ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit sat down with us at The Drake Hotel this past Tuesday. The ESPN Analyst was in town to reveal the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. The state of Illinois football was a topic we covered in depth, and it was great to finally get the national perspective on the program.
This cruising altitude of 35,000 feet viewpoint is really in short supply these days because Illinois football hasn’t registered, not even a blip on the radar screen, for so long.
Herbstreit doesn’t see retaining Interim Coach Bill Cubit to be an option.
“They’ve got to go out and hire somebody. I think they’ve got to go out and get a name,” he said.
“They need to get back to owning Chicago, getting into the Midwest, getting into Ohio and being a top program. Shoot for the stars.”
While the players, and others within the program would definitely support retaining Cubit, the fans certainly would not. Losing at Minnesota, a team that had just one conference win this season, definitely thinned out the ranks of Cubit supporters. That group was rapidly diminishing to begin with.
“Get someone who’s going to shake it up, create some positive energy,” Herbstreit said.
“It’s been dead for a long time, I’ve really been disappointed in Illinois. They’re a non-factor right now, they need to figure things out and become relevant again.”
Looking at the state of the program from a big picture perspective, something exciting and rejuvenating needs to happen, and happen soon in order to reengage this base.
So who is that guy?
“I don’t know who they can get,” Herbstreit said.
“There are so many high profile jobs out there this year, and more to come that it’s going to create a domino effect. What’s going to happen is that Tom Herman is going to go somewhere, now Houston is open. Justin Fuente is going to leave Memphis, he’ll go here, now Memphis is open, someone’s going to go there, and it’s going to be a huge domino effect.”
There are now 13 coaching vacancies in the FBS, 9 in the Power Five. USC is obviously the best, with South Carolina, Mizzou, Miami and Virginia Tech above Illinois in the pecking order too.
“I’d love to see them get a current coach at a smaller school and come in, and get it going, or take a risk, and go out and find a high profile coordinator who’s doing well. Illinois is not the MAC, you could go a guy who’s willing to take on that challenge, like I said if you’re at Illinois and you can own Chicago, and then go around the rest of the Midwest, I feel like Illinois is a sleeping giant, personally. “
“Who specifically they can get I have no idea.”
In order to get there, Illinois first needs a competent, engaged A.D. Which is a topic we covered with Herbstreit yesterday.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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