I've been watching this thing, and reading all of the reports, hot boards, etc. It's a fun, but it's really an exercise in futility right now.
First, Illinois must do something immediately about the AD situation. All of the Mike Thomas firing rumors are pretty ridiculous, but the school hasn't done anything to curtail it. And Thomas hasn't been in the public eye for a few weeks now. Get it done now. Either announce that the guy is secure, or replace him.
Once that is done, we can start looking at Bill Cubit's situation. For now, everyone is in the dark on what the future holds. That's a terrible situation to be in. Coaches are out recruiting and selling their program, but are completely in the dark in terms of if they will be back next year, or if there's a number of wins they need to win the job. No communication from Thomas, as far as I can tell. This is no way to run a major college football program. It's a miracle they have 17 commitments, and have picked up more since Beckman was fired.
My thoughts on the job: If you're going to make a change, then go big or go home. If Cubit isn't retained, the discussions should start with all of those guys who the know-it-alls say won't come to Illinois. First call, Justin Fuete and throw a wad of money at him. Then Tom Herman. Then one of the several high profile guys who are either succeeding at a major college program, or are maybe on the move for one reason or another - either from the NFL or NCAAFB.
Then you decide...is there a guarantee that another MAC coach will be better than Bill Cubit over the long haul? I like both PJ Fleck and Dino Babers a lot. But will they be able to recruit at a high level? When you hire a MAC coach, you get a MAC staff. That's a major factor, IMO. Is it better to keep the current staff and built on the contacts they have made on the recruiting trail? With the returning talent on offense, do you want to start over with a new system that may not fit the current roster? So many variables.
As for the external investigation of the program, that's nearly a non-factor, IMO. It was all about firing Tim Beckman, which they did.
Change is fun. It creates buzz and gets people interested. But you don't make change for the sake of change alone. It has to be the right guy for Illinois over the long-haul
First, Illinois must do something immediately about the AD situation. All of the Mike Thomas firing rumors are pretty ridiculous, but the school hasn't done anything to curtail it. And Thomas hasn't been in the public eye for a few weeks now. Get it done now. Either announce that the guy is secure, or replace him.
Once that is done, we can start looking at Bill Cubit's situation. For now, everyone is in the dark on what the future holds. That's a terrible situation to be in. Coaches are out recruiting and selling their program, but are completely in the dark in terms of if they will be back next year, or if there's a number of wins they need to win the job. No communication from Thomas, as far as I can tell. This is no way to run a major college football program. It's a miracle they have 17 commitments, and have picked up more since Beckman was fired.
My thoughts on the job: If you're going to make a change, then go big or go home. If Cubit isn't retained, the discussions should start with all of those guys who the know-it-alls say won't come to Illinois. First call, Justin Fuete and throw a wad of money at him. Then Tom Herman. Then one of the several high profile guys who are either succeeding at a major college program, or are maybe on the move for one reason or another - either from the NFL or NCAAFB.
Then you decide...is there a guarantee that another MAC coach will be better than Bill Cubit over the long haul? I like both PJ Fleck and Dino Babers a lot. But will they be able to recruit at a high level? When you hire a MAC coach, you get a MAC staff. That's a major factor, IMO. Is it better to keep the current staff and built on the contacts they have made on the recruiting trail? With the returning talent on offense, do you want to start over with a new system that may not fit the current roster? So many variables.
As for the external investigation of the program, that's nearly a non-factor, IMO. It was all about firing Tim Beckman, which they did.
Change is fun. It creates buzz and gets people interested. But you don't make change for the sake of change alone. It has to be the right guy for Illinois over the long-haul
