Because one is a coach and the others are players? You do realize that different positions in society have different rules and obligations right? For one coaching is a job, you get paid to do it. Players are students not employees playing ball isn't a right it's a privilege associated with attending a school. The NCAA has every right to limit conditions of where and when you can play (grades, recruitment etc). Why are parents allow to spank kids but kids not allowed to spank parents? Why are cops allowed to shoot criminals but criminals not allowed to shoot cops? OMG the world is UNFAIR. Rocket River Notre Dame football is basically exactly same as Kentucky basketball. The idea that they're irrelevant is laughable. As long as they have their fan base and their money they'll be fine. They just need a coach to come in and clean things up.
There are way too many examples of good coaches coming to once great but now dormant programs and bringing them back to greatness. Saban at 'Bama Brown at Texas Carroll at USC Meyer at Florida Stoops at OU Saban at LSU There is no reason whatsoever to think that it can't happen at Notre Dame. I'm not sure if Kelly is the guy or not (Stoops would have been perfect IMO), but time will tell. But it most certainly CAN be done.
so your response to that silly rule, is well..the world is unfair. good argument true, the coaches are a job, they get paid. but if you wanna tangle in the NCAA, you gotta play by its rules. using your logic, since its a job, a profession. why dont we just allow coaches to do whatever it takes to get recruits? its their job, let them do whatever it takes. wanna give a player a car to come? sure go for it. wanna give the kid cash. sure go for it. wanna buy the recruits friends and family jewelry? sure go for it. its the coaches profession, let em wine and dine the recruits as they see fit. right? its pretty simple, players go to a school to play for the coach. simple as that. the relationships the head coach and asst. form with the player is the main reason why players go. if a head coach and thus, the head coaches whole staff up and leaves, players shouldnt be punished for wanting out. i'm not saying make a coach sit out, just take the silly rule away players have to sit a year if they wanna transfer.
Eh. I don't count Florida in that mix. They never exactly "fell"... well, maybe by their standards they did. ha. Year---Conf---Record--ConfRec 1990 SEC 9-2 6-1 1991 SEC 10-2 7-0* 1992 SEC 9-4 6-3 1993 SEC 11-2 8-1* 1994 SEC 10-2-1 8-1* 1995 SEC 12-1 9-0* 1996 SEC 12-1** 9-0* 1997 SEC 10-2 6-2 1998 SEC 10-2 7-1 1999 SEC 9-4 7-2 2000 SEC 10-3 8-1* 2001 SEC 10-2 6-2 2002 SEC 8-5 6-2 2003 SEC 8-5 6-2 2004 SEC 7-5 4-4 2005 SEC 9-3 5-3 2006 SEC 13-1** 8-1* 2007 SEC 9-4 5-3 2008 SEC 13-1** 8-1* 2009 SEC 12-1 8-1
You've been all over the place with your arguments but here's what I remember from the top of my head... ND doesn't put out NFL prospects: That was true but Weis's recruits are only now becoming eligible for the draft. Now that they are, they will likely have a Top 10 pick and a first rounder this year and will probably have another high first rounder next year. So they only had 3 first rounders in the last 10 years, what's your argument if they end up having 3 or more in the next 2 years? ND cannot recruit: #8 Class in 2006, #8 Class in 2007, #2 Class in 2008. If you don't trust recruiting sites, that is fine. But look at ND's recruiting classes and look at some of the recruit's offer lists, you gotta at least trust other school's decision to offer scholarships to these recruits, especially when the offers are coming from schools like USC, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon, etc... If you wanna judge a class by the number of NFL prospects that come out of it, that's fine. While I don't agree that this is the best way to judge a class, as I posted above, Weis's recruits are just now becoming draft eligible and since some of them are going to be high picks, that has to change your judgment right? ND does have the facilities: Not sure where you got this from but its simply not true. I agree that producing NFL talent is a big selling point for schools, but it isn't everything. ND still has a lot to offer kids and despit their limited success on the field, they've still been able to recruit very well.
These are the years right before Meyer, right? (Too lazy to look it up on a getaway Friday) 5 losses is unacceptable for a program like Florida. Those kinds of seasons can add up and before you know it, your program is dormant. Just ask Nebraska. UF really hit the jackpot with Meyer. It was pretty much the perfect hire. Maybe I'm naive, but I really do think Stoops could have done the same thing at Notre Dame. Of course, if he didn't ever want the job, it's a moot point. I'm just not sure Kelly is a big enough name. I could be wrong though. Wouldn't be the first time...
Urban meyer had a 4 loss season, but they have been pretty good for a while. Plus the last 4 years they have had jesus playing for them.
Kelly is a pretty conservative hire compared to Willingham and Weis. While he's not a big name like Stoops or Urban, he's has good head coaching experience at the college level and is a proven winner. In other words, Kelly was a safe pick IMO. With that said, you really never know what you're gonna get. I thought Rich Rodriguez was a great hire for Michigan, hell he even had more success than Kelly in the same conference. But Kelly better learn how to suck up to boosters and the higher ups. Rodriguez is a notorious a-hole so I'm not suprised that Michigan wanted him gone so quickly. That stuff won't fly at bigger schools. Unfortunately for Kelly, I've read that he can be quite the a-hole as well.
I do agree with the last part of your post in regards to feeling bad for the Cincinnati kids who came to play for Kelly, but the fact is Kelly did a hell of a lot for that university, its program and all of his players. These are not 5 star recruits. He took a bunch of 3 stars and gave them a national championship contention run. where else would any of those kids gotten that? I understand some are emotional but these young men need to man up and recognize what Coach did for them. As for the other part the kids sign letters of commitment to a university, not to a coach. Those rules against gifts is there to protect the kids themselves and the university not to protect the coach. The coach is an employee there to facilitate the program. It's one thing to limit the behavior of students, which universities do ALL the time not just with athletes. It's another to legally interfere with someone's livelihood. Coaching and playing are just totally different. Like others, I think Kelly is a good coach but someone like stoops or meyer would obviously have been the optimal pick. Kelly simply has never had to recruit the kind of players he's going to need at Notre Dame. I watched a lot of Cinci and Kelly was great at running over top 50 teams with lesser talent but he's going to need to both compile the best talent and beat best teams 10 times a year at Notre Dame, he doesn't yet have a track record with that.
I hope it works out for the irish, but I think a guy like Herm Edwards couldve had a pete carroll type of effect on the program. I think kelly has shown that he can follow in a program and make it better. Central Mich and Cincy had some pretty good roots with dantonio and the other guy and he made them better. Also what I do like is players got better which is huge when you get mid level talent and make them good prospects. We will see in time and if he makes decent improvement, he can get a 10 yr contract like weis.
