Remembered this comment while listening to Moscona and T-Bob postgame tonight. Moscona said he has talked to his contact within Bama program about us, and this guy says the only candidates that "concern them" are Tucker and Napier. Now "concern" is not "afraid", but maybe Diaz was indulging in a little hyperbole. Moscona also made a good point in Napier's favor for those (including me) concerned about his not being from a major school, reminded us that tOSU pulled Jim Tressel out of 1-AA and he did a great job in Columbus.
Jim Tressel isn't really a good comparison to Napier, imo. Tressel is an "Ohio guy", like O was sold as "One of us". More importantly though, Tressell won 4 Division 1 AA National Championships at Youngstown St. before landing the tOhio State gig. He was a well known coach in Ohio. Billy Napier looks like a good coach though, but like Tucker & Aranda, lacking a lengthy resume. I think the Michigan St. vs Michigan game will give usall a very good view of Tucker. Yesterday, I was impressed that Kiffin had a damn good game plan & played Defense. His Offense hadn't been a question, but was shocked at how well his Defense actually played. Still pretty fascinated at all the names being thrown out there. Seems every other day a new favorite emerges.
I don't think it was a comparison of Tressell to Napier, it was just to state that lack of a power 5 coaching gig on the resume shouldn't necessarily be a disquailifier.
I agree with that completely. I don't know if it's disqualifier or not. One thing I keep wondering is would LSU go aftet Napier if he had the same record at say San Diego State U, rather than the guy down the road in Lafayette. I wish I knew more about Napier. Another concern is name recognition. I think other guys on the wish lists can pull bigger names in recruiting, simplyvbecause they know who they are. Seems like a Kiffin or a Cristobal would get a visit more quickly than Napier. Might be wrong on this, just not sure.
Probably not. Napier's record combined with his apparent knowledge of the Louisiana recruiting trails elevates him.
I was adding recruiting to my last post when you posted. Yes, the recruiting issue isxaonething else . Do you think a bigger name coach getts more visits from the top players? My feeling is it may not matter much for in-state recruits, which might be a solid plus for Napier. But OOS recruits might gravitate to the Kiffins & Cristobals more frequently.
A big name hire lessens the inevitable recruiting drop off that's likely coming after the last two seasons and the coaching fire. I think Napier is a good coach and can be successful at LSU, but I think it will be looked at initially as a hiring fail (we missed on all the big names and "settled" for Napier).
So after yesterday, how do we feel about Kiffin? I am really intrigued as to what he can potentially do with LSU's offense given the talent we attract. As for his character and his past, I am not really sold on him. If he were to come to LSU, would he be here for the long haul, or just as a mercenary who would bolt for with a better offer elsewhere?
I agree. But I think several, 3 or 4 coaches if hired, might be called "Settled for" hires. But any of them could be really good hires in the long run.
