One of the most interesting stories of the week is that AD Scott Woodward picked up a couple of commitments from tight end prospects this past weekend. Marlion Barnett and Grant Cisneros each decided to commit to the school rather than any particular head coach.
It wasn't as if the rest of the Pac-10 was beating down their doors, either, so they decided to commit now rather than wait for an offer that may not be there once a new head man is announced.
The main recruitment activity for Woodward is for a new head football coach. You would think that bringing in a top-notch coach to repair a currently 0-9 program wouldn't create a lot of interest from the coaching elite. That isn't the case, though, because coaches around the country consider UW a top 15-20 type of job. As Kyle Whittingham said on KJR a week or two ago, it is still Washington.
The scuttlebutt out there seems to think it will be one of these five coaches who will agree to take the reigns in the next couple of weeks.
1. Jim Mora
Sure, he publicly stated he wasn't a candidate, but he also hadn't been contacted. From what we are hearing, they have been pursuing him with a full-court press. Expect speculation to heat up this week regarding Mora.
2. Gary Pinkel
The Missouri Tigers won't be playing for a national championship this season after going through the gauntlet in the nation's best football conference this season. Many say Pinkel would be crazy to take the UW job, but this is his last chance if he truly wants it.
3. Jeff Tedford
Wouldn't it be great at halftime during the California game in December if Tedford switched sidelines? Word has it that Tedford is very interested and maybe he desires a change in scenery after rebuilding the California program. He would be my personal top choice because he has a West Coast staff in place and would be able to salvage the recruiting class. Don't forget that Tedford is also one of the hardest-working coaches in the country.
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4. Chris Petersen
The Boise State coach isn't saying anything publicly, but it is known that Husky boosters admire what he has done since he was named head coach at Boise. That includes a BCS bowl win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This season his team is undefeated and could gain another BCS berth if Utah slips up.
5. Kyle Whittingham
Speaking of Utah, Whittingham would be willing to listen if contacted. I am not sure of the interest on UW's part at this time but he said on KJR that he would be honored to be considered if it came up.
Jake Locker out for the rest of the season
One of the more interesting stories I read yesterday was the announcement that Jake Locker was likely finished for the year. Did anyone out there really not know that Locker was finished for the year? Didn't the word shattered, not broken thumb mean anything?
Jake will be ready by next spring after plenty of physical rehab to get the thumb back in shape enough to grip a football without pain.
Hopefully Jake will also have a real quarterback coach who can take him to the next level. One of the surprises of this season was the fact that he didn't seem to improve between his redshirt freshman and sophomore years.
Northwest quarterback guru Greg Barton had commented last season that Locker needed a lot of work with his throwing motion. The UW coaching staff didn't want anyone working with Locker from outside the program. They also didn't make an effort to hire a real quarterbacks coach, which was a real mystery.
If you want to point to one thing that brought the staff and team down in 2008, it was the failure to develop Locker as a bigger passing threat. That failure, of course, exposed him to the potential for injury such as when he threw a block during the Arizona game.
Another case in development as far as passers go is Ronnie Fouch. Does anyone really think that Fouch is getting better as the season progresses? He isn't, and the absence of a true quarterbacks coach is one of the main reasons. Job No. 1 for whoever is the new head coach is to bring in a quarterback guru to develop UW's passers
Wouldn't it be great to watch someone like Jeff Tedford or Chris Petersen work with the Huskies' quarterbacks?
Quote of the week
"Coach really didn't want us to get too emotional,'' Gottlieb said. "He wanted us to approach it like it was any other game, so I tried to choke back the emotions a little. I was a little emotional, a little sentimental, but for the most part, I just tried to approach it like it was any other game.''
If you really want to know the single most important reason that Ty Willingham has not been successful at Washington, this quote sums it up nicely. Washington teams under Jim Owens, Don James, Jim Lambright, and Rick Neuheisel all played the game with a lot of emotion. They may not have had as much talent on the field as some of there opponents but they made up for it in many cases with the way they approached the game.
As one player who graduated last year recently said, "Willingham sucks all the fun out of playing football!"
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about 1 month ago
There are a lot of assistant coaches that the other coaches would like to see become Head Coaches. Nobody ever mentions a lot of them.
about 1 month ago
I agree with Jeff, but I have the feeling Washington feels they can pull a head coach from another smaller program which is probably true. I don't know what the deal is with Mora, what has he really done to warrant all the attention, besides play at UW of course? I wouldn't pursue that guy too hard, there's no evidence he can revive that program. Pinkel is a possibility but I think it would take a lot to get him out of Mizzou. I don't know about Tedford's situation at Cal other than dealing with hippies in trees. Honestly I don't know why Petersen or Wittingham would leave either. They have built/maintained successful programs year in and year out and I believe it's teams like those who will eventually put the BCS to death. Just my opinions though. I hope the best for UW though...it's a shame where that program has digressed to.
about 1 month ago
CHIP KELLY NEEDS TO BE ON THIS LIST!!!! I am a Washington Husky fanatic, I am 18 years old and live in Virginia. Both of my parents went to Udub and I am planning on going there so thats my connection.
That is besides the Point, I consider myself extremely knowledgable when it comes to X's and O's and strategy in football. None of these five picks(except maybe Pinkel) will use Jake Lockers talent to use.
Do you people and Washington Husky fans know why? BECAUSE THEY ALL RUN PRO STYLE OFFENSES AND THAT DOES NOT FIT JAKE LOCKERS STYLE OF PLAY!!!!!!! Pro style systems to do work for teams like washington because they are not that talented and their offensive line is not dominant. So automatically Jim Mora would be a terrible choice for the job.
Jake Locker is a RUNNER FIRST and a PASSER SECOND, that is why a pro style offense will be a terrible choice for the Huskies.
Do any of you guys remember Dennis Dixon before Chip Kelly got there his Senior year? Dennis Dixon was a waste of talent!!! Chip Kelly brought the Zone Read Shotgun Option offense and look what he did, turn a waste of talent into a Heisman Frontrunner until his senior Year.
University of Washington, I love you too much to make a devastating mistake of wasting Jake Lockers talent, please Hire Chip Kelly and run the Zone Read Shotgun Offense and Jake Locker will Bloom under that System.
Chip Kelly as Next Head Coach for the Washington Huskies
about 1 month ago
One thing is for sure, the UW can't make another coaching mistake. This once proud program needs a coach with a proven track record of winning and recruiting. Let's look at the possibilities on the board.
First Mora. He's got a multi-million dollar deal with the Seahawks. The job security in across the lake is the same as it would be at the UW. What's his track record at the college level recruiting and winning? Granted, he played and coached with Don James and being an alum is always good. I say he won't tear up the Seahawks deal and UW fan's are wasting their time thinking he's their guy.
Pinkle? He's rumored to be signing a deal at 2.5 million a year to stay at Missouri. At 60 years of age, why would he want to try to build another program when the one he's got now is built and flying high? He can compete for a national title at Missouri just as easily as at the UW. I say he's not moving. The UW is about 5 years too late in courting Pinkle. They had their chance and blew it.
Tedford? Well, if they can convince him to move then that would be about as good as the Huskies would get considering he's already in the conference, has a solid PAC-10 recruiting base and has demonstrated that he can win. Could he do better at the UW than he's done at Cal? I say he would. If you can get him, take him.
Chris Petersen is a hell of a coach. He's taken the 'marginal' athletes, the 2 and 3 star and in some cases the zero star recruits and built an exciting and explosive program that wins. Granted, they play about one big time game a year and also are a part of a 'weak sister' conference. Still, he beat Oregon in Eugene and beat Oklahoma in the famous Fiesta Bowl. He also lost to the Huskies a year ago in Seattle. Close game, yes. But still lost to what was not a very good football team. What he does is find the 'jewels' recruiting that other pass on. Example; Kellen Moore the outstanding freshman quarterback from Prosser. This kid will be a big time quarterback by the time he's done at Boise State. Look at the guy's numbers -- and he's only a red-shirt freshman! Their recieving corps could start at the UW tomorrow. Their defense has demonstrated that they can play a tough game. His recruiting classes the last two years are very strong and the Boise State team fields one of the youngest, if not the youngest team in the top 25. He's familiar with the PAC-10 having coached under Beloti at Oregon for a number of years. He's a winner in my book but he's making a million plus per year now and I wonder if he would chose to leave a program he's built, a great city to live in (especially if you make over 1 million a year) and a schedule that will allow him to continue to win year in and year out. Rumor has it that his wife and kids love Boise (and who wouldn't -- it's a great place to live and raise a family. Besides, he could run for Governor in Idaho -- everybody loves him there! One major problem for Petersen; he'll never win a national title at BSU. Just a fact. If winning a national title is on his list of things to accomplish then he'll have to leave the Broncos some day down the road. I say he's not going anywhere soon at least until his family is raised and he's run the table 5 or 6 times in the WAC. Frankly, BSU deserves to be in a higher conference and perhaps that's on the horizon. He's a great coach.
Whittingham? Well, I lot of what I said about Petersen can apply to Whittingham too. He's built a winner and is on top of the world in Utah. They can get to a BCS bowl this year with a win over BYU today. He's the one guy on this short list I'm just not sure about. I'm not suggesting he wouldn't be a wise choice but my gut is telling me the UW would pass on him. There are many good coaches out there that would compare equally to Whittingham.
The biggest problem the UW has is their present roster of players. They are weak, have not won in a long time and have a mountain to climb to get back to even a respectable team. Whoever lands this position will have a hell of a tough job ahead. What would I do if I were the AD? I'd go buy Don James a cup of coffee and pick his brain. He knew how to coach, he knew how to recruit and he knew how to win. But the one thing he doesn't the credit for that he did the best was surround himself with outstanding young coaches. He knows how to pick coaches. He's the UW's best possible consultant and they need to call on him. Why the hell Barbara ever screwed up James position at the UW is still well beyond me! What a horrible mistake. That woman was totally inept and that was proven the day Don James walked out the door. I honestly believe he'd still be there today if she hadn't managed to destroy a once great and proud program by her actions. Why the hell did the UW ever hire her in the first place?
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