Urban Meyer's Smoke Signal: Will UCLA Answer?
by Bellerophon on Nov 16, 2011 2:12 PM PST
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PrintInteresting tidbit of news coming from the fellows at the Big Lead. First, they reminds us that the news is that one of the, if not the, most coveted available football coach, Urban Meyer (who I have been openly hoping and praying ends up in Westwood), met with Arizona's AD about the vacancy in Tucson. And then they remind folks that Arizona is a nice gig, but it's not one of the better jobs out there, but guess which school got included in that list?
So before any Arizona fans go thinking Urban Meyer was in play for the Wildcats, this seems to be a case of two guys just helping each other out.
Do I think this Byrne/Meyer news leaking out – if you’ve followed Thamel’s reporting, it’s obvious he’s friendly with Meyer – is beneficial to both parties? Absolutely. Byrne is trying to replace Mike Stoops. Arizona is a good, but not a great job opening, and with schools like UCLA, Ohio State, North Carolina and Penn State all (likely) looking for a coach, Arizona would have to wait for some dominoes to fall before getting their man.
This is no surprise as it's become clear that Mike Leach (who has a contingent of support here on BN) would prefer Westwood to Arizona, but won't be able to wait forever if Arizona comes knocking. In other words, we should be able to put ourselves in play for a top tier head coach and not have to settle for another bargain basement Donahue sycophant.
But here's the best part:
The leak officially puts out the word that he’s in play for a job, even though it had been rumored since the day he quit. It might as well have been a smoke signal to UCLA, Penn State or anyone else that wants to make a play for Meyer: It’s mid-November … you’ve got 7-8 weeks to decide what you want to offer me. It makes Meyer’s exquisitely-worded denials in recent weeks all the more laughable.
While we've had our disagreements with the Big Lead guys before, this all but confirms what we at BN have been hearing from various places. Urban is definitely putting the feelers out there.
UCLA, with all of the money that is coming in (which has been chronicled extensively on BN), has the revenue to make a serious play for a top tier football coach like Urban Meyer.
And to be frank, it's a great fit for him: great recruiting ground, reasonable expectations (i.e. it's not BCS title or bust every year like at most SEC schools), a top tier baseball program with one of the best coaches in the nation (a rumored consideration for Urban, as his son is looking for a baseball program), and a top-notch medical facility should Urban's health become a concern for him.
It's time to make a serious move. What's the worse that could happen? He says no?
That being said, I'm sure Dan Guerrero and his cadre of morons at Morgan Center are too stale, boring, and timid to make a bold move like offering Meyer at least $4.5 million per year. All the more reason we need wholesale regime change in Westwood, starting with Guerrero.
GO BRUINS
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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You get what you pay for
I’m thinking of turning this into a fanshot, but USA Today updated their college football coach salary database today.
By my count, Rick Neuheisel is the 50th highest-paid coach among 59 BCS schools listed (private schools don’t have to release salary numbers — it’s a safe bet that at least Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin make more than CRN).
It’s even worse when, as we all know, living in LA is much more expensive than living in most of the country.
Our athletic department’s cheap ways must come to an end.
Done
http://www.bruinsnation.com/2011/11/16/2567371/dan-guerreros-cheapness-on-display-for-all-to-see
Feel free to delete this and my previous comment to reduce redundancy.
I still don't buy the argument that LA is that much more expensive.
Than other locations. It might be when you only make 60k and your living expense is therefore a much larger portion of your income. But not when you are making millions a year. Living expenses in LA have certainly not increased at a rate equal to the increase in coaches salaries and the economy has made homes that much more affordable in LA. Most LA home prices have gone down almost 50%, much worse than the rest of the country.
In any even, you can get a VERY nice home ANYWHERE in LA, even say a hundreed feet or so from the sand for $1.5 to $2.5 million with say 5k Sq. Feet or so.
By the Math:
A $2.5 million Home with 20% down (which UCLA could help with) Would be a loan of $2 million
P&I = $10,585/mo.
Taxes= 2,604
Ins.= 400
-————————————
Total= $13,589/mo.
Now that would buy you a LOT of house. This isn’t Manhattan afterall. So say in a smaller market like the South, you payment is half that. Living in LA will only really cost you about $100k more a year. Which is Tax Deductible anyway. So, $100k more a year, TOPS, not really that much when you make $2-3 million a year.
Ben Howland paid $1.675 million for his home in Bel Air in 2003 and it’s probably worth about $1.4 million now. He put almost $1.2 million down, but you get the idea.
by BruinFaithful on Nov 16, 2011 10:50 PM PST up reply actions
Actually, I don't think we have.
Has anyone done a worse coaching job than Neuheisel over the past 4 years? Perhaps Paul Wulff. He’s paid as the 50th best, and he couldn’t even perform to that low level.
I’m with Bellerophon. We should make Urban Meyer an offer he won’t refuse, but having seen several football and basketball coaching searches play out at UCLA, I’m not optimistic.
Surprise me, Dan (or better yet, Gene).
by GoldenGate93 on Nov 16, 2011 11:23 PM PST up reply actions
If UCLA has not sent out feelers and having discussions with Meyer
… well I don’t really know what to say.
criminal negligence
given his salary
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Meyer is CERATAINLY Talented and I love him.
However, I don’t know if he would be a good hire at any price, considering his health condition and the prospect of him retiring in 6 mos. to 2 years because of his health or God forbid even dying. It has been reported that he has anywhere from a serious Heart Condition to a Brain Cyst.
by BruinFaithful on Nov 16, 2011 11:06 PM PST up reply actions
His health condition was STRESS
You can expect the stress of coaching in the SEC with their type of fans who expect a BCS Championship every year. Not to mention all the hype around Tebow and it probably becomes too much for a guy to handle.
Compared to the most rabid SEC fans
BN is Ghandi.
Meyer certainly will not face the same heat from UCLA fans that he did in Florida.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
UCLA MUST offer Urban
This has been stated ad nauseum on BN, but if UCLA wants to be a serious contender in college football, we have to at least make an offer to Meyer. I’m sure tOSU, Penn State, and even Zona will release some sort of statement that Meyer is among their list of candidates. Will UCLA respond in kind? God, I sure hope so.
UCLA’s list (whenever that gets created) should include, at a minimum, the following 4 names:
1. Urban Meyer
2. Mike Leach
3. Chris Petersen
4. Gary Patterson
At least approach them and make a reasonable offer. If they decline, then move on. But we MUST at least approach these four.
by Kerckhoff405 on Nov 16, 2011 2:33 PM PST reply actions 9 recs
Spot on
You can’t just say, “well, these guys are way too big time, they won’t want to come here” because that’s a fucking loser’s mindset.
Which is exactly why I fear we won’t even talk to these four guys: because Dan and his goon squad are cowardly, head-in-the-sand, play-not-to-lose chumps.
Not to mention they probably fear being unmasked as complete charlatans
Any Coach with a good track record would come in and spot it right away, and most likely call them on it.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Which is why Leach, in particular
Is such a long shot.
by Scotucla03 on Nov 16, 2011 4:49 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Leach is the real deal
He won more games in his 10 years at Texas Tech with the 38th average recruiting classes than 15 of the top 25 recruiting schools & 13 of the 15 between 11-25. Imagine what he could do with the top 20 classes that UCLA signs every year.
2011 Season - No excuses. Just win!
Dan Guerrero doesn't want to hire someone who is...
…smarter than he is. That limits the field significantly.
by Seth Chandler on Nov 16, 2011 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
Rocky Seto?
Relax. It’s a joke. In fact, I feel Seto sort of got the bum’s rush here, especially after witnessing our almost nonexistent defense this year. Could he have been worse?
Bums Rush?
The main issue against him was that he was the right hand man to the most corrupt coach in college football; his main qualification was his closeness to cheaty — because Seto had no real coaching experiene — and with that closeness he lost his ability to deny knowledge of what was going on in that program.
The Seto event made clear to many of us that both rn and dg should go.
I do not look back wistfully at the Seto candidacy. I look back wondering how a chancellor could not have seen the signs of disaster and done something.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Nov 16, 2011 11:06 PM PST up reply actions
I get your point, 66.
But I don’t assume underlings to really bad, domineering bosses are bad themselves as they are not in charge. Seto seemed genuinely happy when he proudly tweeted his UCLA hire. He’s probably not anything like the caricature he became.
I can’t stand SUC, but I would be open to hiring a former Trogan coach under the right circumstances. My red flag would be up, certainly, but people need to be judged individually. I know that’s how you treat people every day. If you met Seto personally you may have judged him differently, too.
But it is fun to kick his name around jokingly, myself included.
PS.
I voted you to replace Blockhead as Chancellor, Mexi as AD and almost anybody but Neu to be head football coach, I mean IEangel.
I can dream can’t I?
The BN Dream Team.
Fox needs a position, too.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
I'm going to take people on tours of things for $5,000 each. That's a nice gig.
We’ll warm up with a tour of my garage for only $1,000.
I think we will have a tough pitch to make Patterson
He is pretty set now with TCU being in a BCS conference next year. For other three — timing is in favor of us.
Which conference gives him the better shot at a BCS bowl?
N, I agree with you that with TCU making the move to the Big 12, Patterson’s fate is all but sealed. But, I wonder if he would consider taking the UCLA job if it gives him a better shot of getting to a BCS game or the national championship game. Would he rather face Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (and maybe even Texas) each year with TCU-level talent. Or would he want the prospect of facing Oregon and Stanford with UCLA-level talent.
Stanford without Luck will be vulnerable in the coming years, and no other Pac-12 team except Oregon would be a real threat to a BCS bid. And no offense to Baylor, but wouldn’t you rather stick it to $C every year in a rivalry game?
by Kerckhoff405 on Nov 17, 2011 2:26 PM PST up reply actions
Big 12 Stability?
TCU is not a strong enough program to control its own destiny in a Big 12 that includes piggy Texas.
If the conference ultimately implodes — TCU may be in a tough place when looking for a new home.
sjh
My issue with Patterson
is not so much about the conference or TCU, but the type of program he’s built.
He was basically provided his own fiefdom over TCU football and given free reins. He built that program as he saw fit. He won’t necessarily be able to do that here. UCLA is kind of a unique job. It’s not really a rebuilding effort (like UW), or a building up effort (like TCU was). It’s like, all the parts are here, all the instruments are here for a great concert, but we haven’t had the right conductor to make the good music.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
If I were Patterson and if I wanted the UCLA gig,
I would tell Guerrerror whatever he needs to have me tell him, then I would do whatever I wanted and dare him to fire me. Doughnut Dan will not take him on, because that makes waves, and Doughnut Dan is a “No Waves” guy.
To Learn About Patterson
There is an excellent article in the football edition of Texas Monthly.
He is a bright, intense guy who teaches strong dominant defense.
One sidelight — he yells and screams at his players. For those who don’t like RN for doing this, Patterson yells a lot more and louder. That does not bother me for either RN or Patterson — so long as his players like him, and Patterson’s really do.
sjh
No chance at Gary Patterson at all
The man presides over a program that is his fiefdom. His school will have BCS AQ status as of next year thanks to his good work. TCU is building a new stadium that presumably will be named after him in some manner in the future. Every recruit he needs to win big is within a 40-mile radius of his campus. There is NOTHING that UCLA could offer Gary Patterson short of $20 million/season that would even make him consider a feeler from us for more than a nanosecond.
The other three names mentioned would all be exemplary (and somewhat more realistic) candidates for our HC job.
Can't hurt to ask.
You don’t get a lady to dance with you by hoping she crosses the dance floor first.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
I'd wager that 10M/season would do it.
I see your point, but it’s a tad hyperbolic.
Formerly AllHailMightyBruins
Meyer way above the rest
All are clearly good coaches and would pump some life into our stale, depressing program.
However, in my mind anyway, Urban would be the only game changer from the moment we hired him. He will cost alot of money, which makes his hire less likely.
We could probably get Leach for a third of what it would cost to land Meyer, thus a much more likely outcome.
I really do love CRN. I love his Bruin blood, pedigree and enthusiasm. We are of the same graduating class and I cant tell you how much I wanted him to succeed in what is his dream job. But it has been a complete failure with absolutely no silver linings.
I find Leach to come across as a complete douchebag. I dont know what it is exactly. I see him interviewed and I think “This is going to be the face of our program?”
I am looking forward to being proven wrong (yet again as the wife would say). I really thought CRN would prove to be a good hire. If Leach is the guy, I look forward to becoming a fan…
by WestlakeVillage Bruin on Nov 17, 2011 8:55 AM PST up reply actions
Totally disagree
About Leach. i listen to him on the radio everyday and he is a breath of fresh air. I’m not sure what “comes across as a complete douchbag” is supposed to mean.
He does have an Arsbergers like propensity for saying exactly what is on his mind at any given moment
He doesn’t suffer fools gladly. But once you get used to it it really is a breath of fresh air. He will not kiss rich donors’ asses.
2011 Season - No excuses. Just win!
Don't forget
Sumlin at Houston. That’s the best looking offense outside oregon that I’ve seen. He would be a lot more affordable and possibly durable than Meyer.
That offense
nearly lost to a terrible UCLA defense. Playing against divisional chumps, it looks great.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
by tasser10 on Nov 18, 2011 12:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Dream on
I honestly don’t think Dan Guerrero is going to fork the cash or contract to Urban Meyer. As a matter of fact, Dan is expecting Urban to beg HIM for the job.
Just because I am a bean and cheese burrito...
it doesn’t mean that everything that I say is hot air.
i hear things from the administrative side of pro and college sports. they laugh at ucla’s situation.
urban is on the table. it is a fact. you make him a deal that he can’t refuse. $6M/year for the 1st 3 years and $7M/year for the last 3 years.
coffee is for closers… guerrero better stick to the juice boxes.
by beanandcheeseburrito on Nov 16, 2011 3:11 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
With the Penn State horror-scandal and OSU on the chopping block for scholarship reductions
I actually think for the first time Urban is becoming plausible timing-wise. At first, with all the open talk about Urban wanting to take over at Penn State, plus OSU being open, I thought our timing would doomed a la Roy Williams and the UNC job. But if the scholarship probation scares him off of OSU and PSU is as off-limits as it would seem…there isn’t a better job out there. (Unless Texas decides to dump Mack Brown — another rumor.)
I’d be extremely happy with either Urban or CP or Leach. I guess Guerrero won’t touch Leach because of his butt-buddies but there is no excuse not to go all out for the first two.
absolutely agree +1
given the issues at Penn State and Ohio State… UCLA is the best coaching opportunity in college football at season’s end. this, of course, assumes that nothing dramatic happens and that we do the right thing and relieve Neuheisel of his responsibilities.
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Nov 16, 2011 4:06 PM PST up reply actions
Agree
I didn’t think we had a chance at Urban, but with OSU and Penn State troubles…yeah we do. Plus even if he came in and won the Pac-12 we would annoint him a saint.
The best hope is that we hire a new AD (and the sooner the better, or it won’t matter) and that new AD wants to make a big splash.
Fingers crossed.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
If we had a new AD at the end of the season
I would be so much less worried about this.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
Yeah, but how long is the hiring search for a new AD?
If he gets fired at the end of the season, then it takes 2-3 months, then he has to hire a new coach, will anyone be left?
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
A chance to spank Lane Kiffin every year?
I’m sure he’d LOVE to do that annually.
by TheStick on Nov 16, 2011 4:30 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
If there was any real good reason to come to UCLA
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2010-01-13-lane-kiffin_N.htm
It would be to teach Lane how to handle a real rivalry. Meyer’s greatest challenge is to turn a dead rivalry into a lively one… After Kitten’s lame attempt to make a rivalry out of UT and Florida, it can be Meyer’s chance to pick on him and show him how it’s really done. Take a crap squad like we have right now, and stop the Turdjan streak. Gee Lame, are you gonna accuse Meyer of recruiting violations now? haha
FIRE RICK NEUHEISEL!!! NO MERCY!!!
FIRE DUMB GUERRERO!!! NO MERCY!!!
+1
That might be our biggest carrot for Meyer. How badly do you want to wipe that stupid freakin look off of Kiffin’s face? UCLA gives him the means to do so…
by WestlakeVillage Bruin on Nov 17, 2011 9:04 AM PST up reply actions
Academic Requirements
I remember Dan Patrick once saying that Urban Meyer wanted the Notre Dame job (before he became Florida’s HC), but they wouldn’t allow their academic standards to be less stringent for incoming freshmen and it turned him off. Apparently, he wanted exceptions for one or two players a year but they said no, and that was that. I wonder if it’ll play a role here too.
by LavinRuinedCollege on Nov 16, 2011 4:32 PM PST reply actions
Seems like we already do
We manage to get a couple of questionable kids every year. The important thing is figuring out which ones that don’t have the excellent grades have a good chance to make it at UCLA.
Definately wasnt a problem at Florida
He didnt even have to ask for exceptions….
by WestlakeVillage Bruin on Nov 17, 2011 9:05 AM PST up reply actions
There is no way Guerrero will ever be fired short of him pulling "a Sandusky"
UCLA is the most paranoid PR sensitive place on the planet, and I include Cal as being on this planet.
There is no way UCLA ever would want the optics of an old white guy (Block) firing a Latino. UCLA needs to show that it has people of color in its higher administrative positions. So short of an Native American dean of the Medical School, the Latino AD will have to do and there is no way they will ever get rid of him. We can wish for it, but it won’t happen.
Powder to the People
Not that it matters
but the current dean of the medical school, Dr. Washington, is black. I really hope this isn’t an issue on Chancellor Block’s mind if he ever gets around to realizing that Dan sucks. The repeated failure of football hires, the student seating at Pauley fiasco, along with the soon to be named “Carls Jr. Pauley Pavillion Center Arena for More Donations PLZZ” should be adequate cause to move ahead and get a new AD.
Your race shouldn't give you a free pass
If you suck at your job, I dont care if you’re mexican, black, white or purple, you should be fired.
I don’t think it would look that bad. Its not like our teams are very good at the moment. If anything the media would see it as UCLA finally getting serious about major athletics.
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 16, 2011 6:59 PM PST up reply actions
On Behalf of the Latino Fan Base
I Approve of Dan Guerrero being FIRED!!!
Not so sure about that
That was also trotted out as a reason they would never fire Dorrell. Yet they did, and as Rick himself would probably agree, they don’t much “whiter” than Neuheisel.
On the other hand, any school have a top notch latino AD we could hire?
that's bs
plus what’s embarrassing is getting killed every time you’re on national TV and having the whole college football world regard you as a laughing stock.
"A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I'm still doing it." Miles Davis
by milesdavis93 on Nov 16, 2011 9:18 PM PST up reply actions
From Official UCLA Website: Reeves Nelson Reinstated To UCLA Basketball Team
Nelson will return to practice on Thursday, Nov. 17
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
Interesting that the article says they will return to practice on Thursday...
From what I have seen, I would love to see what they have been practicing…
I would love to resume the 240 mile roundtrip to the Rose Bowl if
I thought the school gave a damn…I gave y season tix up after the KD disaster and took a wait and see attitude with RN. When I attended football games during the RN tenure I bought my tickets on Stub Hub so as not to give the administration my money. After last year’s CAl debacle, for the first time in almost 40 years I did not renew my alumni membership. This year is the first year in over 40 years I did not attend a single football game. Unless a miracle occurs, I will for the first time mail my one remaining basketball game tickets to DG with the appropriate thank you note. Let me reiterate, I would love to resume my support, but that requires the administration proving to ME that it is worth my while. Unless the list of coaches discussed in this article are at least approached, I will not accept any inference that the administration cares…
Ironically
The apathy surrounding the football program (generally speaking, not here on BN) could be interpreted as a plus for Urban Meyer, considering he retired from his dream job at Florida due to health concerns attributed to the pressure of being a perennial national title contender. Meyer could resurrect a proud UCLA program without sacrificing his health in the process. Why would anyone want to be the guy who replaced JoePa in Happy Valley, especially considering the circumstances? Ohio State is still in danger of further NCAA sanctions. The UNC job means having to recruit against his old SEC rivals.
If UCLA can pony up enough money, and I don’t think Meyer is looking for the best monetary offer, just the best opportunity, then landing him is a possibility. At this point, I’m not looking for the next Donahue who’ll stay for 20 years. I’ll take a coach who’ll bring us back to national relevance, and leave the program in a much better state than when he got it.
In my fantasy world Urban Meyer has been approached and given the job...
to be announced following the SUC game. Of course, in reality, this would probably violate bureucratic hiring procedures/ regulations….Oh, what the heck, I can dream (since reality bites)…
Neuheisel (Night) and Meyer (Day)
Reading this article (albeit old) was such a refreshing departure from the undisciplined practices and lack of focus coming out of our players:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070108/SPORTS/70108005?p=all&tc=pgall
come on now
you guys really think urban meyer would be better than crn?!
by captainqtp on Nov 16, 2011 7:19 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Three wealthy and influential alumni
just told me Guerrero’s already signed Rocky Seto.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
Word on the street
Is Pete Carroll wants to get out of the NFL game, and Guerrero has made overtures.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
Sadly
I guarantee you there are Bruin fans out there who would like that…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Yes, there are
I’ve seen them on other forums and it makes me sick.
You were, we were, they were not
As in, what you and we think is a joke is viewed as a serious option by those other guys. Pathetic.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I don't even know what to say
if people actually think that.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
guerrero
I’m sure he built up a lot of goodwill during the final four runs, but after being 3 years removed from those teams and more than a decade of incompetent football embarrasment, how many supporters could he have left. How is he so entrenched in the system that we don’t even hear whispers of his seat being warm. we must pull the plug on his regime.
by Strathmore&Gayley on Nov 16, 2011 8:02 PM PST reply actions
Fear and Hope
The fear: Blockhead will conclude the lesson of Penn State is that his disdain for football is insufficient. Improving it would be criminally dangerous. Athletics already taint the university. The answer is to let football tread water with the occasional good college try, a miracle win over SUC, is good enough. We’ll always have ASU 2011. Neu stays one more year or we hire Terry Donahue/Bob Field/Ed Kazarian.
The hope: Jeff Fisher. Takes a toe jam to beat one. Plus he’s a good guy IMO.
Jay Schroeder and Freeman McNeil think he's a good guy, too.
But as for me, I’ll take a non-trogan and a non-NFL guy. NFL guys think punting is winning.
Schroeder & McNeil SHOULD Like Him....
After all, it was Fisher who tipped Schroeder’s pass right to #24 for the winning TD against USC in 1980. Will NEVER forget that as I hyperventilated after the game was over.
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Nov 17, 2011 4:36 AM PST up reply actions
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