11/26/2006
CY MAKES A MOVE
Tomorrow at 6 pm. That’s when Iowa State will introduce its new football coach. Given the timing, there’s only a slim possibility it’s not Central Michigan’s Brian Kelly. Unless Jamie Pollard has been doing some seriously stealthy interviewing, that is. Though Cyclone Report is still saying it might be Bo Pelini.
2 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Mark: I think you’re right, but I wonder why Kelly is settling for Iowa State rather than waiting a year and seeing what better opportunities will open up for him. Might he have already crippled his CMU recruiting by his interest in the MSU job?
Comment by Steve Casburn — 11/26/2006 @ 8:50 pm
Steve, ISU is going berzerk in the athletic department. Jamie Pollard has been highly aggressive in creating and promoting a vision for the future of Clone athletics. He really wants to expand Jack Trice Stadium for starters. That’s probably a huge part of why Mac got the gate.
Brian Kelly (if it’s him) might have been drawn by the opportunity to continue the good work Mac began, along with the opportunity Pollard was able to dangle in front of him: He could be ‘the guy’ who busted ISU through to the next level. Plus, the ISU job may be less prestigious than Michigan State, but Mac got twelve seasons, including some real stinkers. John L. Smith got run out after four years. Loudmouth alumni and boosters should keep that in mind. Who wants a job where they know they’re only going to get a couple years to make the BCS at a school that’s not even used to playing in a New Year’s bowl?
Kelly (if it’s him) would be a nice, splashy hire that would probably generate a lot of positive buzz for ISU. That buzz might translate into enough cash to float Pollard’s vision. The obvious question is “Will Brian Kelly still be at ISU in five years?” The less obvious, but more important question is “Will Jamie Pollard?”
Comment by Mark Hasty — 11/26/2006 @ 9:01 pm