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Was he a good choice?

Seven Football.com NCAA staff writers sit down for another edition of the NCAA Roundtable Discussion. In this week's edition, two key questions are answered: is Dan Hawkins a good hire at Colorado and who are the hot coaching prospects to remember for next year?

1.Was Dan Hawkins a good hire for Colorado?

Steven Lassan: Colorado needed a great hire and that’s exactly what they got. Hawkins has led Boise State to a 53-10 record over the past five seasons and is exactly the type of coach that the Buffaloes needed. The Buffaloes did well under Gary Barnett, but his late season crash led to his downfall this season. With Hawkins, the players are going to respond well, especially since he is considered to a player’s coach. Also, Hawkins is a great motivator and is going to spice up their offense. Another positive for the Buffaloes is Hawkins recruiting ties in the west. As the head coach at Boise, Hawkins made several solid recruiting ties in California and that should help the Buffaloes become a force in that state right away. Although the Buffaloes aren’t likely to win a national championship anytime soon, expect Hawkins to have this team consistently in the postseason and in the Big 12 title game.

Matt Shaw: Yes, Hawkins was a great hire for the Buffs. Hawkins will help get Colorado back into the BCS picture while rebuilding the support from fans and the city of Boulder. Being a CU alum I supported Barnett until the very end, but a fresh start was needed if CU was ever going to get back to national championship caliber. With the Hawkins hire CU now has:
- a new face for their scarred football program
- a charismatic motivator for the athletes and the previous doubters of CU football
- an offensive genius that works with the talent in front of him
- a teacher that wants his students to graduate on and off the field

Hawkins is a big time hire and Mike Bohn said he would hire a "home run" and he delivered. CU and KSU were the only two big time opportunities (so far) this off-season and the timing worked out well for the Buffs. Hawkins will fit in amazingly well in the Boulder community and automatically has Buff supporters donating money. Last week CU was given 1.5 million for a new indoor practice facility, something the CU administration has been trying to work on for years. Hawkins may not be the big NFL name that we saw jump ship last year (Wannstedt and Weis) but Colorado has found their leader for years to come.

Brian Kaldenberg: I think Hawkins was a great hire for the Buffalos. He took Boise State and their blue turf into the national spotlight. It’s no secret that Boise, Idaho isn’t exactly a recruiting hotbed, but the guy produced consistent bowl qualifying teams year after year. It should be interesting to see what Hawkins can do in probably the weakest conference in the nation, the Big 12 North…

Brock Murphy: Yes. I think he was the best the Buffs could hope for given all of the circumstances. Colorado has many hurdles to overcome which are a turn-off to quality head-coaching candidates, including: 1) the lingering effects of the "recruiting scandal" - inasmuch as potential recruits are asked whether it is an issue makes it an issue regardless of their answer; 2) the administration is no ally to the athetic department due in some part to the "scandal" - this resulted in the most restrictive recruiting rules in the land; 3) a Colorado state law prohibits more than two coaches from signing multi-year contracts which hamstrings a staff's ability to make its assistants feel secure - this has led to quality coaches leaving for more stable ground (John Embree, TE, UCLA, etc.); 4) sub-par facilities - the Dal Ward Center was a beacon when built but the other schools in conference have quickly caught up and passed CU in this area (fortunately, a $1.5 alumni gift was just received last week to fund the construction of an indoor practice facility - which will help). Hawkins has proven he can win in a place that most people would not think to go (Boise, Idaho). Location is not a handicap with CU. Hawkins has made himself competitive in recruiting in California (a traditional hot-bed for Colorado which has recently dried up) and Oregon and his new product may be more marketable to the coaches in those areas with which he has developed relationships. He is fiercely loyal to his assistants, which may spell trouble for CU's current coaches. Look for Darian Hagan to stick on the new staff since he has proven very effective in recruiting his home state of California (specifically, L.A.).

Chad Reents: I will have to say no. First of all, I don't think Barnett should have been fired in the first place. For recruiting, I would say most college programs try the things he did, but Colorado got caught. Since Colorado needed a coach, they should
have went with Butch Davis. Look what he did at Miami with all of it's problems. He at least has some experience with a program that had problems when he was coming in. Hawkins did some great stuff at Boise State, but this will be a whole new deal.

Chris Jacobs: The verdict on the Hawkins hire at Colorado won't be decided for several years, but in the short term the results are positive. After multiple years of off the field chaos and turmoil, the Buffs have hired a coach known only for winning at a school famous for blue turf in a state filled with potatoes.

The Big XII is stacked with quality coaches and Hawkins will add to the mix. The knock on Hawkins was that his Boise squads never competed as well with schools from BCS conferences like fellow WAC counterpart Fresno State. An overlooked stat however is how dominant Boise was in conference play. Hawkins always had his team ready to play WAC foes and beat the teams they were supposed to. If he can do the same at Colorado and eliminate the negative stigma attached to the Colorado program, he will have to be considered a success.

Dave Mears: The Colorado University administration made a good decision to go outside the program to find the new head coach. And they found a guy who on the surface has been successful by running a clean program at Boise State. Hawkins brings a winning attitude to the program. In his five years as head coach at Boise State, he compiled a 53-10 (84%) record overall and a 37-3 (92.5%) conference record. He has secured four consecutive conference championships.

Dan will find the road tougher in the Big XII. However, he takes over at a time where the North Division is weak. Once he gets his style of player, look for him to dominate the North. This may take a year or two, but watch out for the Buffaloes in the future.

2.In your mind, who is the next Dan Hawkins? Which coach from a small school or an assistant at any level will be a hot coaching commodity this time next season?

Steven Lassan: I was a little shocked that Miami, Fla. defensive coordinator Randy Shannon hasn’t gotten any looks with other schools this off-season. Shannon always has the Hurricanes defense ready to play and was a hot name around coaching rumor mills. Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges was considered for the San Diego State job, but probably deserves a bigger school consideration. Another coordinator to keep in mind is Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. In terms of small school head coaches, keep in mind Central Michigan’s Brian Kelly. Kelly has been a winner everywhere he goes and took the Chippewas to a 6-5 record this season, which was their first winning season since 1998. Before coming to Central Michigan, Kelly took Division II Grand Valley State to the championship. Also, Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn isn’t at a small school, but is considered to be one of the biggest coaching names that could make a jump to a bigger stage in the coming years.

Matt Shaw: As for up and coming assistants/small school coaches there are a few that come to mind. First, Randy Shannon - defensive coordinator for Miami (FL) - would be an amazing hire for any BCS school looking for a new head coach. Shannon is a great recruiter and continues to build championship caliber defense at the U. The lone problem for Shannon is that he hasn't lived/worked outside Florida for quite some time, and may even hang around Miami until Coker retires. Another assistant coach that should get some serious consideration is Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Chizik hasn't lost a game in two years (Texas this season and Auburn's DC last year) and would also fit well at a BCS school, potentially at a Big XII school or an SEC school (Mizzou, Arkansas, etc assuming Pinkel and Nutt don't last after next season). As for a small school head coach like Hawkins, I believe J.D Brookhart from Akron may be the next hot commodity. While Kragthorpe from Tulsa might get some looks also, what Brookhart has done at Akron has been amazing. After losing a leader and current Browns starter Charlie Frye to the NFL, Brookhart kept his team clicking on all cylinders to win the MAC this season. Brookhart may not be quite ready for the top NCAA gigs, but given a chance at a mid tier BCS school, Brookhart is young enough to adapt and make it happen. We might not see him jump ship next year, but look for him to get some interviews in the next few years with BCS schools.

Brian Kaldenberg:: Look no further than UTEP’s Mark Price. The guy can flat out coach, and if it wasn’t for a little hiccup at the strip club, the Crimson Tide would probably be playing in a BCS bowl. I’m going to go out on a limb here and actually make a bold prediction. Price will no longer be a UTEP Miner at the conclusion of the 2006 season. He’ll be the new head coach for a team that desperately needs to regain their dignity, Texas A&M.

Brock Murphy: I like the pick of Mike Price except that it clearly comes with an asterisk. He was "notorious" even as he began his term at UTEP whereas Hawkins was a relative unknown. I must mention Mark Snyder at Marshall. A Marshall alum, he brings passion to the school. At a glance, his team's record (4-7) does not turn heads but it has to be considered in context. In the year that Marshall jumped from the MAC to Conference USA, Snyder had to replace no fewer than 16 starters after being hired so late in the process that he literally arrived on campus on the day of the Herd's spring game. He picked up a key win against UAB, nearly beat Kansas State in Manhattan in the second week of the season, and hung-tough with the Herd's newly-declared Conference USA rivals, Southern Miss, in front of a national audience. He learned team administration from Glen Mason at Minnesota and took several defensive principles he learned from his coordinator there, David Gibbs, and applied them with much effect at Ohio State, ultimately becoming their defensive coordinator the season before returning to Huntington. He knows defense and understands the concept of trust and delegation. Keep an eye on Marshall in the next couple of years.

I also have to mention David Gibbs at Auburn. Glen Mason named Gibbs the U of Minnesota defensive coordinator at the ripe young age of 29 and Gibbs rewarded that favor by turning the Gopher defense into a run-stop unit that generated a Thorpe-award winner (Tyrone Carter, SS) and All-American rush ends (Lamanzer Williams and Karon Riley) over the course of four seasons. Needless to say, Minnesota did not have available the quality of talent available to the top-tier Big-10 programs such as Ohio State and Michigan. Yet, he still made the unit tough and produced stars. He left Minnesota in February of 2001 to join his father, Alex Gibbs (who created the Denver Broncos running game and who took the same to Atlanta two seasons ago), in Denver (it goes without saying that Alex has been an invaluable source of coaching and scheme knowledge for David throughout his career). Gibbs coached the Bronco defensive backs for three seasons during which he absorbed NFL-level schemes and fundamentals and picked the brains of some of the best minds in the business (e.g., Gary Kubiak, O.C.; Ray Rhodes, D.C.). Last winter, he took over for the departed Gene Chizik as Auburn's defensive coordinator and he just ended a very effective season on the Plains, punctuated by his unit's 11-sack effort against Alabama in this year's Iron Bowl. Gibbs is a player's coach but he demands attention to detail and is capable of implementing complex schemes limited only by the pace at which the players are capable of digesting them.

Chad Reents: Next great assistant to be best coach- My pick will be Mike Price from UTEP. Look what he did at Washington State. Even one of the most historic colleges in Alabama wanted him. He recruited some good players for the Cougars. He always has some the good college quarterbacks. He has taken UTEP to it's second straight bowls in his two seasons. I'm surprised Kansas State didn't give him a look before they hired a coach so quick.

Chris Jacobs: Bo Pelini, LSU. The Tigers defensive coordinator has been a winner everywhere he's been - though the strong talent he's inherited doesn't hurt. As defensive coordinator at Nebraska in 2003, the Blackshirts led a defensive resurgance in claiming a 10-3 record - including Pelini being the interim coach for the 2003 Alamo Bowl victory. In 2004, he was co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to the National Championship game. This season he has led LSU to a 10-2 mark as defensive coordinator. Pelini is young (38), has an NFL background, and is considered a great motivator of talent. He's been among finalists for head coaching jobs the last two years and should finally emerge with a job of his own at this time next season.

Dave Mears: You need to look no further than Oxford (Ohio that is) for the next great young coach. Shane Montgomery had been the Miami RedHawks offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2001. When he took the position, he was the youngest coordinator in the nation. He was instrumental in the development of a guy named Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger and Josh Betts have accumulated four straight 3,000 yard passing seasons. There had never been a 3,000 yard passer at Miami before Montgomery arrived.

He was nominated twice for the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award. He was a finalist in 2003.

In his first year as head coach, the RedHawks finished 7-4 and a tie for first place in the MAC East. Miami placed 11 players on the first and second All-MAC teams. This was the best representation since 1974.

The former North Carolina State quarterback has all of the tools to be the next coach to graduate from the “Cradle of Coaches”. As an added value, he has the respect and admiration of his coaching peers.

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