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Potential Zook successor: Mike Leach?

First off, this is from Tom Lemming so take it FWIW.  To me, this seems to me like an extremely good idea.

Leach brings an exciting, innovative offense to college football. He is quirky but intelligent and seems to be one step ahead of everyone else offensively. He has proven to be a good recruiter but hasn't been able to beat Texas head-to-head, although he has begun to land blue-chippers because of the high-profile games he has won.

Here is a man who has a reputation as a players' coach, a good recruiter and a good evaluator of talent but, most of all, a good teacher of the offense he has invented.

Leach is definitely a lightning rod of a personality.  People either really love the guy or can't stand him.  Mostly it's the former.  Here's an example of his latest tirade to the media:

He coaches in Lubbock, TX which is the equivalent to something like Ames, IA.  You know, in the middle of nowhere.  And that's not an understatement, I've been there.  It's surprising how much talent he has been able to attract to a school like Texas Tech.  A place like Champaign-Urbana will fit him like a glove.

Playing in the Big 12 South, you're almost always going to be second fiddle to Texas and Oklahoma so he may be looking to get out of there.  Especially with the dispute that he had with the AD earlier in this year.

My favorite quote has to be the second from last paragraph:

Look around you, Big 10 fans. There is no prolific offense in the conference. Ohio State and Terrelle Pryor aren't what they were supposed to be, not yet. Zook arrived at Illinois with much fanfare and struck gold in one Rose Bowl appearance--but he has faded quickly and badly. Kirk Ferentz seems to have regained some magic at Iowa. But how long will it last? Will Rich Rodriguez turn Michigan around?

It'll be kind of what Joe Tiller brought to the Big 10 on steroids.  He really doesn't even need that much talent to get his offense to work.  The QB's he's had run his infamous Airraid Offense haven't exactly gone on to be NFL superstars.  But I think the combination of whatever table scraps the "Big 2" teams leave in the Lone Star state + the Illinois talent pool will put him over the top in the Big 10.

What do you guys think?

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Interesting idea

one small problem: Zook’s not going anywhere. Guenther already said it. And unless you have a huge sway with the boosters…that ain’t gonna change. We need an influx of capital to buy out Zook’s contract and sign anybody else like Joe posted the other day. But other than that small detail, not a bad idea.

You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.

by MaytheForschbewithyou on Oct 30, 2009 1:22 AM CDT reply actions  

After 2010

Is what I was trying to get at.

Red and Black Attack - Northern Illinois Pride

by Mike Breese on Oct 30, 2009 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions  

Well, in that case, that would be an emphatic yes.

You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.

by MaytheForschbewithyou on Oct 30, 2009 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions  

Nothing about his love for pirates?

You should be ashamed.

Anyway . . . many solid points here Mike. And I would LOVE for this guy to be coaching a team I root for any day of the week!

One day, David Backes and Albert Pujols will combine forces to become the most awesome piece of violent force known to man.

by Donut King on Oct 30, 2009 9:25 PM CDT reply actions  

why would Leach leave Lubbock?

he has complete trust and support from his AD and fans, he’s obviously been able to recruit to Lubbock, and (using a typical anti-BXII sterrotype) why would he want to go to the Big 10 where there are obviously some strong hard-fitting defenses? He’s perfectly happy where he is and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to scrap TTU and rebuild Illinois. Of course this is all pro BXII opinion, but it’s a second perspective nonetheless

"The field mouse is fast but the owl sees at night"- Ricky Bobby's belligerent Granddaddy

by pinkelposse on Oct 31, 2009 7:47 PM CDT reply actions  

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