It is about time that a major college football program put its proverbial foot down on the madness that is the coaching search. Really, this whole coaching carousal has been out of control for years.
For those of you who missed it, Boston College told Head Coach Jeff Jagodzinski he will be fired if he interviews for the head coaching vacancy with the New York Jets.
Bravo, Boston College and Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo, bravo! Cracker once sang that they did not know what the world needed. Well, I know that the college football world needs: more ADs like DeFlilippo and schools like BC that will not allow the head coach (or any other coach for that matter) to twist them in the wind by interviewing for open positions while still under contract. This also sends a message to agents of college football coaches – do not leverage your guy’s success as a cheap way to get a raise.
I am not going to compare the job college football coaches do to the “real world” because most of “us” in the “real world” could not do and put up with the stuff college football coaches do. However, every off-season (or not even the off-season if you are Bobby Petrino), college football fans are treated to this game of will he stay or will he go with the head coach or the hot coordinator.
Previously, the trend was to “name” a coordinator “head coach in waiting” (see Jimbo Fisher at Florida State or Will Muschamp at Texas). This was the appeasement phase. Throw money and the idea of a future move up at a coach and that will scare away most of the vulture programs. It was also the wrong thing to do because it is all just lip service. What happens if Texas tanks out the next few seasons and Mack Brown is fired? Does Muschamp move up? What if Texas hires a new AD who did not make that deal and reverses the deal? All the coach-in-waiting stuff means is if another school is going to hire the CIW, that school will owe original school a lot of money. Sounds a lot like some MLB trades where a player is traded to Los Angeles but Milwaukee is paying his salary. It does not work either. Both Fisher and Muschamp’s names were reported as candidates for off-season openings. So, this appeasement tactic has not and will not work.
Enter in Boston College who takes the proactive, strong, ballsy approach by threatening to fire the coach if he interviews with the courting NFL team. That takes gusto rarely displayed in the modern day of college football. It also re-establishes the role of the institution. For too long, the coaches have held the power position in the athletic department. Some of that is justifiable. College football programs bring in the bulk of the revenue to fund an athletic department. However, as big a business college football may be, it is still “amateur” athletics. Therefore, the institution must take a bigger role and assert its power when it comes to hiring and recruitment of its coaches.
Article comments
1 - bclurker
Don't be so sure to think this is a proactive move by BC. Jags has been a problem hire from the beginning and this is a finely orchestrated attempt to get rid of Jags without the AD losing face. Force a conflict and get rid of him, move on, no questions.
You don't publicly threaten personel unless you want them gone.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Also a former BC coach: the guy coaching the other New York team.
I first assumed there was some clause in Jagodzinski's contract that he'd violate were he to interview, but I've heard nothing of the sort. And the college-coach-in-NFL debate has a lot to do with NFL coaching experience, of which Jag has eight years.
3 - Jay Skipworth
"And the college-coach-in-NFL debate has a lot to do with NFL coaching experience, of which Jag has eight years."
Position coaches generally translate well between college and NFL. Not so much on the coordinator and head coaching levels.
Thanks for reading.
4 - El Bicho
woo-hoo, a Cracker reference.