Does anybody know if Rick Neuheisel interview for the UCLA job today? If he did interview today; does anybody know or has heard of how the interview went?

All of this news about Dan Guerrero is really pleasing me. To this point, I have read the man very well. Peter Dalis never felt pressure to make the perfect hire, because he was the Administration’s boy. DG knows that he has to cross the administration on this one, and that’s whyhe’s feeling the pressure. I love this! I’m proud of DG. Let’s finish it with the right person, DG. Come on, baby!!!

I’m glad DG is feeling the heat. What worries me is the administration’s role in all of this. I graduated in ‘67 and it seems like the last 30 years the powers to be have wanted UCLA to have a mediocre football program. Look who we have hired as football coaches. We have gone so far from what college football is all about.
We play in a stadium 35 miles from campus. It’s almost as if the students are excluded from participating in UCLA football. There is no atmoshpere at the Rose Bowl. We have to keep it family friendly.
I still haven’t figured out if this emphasis on mediocraty is a directive from the Board of Regents, The university President or the Chancelor’s office.
All I know is that Cal has had the same problem almost as long as UCLA has. At least they have had some success in recruiting and win under Tedford.

Will the administration like Rick? Yes. It is safer than the bigger named names and DG will get Rick for cheap, because he wants another chance. The FIRM likes cheap… ask Karl.

Tedford is my second choice. He sleeps in his office. The FIRM likes that too!!!

Twothphry is right!!!

UCLA and CAL suffer major recruiting disadvantages while DIRT $C (O.J.U.)($UC) does not. The University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles have brutal admissions requirements; unlike DIRT SC, we don’t allow our students to buy their B.A.’s in finger-painting, drug addiction, DOUBLE HOMICIDE, etc.. BUT UCLA can win! CAL had suffered from decades of bad football, but they really hit a grand slam by hiring the RIGHT coach, Jeff Tedford. We can find that coach; just don’t pick him up from the trash bin. Neuhisel would be the best fit; Pat Hill would be a great HC; BUT PLEASE, NO LAME Kiffin, no Mike “The Spread is Dead” Leach, and no tired Herm Edwards or Norm Chow. DG had better hire the right coach, or his ass is gone!

Duke has hired David Cutliffe, who was brilliant at Ole Miss, but got totally screwed by the AD who hired Ed Ogeron,USC’s DeWayne Walker and awful HC. Duke is paying Cutcliffe $1.5 million and will increase pay to assistants.
What is the lesson for UCLA? Ogeron was USC’s Number One Ass’t and their recruiting coordinator. When he left, USC people said “We are going to lose all of our recruits.” Well, Ed was a great personality, he SUCKED as a head coach, and USC’s recruiting NEVER missed a beat. Forget these threats about losing all the recruits and our link to the inter-city. Hire the best person….if this SUPPOSEDLY magnificent class of 2008 prefers to go somewhere, DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS ON YOUR WAY TO EUGENE!!!!!

Sort of good news, but the requirement that Walker be kept as DC by any coach is likely to scare away every single good coach out there. Unless Guerrero removes this requirement, this search may be doomed, and Chow will be the new coach. Without the requirement, I think UCLA could get Jones, Mendenhall, Bowden, or maybe even Mariucci.

UCLAN…..You’re right. No head coach in his right mind will allow a coach actively competing for the same job to remain as a holdover. The new coach will ultimately be held accountable for his performance. For this reason, he needs complete autonomy regarding his staff. It’s like what Bill Parcells said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, they ought to let you buy the groceries.” With what some people are saying about Walker, the new coach would be looking over his shoulder constantly.

Also, I would like a definitive answer as to why anyone views Mariucci as an acceptable choice. What the hell has he done? He went 6-6 at Cal and then jumped to the NFL where he inherited a stable full of all-pros. Okay, he then had a couple 12-4 years. But, if he is such a miracle worker, why didn’t he work his magic at Detroit? The answer? No Steve Young, T.O., Rice, etc.

So, a guy who admittedly hates to recruit who has a 6-6 year as his only college experience is the guy to hire? Why? Compared to Neuheisel his record is dismal.

If you read back in the old Detrroit press stories you see that Mooch was quick to put the blame on others for his losses, when claerly the lack of a good game plan was not there. Joey Harrington was not the guy to do the job and he went along with if not embraced the idea of Harrington.

Mooch is not the man for UCLA he is not a recruiter and will be a bad hire.

I really hope DG hires Neuheisel for his sake and for the sake of the program. Let’s hope the big money boosters want Neuheisel, because if they do he is in, if they don’t Neuheisel has no shot. Like most things this decision will be based on what the money wants. If DG doesn’t go with the boosters and if his choise doesn’t work out he will be gone. The more I think about it, the more I know Neuheisel is the best man for the job, unless we just want to be a basketball school.

I’m not convinced the speculation about a new head coach “having” to keep Walker as DC is really believable. With high-profile hires like a professional or top-tier college coach, baseball manager or a CEO, especially in an organization determined to improve its standing, it’s not at all unusual for the new guy to bring along key members of his executive team. Doesn’t always happen, and sometimes circumstances prevent it, but I’m a bit dubious about the Walker talk.

Look at Joe Torre. He’s bringing a few of his coaches with him to the Dodgers, is retaining others who have previous ties to him, and will find still others to develop into his new management team. That’s what good executives do — especially if the onus of success is falling directly on their shoulders. None of us wants to have to rely on someone we just don’t know enough about to trust under fire. The problem for most of us is that we don’t have that option. A top-25 football coach’s job isn’t like most of ours, though. And, yes, I’m aware that KD has turned us into a last-25 team but stick with me.

An exception would be if the assistant really was brilliant or the particular system was a match to what the new coach relied on in the past, or if there were a previous relationship — and on the football coaching carousel, chances are there might well be a previous relationship.

The same would go for Walker as an assistant hoping to keep his job. It depends on the new guy. If one or more of the previous circumstances applied, he’d try to stay. If not, he’s too ambitious to stick around. Just my opinion, though.

Does anyone think that Rick wants the job badly enough to keep DW?…..and if not would he bring Norton jr to his staff?

jstew….the extent of Ken Norton Jr.’s coaching experience is as a position (LB) coach at SC. He needs quite a bit more coaching experience to be considered for anything more.

A lateral move to UCLA? Though it would be nice to see, I seriously doubt it will happen.

UCLA is THE desired place to be a HC. SEE? We are BIG news now. All these guys want to be here. Should have happened long ago

Steve

Guys….I’m gonna offer an argument for Neuheisel and the fact his record tends to tail off and then I have to shut up for a while. Rick Neuheisel doesn’t pay my bills and hasn’t offered me a dime to advocate for him. And, truthfully, guys who don’t like Neuheisel have just as much right to voice an opinion for someone else. I just want the best coach we can get.

All I can say about Neuheisel’s decline in wins the longer he stays at a program is I think it may be a non issue. It isn’t as if he forgets how to coach. Rise Up has a good argument. Why doesn’t Neuheisel win when his guys begin playing? I don’t know. I just maintain that the same coaching principles he utilized when he won haven’t been eroded. Time for me to shut up.

HEY PUKE ,don’t stay away too long .Nobody excused you !

Michigan hires Rodriguez as coach. Its amazing other Universities have made hiring a HC a simple process, you see someone you want make them an offer they can’t refuse and there you have it a head coach. DG has made the hc search to complicated.

alx324, Michigan’s hiring of a HC was hardly a “simple” process. They went from school to school trying to steal coaches and getting publicly shotdown numerous times. I think they did alright though, let’s hope we fair as well.

I think it’s pretty funny that D.G. hired a search firm . All he had to do was ask for our collective opinions .At least we came up with Brian Kelly instead of Harbaugh .

lol