[Goose]

Is Nebraska any harder to succeed at in major college football than BYU or Virginia? Mendenhall's niche is succeeding at mid-tier major programs. I'm not talking about Jimbo Fisher here. I think the fit could potentially be quite good. I don't think Nebraska is doomed to Frost-like performance any more than Stanford was doomed to Harris-like performance or Virginia was doomed to London-like performance.

I agree that Nebraska can be better than it is under Frost. The problem is that Nebraska isn't at all like BYU or Virginia. They are still thinking Bob Devaney/Tom Osborne like success is what they deserve and expect. Anything less and you will have trouble there. It has been a long, long time since they were that good, but they don't "get" it. Also, BYU and Virginia had an ethos and some attractive points that you could "sell" to recruits. Nebraska is a much harder sell. It is cold in the winter, and there isn't much "there" there. In many ways it is a good school, but that isn't what most football players are looking for. IMHO it is also quite probable Mendenhall is tired of that niche he has occupied and wants to move "up" the food chain, but not to a place where no matter what he does it won't be enough. He doesn't need that aggravation.

Teams can hire people other than current head coaches. I understand your points on responsibility/focus during the season, but if Nebraska comes calling to a major team's coordinator during the season, I suspect the coordinator will listen. Bear in mind that somebody can have conversations about a job without yet leaving the current job. Maybe Nebraska identifies somebody who will join them after the conference championships, or even after the bowls. Dan Lanning kept coaching the Georgia defense weeks after he was hired as Oregon's head coach. This is just the world we're in now. Kirby Smart did the same thing, continuing to coach Alabama even after taking the Georgia job (and those are conference rivals!). Their lack of focus in grasping for the individual brass ring didn't stop them from winning national titles, and their future teams were willing to wait/let them multi-task.

I agree that you can have discussions with coordinators, head coaches, whoever you wish. I also agree that lining up a new guy that you are happy with is a good thing. Some "multi-tasking" can be OK, but if the word leaks out too soon, it can get ugly, even if it is a coordinator. OTOH, some head coaches and coordinators have an understanding about "moving up" and actually talk to each other about it. It can work out fine. You really do need to fire Frost first before you do this IMHO.

I am definitely not talking about Mendenhall or anybody else joining mid-season. That would be stupid. You fire Frost in October (I guess, given the economics...if I'm Nebraska my mind is made up now that this guy needs to go), appoint an interim head coach to coach the rest of a lost season, conduct a search for however long it takes to find your guy, and lock that guy in as the guy who hits the ground running in December.

Agree that is how it should be done. If there is a significant financial advantage to keeping Frost on until the end of the season, maybe you do that. No matter what you do, if Frost isn't "the guy", this will be a "lost" season.

[Goose]

Is Nebraska any harder to succeed at in major college football than BYU or Virginia? Mendenhall's niche is succeeding at mid-tier major programs. I'm not talking about Jimbo Fisher here. I think the fit could potentially be quite good. I don't think Nebraska is doomed to Frost-like performance any more than Stanford was doomed to Harris-like performance or Virginia was doomed to London-like performance.

I agree that Nebraska can be better than it is under Frost. The problem is that Nebraska isn't at all like BYU or Virginia. They are still thinking Bob Devaney/Tom Osborne like success is what they deserve and expect. Anything less and you will have trouble there. It has been a long, long time since they were that good, but they don't "get" it. Also, BYU and Virginia had an ethos and some attractive points that you could "sell" to recruits. Nebraska is a much harder sell. It is cold in the winter, and there isn't much "there" there. In many ways it is a good school, but that isn't what most football players are looking for. IMHO it is also quite probable Mendenhall is tired of that niche he has occupied and wants to move "up" the food chain, but not to a place where no matter what he does it won't be enough. He doesn't need that aggravation.

Teams can hire people other than current head coaches. I understand your points on responsibility/focus during the season, but if Nebraska comes calling to a major team's coordinator during the season, I suspect the coordinator will listen. Bear in mind that somebody can have conversations about a job without yet leaving the current job. Maybe Nebraska identifies somebody who will join them after the conference championships, or even after the bowls. Dan Lanning kept coaching the Georgia defense weeks after he was hired as Oregon's head coach. This is just the world we're in now. Kirby Smart did the same thing, continuing to coach Alabama even after taking the Georgia job (and those are conference rivals!). Their lack of focus in grasping for the individual brass ring didn't stop them from winning national titles, and their future teams were willing to wait/let them multi-task.

I agree that you can have discussions with coordinators, head coaches, whoever you wish. I also agree that lining up a new guy that you are happy with is a good thing. Some "multi-tasking" can be OK, but if the word leaks out too soon, it can get ugly, even if it is a coordinator. OTOH, some head coaches and coordinators have an understanding about "moving up" and actually talk to each other about it. It can work out fine. You really do need to fire Frost first before you do this IMHO.

I am definitely not talking about Mendenhall or anybody else joining mid-season. That would be stupid. You fire Frost in October (I guess, given the economics...if I'm Nebraska my mind is made up now that this guy needs to go), appoint an interim head coach to coach the rest of a lost season, conduct a search for however long it takes to find your guy, and lock that guy in as the guy who hits the ground running in December.

Agree that is how it should be done. If there is a significant financial advantage to keeping Frost on until the end of the season, maybe you do that. No matter what you do, if Frost isn't "the guy", this will be a "lost" season.