OT: Nebraska football coaching job

[Wolfgang]

SaltNPepper said:

I have a hunch that some of the people that have shown initial interest were really quite happy where they were at but used this opportunity to get a nice bump in their pay from the team they are currently coaching.

True to a certain extent. Every attractive job can be used as leverage to boost one's current contract/salary, but you have to prepare yourself to take that other job in case your current employer doesn't take too kindly to being "manipulated." In the long run, it's not worth it. Your employer will remember what you did to get that salary bump and if you failed to get that salary bump, you will remember how "underappreciated" you were with your boss. Disaster is inevitable. Even murder.

[Wolfgang]

Just the other day, they hired Bill Callahan. Hmmm. It is probably not a good fit, but what the hell do I know?

[Lwood]

I have to jump in and discuss Houton Nutt. His record of turning around programs and his string of success at Arkansas is impressive. If you want to see what I'm talking about read his bio at hogwired.com.

He turned down a large offer from NE for a counter offer from AR that was less than NE's. AR basically doubled Nutt's salary. He is now making $1.5 million. NE offered him over $2 million.

That should tell you something about the condition of NE program. Some analysts have said that NE will be competitive for one or two more years, but once those kids graduate NE is in for a drought. The young players at NE compared to the ones at AR is what's keeping Houston Nutt in Fayetteville.

[SaltNPepper]

Lwood said:

I have to jump in and discuss Houton Nutt. His record of turning around programs and his string of success at Arkansas is impressive. If you want to see what I'm talking about read his bio at hogwired.com.

He turned down a large offer from NE for a counter offer from AR that was less than NE's. AR basically doubled Nutt's salary. He is now making $1.5 million. NE offered him over $2 million.

That should tell you something about the condition of NE program. Some analysts have said that NE will be competitive for one or two more years, but once those kids graduate NE is in for a drought. The young players at NE compared to the ones at AR is what's keeping Houston Nutt in Fayetteville.

I agree that Houston Nutt is an outstanding coach and has done a tremendous job rebuilding the Arkansas program in the last six years. I do however disagree on why he may have turned down Nebraska. Unless I am mistaken, he is a native of Arkansas having been an outstanding high school football player in Little Rock. I think he is a " razorback" in his heart and with family ties to the state, the Arkansas job was his " dream job" rather than Nebraska to which he had no ties.

In addition, while we all heard the "stories" that NU was offering in the $2 million plus range, the information coming out of the Nebraska Athletic Department has denied that they had ever considered anything for anyone that was more than roughly $1.5 which about what Solich was getting and what they hired Callahan for. So if you believe them, then Nutt probably had an offer from Arkansas that matched what Nebraska was willing to pay him rather than staying there for signifactly less.

I do agree that there may have been a few less of the really top rated recruits coming to Nebraska the last couple of years (which is the reason Pederson decided to get rid of Solich), but historically, Nebraska has seldom had a top 5 or top 10 recruiting class but yet that has never seemed to stop them from having a top 5 to 10 team. It really only takes a couple of "star" recruits to go along with a overall good class of recruits to give a team the opportunity to do very well.

As far as your comment on " the condition of NE program", I would be very surprised if they don't come out of this with Callahan as their head coach in the next few years as an annual contenter for a top 5 spot, something I feel that is less likely for Arkansas.