One season in... Charlie Strong has put Louisville back on track. Going 6-6 and becoming Bowl Eligible, which is not that big of a deal considering there are 53 bowls. None the less, the Bowl Eligibility tag is what measures your success, perhaps the most, in D1 college football, and he got Louisville back to a bowl, TBD.Strong was the type of guy who was always on the radar for consideration for head coaching jobs, but his status at Florida as assistant head coach, made it hard for just any job to be acceptable for him. He had the luxury of waiting on what would be his best case scenario for his first solo act. Louisville really made a great hire when they selected Strong, and many other programs kind of kicked themselves when they realized that perhaps Strong was the direction that had should have went.
Now, he is back on the radar....And Miami apparently is entertaining the thought of upgrading from tropical storm, and back to a Hurricane.... And they look as if they want it to be a very STRONG storm to blow into Coral Gables.
On the same token, without really knowing how much is going on with negotaiations and various forms of feeling each other out, what can Louisville do ? I'd start to kiss his ass and offer some perks and luxuries, and money. Hell, give him a cut of the Papa John's empire, because if Louisville loses Strong now, they are truly screwed. But is this going to happen?
I don't think that anybody would ever confuse Louisville as destination job. It is not a goal to reach unless you are an alum perhaps. I don't think Charlie Strong said to himself that 'I have finally made IT!' when he accepted to position, good start, but it's a stepping stone and a launching pad. It's a learning experience.
The U of today, however, is not too much better. Higher expectations, in the middle of a football nirvana, but let's face it, this is not 1989, and The Canes are not that program anymore. So, it's not like Strong, or anybody else for that matter should look at this as a huge step forward. It's just a skip. Don't get me wrong I love the U, but they are not The U.
Randy Shannon got canned after going 7-5, and there were expectations of BCS glory this season. So I don't think it has as much to do with Shannon's failure as a coach as it does with Miami's somewhat over-inflated expectations, but that is the nature of the beast.
My personal thought is you eliminate the warmer weather, the posh polo games with Ralph Lauren in a Miami socialite club, and the chance to get out of the same town as a fine family man like Richard P, then you get a more concise picture. Fact of the matter is, this state no matter the institution is a Basketball State. Charlie Strong has the unique oppurtunity to over-achieve and have a longer, more secure route to go about it than if he was in Florida. I think he stays put, but not because he wants to make Louisville a power(which wouldn't be too hard in the Big East), but because he would want longer than a year to build on his body of work and to get into a better job than even Miami. He won't go. Rest easy tonight Dirty Birds.
Besides, Jon Gruden is going to be the new coach at Miami.
3 comments:
Not big fan of the U.....but it is still one of the top 5-10 jobs in the country.
dont think gruden takes a job outside the nfl
it wasn't that long ago when the U was playing for natl championships.
strong would be a great hire for the hurricanes. the cards is a stepping stone job and the U is a destination job. seems like a no brainer for me.
Where is this Charlie Strong stuff coming from? He took a 4-8 Louisville team who returned 12 starters and went 6-6, hardly anything that suggest he is one of the best coaching minds in the NCAA. Sure Charlie Strong could develop into a really good coach but with only one season as a head coach under his belt I can't see a Program like Miami who fired a coach who went 7-5 reaching out to him.
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