September 5, 2005
Hot Seat Alert: Dennis Erickson wants to coach again
Just a quick note to all those coaches who are already looking over their shoulders: Dennis Erickson wants to coach college football again. Of course, we knew he had the itch when he met with Mississippi last December, but Erickson is saying it loud and saying it proud.
Erickson's got the skins and --if he's truly over his NFL fetish-- will make someone a hell of a coach. With something like 140+ wins, a .720+ winning percentage, and a couple national championship rings, all Erickson needs is a headset and your looking at a complete program turnaround in under two years.
So, where will Dennis Erickson coach next? Well, no one can say for sure (especially since some teams haven't played their first game of 2005 yet!), but there are some strong candidates from the Hot Seat Reports:
South Florida - Josh pointed out that Jim Leavitt has taken the Bulls from nothing to the Big East, but is Leavitt capable of taking them to the promised land? Not likely. Last year's 4-7 was a terrible disappointment for a team that won nine games in 2002, seven games in 2003, and had visions of a 2004 bowl game. Leavitt just lost a winnable game to Penn State this weekend to lead his team to a shiny 0-1 record. Erickson was very successful in recruiting Florida during both his tenure with Miami & Oregon State.
Missouri - Gary Pinkel is on a short leash and he knows it. The Missouri coach is 23-25 overall (as of today) in four years and plays in the little sister division of a BCS powerhouse conference. Pinkel's team was a top 20 preseason pick last year, but only managed to post a 5-6 record. If you go into the season with a potential Heisman QB and finish the year with the nation's #14 defense, you better win more than five games. Pinkel has seemingly pushed his chips to the center this year and is all in. He scrapped the entire offense and is implementing the spread. It either works very well, or Missouri is looking for a new coach. The Tiger fans just wont let this one drag out any longer. Would Erickson be interested in Missouri? Given that he would have a shot at getting to the Big XII title game in his first year - yeah, Erickson would definitely look at Missouri.
UCLA- The Bruins faithful seem to hold a special place in their hearts for Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, but I'm guessing that Erickson might be a top candidate to replace Karl Dorrell at one of the nation's ugliest hot seats. When the fans are spending more time talking about Erickson, Rick Neuheisel & Mike Leach than your existing coach - umm...that's not a good sign, buddy. The Bruin fans are no longer willing to blame Bob Toledo for their lot in life and Dorrell has to produce now (win nine or resign!)or he's out. The only thing working against Erickson at UCLA (besides the aforementioned Mike Leach love-in) is his relatively poor performance in the NFL. Los Angeles is a winner's town and they won't fall all over Erickson the way that other schools might. That said, the guy has won in the Pac 10, which is more than Bruins fans have today, so....
Miami - Believe it or not, Miami could be in the mix for Erickson. Larry Coker (44-6) is coming off the worst Miami season since 1999 and needs to make it to the ACC title game this season to redeem himself. Miami expects to compete for the national championship. The 'Canes will not accept losing to "basketball schools" (North Carolina, Louisville) and ACC rivals (Clemson)((edited)) a "basketball school" (North Carolina), a last second win at home against another basketball school (Louisville), and two home losses to ACC rivals (Clemson, Virginia Tech) again this year. Larry Coker has progressively lost more games every year since taking over at Miami. That's unacceptable at most programs and unheard of at UM. Would Miami welcome back Erickson to Coral Gables? Without question or hesitation. Larry Coker has to raise the bar this year (and raising a trophy wouldn't hurt either) or Dennis Erickson will - plain & simple.
What will become of Dennis Erickson's desire to rejoin the coaching ranks? Well, he'll likely have his choice of BCS programs. If I had to wager today, I would lay money on South Florida, for several reasons:
1) The Bulls play in the Big East (a BCS conference) which Erickson knows and --I suspect-- believes he can win without a complete overhaul.
2) Erickson knows how to recruit in Florida and still knows many of the high school coaches.
3) Dennis Erickson has a pretty big ego, and I suspect he believes he can single-handedly take a program from lowliness to holiness, so to speak.
4) The cupboard isn't bare for the Bulls. They're an unpolished stone at best right now, but Erickson has proven his system works and the team will fall in.
5) USF is still in a building mode and Erickson can shape the program for a long, long time. South Florida is still looking to bring it's facilities to BCS-level and Erickson can mold the team into a long-term power.
Stay tuned. It's just week one, but these situations have a way of playing themselves out as the season goes on.
Comments:
Big G said:
posted on September 5, 2005 12:54 PM — 24.28.50.10 — link — abuse?
Coach Leavitt isn't going anywhere. He is too good of a coach, and is still "young" when it comes to experience and will only become a better coach as the year moves on. He has done something that is unprecidented in college football. No one football team has moved from non-division 1 to now a contender in the Big East as fast as he has done. Dennis Erickson is a complete joke of a head football coach. He was a great recruiter in Florida only because he cheated. He was accused of recruiting violations, and his program was under scrutiny for allegations by the NCAA for giving players "special treatment" and would have been in big trouble if he hadn't bolted to the Seattle Seahawks. He has failed not once, but twice as a head coach in the NFL. And his team at Oregon State was also a laugher. USF would be making a HUGE mistake by hiring coach Erickson.
Big G said:
posted on September 5, 2005 12:55 PM — 24.28.50.10 — link — abuse?
Coach Leavitt isn't going anywhere. He is too good of a coach, and is still "young" when it comes to experience and will only become a better coach as the year moves on. He has done something that is unprecidented in college football. No one football team has moved from non-division 1 to now a contender in the Big East as fast as he has done. Dennis Erickson is a complete joke of a head football coach. He was a great recruiter in Florida only because he cheated. He was accused of recruiting violations, and his program was under scrutiny for allegations by the NCAA for giving players "special treatment" and would have been in big trouble if he hadn't bolted to the Seattle Seahawks. He has failed not once, but twice as a head coach in the NFL. And his team at Oregon State was also a laugher. USF would be making a HUGE mistake by hiring coach Erickson.
bullzfan4life said:
posted on September 5, 2005 3:11 PM — 70.115.201.110 — link — abuse?
now, i am a huge USF Bulls fan, and a huge Leavitt supporter. Even though he has gotten us this far, have you ever thought that maybe he isn't the guy to get us into a national championship? Erickson has recruited well at Miami and Oregon in the state of Florida, when you have guys in our backyard that we can't get to come to USF, its not good. I say wait till the end of the season and see how we do. I'd welcome Coach Erickson to USF, it would get us national attention, and big name recruits. Remember, just because somebody can't coach in the NFL, doesn't mean he can't make it in college. Just look at Steve Spurrior
GoCanes said:
posted on September 5, 2005 3:19 PM — 68.55.6.29 — link — abuse?
The 'Canes will not accept losing to "basketball schools" (North Carolina, Louisville) and ACC rivals (Clemson) again this year.
Ummm... Hey Kevin Donohue... Sorry to point out a factual error in your article, but Miami beat Louisville last season.
posted on September 5, 2005 3:47 PM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue said:
Yeah, my bad. I suck. Miami lost to Virginia Tech at home, not Louisville. Louisville dropped an INT at the end of the game & the 'Canes later coverted fourth & long, later punching in the winning score.
I missed the facts, but I'm not sure I missed the analysis. How many more three loss seasons will the Miami fans permit?
posted on September 5, 2005 10:10 PM — 12.217.43.245 — link — abuse?
I'd probably scratch Missouri off that list. Pinkel may indeed get canned if he can't pull off a winning season this year, but the AD there has taken a ton of heat over the NCAA sanctions against the basketball program. There's almost no way he'd take a gamble on a coach like a Erickson, given his checkered NCAA past, despite his track record of success in the win column.
As for Leavitt, he's under contract through 2009, and is as thick as molasses with the USF administration. When he turned down Alabama in 2002, they pretty much deeded the football program to him. It would take a change of administration or a major change of heart by the current one for Leavitt to be ousted.
I was disappointed not the see this headline over the weekend for the USF/Penn State game:
"LEAVITT TO BEAVER" (stadium)
posted on September 6, 2005 8:07 AM — link — abuse?
I'm shocked by the response of USF Bulls fans who say things like Erickson would just leave us and Leavitt is OK & loyal.
Are you content to just be average?!
USF has relatively weak sense of "campus" because it's a commuter school. People drive, go to class, & drive off to their homes, jobs, etc - almost a community college type of feel. There's no community feeling at USF like there is at the top FL schools (UF, FSU). Getting the football program up into the top 20 consistently would be great for the entire USF community.
jason said:
posted on September 6, 2005 9:27 AM — 66.83.63.250 — link — abuse?
well, after watching last nights sloopy, undisciplined loss by Miami ( see Charlie Jones' ejection, penalties up the a** ) , I'm not so sure about how unwelcome Erickson would be back in Coral Gables. Miami fans have a short attention span and while there may be some residual bad feelings, they will sell thier soul for a BCS contender agian, whomever provides it. Brock Berlin was booed after just three games, its harsh but its the reality down here. I personally like Coker and would hate to see him go, but i am beginning to wonder if he has the posture to reign in an undisciplined crew. Cokers seat is plenty hot today, despite a recent contract extension.
L-Peazy said:
posted on September 6, 2005 1:32 PM — 207.152.67.74 — link — abuse?
Jim Leavitt is the Bobby Bowden of USF to a higher degree. He built the program from scratch and is as loyal to USF as any coach will ever be. His contract has been extended until 2009 and USF cannot afford to buy it out, nor could they afford to pay Erickson.
BTW how is USF a "commuter" school?? 10000 students live on campus and another 15000 live within a mile of campus in apartments. It is a HUGE Metropolitan university with a large number os students who do commute, but most universities in major metropolitan areas share the same demographic.
posted on September 6, 2005 2:37 PM — 168.166.54.11 — link — abuse?
Kevin,
I don't understand the haste to quickly throw Leavitt under the bus.Are you looking at Coach Leavitt strictly from a win/loss perspective or from the perspective of his overall impact on the program, how much money he's raised, graduation rates, etc. The guy's only had two losing seasons in eight years down there. The ONLY way you'd fire a guy like that would be if powerful boosters or the administration turned on him, and those folks seem pretty happy with him. Leavitt is a Tampa native and has shown plenty of loyalty to USF when the big schools come calling.
It's an open secret that Leavitt is Bill Snyder's favorite former assistant (and plenty of good ones have gone through K-State) and that he'll likely be Snyder's pick to succeed him upon retirement. Whether or not he'll go is another question.
As for Miami, it would seem to me that the 'Canes would pine for the return of Butch Davis before they'd seek out Erickson. Davis cleaned up Erickson's mess, left the program in championship-caliber shape and NCAA infraction-free, and is just as available these days.
I would think any major program with an opening would seek out Davis first: he's younger and has a better reputation.
posted on September 6, 2005 3:31 PM — link — abuse?
How is USF a commuter school?
Walk the campus on a Friday night. There's no community feeling at USF like there is at the top FL schools (UF, FSU). For sheer volume, yes, USF has a large number of students and some of them live near the campus. But walk the campus and then go to Gainesville or Tallahassee.I'm suggesting that this is just one way to get USF to the next level.
posted on September 6, 2005 3:48 PM — link — abuse?
Suitcase School is another term for what you mean Kevin, especially in the context of how dead it is on weekends.
Big G said:
posted on September 7, 2005 8:22 PM — 24.28.53.95 — link — abuse?
The biggest reason USF doesn't get the same draw as FSU/UF/Miami is because we don't have a stadium on campus. Once Leavitt gets the Athletic Department and our uptight President to decide that they will finally build a new stadium for our football program, people will finally start coming to more games b/c people don't like to have to drive all the way from campus to Raymond James Stadium. Once again, Leavitt isn't going anywhere. If FSU had fired Bobby Bowden after his first five or six years, FSU would be the Duke of the ACC. I don't want to see my university's football team the laughing stock of college football; and that's just what would happen if Dennis Erickson was our next coach. He doesn't even deserve a offensive/defensive co-ordinator position in college football anymore. I've never understood why coaches that fail are recycled back into new jobs in which they fail once again.
posted on September 7, 2005 11:22 PM — link — abuse?
Erickson certainly didn't fail at any stop in college. He failed several times in the NFL, but his Miami squads were cranking (with just a "few" sanctions to boot) and his Oregon State squads went from crap to the big stage in two years.
Dennis Kytonen said:
posted on September 8, 2005 3:24 PM — 68.156.5.61 — link — abuse?
Dennis Erickson a failure as a coach? He has only been a winner everywhere he has coached except the pros, which is not unusual. Check out Pete Carrol. He did terrible at New England but is a terrific college coach. I saw Coach Erickson take an Idaho team that had been a lose for years and turn it into a perrinial winner. He did the same thing at Washington State and Oregon State. To say he is not a great college coach is to be ignorant of the facts.
Rad said:
posted on October 12, 2005 10:38 PM — 69.105.146.237 — link — abuse?
We want to keep Dennis on the West Coast. He has done most of his coaching out here . I would like to see him back in the PAC 10 . And by the way, how can they drop ASU out of top 25? They had USC on the ropes, God had to interveen to pluck the LSU victory away from them and Oregon has developed into a very good team. ASU was beat up and injured from a very tough game with USC.
Tom Murphy said:
posted on November 5, 2005 3:12 PM — 205.188.116.199 — link — abuse?
Denis Erickson will not be accepted by any program unless it is in a desperate situation. Why not Temple University? If he is as good as any of you have said then he should have no problem winning?
Greg said:
posted on November 6, 2005 12:18 PM — 204.210.212.249 — link — abuse?
Dennis Erickson will NEVER coach the Canes again ... NEVER.
Even though he won 2 Titles, he was the main reason Miami was on probation, and he knew it. Why do you think he left Miami?
Coker is not going anywhere, and he shouldn't.
Isaac Diaz said:
posted on November 7, 2005 5:05 PM — 65.197.246.130 — link — abuse?
Saw his name being tossed around as a possible replacement at San Diego State. Would there be any truth to that or is it just a dream to get a coach of his caliber at San Diego State and finaly start putting my school on the map. Just wondering?????
Joel said:
posted on November 8, 2005 12:22 PM — 216.104.73.124 — link — abuse?
I'd take him in a heartbeat back at Oregon State! His style is second to none in college! Fast, ruthless, and he wins! THe Beavers didn't have a winning season for 30 years, 30! and he came in and did his first season! If he had this years Beaver team, we'd be 7-2.
Sully said:
posted on November 12, 2005 5:00 PM — 69.92.253.10 — link — abuse?
I agree with Joel. I'd love to have Dennis Erickson back at Oregon State. I agree that he is not a successful NFL coach, but who cares? To those who say he's failed everywhere, you should check your facts again. He has had two unsuccessful jobs in the NFL (Seattle and SF), but his stints at Idaho, WSU, Miami and OSU have him ranked in the top college coaches. Some college team will pick him up this fall, and their fans will be cheering. If you don't want Erickson, heck, we'll give you Mike Riley and the Beavers can take Dennis back!
jbinsand said:
posted on December 13, 2005 5:18 PM — 67.52.147.176 — link — abuse?
Chris, you just might be right. I've got a source in San Diego that said DE has already visited SD and met with SDSU AD Jeff Schemmel. The only other higher profile job available is at CU and it looks like they may be heading a different direction. SDSU has some key talent returning next year and has better depth than it did when Tom Craft was hired in 2002. Erickson would have that team in a bowl game in 2006 and make them a MWC champ and possible BCS bowl participant (like Utah last year) in two years.
jbinsand said:
posted on December 13, 2005 5:28 PM — 67.52.147.176 — link — abuse?
SDSU would likely be a "stepping stone" job to the BCS for DE but in the mean time he would likely revitalize a program that hasn't had a winning season or gone to a bowl game since 1998. SDSU is in the heart of the Southern California recruiting hot bed that he utilized so well at OSU, they've got a football operations building and practice field that are only a couple years old, they play in a 70,000 seat pro venue in Qualcomm Stadium, can tap into a region (San Diego County) of over 3 million and have a local alumni base of 150,000. An Erickson hire would almost instantly give the program some credibility and add some excitement where it is sorely needed.
You know it said:
posted on December 15, 2005 12:53 PM — 63.135.199.124 — link — abuse?
He's not going to SDSU, can you say Career Suicide? A good point made about the Mitch Barnhart connection! It's a tough conference though and Erickson likes to go places where teams are a year or two away! And Kentucy is not! I still maintain that the Beavers should bring him back and send Riley packing!
Jordan said:
posted on February 8, 2006 6:56 PM — 70.110.37.105 — link — abuse?
Yeah, Erickson is in Moscow today and they are having a press conference at half five I think. Looks like he's doing a full turnaround and ending up back where he started. This is a HUGE hire for Idaho, and will bring them to the top of the WAC within two years. The WAC is ripe for an upheaval with the recent declines of Boise State and Hawaii and Fresno State. Go Vandals!! Go Huskies!!
Erickson Fan said:
posted on February 9, 2006 12:43 PM — 64.126.168.26 — link — abuse?
Dennis Erickson the LEGEND is back at the U of I. Why I dont know and dont care, and again...Probably wont be his last stop in the college coaching ranks, But Iam just thankful to have him back and he said its for the love of the area and the college and I hope that is sincere. Idaho football needed a boost and after suffering through Tom Cable and Nick Holt, I hope Dennis can make Idaho competative again. Some of the most exciting football I have ever watched in the northwest was Ericksons air express at the U of I and Ken Hobart hurling bombs down the field to wide open recievers. He is a proven winner and Iam sure he would have been at Seattle given one more year, and Iam sure he never would have taken the 49er job had he known management would dismantle the team right after they hired him. So go Vandals, Go Dennis! This Idaho hillbilly has got sumthin to be excited about next fall other than the elk hunting!
Diehard Vandal Fan said:
posted on February 9, 2006 4:36 PM — 64.136.26.225 — link — abuse?
WooHoo- Dennis Erickson will be coaching the Vandals again! Perhaps they will no longer be the whipping boys of the WAC(or at the very least, be able to beat BSU). I just hope Spear keeps a sharp eye out for recruiting violations. No one needs that.
bill said:
posted on September 15, 2006 12:20 AM — 68.231.27.190 — link — abuse?
Dennis Erickson left a mess at UMiami when he left for Seattle that Butch Davis had to deal with. UMiami needs to hire Butch Davis if they want a proven recruiter and rebuilder. Erickson needs to stay in Idaho where he belongs.
Chris Power said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:49 AM — 72.196.20.77 — link — abuse?
I have never wanted to be the guy that says fire the coach it's all his fault, but I am there now. These losses are ridulous and it seems to me that we are not even putting up a fight any more. Coker has taken us from the "top of the world" to the cellar. We need to end this bullshit now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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JJ said:
posted on September 5, 2005 12:23 PM — 69.163.182.170 — link — abuse?You could be more wrong, but I do not see how about Erickson returning to Miam. Speaking as a Miami Alum. He is not welcome back here.