UPDATE -N: Bumped. Kelly Bruin posted this on December 19, 2007 at 9:50 am EDT. Some folks dismissed it as crazy talk. But now KB looks like a prophet. Coach Neuheisel deserves massive credit. But don't forget Athletic Dan Guerrero. In some ways CRN is carrying out his vision as well. GO BRUINS.

Is it possible that DG and Neuheisel have shared the same vision for some time, and rather than hire Neu for the HC position and then begin a slow process of building the assistant pool, Guerrero has the freedom and is assembling the dream team to be hired all in one shot?

Think of this:

1.  Chow not the personality for HC nor the long term guy UCLA needs yet an interview happened, and rumors of offers already made exist and yet he's not meeting with Chancellor for 2nd interview
   
2.  John Harbaugh (NFL assistants coach)  Who is this guy?  Why would we be interviewing?  Certainly not someone a candidate for HC, but perhaps a good assistant that Neu recommended?
   
3.  Walker not interviewed a second time, but remaining a loyal and invested DC?
   
4.  Recently, UCLA has taken real good care, and had a focus on assistant coaches, a philosophy DG created.  UCLA assistants as a group are 1st or 2nd best paid in Pac 10 (1 team doesn't report).
   
5.  UCLA has a top 5 recruiting class it doesn't want to lose, and wants to give recruits a vision that the future is now.  A vision that doesn't depend on whether one coach stays or goes.

Could a Neuheisel/Chow/Walker dream team be assembling this week?  Now that would scare the living daylights out of $C and shut the TrOJan reporters like Simers up for good.

John Kelly (MBA 98)