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Well, Coach Gailey is heading............................
(Any photoshoppers want to work on the Chan Gailey version are welcome - I'll post'em)
Here is the transcript from his press conference today. There is only one comment that bothered me a little. It was this:
[Replacing Nix] "I haven't had time to think about that yet. We're going to concentrate on recruiting first. I might make a few calls or talk to a couple of people, but it probably will not get done until recruiting is finished or at least close to the end."
Why does that bother me? Let me show you. Read this article on UM's search for an OC that ultimately led to the hiring of Patrick Nix. This was written before Nix was hired. This in particular:
Shannon's patience could be hurting UM in recruiting quarterbacks, a critical position in this signing class considering only two are on scholarship.
Texas' Nick Fanuzzi has been committed to UM since the summer but recently visited Michigan State and will visit Alabama this weekend.
Tampa Plant quarterback Robert Marve, who previously was committed to Alabama, is visiting UM this weekend, but he admitted making a decision on a school without knowing the offensive coordinator is like "making a decision handcuffed and blindfolded."
"I like Randy Shannon and all, and my parents really liked him, but I couldn't make any decision on Miami without knowing who the offensive coordinator is," Marve said.
Now, we're not in the same situation. We have QB's on scholarship coming out our ears, but we have Josh Nesbitt unsigned and some strong offensive talent coming in.
So yes, I agree that wrapping our arms around these recruits is priority #1, going after the remaing two spots is priority #2, but finding on offensive coordinator should not be trailing any other priorities in my humble opinion.
So I'll trust Coach Gailey and D-Rad to do what it takes to find the right guy. There's an interesting issue that might come up though - budgets for salaries. We all want a top-notch OC to take the reigns. Can we afford it with Jon Tenuta being the highest paid assistant in the ACC? The GTAA is not making money at this moment in time. Seems ridiculous to think with the kind of money OTHER schools are throwing around that we couldn't dish some dough. But guess what, we're not other schools. I am serious about loving the idea of Larry Coker taking that job, but I'm not sure we could afford it. We'll see what happens.