New faces prevalent in Big Ten A string of dismissals has four coaches making their league debut in the 2011 season.
By Derek Levarse dlevarse@timesleader.com
Here’s a little perspective on the massive turnover and turmoil that has struck the Big Ten this year: Ron Zook, he of the perpetual hot seat at Illinois, is the third-longest tenured coach in the conference.
Ohio State head football coach Luke Fickell answer questions as he speaks to members of the media during a news conference Monday, June 13, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)
“Well, it’s hard to believe going into my seventh year and I’m actually third in seniority,” Zook said Thursday during Big Ten media days in Chicago. “Actually kind of mind-boggling.”
Very much so.
Four new head coaches took to the podium this week to discuss their teams – five if you count Bo Pelini representing league newcomer Nebraska.
Jim Tressel (Ohio State), Rich Rodriguez (Michigan), Tim Brewster (Minnesota) and Bill Lynch (Indiana) were all dismissed by their schools in the past year. They have been replaced by Luke Fickell, Brady Hoke, Jerry Kill and Kevin Wilson, respectively.
The following is a brief look at the issues facing each of those new coaches headed into the 2011 campaign.
Wilson wasn’t allowed to directly address the one topic he would have loved to talk about. Earlier this week, Indiana received a verbal commitment from Gunner Kiel, the consensus top high school quarterback recruit in the country.
NCAA rules prohibit schools from discussing recruits until they have signed a letter of intent or have enrolled on campus. So Wilson had to speak in general terms.
“We’re selling a great product, a great school, a great opportunity because we’re ready to take this ship and get this thing exploded,” Wilson said.
The Wolverines finally got a “Michigan man” when they hired Hoke, a former Lloyd Carr assistant.
Now Hoke must work to fit players who were recruited to run an option-heavy spread offense into his more conventional schemes.
“We are smart enough – people usually don’t say that about me – but we’re smart enough to have elements (from) the past in the spread in our offense,” Hoke said.
Hoke has little choice after convincing explosive quarterback Denard Robinson to stick around despite the departure of Rodriguez.
Kill led Northern Illinois to a bowl game in each of his three seasons there, going 11-3 and winning the MAC West Division title last year.
The Huskies certainly looked to be better than the disjointed squad Brewster led at Minnesota.
So the coaching switch already looks to be an upgrade for the Gophers.
“Well, I think it’s a little bit different because you look at our conference, how difficult it is,” Kill said about making the jump from the MAC. “You have to play those games week in and week out. When you’re at a mid-major, you may play two or three. That’s a huge game when you play them. You’re not playing that competition week in, week out. I think that’s the difference.”
Leading the Buckeyes may be a dream for Fickell, but not under these circumstances.
Fickell took over after the school was forced to get rid of Tressel in the fallout of a scandal that also saw star quarterback Terrelle Pryor dismissed from the team.
Now Fickell has a handful of other starters serving five-game suspensions. He must pick between a 25-year-old former minor-league pitcher and an 18-year-old true freshman at quarterback.
And because Ohio State has thus far escaped without major sanctions, the school should still be able to lure a high-profile coach to replace Fickell after this season.
“Everything happened pretty fast,” Fickell said. “The greatest thing I guess I could say is I had no time to sit and think. I had no time to feel sorry of any sort, to have a whole lot of emotion. The situation arose and obviously I had to stand up.
“I think that’s what’s been best for me – not to have the ability to sit down and think about the situation that’s ahead, but hit the ground running, do what I know how to do best, and that’s compete and obviously learn along the way.”
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