So what's really wrong at Nebraska?

[RedSavage]

I think it is really a mental toughness that is missing. You listen to the guys talk, and they sound like they expect to be great just based on off-season work and grinding during the week. Yet in nearly every crucial moment they choke. At the highest levels of all sport and profession, mental focus is what separates bad from good and great. To even compete at an NFL or even Bama, OSU type level, you need to be elite because the talent is so high. I can accept that players are going to make mistakes at times during key moments, but when it consistently happens with the same guys in the same situations again and again, there is a deeper issue.
NU doesn't have a leader within their coaching staff right now that has the laser focus, so it is impossible for it to have bled into the psyche of the team, and seems to me to be a main cause of what we see each week.

To this point, I really think we need an upgrade in the sports psychology department. Seems kind of silly to blame it on this but we've honestly seemed mentally weak ever since Jack Stark left.


Also, we are cursed.

 

[JankTheTank]

Coaching hires can be a crap shoot, but the methods Nebraska has gone after coaches has also been pretty awful.

Nebraska has this bad pattern of firing their head coaches with Nebraska ties (Solich, Pelini) after a winning season, which drives a wedge between the team and fanbase. Then it's exacerbated by hiring an outsider with no in-state clout. And not only an outsider, but an outsider done during an amateur hour coaching search. That coach is likely screwed from the get go when their hiring either feels like a hail mary (Callahan) or an afterthought (Riley) and the controversy of the firing they're following makes them feel like the step parent nobody asked for.

Pedersen's was a 40+ day comedy of errors before he got Callahan. When Eichorst fired Pelini, he didn't even have a guy in mind. He had an idea of the qualities he wanted in a coach. He then hid in his house for four days while he did a coaching search cram like some college student before a critical final. Somehow his stupid brain thought Riley was the solution.

Funny enough, when we've hired guys with prior ties, the searches seem a bit more tidy.

Moos was zeroed in on Frost well before the season ended. (Granted, not sure how much say he had on other candidates, but he at least put in the work early on to make the hire happen). While Frost hasn't worked out, it does feel like the most professionally done coaching search, even though it seemed very Frost or bust.

Osborne started interviewing Pelini, Gill, and Grobe a day after Callahan was fired. Osborne has since acknowledged Pelini was a gamble with his lack of HC experience. In both of those cases, there was an enamoration about bringing back a Nebraska guy to take over after the outsider. I feel this requirement needs to go away. Those limitations have hurt us in the past and we can't afford to limit who we would consider because of some arbitrary school tie this go around.

Which brings us to today: Frost has given Nebraska an opportunity they haven't had since Bill Jennings. They can fire a coach with prior Nebraska ties because of losing records. And not just one bad season, but Frost is likely to deliver a portfolio with four straight. Pedersen and Perlman wish they had this situation with Solich and Pelini. Players might still be mad, and some in the fanbase might be butthurt about it, but Turd has all he needs to justify the firing.

The one other thing that needs to be done is a coaching search that hopefully already has feelers out, even if Frost isn't yet fired. If it happens and Turd announces it, I hope he already has done his backdoor deals and he has his guy or has it down to like two guys that have been vetted, feel like good fits, and have some prior success that makes them feel qualified for the job.

It's still not a guarantee whoever that is will work out. #2ndChoice, Campbell, Aranda, or O'Brien aren't a 100% guarantee to work either. But there's an opportunity here for this to be the most put together and thorough coaching search Nebraska has done since Devaney if they play their cards right. At this point, we've tried everything, and Frost's debacles has blessed us with a plot of scorched earth to completely rebuild the foundation however we feel fit for the first time since the 60s.

 

[Turn Down for What]

Probably that there is like 10-15 coaches in the country who can sustain success at a level Nebraska wants and 80% of them are employed by places we can't hire from.

Baylor coach.

 

[Driveway Jordan]

Callahan - Fired from the NFL
Bo - No HC experience
Riley - Career .500 coach, poor culture fit
Frost - 2 years of HC experience at G5 school.

No national search was conducted for any of them. Callahan search was a clusterfvck. TO only interviews Bo, Gill, and Grobe. Eichorst only interviews Riley. Moos didnt even interview Frost.

What's a good model for a coaching search? Auburn last year. There was a lot of internal political b.s., just like we have here, and they wanted "their" candidate selected. Instead, their AD formed a search committee of alums and outsiders and ended up with a great hire in Bryan Harsin. It worked out for them.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Baylor coach.

He has indicators that suggest he might be able to, but the random component is a bitch

 

[Bootleg11]

Callahan - Fired from the NFL
Bo - No HC experience
Riley - Career .500 coach, poor culture fit
Frost - 2 years of HC experience at G5 school.

No national search was conducted for any of them. Callahan search was a clusterfvck. TO only interviews Bo, Gill, and Grobe. Eichorst only interviews Riley. Moos didnt even interview Frost.

What's a good model for a coaching search? Auburn last year. There was a lot of internal political b.s., just like we have here, and they wanted "their" candidate selected. Instead, their AD formed a search committee of alums and outsiders and ended up with a great hire in Bryan Harsin. It worked out for them.

Harsin's work he's done this year makes you hesitant on a guy like Gus Malzahn. Bo Nix looks like an actual competent QB now.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Harsin's work he's done this year makes you hesitant on a guy like Gus Malzahn. Bo Nix looks like an actual competent QB now.

Taking a retread like Herman or Malzahn has to have a really fucking compelling answer to "why will it be different at Nebraska?" a place with less access to talent than their previous stops.

 

[JankTheTank]

Harsin's work he's done this year makes you hesitant on a guy like Gus Malzahn. Bo Nix looks like an actual competent QB now.

Malzahn going 5-3 so far at a program that has made its last two HCs look like world beaters is a big red flag to me. I thought he'd be a home run there and was one I was watching to see how he did this year. His stock has definitely gone down.

 

[Bootleg11]

Malzahn going 5-3 so far at a program that has made its last two HCs look like world beaters is a big red flag to me. I thought he'd be a home run there and was one I was watching to see how he did this year. His stock has definitely gone down.

Yeah that QB going down killed them though. But I see what you're saying

 

[dsbigred1]

To this point, I really think we need an upgrade in the sports psychology department. Seems kind of silly to blame it on this but we've honestly seemed mentally weak ever since Jack Stark left.


Also, we are cursed.

Yes, you can see short bursts of good, clean football, but it is never sustained, and that is separating NU from the team's that are beating them. Even the average teams are still maintaining a higher level of focus, which is a contributing factor in the losses.

 

[Red Finger]

Callahan - Fired from the NFL
Bo - No HC experience
Riley - Career .500 coach, poor culture fit
Frost - 2 years of HC experience at G5 school.

No national search was conducted for any of them. Callahan search was a clusterfvck. TO only interviews Bo, Gill, and Grobe. Eichorst only interviews Riley. Moos didnt even interview Frost.

The administration has been botching it for years...well decades now. 🙄 The internal bickering, in-fighting, TO & the tradition coalition throwing their weight around. Internally it's been a mess for a long time. At a minimum not everyone has been on the same page. I know there were regents that had a say in hires, or even say in wither frost should stay or go These regents don't know jack shit about football....I mean cooooooome on.

 

[Red Finger]

Harsin's work he's done this year makes you hesitant on a guy like Gus Malzahn. Bo Nix looks like an actual competent QB now.

I have zero interest in Malzahn. I don't see why people are interested in him being here. We don't need someone who's failed already at the power 5 level.

 

[Alcaus]

Coaching carousel season will be wild.

LSU & USC are open. Who are they going to grab?

James Franklin going to USC? Add PSU to the list. Mel Tucker going to LSU? Add MSU to the list. Does #2ndChoice head to PSU or MSU? Does LSU snag Kiffin from Miss? Do FSU and VTech make moves on their head coaches? Does Narduzzi head to MSU? Does Mullen bounce on Florida?

Where does Nebraska stack up in the conversation? My gut tells me we're in the range right after PSU but maybe not with an easier road to the B1G championship.

1.) USC
2a.) LSU
2b.) FL
3.) FSU
4.) PSU
NEBRASKA
5a.) VTech
5b.) MSU
6.) Pitt

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Coaching carousel season will be wild.

LSU & USC are open. Who are they going to grab?

James Franklin going to USC? Add PSU to the list. Mel Tucker going to LSU? Add MSU to the list. Does #2ndChoice head to PSU or MSU? Does LSU snag Kiffin from Miss? Do FSU and VTech make moves on their head coaches? Does Narduzzi head to MSU? Does Mullen bounce on Florida?

Where does Nebraska stack up in the conversation? My gut tells me we're in the range right after PSU but maybe not with an easier road to the B1G championship.

1.) USC
2a.) LSU
2b.) FL
3.) FSU
4.) PSU
NEBRASKA
5a.) VTech
5b.) MSU
6.) Pitt

That seems like roughly the right order. But Nebraska will move up in it if, for instance, LSU hires Mel Tucker

 

[Bootleg11]

The internal bickering, in-fighting, TO & the tradition coalition throwing their weight around. Internally it's been a mess for a long time. At a minimum not everyone has been on the same page. I know there were regents that had a say in hires, or even say in wither frost should stay or go These regents don't know jack shit about football

I would classify this as a non coaching issue. So how is this fixed?

 

[Alcaus]

That seems like roughly the right order. But Nebraska will move up in it if, for instance, LSU hires Mel Tucker

Yep, these are just how I'd rank potential openings. Still think Nebraska could make the argument that it's an easier job than PSU despite the recruiting disadvantage.

If USC goes another route like an Urban or Peterson that just increases the talent pool to choose from.

Where would Ole Miss stack up in that list?

 

[Baron Winnebago]

I would classify this as a non coaching issue. So how is this fixed?

It's hard for me to believe that the nebulous traditional coalition didn't have the power to spike the Mike Riley hire

 

[Fargo Husker]

Cursed

 

[Skerz4Life50]

Just hire Bill Busch...

• 20 years of P5 coaching experience
• One hell of a recruiter and works his ass off
• Has been Special Teams Coordinator at multiple places so he has experience managing basically all players of a team (listening to Will Compton on Bussin' and he was talking about how the Special Teams Coordinators in the NFL are some of the best and most loved coaches because they work with the entire team)
• Has no ties to any coaches, but has been around lots of places and lots of great coaches, so he can go out and pick the best possible staff
• Loves Nebraska/Lincoln
• Knows the current players
• Could pay him pretty cheap and spend more on the coaching staff

This is all a joke, but he wouldn't turn us down!

 

[Cash68847]

Just hire Bill Busch...

• 20 years of P5 coaching experience
• One hell of a recruiter and works his ass off
• Has been Special Teams Coordinator at multiple places so he has experience managing basically all players of a team (listening to Will Compton on Bussin' and he was talking about how the Special Teams Coordinators in the NFL are some of the best and most loved coaches because they work with the entire team)
• Has no ties to any coaches, but has been around lots of places and lots of great coaches, so he can go out and pick the best possible staff
• Loves Nebraska/Lincoln
• Knows the current players
• Could pay him pretty cheap and spend more on the coaching staff

This is all a joke, but he wouldn't turn us down!

In that case hire Kevin Steele and have him bring in elite assistants. We know the recruiting would be good with him.