Brandon to IU?

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:00 pm

http://indiana.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=361004

Mike Pegram

This is an early attempt to identify some candidates that seem logical for the just opened Indiana head football coach position. Let us know if you think a candidate should be added or removed from the above list. We expect to go through several iterations of this summary. Potential candidates in alphabetical order:

AP: Jerry Laizure

Brandon has kept the high powered offense running at Bowling Green
Greg Brandon (Bowling Green) - hired two years ago and in his first season he led BGSU to a 11-3 record and a #23 national ranking in the final AP and Coaches Poll. This fall they went 8-3 and will play Memphis in the GMAC Bowl on December 22nd. Before taking the head coaching position at Bowling Green, Brandon was a top assistant under former Falcon head coach and now current Utah coach Urban Meyer (rumored new Notre Dame coach). He was offensive coordinator and in his last season in that position, the Falcons finished third in the nation in scoring (40.8 pts/game) and eighth in total offense (448.9 yds/game). Bowling Green team has posted the highest winning percentage of any MAC team over the last four years with a 36-12 record (.750). Brandon is 48 years old and click here for a link to his BGSU bio.

Comment: Brandon has to be a very hot coaching candidate so could Indiana get him? Would be able to bring in his own staff and has an offensive system that obviously works. Look what Urban Meyer did what that system at Utah.

It also names some other MAC coaches but it looks like Coach tops the list...but they also spelled his name wrong.

transfer2BGSU · Post by **transfer2BGSU** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:05 pm

But do you want to go to a school that is usually in the botton 5 of the b!g 11 or do you want to be at a school that is going to contend for a Conference title?

So he goes to IU and makes $750,000 a year for five years. But if you don't produce, what are you going to do when the ax comes down?

Stay at BG for five years and make $750,000 total and still be in the hunt each year for the title.

What's a coach to do?

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:09 pm

Utah had the desire to win. IU just paddles along with no evident interest in football. Utah WANTED Urban, and they wanted to win. IU is interested in Brandon in the same way a person with a stuck drain looks up a plumber in the yellow pages.

It isn't even about the money. Nobody can win at IU. Unlike Utah, which might not have had a great reputation, at least it wasn't a known graveyard for failed coaches from other programs.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:10 pm

transfer2BGSU wrote:But do you want to go to a school that is usually in the botton 5 of the b!g 11 or do you want to be at a school that is going to contend for a Conference title?

So he goes to IU and makes $750,000 a year for five years. But if you don't produce, what are you going to do when the ax comes down?

What do you do? You get a coordinator's job at a BSC school and earn more than you would have as a MAC head coach.

Coaches don't look at situations the same way fans do. We look at IU and think "no way" Most decent coaches would look at IU and think, "I can be the guy that turns uit around"

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:13 pm

It's also a Big 10 school...coaches will look at that too.

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:16 pm

Flipper wrote:Most decent coaches would look at IU and think, "I can be the guy that turns uit around"

Most decent coaches aren't dumb enough to bite on what IU hands out.

Do I think Brandon is leaving at some point, maybe even this year yet? Sure. And we'll go and find somebody new and as good or better. We seem to have done rather well the last two times. In the end, we are going to have to pay out more for the next coach. When the time comes, we need to be as aggressive as we can be. The next big thing at BGSU might not be an obvious choice. I personally couldn't understand why a WR coach from ground based Notre Dame was being considered, but it worked out. I have faith in the athletics staff.

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:16 pm

I think we all realize Coach B won't be around forever, though that saddens me (I dream of the day when a great coach decides that BG is the place to be - permanently).

That being said, I would like to think that he realizes he is in a good position - his program is good and improving; it's getting a reasonable amount of national exposure. His stock still has growth potential if he remains here. That would put him in a position to pick the right situation.

And I trust that he would realize that Indiana is not the right situation.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:18 pm

IU has a great campus, great facilities and it's the Big 10. They'll get plenty of interest from qualified coaches

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:22 pm

Flipper:

Agreed. I think they'll get some good candidates, too.

Rollo83 · Post by **Rollo83** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:25 pm

If Brandon goes this year, it will have to be for the right opportunity. I don't think Indiana and other similar programs in the "right" opportunity.

If Brandon sticks around the next year or two and rides this out here with Omar, he'll be able to pick and choose from among multiple offers.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:41 pm

General agreement. Brandon will go soon, and I fear before next season. But I don't think he will take Indiana. That is a no win situation.

Then, there was a guy who coached Brandon in High School. His name was Gary Barnett, and he took a job at Northwestern. Many might of said the same thing...until they played in the Rose Bowl.

Nah, couldn't happen again.

bgsuman · Post by **bgsuman** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:15 pm

Yeah, no way he would go to IU, bad move.

factman · Post by **factman** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:15 pm

This is funny........a certain basketball coach with Indiana ties(which will remain unnamed) and I were talking about this exact situation a couple of weeks ago, and he said Indiana would come after Coach Brandon.
I said, "Would you take the job?" His response was, "Hell NO!"

bgsuman · Post by **bgsuman** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:18 pm

factman wrote:This is funny........a certain basketball coach with Indiana ties(which will remain unnamed) and I were talking about this exact situation a couple of weeks ago, and he said Indiana would come after Coach Brandon.
I said, "Would you take the job?" His response was, "Hell NO!"

lol

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:38 pm

You know, I can even hear the inflection in his voice when he said 'hell no.'