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Coaching Candidates: Part II
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
12/15/2001
Top Dogs
1. Jon
Gruden - The current Oakland Raiders coach didn't exactly say to Notre Dame,
he said that at the time he only wanted to focus on the Raiders. That doesn't
mean he wouldn't come to Notre Dame after the season. Gruden is definitely the
fan favorite and his hiring would bring about a joyous day in Fighting Irish
history for every ND fan. Gruden is young, energetic, and is obsessed with winning.
He also has a love for Notre Dame back from when he played High School football
at Clay High School in South Bend. Add in the fact that his dad coached here
and that he has stated that watching Notre Dame on Saturdays gives him goosebumps
and all signs point to a very real interest in Notre Dame.
With his Raider's team showing an apparent weakness on defense in the past few weeks, the Raiders are no longer considered the favorite to go to the Super Bowl for the AFC. The Steelers with their power running game headed by ND Alum Jerome Bettis and there strong defense are now in the driver's seat. Oakland still has a very real chance of getting to the Super Bowl though and I would not bet against Gruden's Raiders. However, there is a greater chance now that the Raiders' season might be over sooner than expected just a few weeks ago.
Gruden is the one person who can come in and instantly breathe new life back into the program and get top recruits this year if he were to be named head coach before Signing Day. I point back to the statements of Tom Lemming that many recruits said that they would commit to Notre Dame if Gruden were hired without hearing directly from him.
2. Bob Stoops - I list Stoops only because he will probably get contacted again. The fans would love to see Stoops, but I really don't see Stoops leaving Oklahoma at this point. He turned that program around fast and has a chance to create his own dynasty at a school with a lot of history and tradition. He would be an excellent head coach at Notre Dame, but I simply do not see it happening.
3. Tom Coughlin - Some fans may not like the idea of Coughlin, but he is a great coach and can win big games (see '93 BC game). Coughlin is also a no nonsense kind of coach, like O'Leary. Notre Dame definitely could use someone who will step in and immediately install discipline back in the program. Coughlin is reportedly interested in the ND job as well according to ESPN. ESPN reported that he would indeed listen to offers from Notre Dame but will not contact the university on his own. If Notre Dame wants a proven winner who has won at a Catholic university with above average academic standards, Coughlin is the man. Why some fans don't like the idea of Coughlin is beyond me, but if the Irish can't get Gruden, they can't do much better than Tom Coughlin
Solid A List
Candidates
4. Barry Alvarez - Alvarez had the Shoegate scandal at Wisconsin which might
play a role in whether Notre Dame looks his direction, but Alvarez is another
coach who would win big at Notre Dame. Alvarez has won a national title at Notre
Dame as the defensive coordinator of '88 team. Alvarez's players love him and
his game coaching is among the best in the business. Watch any Wisconsin game
and the announcers will comment at least once about how well he does coaching
games from the sidelines. Alvarez has also done a good job recruiting and developing
talent. Alvarez stated at the beginning of the search last time that he wasn't
interested before Notre Dame officials could have even thought about asking
to talk to him. This time might be different as Kevin White will be determined
to make up for the mess that came out of his last coaching search.
5. Mike Belotti - Belotti also stated that he wasn't interested in the job last time, but again this time I think Notre Dame and Kevin White will be more willing to pay more money and will be determined to get who they want. This goes for all the candidates. Notre Dame has to make up for their mistakes which is why I think money will not be an issue at all for whoever gets the job. Belotti turned the Oregon program around. His knock has been that he hasn't be able to out recruit USC and UCLA for the prime time talent on the West Coast. That is true, but he also has a much harder time selling Oregon over the sunny California schools. He wins with less talent though which is, in my opinion, more impressive than being able to recruit top talent. Anyone can recruit top talent, Davie's classes were always rated very highly, but what did he do with that talent?
6. Mike Shanahan - This name is a new one to me, but I figured I'd throw him on here. ESPN.com lists him as a possible replacement. While I find this highly unlikely, the thought of it is intriguing. Shanahan is a great coach and has won two Super Bowls in Denver. We know that Al Davis won't have a say if Shanahan were to leave since Davis still owes Shanahan $600,000. The chances of Mike coming to South Bend are slim to none, but he would definitely be on my A list right now if I was Kevin White (that is if I had light to read my list if I was buried in the same cave White appears to be in).
8. Steve Mariucci - Another person who withdrew his name before he was contacted. Mariucci had moderate success at Cal in his one season there. He would also be great for recruiting. His 49ers team also showed that they are not on the level of the Rams yet which is why I don't think he will be leaving any time soon. Mariucci wants to win a Super Bowl and won't be leaving San Fran until he has that team in the Super Bowl and with the young talent there, they aren't too far away. I would love to see Mariucci roaming the sidelines of Notre Dame Stadium, but it might be a little far fetched.
9. Dennis Franchione - He moved from TCU to Alabama after taking TCU to the top 10, but with upcoming NCAA sanctions coming onto Alabama, he may be looking for a way out and he reportedly used to have an out clause in his contract for Notre Dame when at TCU so there definitely seems like there is interest there. Franchione would be a great grab for the Irish, he doesn't quite have the name recognition of Mariucci or Gruden, but if they can't lure an NFL guy to South Bend, Dennis is certainly at the top of the list among college candidates.
Best of the
Rest
10. Tom O'Brien - He has got a great Irish name, but will be met with the same
kind of reaction the last Irishmen was named head coach, mixed reviews. Some
people wouldn't mind seeing him at Notre Dame, but the majority of Irish fan
and alums would see his hiring as a sign of Notre Dame not getting the man they
wanted. Notre Dame needs someone with name recognition, something O'Bien doesn't
have. He knows how to beat Notre Dame, as he did this year, but he hasn't done
much against other top teams. His BC team gave Miami a nice scare and probably
should have won, but in the end it was just another loss. If Notre Dame goes
this route, look for even more dissent among the Irish Nation.
11. Tyrone Willingham - After requesting to speak with Ty last time around, Notre Dame never made contact. Vinny Cerrato stated he thinks there is no way Ty would take the job this time around because of what happened last time. Notre Dame fans were not thrilled when it appeared he was the leading candidate last time and wouldn't again this time. Willingham is fine coach and has done wonders at Stanford. Notre Dame certainly could do worse than Willingham, but the fact that the alum and fans don't want him and the fact that the Irish never contacted him last time will almost certainly make him becoming the next head coach highly, highly unlikely.
12. Nick Saban - His name has bee tossed around aftering winning the SEC Championship and going to a BCS Bowl. He left MSU after rebuilding them and getting them back on the national radar for LSU and more money so it is conceivable that he could do the same for Notre Dame. He is a great recruiter as well.