| 23 October 2009
There is some buzz out there about Pryor being humbled, or maybe it is more like he humbled himself. He supposedly addressed some teammates about his attitude and some things he has said. I heard before the season started that TP had a love hate relationship with the team. That the older players hated and resented him while the younger players saw him as a Moses kind of guy who would lead them to the promised land, so they loved him. I spoke to several coaches who had played at a higher level. I spoke to several players who played at the major college level and a couple had a couple of coffee in the Show. They all said this kind of thing is blown out of proportion. Most players have the attitude that as long as a guy that is not well liked is helping them win, it really doesn't matter. I didn't ask, "what if he isn't helping you win?" I think if true this helps Pryor and the team. Accepting that he is not getting it done is the first step to changing it.
Was anyone else as floored as I was to hear JT has been nominated by a faculty member at YSU as a possible President of the school? JT was supposedly speechless for a moment when told he had been nominated but then offered that he "loved" that school but did not want to give the impression he did not love what he is doing now. I wonder about this. Jim Tressel has always been about young people and getting an education. Buckeye Nation always talks about him moving up in the administration when his time as coach is over. I doubt he is going to take the job but I don't believe he loves what he is doing right now either. He may love being the head coach at Ohio State but right now it is not alot of fun. Taking a job he may aspire to at some point may be alot more appealing than being the Ohio State head coach in the current climate. For that reason I think the odds are a little better than anyone thinks.
With the possibility of his title changing from coach to president out there, unlikely as it is, here is my replacement list:
1. Butch Davis. I know many in Ohio are going to have a problem with that after his tenure with the Browns. Great college coach. Great recruiter. Bad loss last night but he has rebuilt a program on life support overnight. As far as Florida State has fallen, the pre-Butch Davis North Carolina would still not have been in the game at halftime.
2. Urban Meyer. The Ohio roots are deep.
3. I think Brian Kelly should be on the very short list. He might even be the first guy offered the job as we are likely to learn very quickly whether Meyer and Davis are interested or not.
The Job is highly unlikely to get by Kelly but if it does:
4. Greg Schiano has so many of the attributes we love about JT and JoePa ain't going anywhere soon so the Penn State job he is supposed to covet is right now a pipe dream.
5. The most prominent alum out there is Bo Pelini. He has such a small recruiting base. I question whether Nebraska will ever be what they were again. He seems very frustrated.
6.Gary Pickel has impressed me very much. He has Ohio roots.
7. Dantonio has an impressive pedigree with his Ohio roots, he was the DC of the championship defense and has been successful as a head coach. He has taken four of his five teams to bowl games and won two. I think he has recruited beyond expectations as he is not the personality that JT is, though I still have reservations if he can take it up another notch in recruiting. He is a straight no chaser kinda guy. You are not competing with the rest of the Big Ten like Michigan State is when you are at Ohio State. You compete against USC and Florida for recruits here. That is the thing that keeps him from being odds-on in my mind.
8. Luke Fickell. If he had head coaching experience he would be much higher on this list.
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