Illinois football deserves so much better than what it currently has. The Fighting Illini were 63-48-4 (.565) during the 1980s. However, they’ve gone just 111-166-2 (.401) since John Mackovic left town to go Coach Texas. Mackovic’s name is critical because he is the most recent Illinois football head coach to leave on his own accord.
Memorial Stadium in Champaign has become a career graveyard for everybody else since (Lou Tepper, Ron Turner, Ron Zook….Tim Beckman). With this inconvenient truth in mind, Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas is going to have a hard sell.
Of course, Thomas SHOULD NOT be the one who makes this hire. He’s clearly unqualified (more on that here), but as it stands now, the buck stops with him.
It’s why I strongly believe Illinois football will (and should) hire a current assistant at a high major program. (we’ll compose that list later) These five gentlemen listed below are on the “sleeper” list. It’s a preliminary list, so that’s why some of these names are quite underwhelming.
Beckman was just fired a few hours ago so this list is “made on short notice.” So if it doesn’t excite you, apologies in advance.
1. Dino Babers, Bowling Green Head Coach
This name is getting thrown around a lot, and it’s definitely one worth getting excited over. Babers dominated at Eastern Illinois and seems to have handled the jump to Bowling Green decently well in his first year. Until Purdue hired Darrell Hazell a couple of years ago, the Boilers were one of just two Big Ten schools never to have hired a minority head coach in either of the two revenue sports. The other?….well, it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. Thomas recruited both Kevin Sumlin and Shaka Smart pretty hard.
Think of this as the football equivalent of the John Groce hire. You didn’t see it coming, never mind, the Groce hire is a total failure, so let’s move on.
2. Doc Holliday, Marshall Head Coach
With a name like this, how is he not coaching in West Texas, or New Mexico, or some other place that is stereotypically portrayed similar to Frontierland at Walt Disney World? As I pointed out in the first piece, Illinois football is completely irrelevant right now on a national scale, and brand awareness is just as down as the actual product on the field. Marshall is another place where obscurity runs rampant. Holliday quietly (very quietly) gets it done and he deserves much better. He’s 40-25 at Marshall, 27-13 in conference.
3. Terry Bowden, Akron Head Coach
Before you write this one off, remember Illinois football badly needs to restore all the damage Tim Beckman has inflicted on the brand. Bowden is a name who could bring sizzle, as well as steak (well, at least in this context). Since leaving his plush TV gig, Bowden went 29-9 at North Alabama and has improved each year that he’s been coaching in the tire capital of the world.
Of course, at Akron he’s been a total bust. 11-25, 7-17 in the MAC.
4. P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan Head Coach
Hiring Bill Cubit’s successor? Really? Yes, this could be an “Illini Fitz.”
While Pat Fitzgerald took over Northwestern at a very young age due to extreme circumstances, Illinois football could find their guy who indeed “lives for this” by design. There’s a lot to love/hate about this hire. Everyone raves over Fleck’s recruiting abilities, and if you want a guy that keeps talent in state…Fleck could be it. He’s very well connected in the talent rich recruiting grounds that are the Chicago suburbs and edge cities.
The bad?
Well, his record at WMU leaves much to be desired, and at age 33, he’s probably not ready yet.
5. Greg Schiano, former Head Coach Rutgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. Just please, no. NO!!! Schiano was 28-48 in conference play during his career at Rutgers and just 11-21 with Tampa in the NFL. Wes Lunt is a special quarterback and he deserves a lot better than this. But hey, at least you know he’s available.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
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