December 14, 2005
Colorado offers job to Boise State's Dan Hawkins
Days after interviewing CU alum & current UCLA assistant coach Jon Embree, word from the Rocky Mountain News is that Colorado has offered the head coach job to Boise State's Dan Hawkins.
The University of Colorado's search for a new football coach has zeroed in on Boise State's Dan Hawkins, sources close to both schools confirmed Tuesday night. Hawkins, 45, is believed to have received a verbal offer to replace Gary Barnett, who was fired Thursday as CU's 22nd coach.The fifth-year Boise State coach interviewed with CU officials and/or an intermediary representing the school Saturday in Idaho.
Hawkins, who did not leave Boise on Tuesday on a scheduled recruiting trip, told The Idaho Statesman, the "process is not complete" - the identical wording offered Tuesday night by CU athletic director Mike Bohn.
Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier did not return telephone calls.
ESPN is reporting that Hawkins didn't deny reports that he was going to be named the CU coach this week.
Boise State coach Dan Hawkins would not confirm that he's Colorado's choice as its next football coach Wednesday morning. But he didn't deny it, either."The process is kind of moving along here," Hawkins said, before heading into a breakfast meeting with Boise State president Robert Kustra. He declined further comment.
Comments:
Mark said:
posted on December 16, 2005 8:43 AM — 68.99.92.102 — link — abuse?
The position at CU is far from glamorous. Hawkins is a great coach and is far over due for his shot at a BCS conference coaching position. However, no position right know in college football can currently be more dangerous than the post at Colorado. Below are five reasons why Hawkins should re-think his decision and wait for a better position to come around.
1. After getting beat down by Nebraska 30-3 and Texas 70-3 in the Big XII Championship, convincing blue-chip recruits that CU is the place to be is going to be impossible. Throw in the rape allegations, striper/alcohol recruiting scandal, sexual harassment suits, financial audit investigation and the kung-fu grip Athletic Director Mike Bohn will have on the program; Hawkins will have too many distractions that will keep recruits and their families away.
2. Though Barnett is gone, his name will never go away. During his first two seasons at CU, the media will ask Hawkins thousands of questions about the programs past and what he plans to do to right the ship. He is used to running a smooth, clean program at Boise State and will have and endless amount of baggage to deal with from the previous regime. This is something he has never been confronted with before, so why ask for more stress when a better, cleaner job is waiting for you in a year or two.
3. The Big XII North Division is not exactly the cream of the crop in college football. In fact, Hawkins’ Broncos would have dominated the division the last three years. There is no doubt that he can recruit great talent at Boise State, but the academic standards are significantly different in the Big XII and at Colorado. He will have to recruit a different type of athlete than he did at Boise State, and he has no experience recruiting in Colorado. This is a hurdle that is hard to get over for many coaches from the mid-major conference when they make the jump up to the bigger conference schools.
4. One of the biggest challenges Barnett was not prepared for when he started at CU was the recruiting battle for local players inside the state between CU and CSU. Barnett underestimated the rise of Sunny Lubick’s program and assumed local talent would prefer to play in the Big XII and not in the Mountain West. Barnett lost three out of his first four contests versus CSU before realizing he had to win Colorado recruits first. Hawkins has only one player from Colorado on his current Bronco roster, and has never needed to recruit in that state. With no experience recruiting in Colorado, competing with CSU (don’t forget about Wyoming and Northern Colorado, who just jumped up to I-AA), will bring recruiting challenges he has never faced before.
5. Great coaches deserve a great legacy. Hawkins has built a solid foundation for himself and under the right circumstances, at the right institution, could become one of the best football coaches of this generation. Too many negative things surround the football program at Colorado and even if he does turn the program around, twenty years from now Barnett’s stains will still be a focal point of the program no matter how much success Hawkins can bring them.
jim said:
posted on December 17, 2005 2:31 PM — 24.116.143.56 — link — abuse?
In regards to Marks 5 pillars of Marxism on why Hawk should not take the job, I would kindly respond that challenge is what makes Hawk.
He takes the mundane out of life.
Who wants to leave this planet not doing what we all have the opportunity to do. Hawk is taking the challenge...and while I am not a Zen-er, I am very confident that Colorado Buff fans will want to tie up their season tickets. Maybe not next year...but certainly by year two.
Andy said:
posted on February 27, 2006 8:18 PM — 129.82.221.64 — link — abuse?
Responding to Mark, the CU program is not going to be remembered 20 years from now for "barnett's problems." Remember that running back that killed his girlfriend there? I don't even remember his name, granted I'm only 22, but still. I don't remember his name. Point is, things change, such is the nature of all history serious or anecdotal. From all I've read about Coach Hawkins, he has what it takes to change CU back to the program it traditionally has been.
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ColReb said:
posted on December 15, 2005 8:12 AM — 69.54.201.37 — link — abuse?I'm not a Colorado fan, but it seems to me as though this would be great for the Buffs. But I thought this guy's son was his QB? Will he leave while his son is still at Boise State???