Nebraska was coming off of it's worst era in football since the Bill Jennings era due to hiring a G5 level coach. Why would Nebraska hire another coach from the G5 ranks when the last one ended in a disaster?
For those who wanted Cignetti
- Thread starter moralvictories
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The turnstile of zero-ability knuckle-dragging buffoons who occupy leadership positions at NU would never be adroit or adept enough to identify a candidate like Cignetti. We're basically led by the admin from Idiocracy
Because he succeeded at the highest level where he was, and also learned the craft and the habits of the best to ever do it?
Weird comparison for sure.
We hired Tom Osborne, who to the best of my knowledge was not a head coach at a division one school prior to working for Devaney and Nebraska. If memory serves, he joined Nebraska as an unpaid grad assistant.
I highly doubt that Cignetti was on anyone’s radar before Indiana hired him. They took a chance and won the jackpot.
Scott Frost succeeded at UCF before Nebraska hired him. Similar to Cignetti, the only difference was, he didn't turn Nebraska around the way Cignetti turned Indiana around.
I don't think anyone was clamoring for Cignetti when we hired Rhule.
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So let me get this straight: I'm not aware that anyone here really had Cignetti on their radar screen at the time Rhule was hired. But just in case someone might have, you're here to scold them because it would have been a bad idea?
Man, this really takes unconditional butt-kissing to an entirely new level.
I wasn't born in 1961-1962, but Wyoming is G5.
Fit is the key, and in 1970 & 1971, Nebraska was clearly soaring when I began watching the Huskers.
Black Friday
Nebraska wouldn’t. They are incapable of identifying a potential championship coach and Nebraska does not have the prestige to attract a proven championship coach.
If you go back to that time period and look at my posts you’ll see that I actually brought up coach Cig zero times
Literally nobody here even knew who he was, let alone was promoting him to be NU's coach. Literally nobody.
Imagine the shitstorm -- everywhere -- if we were looking to bring in a 62 year old coach whose last 3 stops were IUP, Elon, and JMU after buying out Frost
However, in hindsight: he was a winner at each stop, and actually won meaningful games in context of the conference he was coaching in.
That "won meaningful games" piece isn't a trait we have had here in a head coach in a long, long, long, long time. Might have to go back to at least Solich, or maybe TO for the last time we got someone who did that. Frost's 2017 campaign was a one time total aberration.
I don't know... I still feel the fan base is always stuck in instant gratification mode... and because of that we push off good coaches that could end up figuring it out. You could get lucky and find another Cignetti, but the odds are not good. Stop gambling and let this current coach earn his freaking money. I also don't believe extending Rhule's contract was a bright idea in the least. He has done nothing to deserve that IMO
Back to the "pushing out good coaches before they have a chance to figure it out" talk... Take Fred Hoiberg for example
First 3 years... if football he would of been burned at the stake before being let go with his output. Sometimes you just got to let coaches work and figure it out
2019/20 - 7-20
2020/21 - 7-25
2021/22 - 10-22
2022/23 - 16-16
2023/24 - 23-11
2024/25 - 21-14
2025/26 - 6-0
Here is the thing... the light clicked on and Fred figured out how to compete. The Bryce McGowens high end players did not fit his system... at least not what he figured out would work to compete in the Big 10. Yes, he was a good player, but as a coach you have to get players that work for your system not just high talent. Is Fred Hoiberg amazing and a hall a fame coach currently, no! Is he making Nebrasketball better, your damn right he is.
Rhule is not Cignetti, but he also is not as bad as we feel he is after that egg he just left in Happy Valley. Remember this team is the youngest team in the Big 10, and Iowa is not Penn State athletically. We do not match up well with them, but I for one am not ruling them out. It is at home and Iowa is just roided up afterthoughts, that slow the game down to their playing style. They do not have players Penn State does... or USC... or Michigan. However they do have Minnesota type talent. Just have to learn to not play conservative against slow boring *** conservative teams when we have explosive talent over them.
I knew who Cignetti was, and I thought he was a good choice for Indiana. But I never dreamed he would be a home run hire who took IU to the playoffs.
I never stumped for him to NU's coach. And thank goodness for that, or I would have gotten a stern finger-wagging from the SuperFans!
I wasn't aware we were looking for a coach. Maybe send this to Florida, Auburn, Penn State, and LSU. See how their fans like the idea.
Cignetti is fools gold. Dont get me wrong, good coach, good team. But not elite. That will be exposed in the CCG/Playoffs. Just like last year.
Now, would I take Indianas last two years? Absolutely. But last years Indiana team was really good, not great, and I feel the same way about this year's squad. Ohio State by 30 in the title game, followed by a 1st round exit from the playoffs.
I should add; I have some bias towards the man. Because I think he is a raging douche. I never thought I'd dislike the way a coach carries themselves more than Fleck, but Cignetti showed me the light.
Now, would I take Indianas last two years? Absolutely. But last years Indiana team was really good, not great, and I feel the same way about this year's squad. Ohio State by 30 in the title game, followed by a 1st round exit from the playoffs.
I should add; I have some bias towards the man. Because I think he is a raging douche. I never thought I'd dislike the way a coach carries themselves more than Fleck, but Cignetti showed me the light.
Nah, doubt it. For the most part, everyone seems to fall in line. As happened under Mike Riley.
CIgs was on radars just like Lance was on them...teams LOOKING to take a chance but just not totally sure. His age didn't help, shout out to ageism, and his is a little prickly.
He was not going to get a NU type job unless there were some strong ties or something like that. That is just my guess.
He was not going to get a NU type job unless there were some strong ties or something like that. That is just my guess.
For the type of money being machine-gunned at these coaches, damn right it's instant gratification time. This isn't Midland. Win NOW.
Fred is doing better, but comparing NU football to NU basketball?
Anything that is wrong with this roster and it's composition in year 3 is solely and squarely on the shoulders of the $87 million dollar man. You can't use his lack of performance to explain away his lack of performance.
"Hell, if Epstein hadn't ran that pedo ring, he never would've been convicted of running that pedo ring so let's cut the guy a break"
Cignetti would never get a whiff from NU because he doesn't pretend to be anyone's buddy.
He's too much like Big Meanie Pelini.
That would be like picking heads on a coin flip right after it was tails just because you think the probability is better. I know human nature is to let the past dictate future decisions but you choose a coach based on whatever measurables you have, including interviews, career record, family decisions, each player recruited, each victory, point spread, and life habits...among a hundred other things. Many things bothered me about Rhule...but #1 was he had a ton of time off after being kicked out of the facilities at Carolina and he let himself go, he fell apart physically. And he relied on hiring friends, while also being openly "my way or the highway", while also not being a position coach or coordinator. So he was going to dictate everything, while not being an expert at anything, and not even being disciplined or organized. How could he possibly recruit and keep a program together while also being innovative on offense and defense, while not being able to let his coaches do their own thing because he is a control freak. Talk about the worst kind of leader, a control freak who lacks self-control. Keep in mind, he only has a winning record at NU because of Frost's players, a super weak schedule, and a legacy playing for us for 2 million a year.
I remember suggesting Cignetti after I read it. Well, I actually wrote it down and read it, and I believe everything I read.
I remember you writing it. I forgot that you read it, too. I just never told anyone.
Bad example. It's year 7 with Hoiberg and he's only made ONE NCAA appearance. Same as Tim Miles who was fired after 7 years.
I supported Timmy until almost the end but I think it was pretty clear he had hit his ceiling. Fred has proven he can be better than that at ISU. We need to thank Fred for taking the NU job and when he wins a tourney game build a freaking statue.
We've all been around for the coaching searches since Frank got fired during a 10-3 season. There's a specific criteria in place that the Husker media and much of the fan base buys into. And that criteria eliminates almost all of the best coaches who would come here. Must have head coaching experience at a P5 school or NFL, must have had RECENT success, etc.
Cignetti would never have even gotten an interview at Nebraska. On the other hand, it's very likely that he had zero interest in coming to NU anyway, otherwise his name would have at least been floated out there by his agent.
One thing Cignetti had that NO coaches had in past history, is immediate transfer eligibility and the larger roster limit. He's picked a veteran transfer QB to fit his system, brought in a slew of transfers many from his old school. All eligible immediately. It was a Deion Sanders type transition.
I would like to see what Cignetti could have done with 85 scholarships and only jucos & incoming 18 year olds eligible to play that first season. Does he take 20 transfers and let them sit out a year? Play the first season with 65? No way.
I've said it so many times, coaches like Cignetti would never be hired at Nebraska because they are not big name coaches that the BIG DONORS WANT and those big donors are the ones that really put the the head men in charge at Nebraska.
Indiana had nothing to lose and took a man who took that program to heights we only dream about now. Until those donors at Nebraska get their heads out of the clouds and understand college football is a different animal now we will continue to spin our wheels.
Indiana had nothing to lose and took a man who took that program to heights we only dream about now. Until those donors at Nebraska get their heads out of the clouds and understand college football is a different animal now we will continue to spin our wheels.
