Whitlock makes some very excellent points about Gill not being the right "fit" (and I know that word has been used to death lately, but it's the one he uses in the article).
Read the whole thing, especially the end about college football still waiting to find its version of John Thompson, but here's a blip about Auburn:
Turner Gill, the black head football coach at Buffalo, is one of the most promising coaches in the game. He has a chance to be a superstar. Auburn wasn't the right "fit" for Gill.
That word — "fit" — is frustrating to people outside the college football world. They don't understand the uniqueness of each college football environment.
They think college football isn't much different from the NFL, where the teams are all generally located in major cities, recruiting is a nonfactor, the style of play is pretty uniform and kissing the rear of a wealthy booster means lunch with Jerry Jones.
Head-coaching diversity is easier to achieve in the NFL because the clubs operate in diverse communities and the playing field is level. The "fit" in the NFL is all the same. It's a two-question test: 1. Can you be a consistent leader of young men? 2. Do you know the game?
There are far more variables in the collegiate game: 1. Can you connect with the high school coaches in the area? 2. Can you schmooze boosters? 3. Do you have the connections to put together a coaching staff appropriate for a particular conference or region? 4. Are you good at projecting and developing talent? 5. Do you have the discipline and passion to recruit?
The list is endless.
Turner Gill, a former quarterback at Nebraska and a native of Fort Worth, Texas, failed the fit test at Auburn, and that statement has nothing to do with his race. Gill likely would've destroyed a bright coaching future by winning the job at Auburn.
3 comments:
That was a really good editorial. I'm still not convinced that Chizik is the right guy--not based on desire or attitude, but simply on his record at Iowa State--but now I'm convinced that Gill Turner was not the right guy. I never did believe the decision was based on race. I think Jacobs uses a sort of gut/divine intervention decision making process. That is, it feels right so he prays on it to cement the decision. Only time will tell, of course.
That West Virginia game to start the season next year will be intriguing indeed.
Chizek had two years with his recruits. If he redshirted most of his first recruiting class, then he pretty much only had one year.
It takes a while for a coach to get 'his' recruits in college, and to implement his system.
Chizik was the right hire.
Great read by Jason Whitlock--I've always enjoyed his editorials. Maybe for the reasons Whitlock outlined Chizik was a good fit although even he points out someone who is the right fit can't get the job done (see Karl Dorrell). And like Gill, maybe Chizik should have waited for a job besides where he would've been more successful than Iowa State. Look at Urban Meyer. Bowling Green in the MAC, Utah in the MWC, then turned down Notre Dame to take the Florida job in the SEC. Even Franchione went New Mexico, TCU, then Bama and A&M. Those guys obviously had a process in place to work their way to the top.
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