2025 College Football Thread

[Pakuni]

They should hire Bob Chesney from JMU but I've heard a lot of chatter about Hartline here.  I think Hartline could be a great hire but as we know, we know nothing.

Do we know that Hartline can coach?
Big swing for a program like Penn State to hire a guy who not only has zero HC experience, but only one year - seven games, really - as a full coordinator/play caller.

[Uncle Rico]

Do we know that Hartline can coach?
Big swing for a program like Penn State to hire a guy who not only has zero HC experience, but only one year - seven games, really - as a full coordinator/play caller.

We don't.  We don't know if they hire a current head coach at another program if they can succeed at Penn State either.

Hartline has been one of the lead coordinators at Ohio State since he got there and been the wideouts coach since '17.  An argument can be made he's been the best position coach in the nation.

It would be a massive gamble but I don't see a sure thing in this cycle unless there is a coach itching to move like Lincoln Riley or Brian Kelly was in '21 and quite frankly, as good as those looked, the results aren't there.

Ryan Day got the Ohio gig and his resume wasn't exactly a sure thing when hired.  It isn't always the name hire that wins big.  Dabo wasn't a big name at Clemson.  Pete Carroll's hiring was mocked.

[The Sultan]

We don't.  We don't know if they hire a current head coach at another program if they can succeed at Penn State either.

Hartline has been one of the lead coordinators at Ohio State since he got there and been the wideouts coach since '17.  An argument can be made he's been the best position coach in the nation.

It would be a massive gamble but I don't see a sure thing in this cycle unless there is a coach itching to move like Lincoln Riley or Brian Kelly was in '21 and quite frankly, as good as those looked, the results aren't there.

Ryan Day got the Ohio gig and his resume wasn't exactly a sure thing when hired.  It isn't always the name hire that wins big.  Dabo wasn't a big name at Clemson.  Pete Carroll's hiring was mocked.

Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart are examples of guys who was never a head coach taking over the head gig at a P4 school. But of course you have people like Jeremy Pruitt and Will Muschamp to counter that.

[WhiteTrash]

This speculation is fun, but Madison will pick a coach and then LSU and Penn State can pick through the scraps.

[Pakuni]

Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart are examples of guys who was never a head coach taking over the head gig at a P4 school. But of course you have people like Jeremy Pruitt and Will Muschamp to counter that.

All those guys were multiyear coordinators (Smart for eight seasons, Lanning for three, Pruitt for five, Muschamp for seven) before getting a head coaching job.
Hartline has had two seasons as "co-coordinator," but wasn't entrusted with calling plays, which means it was an honorary title to give him a pay raise/keep him happy. This is his first season as a playcaller.

I'm not saying it won't work. He's an elite recruiter, which helps. But there isn't much of a precedent for guys with his inexperience landing that high level of a job. Day might be a comparison, but he did well as the interim HC the year before he got the full-time gig and had stints as the OC at Temple and BC before landing at Ohio State. And he was always Urban's handpicked successor.

[Uncle Rico]

All those guys were multiyear coordinators (Smart for eight seasons, Lanning for three, Pruitt for five, Muschamp for seven) before getting a head coaching job.
Hartline has had two seasons as "co-coordinator," but wasn't entrusted with calling plays, which means it was an honorary title to give him a pay raise/keep him happy. This is his first season as a playcaller.

I'm not saying it won't work. He's an elite recruiter, which helps. But there isn't much of a precedent for guys with his inexperience landing that high level of a job. Day might be a comparison, but he did well as the interim HC the year before he got the full-time gig and had stints as the OC at Temple and BC before landing at Ohio State. And he was always Urban's handpicked successor.

I don't think he's the guy but I do think they have a guy lined up.

[Pakuni]

This speculation is fun, but Madison will pick a coach and then LSU and Penn State can pick through the scraps.

Hate to say it, but Brian Kelly would be a good fit for Wisconsin.
Though I imagine he might be inclined to lick his wounds for a year, with the help of his buyout, and try to jump back in a year from now.

Speaking of guys who've been sitting out (not necessarily by choice) a little surprised Jimbo Fisher's name hasn't surfaced more. It ended poorly at A&M, and he's understandably not on the list of any high-level programs, but you would think he'd draw some interest from the likes of Okie State, Arkansas or Virginia Tech (though seems to be a lot of James Franklin smoke on the latter).
He could also make sense for a G5 program that loses its coach, if he's willing to go that route.

[Uncle Rico]

Hate to say it, but Brian Kelly would be a good fit for Wisconsin.
Though I imagine he might be inclined to lick his wounds for a year, with the help of his buyout, and try to jump back in a year from now.

Speaking of guys who've been sitting out (not necessarily by choice) a little surprised Jimbo Fisher's name hasn't surfaced more. It ended poorly at A&M, and he's understandably not on the list of any high-level programs, but you would think he'd draw some interest from the likes of Okie State or Virginia Tech (though seems to be a lot of James Franklin smoke on the latter).
He could also make sense for a G5 program that loses its coach, if he's willing to go that route.

I'll disagree on Kelly and UW-Madison being a good fit.

One of the knocks on Fickell and Chryst before him was, they aren't good with alum and the boosters.  The next guy has some fences to mend and that isn't Brian Kelly's thing. 

Secondly, he relies on his assistants to do the heavy-lifting with recruiting and player relations.  He didn't bring any assistants with him to LSU from Notre Dame because they didn't want to go with him.  His reputation in coaching circles isn't great.  Not sure he'd put a good enough staff together to fix Bucky.

Saying that, if that's the route they go, wouldn't mind it.

[Pakuni]

https://x.com/On3sports/status/1984053089301631388

[tower912]

Money for athletes is not the problem in college athletics.

[The Sultan]

Money for athletes is not the problem in college athletics.

The LSU situation isn't a problem. It's awesome!

[WhiteTrash]

Money for athletes is not the problem in college athletics.

Yes! In the SEC.

[Uncle Rico]

Yes! In the SEC.

And Big Ten.  And ACC.  And the Big East.  And the Big XII.

Money for athletes is not the problem in college sports and never has been.

[The Sultan]

And Big Ten.  And ACC.  And the Big East.  And the Big XII.

Money for athletes is not the problem in college sports and never has been.

One issue I don't see discussed however are the taxes.

[JWags85]

Do we know that Hartline can coach?
Big swing for a program like Penn State to hire a guy who not only has zero HC experience, but only one year - seven games, really - as a full coordinator/play caller.

That was the exact reaction in a group chat with some of my OSU buddies.  Not even selfishly wanting to keep him, they obviously aren't super stressed about losing coordinators, but they thought he was still a couple years away from being "ready".

Also, not a direct correlation, but every coordinator that has left OSU during Day's tenure has failed pretty notably. 

Kevin Wilson got another HC gig at Tulsa after he failed at IU then returned to OSU as OC.  Fired after 2 bad years.

Jeff Hafley was the OSU DC, then left to be medicore at BC, then took the Packers DC gig before he eventually was gonna get fired.

Jim Knowles has suddenly looked very ordinary as a DC now that he doesn't have a completely stacked OSU defense.

Chip Kelly has the worst offense in the NFL in LV.

Ryan Day got the Ohio gig and his resume wasn't exactly a sure thing when hired.  It isn't always the name hire that wins big.  Dabo wasn't a big name at Clemson.  Pete Carroll's hiring was mocked.

Day was largely a continuity hire after Urban got gently ushered out.  People weren't overly stoked but he was Urban's offensive guy and thought the best choice to keep the upcoming 1-2  recruiting classes which was Garrett Wilson, CJ Stroud, Smith, Paris Johnson, etc..

Dabo was another internal hire in a similar situation to Day taking over midseason and Clemson had actually been on a sharp upward trajectory largely due to his recruiting when he was Bowden's AHC.

Carroll was way out of right field, but he was an experienced 50 year old coach who had been a decent coach in NE, not a complete mess.  He wasn't some unproven young coordinator and, importantly, USC had just finished their worst 5 year stretch since WW2.  Obviously one of the marquee CFB jobs, but it wasn't super attractive at the time, hence why they couldn't get Bellotti or Dennis Erickson.

I don't disagree that its often a non-big name hire that ends up the most successful, but all those examples were different than a big program (PSU) who just had its best 8 year stretch in 20 years firing their coach to hire an unproven assistant from outside the program who has only been coaching for 7 years, and in their first year as a coordinator.

For comparison, Lanning is the same age as Hartline, but when he was hired 3 years ago, he'd already been the DC/recruiting coordinator at one of the top 5 programs in FCS at the time, spent a year assistant Saban at Bama, was the DC for Norvell at Memphis where they took the program to its highest point in 50 years within 2 years, then obviously help UGA winning a Natty...while Hartline has basically only been a position coach at OSU for 6 years till now.

[Uncle Rico]

That was the exact reaction in a group chat with some of my OSU buddies.  Not even selfishly wanting to keep him, they obviously aren't super stressed about losing coordinators, but they thought he was still a couple years away from being "ready".

Also, not a direct correlation, but every coordinator that has left OSU during Day's tenure has failed pretty notably. 

Kevin Wilson got another HC gig at Tulsa after he failed at IU then returned to OSU as OC.  Fired after 2 bad years.

Jeff Hafley was the OSU DC, then left to be medicore at BC, then took the Packers DC gig before he eventually was gonna get fired.

Jim Knowles has suddenly looked very ordinary as a DC now that he doesn't have a completely stacked OSU defense.

Chip Kelly has the worst offense in the NFL in LV.

Day was largely a continuity hire after Urban got gently ushered out.  People weren't overly stoked but he was Urban's offensive guy and thought the best choice to keep the upcoming 1-2  recruiting classes which was Garrett Wilson, CJ Stroud, Smith, Paris Johnson, etc..

Dabo was another internal hire in a similar situation to Day taking over midseason and Clemson had actually been on a sharp upward trajectory largely due to his recruiting when he was Bowden's AHC.

Carroll was way out of right field, but he was an experienced 50 year old coach who had been a decent coach in NE, not a complete mess.  He wasn't some unproven young coordinator and, importantly, USC had just finished their worst 5 year stretch since WW2.  Obviously one of the marquee CFB jobs, but it wasn't super attractive at the time, hence why they couldn't get Bellotti or Dennis Erickson.

I don't disagree that its often a non-big name hire that ends up the most successful, but all those examples were different than a big program (PSU) who just had its best 8 year stretch in 20 years firing their coach to hire an unproven assistant from outside the program who has only been coaching for 7 years, and in their first year as a coordinator.

For comparison, Lanning is the same age as Hartline, but when he was hired 3 years ago, he'd already been the DC/recruiting coordinator at one of the top 5 programs in FCS at the time, spent a year assistant Saban at Bama, was the DC for Norvell at Memphis where they took the program to its highest point in 50 years within 2 years, then obviously help UGA winning a Natty...while Hartline has basically only been a position coach at OSU for 6 years till now.

Don't disagree with your points. 

And while the chatter is there, I think Penn State has their guy and it almost certainly isn't Hartline.

I'm not an AD and never will be but I'd take Hartline over Clark Lea, let's say, whose success is tied in with Diego Pavia or Brent Key whose team has won a lot of close games.

And I'd definitely have taken him over Matt Rhule.

[Billy Hoyle]

The LSU situation isn't a problem. It's awesome!

https://x.com/38Godfrey/status/1983638003454243193

https://x.com/38Godfrey/status/1983980650765152289

[MU82]

The Louisiana governor says LSU's new football coach will have a "merit-based contract" that won't include a massive buyout.

I'm interested in seeing which coach they get and what that contact, under those parameters, looks like.

[Uncle Rico]

The Louisiana governor says LSU's new football coach will have a "merit-based contract" that won't include a massive buyout.

I'm interested in seeing which coach they get and what that contact, under those parameters, looks like.

Well, it'll be a white guy

[Scoop Snoop]

Well, it'll be a white guy

Not a guy. Jordan Hudson.

[WhiteTrash]

Well, it'll be a white guy

Duh, it is the SEC.

[CreightonWarrior]

Can't say Ohio State was expecting to play an unranked Penn State team with an interim head coach when this game got scheduled.

[MU82]

Take away ESPN/ABC, and the slate of college football games available for YTTV customers in the early time slot is a shade below BLECCCCH!

[CreightonWarrior]

29 straight losses against ranked teams for Nebraska. Next year they'll be a national powerhouse again though. Or Patrick Mahomes Jr will bail because he's getting introduced to darkness every game.

[Uncle Rico]

WIAC Results with direct implications on Marquette's cause:

UW-LaCrosse 31 UW-Stout 14

UW-Platteville 21 UW-Oshkosh 14

UW-River Falls 52 UW-Whitewater 14 👀

UWSP 39 UWEC 36