OK, folks, we are now 8 days removed from Dorrell's release. We've all heard talk of interviews this week for the Better-than-Last-Time-Three (i.e. Chow, Leach and Mariucci, the "BLT3"), with Chow supposedly getting interviewed or offered yesterday, Leach allegedly coming in today, and Mariucci purportedly coming in tomorrow.
I have advocated and still do advocate patience by all of us with regard to the coaching search. No point in us panicking until we know something solid to panic about.
With that in mind, however, I have to say I respect what Georgia Tech did in their efforts to replace former coach Chan Gailey. According to GT's own fishwrap, ie, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GT underwent a systematic, methodical, but still expedited recruiting and interviewing process in only 11 days.
While their list of candidates doesn't really mesh with ours that much, it is interesting to see who they DID interview for the job:
Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips Connecticut coach Randy Edsall
Charlie Strong, Florida's co-defensive coordinator
Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher
Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta
Former Colorado and Washington coach Rick Neuheisel
Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden
Johnson, the coach at Navy
Georgia Tech interviewed two minority candidates, Strong and Phillips.
Only Johnson, who was hired on Friday, received a second interview.
In other words, their available pool of EIGHT candidates, in addition to eclipsing the Bob Field Three ("BF3") of Dorrell, Riley, and Robinson by sheer numbers, also surpassed the BF3 in terms of quality. Essentially, the GA Tech 8 ("GT8") was composed of:
(a) 2 Mid-Level Bowl Head Coaches (Johnson, Edsall).
(b) 1 Lower-Division Head Coach (Hatcher).
(c) 2 BCS Conference-level coordinators (Phillips (OC), Strong (co-DC)), both of whom were minority candidates.
(d) 1 one of their current coordinators (Tenuta, DC).
(e) 2 former Div. I Head Coaches (Bowden and Neuheisel).
Granted, not necessarily all the same guys WE would want, but a fairly good mix of experience, with nods to local ties and national names.
Now the basic timeline (with bracketed info added by me) reads like this:
[DAY 3]Thursday, Nov. 29: The Georgia Tech search committee, which consists of Radakovich, associate athletics director Wayne Hogan and Dan Parker of the Parker Executive Search Firm, begins its interviews. At the Westin Hotel near Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport, the committee meets with Phillips and Edsall.
So, before the week is out, GT was meeting with a coach prepping for a bowl and another OC. Fast work.
Whoa... huh? FIVE guys. TWO days of interviews. Not freaking bad.
Because, apparently, in the Southeast U.S., the Sabbath is a day of rest AND of football. Who knew?
Back to efficient, shuttle-them-in-and-out-of-the-conference-room interviews, with arguably the 3 biggest names on the list... less than one week after Gailey's termination.
So, on OUR Day ZERO (i.e. KD's release), a BN favorite is already getting at least his SECOND sit-down with another school.
OK, so it's clear that GA Tech is at least publicly going for prior HC-experience, as we would all hope UCLA will do. In any event, Johnson is by this point on his THIRD interview. Dude gets around.
NINE days. THREE offers. Meanwhile, the smoke is still clearing in the Morgan Center.
ELEVEN DAYS. Not even a fortnight, folks. Eleven days.
I freely acknowledge that we have different concerns than GA Tech. We're looking at different names. We have different standards. Fine.
Nevertheless, I hope DG is simply playing things REALLY close to the vest, and that the reason we haven't heard much about bigger names and salary offers is not because of any lack of urgency, or lack of resources, but rather due to a good old-fashioned lack of LEAKS.
Until I hear concrete news otherwise, I will have faith that DG will get us, not a FIRST-TIME head coach, not an ABOUT-TIME head coach, not a MARKING-TIME head coach, but A GOOD HEAD COACH in place by Day 21 of the Post-KD Era.
What a present that would be for the Bruins Nation... just in time for Christmas.
M