complicated.

We've seen it. Calhoun was an outstanding coach and UCONN was top dog in the BE for a quarter century. Edsall was a better coach than GROB and we won 5 straight season by an average of 20 points.

If Calhoun went to Rutgers and spent 25 years, do you really doubt whether or not they would have multiple NC's?

If Brian Kelly went to Rutgers instead of Schiano, do you really doubt they would have been to a BCS game by now?

Coaching matters in college athletics. More than any other thing. How else can UCF be so much better than USF? How can Boise be so much better than Washington over the past 10 years? How can UCONN beat SU for 5 years in a row by a total of 97 points?

Coaching matters.

 

[DocFlanders]

Coaching matters.

I read your post. Other than Rutgers being in a better conference, all those things have been in place during the years RU has watched UCONN win BE championships and UCONN beat them on the field. We won BE championships while coming last year after year in recruiting.

We hardly ever, if ever, beat Rutgers for recruits under Edsall. It's only under PP that we started winning head-head battles. We have more 3 star players for next year - even with PP being fired - than Edsall ever had.

I can tell from the Diaco press conference that some players are going to want to play for him and fact is that if you are honest, UCONN as an institution, has a lot to sell to players other than just conference affiliation.

Even without winning many battles, we put 5 guys in the NFL draft last year - I really don't buy the talent gap that you might imagine exists by reading the recruiting rankings. Fact is that the recruiting rags absolutely suck at evaluating talent in this part of the country. There are plenty of prospects who are 2 stars who can play. The bigger question is can Diaco ID them and can he coach them up?

We have a kid coming in who ran for 490 yards in his last game in hs. He has 3600 yards and 64 TDs on the season. 3 stars? Really?

If Ollie is a better coach than Hopkins, UCONN will win more games. If Diaco is a better coach than Shafer, we will win more games. Its not that complicated.

We've seen it. Calhoun was an outstanding coach and UCONN was top dog in the BE for a quarter century. Edsall was a better coach than GROB and we won 5 straight season by an average of 20 points.

If Calhoun went to Rutgers and spent 25 years, do you really doubt whether or not they would have multiple NC's?

If Brian Kelly went to Rutgers instead of Schiano, do you really doubt they would have been to a BCS game by now?

Coaching matters in college athletics. More than any other thing. How else can UCF be so much better than USF? How can Boise be so much better than Washington over the past 10 years? How can UCONN beat SU for 5 years in a row by a total of 97 points?

Coaching matters.

I apologize for my fellow cuse fans... You are correct... You're now set up in a sweet position to be the next Alabama. Let me congratulate you now on your many future national championships.

 

[sdhusky]

I apologize for my fellow cuse fans... You are correct... You're now set up in a sweet position to be the next Alabama. Let me congratulate you now on your many future national championships.

I lived in Syracuse the day Calhoun was hired and I remember having lunch with a group of SU fans after we won our first BE championships. Its was unanimous that this was a one-time thing and what was great about the BE was that everyone a turn take their shot against SU and Georgetown. When I suggested that UCONN might stick around, everyone was convinced that it would never happen. Turns out Calhoun was a great coach and stuck around. Could Ollie be even better?

When UCONN joined the BE, this board was unanimous that is would be at least a decade before UCONN could even give SU a game.

 

[Marsh01]

All this talk is great. You still are in a terrible football conference and have less than zero percent of making it to a bcs game in for foreseeable future. Talk all you want about guys who rush for 10,000 yards in high school all you want.

Also if the new coach is successful you honestly think he will stick around a place like storz for any length of time?

Accept the fate you were destined to have. You had a good run. Its over.

 

[sdhusky]

Also if the new coach is successful you honestly think he will stick around a place like storz for any length of time?

Accept the fate you were destined to have. You had a good run. Its over.

I want to see Diaco be so successful there is no way we can keep him and he goes on to Michigan or ND.

You guys said it was over last year after we beat your BB team. Now Ollie has landed a terrific class and we are in the top 10. Nice.

 

[CanadianSU]

Cannot believe these arguments from a this UCONN fan. Man, did you see your team this year...

 

[Marsh01]

I want to see Diaco be so successful there is no way we can keep him and he goes on to Michigan or ND. You guys said it was over last year after we beat your BB team. Now Ollie has landed a terrific class and we are in the top 10. Nice.

Id be embarrassed as a fan if with your schedule you dont finish in the top 10.

 

[BlackKnight76]

Sorry if I don't see 8-5 and a Pinstripe Bowl as blowing past us. .

Winning a game head to head by 40 (and it wasn't that close) = blowing past you.

 

[RF2044]

I want to see Diaco be so successful there is no way we can keep him and he goes on to Michigan or ND.

You guys said it was over last year after we beat your BB team. Now Ollie has landed a terrific class and we are in the top 10. Nice.

Buzz off, twerp.

 

[OrangeCrush22]

I want to see Diaco be so successful there is no way we can keep him and he goes on to Michigan or ND.

You guys said it was over last year after we beat your BB team. Now Ollie has landed a terrific class and we are in the top 10. Nice.

Diaco is going to have a difficult time being successful with every other major northeast program in a big time conference. The only school to play football games further away from their campus is UMass, and they're in the process of renovating their on campus stadium...

For this year's basketball team, Connecticut has skated by numerous teams.

Maryland by 1 point.
Boston College by 2 points.
Indiana by 1 point.
Florida by 1 point.

That's dangerously close to a 5-4 record. I'll give UConn credit for winning those games, but I wouldn't be bragging about it.

 

[sdhusky]

Winning a game head to head by 40 (and it wasn't that close) = blowing past you.

I disagree. It has more to do with coaching. Marrone was that much better than PP.

When the coaching situation was different, Edsall beat GROB and Marrone 5 years in a row by an average of 20 points per game.

Now we'll see if Shafer or Diaco is better.

 

[GFTakedown]

I disagree. It has more to do with coaching. Marrone was that much better than PP.

When the coaching situation was different, Edsall beat GROB and Marrone 5 years in a row by an average of 20 points per game.

Now we'll see if Shafer or Diaco is better.

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken stuff! Have fun in the AAC!