Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong could very well be the next head football coach for the Louisville Cardinals. But don’t expect any talks to begin until after this weekend, as University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich has halted his pursuit of a new coach until after said candidate’s team has finished playing. Jurich’s patience is noteworthy and commendable, though he will be forced to seek out a replacement before bowl games commence and will likely begin speaking to Strong a day or two after the 2009 SEC Championship game.
Strong’s agent, Nathan Whitaker, told the Courier-Journal that he has yet to be contacted about the Louisville opening. One dark horse candidate for Strong’s services may very well be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as pointed out by a dedicated OGGOA reader named Travis who took some time out to tell us exactly why.
Travis finds it curious that Strong’s name has not yet surfaced in regard to Notre Dame’s opening. It may be a long shot, but not nearly as big of a long shot as you may think. With a report today stating the Fighting Irish are considering Connecticut Huskies defensive-minded head coach Randy Edsall, here are a few things to consider:
Five reasons Strong-to-Notre Dame may be in the cards…after the jump…
– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Notre Dame wants a coach with a “defensive resume.” If true, Brian Kelly (Cincinnati) may be out of the running.
– Gary Patterson (TCU) may be a name that comes to mind, but he has been quoted as saying he has seen “way too many moving vans in his lifetime”…and he just inked a new deal.
– Notre Dame is no longer a top 10 job in many people’s minds. Among other problems, the Fighting Irish have severe recruiting disadvantages in comparison to other top programs. Yet the fan base expects them to compete at the highest level year-in and year-out. This is not attractive to names like Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp (Texas coach-in-waiting), etc., who are all in great situations. It may have been a dream job long ago but not anymore.
– The job will likely have to go to someone in a much shakier situation, someone currently out of coaching or an up-and-comer.
– If you covet Meyer but can’t have him, why not consider a guy who has worked for him for five years and grown his resume with experience in the “Meyer way?”
– Strong worked as a defensive line coach at Notre Dame from 1995-1998. At a school and program as unique at this one, from booster and media interaction to recruiting and beyond, it is undoubtedly a positive to hire someone who has spent some time there.
– Strong currently makes $310K in base salary. There may be some competition for him from Louisville and others, but he is unlikely to command anywhere near the salary, contract length and guarantees that the other names currently being thrown around would command.
– While Notre Dame has plenty of money, how much can they get away with spending with from a public relations standpoint? Can they continue offering the huge guarantees necessary to draw the top names, especially in light of the gargantuan buyout they are stuck paying to Weis?
One thing that seems to be an inevitability in all of this is that Strong will no longer be with the Gators when the 2010 season rolls around. And it is about time. As much as Strong means to Florida and as much as he has done for the program and its players, he has been deserving of a head coaching job for a long time and is finally garnering legitimate interest from major programs. Best of luck to coach Strong.
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