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Can't Go Wrong With the Usual Suspects
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
11/28/2001
Notre Dame, Ind (UHND) - When renting a movie you can't go wrong with the Usual Suspects, which is arguably one of the best movies ever. The same can be said for Notre Dame in their coaching search. As long as they go with one of the usual suspects (those who's names have been popping up lately) they can't go wrong. It may seem to be a little premature to list the coaching candidates since Bob Davie is still technically the head coach, but odds are strongly in favor of this weekend being his last game as Notre Dame head coach. As now of it is generally agreed that there is a greater chance for the Lions (at 0-10) to win the Super Bowl than for Davie to retain his job so here is a list of the most common names that have popped up.
1. Jon Gruden. Gruden has something no other candidate has, a website with a ringing endorsement for him to become the next head coach at Notre Dame (www.irishgruden.com). Gruden is the consensus number one choice on any message board you visit or any gathering of Notre Dame fans you can find. He is young, energetic, works long hours, and is the hottest commodity in coaching in some time. With his age he would be able to step in and make Notre Dame a long term project. Like Mike Brey with basketball it would be like a 10 year decision.
Gruden is a top my list as well. The thoughts of what he could do at Notre Dame with the talent they have and in recruiting is enough to get any Notre Dame fan excited. The problem is with Al Davis which has supposedly been cleared up. However the issue of when he would take over is still an issue. I can't, in any scenario, see him just packing up and leaving the Raiders, not with them on a Super Bowl run. That brings into question what would happen with recruiting. He could place some assistants in place to handle recruiting, but then the recruits will not have gotten to talk to the head coach at all. Its a difficult situation, but with the talent at Notre Dame, the recruits already committed, and those who are out there who still favor the Irish despite all the rumors, one down in recruiting might be worth it to get Gruden.
Notre Dame cannot go wrong with Gruden no matter when he comes. He is the kind of coach that could come in and make a legacy at Notre Dame and coach here for many years ala Joe Paterno at PSU, Spurrier at Florida, or Bowden at FSU. The only difference would be that the aforementioned coaches made their schools, Gruden would be resurrecting an old super power.
2. Tom Coughlin. Coughlin's name was all over the Internet two years ago when Davie was supposedly to be fire over the summer with Coughlin taking over. That never happened, but there is a real chance that Coughlin could be the next head coach. He is in a different situation with the Jaguars than Gruden is with the Raiders. Coughlin's team does not have the bright future that Gruden's does so it is in theory more plausible for him to pack up and leave. Will he do that is another question.
Coughlin took over a Boston College team that hadn't done much of anything since the Doug Flutie days and made them into a respectable program. He also beat a #1 team, on the road, at night, as a huge underdog (that's something Davie's never done - he is still trying to a get a road win against a ranked team at night let alone a #1 ranked team). Coughlin has a lot of recruiting experience and would install a no nonsense mentality in the players. Coughlin is a hard nosed player who teaches with discipline. His players respect him above all else though.
Some people may not like the idea of Coughlin coming to Notre Dame, but I would love it. I think he could easily win at Notre Dame right off the bat. Notre Dame would be a top 10 team in no time, possibly by the end of next year.
3. Steve Mariucci. Rumor has that Mariucci is second on Notre Dame's list and will be offered if Gruden declines. Mariucci is in a similar situation to that of Gruden. His team is 8-2. Mariucci has a lot more invested than Gruden though. Mariucci brought the 49ers back from salary cap hell and has them in a tie for first place in the NFC West with the Rams. He is doing this a QB that went ot San Jose State, who wasn't drafted despite calls from Bill Walsh to several NFL teams, and who spent a few years in the CFL. When Walsh returned to San Fran, he signed Jeff Garcia, and now Garcia is a MVP favorite. Mariucci's niners are also the youngest team on defense in the league.
Mariucci coached at Cal for a year after being an assistant under Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. He then went on to the coach 49ers. Despite the recent success, all is not well with Mariucci and the niners. Mariucci and star WR Terrell Owens have clashed a couple of times this year and their relationship is rocky at best. With the time Mariucci has invested in San Fran I would find it difficult to believe that he would leave the niners mid season, but there is a possibility he could come at the end of the season ala the Gruden situation I mentioned.
Mariucci would be a great recruiter for the Irish and as his team shows, he works well with young players. He is a perfect fit for the Irish and no Domer would be upset if Mariucci was the next head coach.
4. Barry Alvarez. There seems to be a dispute on the board over Alvarez. Some posters don't want him at all while others embrace the idea of him roaming the sidelines. Personally, I would have no problem at all if he were the next head coach.
Here are some facts about Alvarez... From 1993-2000, Wisconsin ranked 12th nationally in wining percentage (Notre Dame was tied for 18th during that span). He is one of only six coaches to win three Rose Bowls. His Wisconsin team is the only team to win 2 BCS Bowl games (Notre Dame is 0-1). He is 6-1 all time in bowl games (Davie is 0-3).
Alvarez has done wonders at Wisconsin. He resurrected a dismal Wisconsin program and turned them into a winner. This season his team had a down year, but every year when the recruiting rankings come out how often do you see Wisconsin at the top? How often do you hear about them landing the top recruit? Alvarez does a lot with less talent than a lot of other schools. I think he could be a great recruiter at Notre Dame since he has recruited at Notre Dame in the past and has much more to sell at ND than at Wisconsin. Notre Dame fans should warm up to the fact that Alvarez might be the next coach and they should be happy. Alvarez might not a charismatic as a Gruden or Mariucci, but he will produce results, and that is all that matters.
Other than these for some other names are Mike Bellotti of Oregon has come up but he is a west coast guy and I just don't see him as being at the top of the list. Tyrone Willingham is another name that has come up but he reminds me a lot of Davie. A new name that has come up recently is Joe Tiller from Purdue. Tiller is certainly the type of offensive mind Notre Dame needs and he has done a lot at Purdue in a short time. He remains a possibility. Other than theses there may be some names out there but no others that are valid at this time.
If Notre Dame gets either Gruden, Coughlin, Mariucci, or Alvarez I will be very happy. Any of the four could do a great job at Notre Dame both recruiting and coaching. When the new coach is revealed is not 100% sure yet since Davie is still the coach, but I bet that we will know before the football banquet. That's just my opinion anyway.