Hire a high school coach, or bring back Glen Mason?
Ludicrous.
The announcement yesterday that Tim Brewster will not be retained as Gophers coach has set off speculation as to who should replace him. The hiring of Brewster in January of 2007 was a high risk move, entrusting a Big Ten football program to a guy who had a reputation as an extraordinary recruiter but never had been a college head coach or even a coordinator.
Brewster went 1-11 his first season as he transitioned the Gophers from a successful running team to a spread attack. His next two seasons the Gophers were 7-6 and 6-7. Before the 2008 season he dropped the spread in favor of a pro style offense, a change in scheme that was highly visible just like the parade of changes to his coaching staff that includes six different coordinators.
Despite the instability in coaches and changes in X’s and O’s (including on defense) the Gophers wouldn’t have lost 10 of their last 13 games dating back to last season if the recruiting had been as advertised. Brewster was the biggest fan of his recruiting classes but so far the performance of his players hasn’t matched the coach’s hype.
Brewster’s 6-21 Big Ten record got him fired. His predecessor, Mason, was 16 games under .500 in conference games in 10 seasons. That record got him dismissed in January of 2007 and is no endorsement to bringing him back despite a suggestion in a local newspaper last week to make him interim coach.
How the University goes about choosing the next coach will have everything to do with the outcome. Here’s what should be done:
Minimize risk. Don’t hire a high school coach, or college assistant with no experience as a coordinator, or a retread former college head coach whose past success was mediocre. And don’t give the job to a pro assistant coach just because he works for the Vikings (see Darrell Bevell and Leslie Frazier), or used to be with the Purple (see Mike Tice).
It’s all about experience and past success. Target coaching candidates who have at least a few and preferably several years experience as a head coach at the Division I level. To be considered the coach needs a winning percentage of about .600 percent or better. Exceptions can be considered for coaches who have made dramatic progress at historically awful programs.
Age matters. The Human Resources Department cringes, but let’s be real. Odds of success favor hiring a coach within a certain age range. Something like 37 to 53 years old. Why? Because too young can translate into not enough experience. Too old can mean the “fire in the belly” is gone, with less passion and commitment to the mega challenge of making the Gophers a consistent Big Ten title contender.