Aurich Extension
- Thread starter ATX_Husker
- Start date
Maybe this has been mentioned elsewhere, I don't know. But given the whole uncertainty that has suddenly struck the program after four straight irritating losses, it struck me as a little weird to give a guy a big money extension when you might be getting rid of the whole kit and caboodle of them. Why add MORE millions unless you're going to push your new coach to keep him?
At the risk of giving Hunchie a premature orgasm, Aurich has worked under his heartthrob, New Mexico's Jason Eck.
At the risk of giving Hunchie a premature orgasm, Aurich has worked under his heartthrob, New Mexico's Jason Eck.
I'm not ready to 'abandon ship.' It's not to late to salvage the season.
But...
I will say that knowing Aurich and Eck are buddies and Eck's HC credentials would make him one of the leading contenders (just ask Hunchback Johnny) makes me slightly less nervous about starting over again if we bomb out the rest of the way.
But...
I will say that knowing Aurich and Eck are buddies and Eck's HC credentials would make him one of the leading contenders (just ask Hunchback Johnny) makes me slightly less nervous about starting over again if we bomb out the rest of the way.
Sir Doctor Fumble,
Are you saying Eck is Aurich's heartthrob or mine?
Either way, I just like a coach that, you know, coaches players and the team shows improvement. When one of the most penalized teams in the nation sits at 5-4, and the players acknowledge it and hope to improve starting in Week 10, you know there is a leadership problem. When your offense is consistently falsely starting and illegally lining up at the LOS, and your HC is still arguing with the refs about a missed holding penalty 3 possessions ago, there is an undeniable lack of accountability.
The extension for Aurich is telling us that they aren't getting rid of the whole kit and caboodle, no matter what.
I dont think I have ever seen so many illegal formation penalties as I have this season. Seems we have 1 or 2 every single game
I like winners being HC at Nebraska. Eck is a winner. He won't accept anything less than a winning program.
But that is what was said about Rhule when he was brought here. He's a winner, a program builder, and a player developer. He has done it everywhere he had been and with far worse programs than Nebraska. Of course Doc would have you believe we were far worse off than we knew. Rhule was and is a 500 coach at best.
I do agree that Eck is a winner though and would love to see him at Nebraska. Especially if he could keep Aurich and the defensive staff.
Dannon did the same thing on the PSU rumour and it cost us an extensioin at 4 mill a year added on the already fat contract
I encourage everyone to check out articles about the JMU way. Basically in a nutshell the Prev AD and now the current AD only hire coaches who have proven to win mo matter what level. And I don't mean they went 1-10, or 1-11 in their 1st years. They won in places from the jump their entire careers and only hire experienced Head Coaches. It really is a fascinating read how the players know no matter who their next HC is they are going to win ball games and win a lot. There's a reason JMU cranks out coaches like Cignetti and Chesney. Those Two won a lot of ball games and even a title or 2 before they came to JMU. UNL needs to look into the JMU way.
I hate to crap on the "JMU Way" (I spent 10 years living in JMU Land, Harrisonburg, VA.) But I don't care what your secret AD formula is, there is no surefire way for picking successful D1 coaches.
Here's a few other examples of the JMU Way in action:
Everett Withers earned two FCS playoff berths and a share of a CAA title at JMU before leaving for Texas State in 2016. He went 7-18 and was fired in his third season.
Mike London posted a 24-5 record at Richmond and led them to an FCS National Championship before leaving for Virginia. Despite hyped recruiting upon his arrival, UVa went 27-46 over six seasons earning only one bowl game.
Joe Glenn won back-to-back Division II Natties at Northern Colorado before going 39-6 at Montana and winning the 2001 FCS National Championship. Wow, a HOMERUN hire by Wyoming, right? He went 30-41 there with only one winning season before being dismissed.
And who can forget Gerry Faust, the Ultimate "Winner" to take over a storied program? He led Cincinnati Moeller High School to a 178-26-1 record before leaving for Notre Dame. He finished 30-26-1 in five seasons with the Irish.
I agree there is no perfect formula to select an FBS head football coach. And circumstances at the school can work against the coach being successful. Extending RA does make me think Rhule is back even if we drop the next 3 games. He'll be forced to make massive changes yet again - OC already is a re-do. Assuming ST has meet a similar fate before next season. I'm not going to get my hopes up - I think Rhule has reached what he is capable of as a head coach. Mediocre football.
How that all gets resolved is more about money and egos - so I'll keep watching with low expectations. Then be all jacked up when we hire a new head coach. Only to be let down yet again.....probably.
How that all gets resolved is more about money and egos - so I'll keep watching with low expectations. Then be all jacked up when we hire a new head coach. Only to be let down yet again.....probably.
Well picking coaches who have losing records hasn't bode well for us to this point. Which is what we have done since Solich and Bo. I'd rather take my chances hiring a proven winner than not. It's worked well for JMU, Indiana, and UCLA.
Unless you're name is Shawn Eichorst, choosing winning coaches are what responsible ADs do. Whether MR is here next season or not, we'll be in much better shape in 2027 than we were in 2022
Given the frugality of TO followed by the incompetence of Echorst, combined with the rapid expansion happening elsewhere in the B1G, our program had dropped to the lower half of the conference in many critical ways. On top of that, you had a leader who only wanted to be 'a ball coach' and had little interest in the CEO side required of head coaches in today's big time programs.
Since the end of the 2022 season, our program has undergone a massive structural, financial, and operational overhaul under Matt Rhule. Keeping it short and sweet, we've:
--- Doubled the operating budget from 33 million to more than 70 million.
--- Become nationally competitive with NIL and revenue sharing.
--- Opened the Osborne Legacy Complex giving players and coaches centralized access to upgraded weight rooms, sports science labs, nutrition centers, and meeting spaces.
--- Expanded Support Staff to over 80.
--- Improved Nutrition and S&G. Enhanced strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs produced measurable roster gains. Ahead of this season, returning players collectively added 677 pounds of lean muscle mass while dropping 188 pounds of body fat.
Now anyone here can rightly ask, "What's been the return on all of this investment?" Given what's been done on the field, it's not unrealistic to be expecting much more at this point than what we've gotten.
My point was simply that Coach Rhule in Year 5 or a brand new HC in Year 1 has a program behind him positioned to be among the nation's elite.
All this to say nobody, and I mean nobody, does less with more. Should Matt get the credit for all of these accomplishments or the AD? Sounds like he's been given everything a coach could want or need and still we teeter on bowl eligibility.
