Interviewed for Vandy Sunday. Open the check book!
Interested to hear the real candidates.
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Elston's time?
BK will fill the position and mostly likely Irish Nation will complain. The BVG hire still is fresh in everyone's memory.
Last time system continuity was an important factor, Elko leaving after one year and Kelly not wanting the defense to learn a 3rd system in 3 years. That made Elko's protégé [thank you autocorrect for the accents], Lea, the obvious choice. If they look internally this time, I have a suspicion it could be Mickens. [Edit: I don't think Elston is a realistic possibility in the current cultural environment. If Lea leaves I assume his replacement will be black. The top of the current coaching hierarchy at ND is very white: Kelly HC, Rees OC, Lea DC, Elston Assoc. HC, DL and Polian ST Coordinator. That has to change.]
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more black, nothing about qualifications, which, in mop should be foremost in the hire. If its black, so be it, not just because its black
Qualifications optional unless stated otherwise. After all, on this board in 2016 I advocated that Kelly go after Wake's Mike Elko and the day Elko left, in the event that Kelly regarded system-continuity important, that he promote Clark Lea as DC.
. . . is now an obstacle for Elston. Seems like he’d be the logical continuity choice.
I'm not sure what your fascination with that guy is. He'll never coach at ND.
If it happens, don't expect a big "name." That isn't Kelly's style. If Elston doesn't get it this time, he might as well leave. That would be a loss too.
ball, not to mention his connections across the Florida recruiting scene.
If he is all that good, why did he spend 13 years at....South Florida?
He seems to have been dead meat walking since his South Florida escapades.
I doubt he's getting by on his alleged recruiting "connections" in Florida. He either has a bromance with Willie Taggart or maybe Taggart is the only guy who will hire him?
Other than that, he sounds like a perfect Kelly hire: low hanging fruit.
ND won't touch him with a 10 foot.....correct that.....50 foot pole.
Nor should they.
VG. Bring back the ‘stache!
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If he wants to be a head coach at Vandy, he isn't staying at ND for any $.
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I'm sure that if Lea stays at ND, his salary will be competitive.
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There are only 25 guys in the country who are paid 7 figures and the bulk of them have far more experience that Lea.
Lea probably isn't, but don't forget, this is Lea's first Coordinator role so I wouldn't expect him to have been making 7 figures when he first got the job. Rees is paid appropriately to his resume like anyone early in his career. but he is nowhere near 7 figures, nor should be be. In fact, he probably won't even get there in his next contract, nor should he.
You can do your own research. Just look at the USA Today list. Most of the guys who are making big bucks have lots of experience. Good comparison to Lea is Jim Leonhard (same age by the way) at Wisconsin who just got raised to 960K in his 4th year as DC. 2021 will be Lea's 4th year. Heck, Bud Foster who is one of the best DC's in the country at VATech is only making 1.0M.
Elko was paid in the top 10 of all college assistants before he left. The offer on the table from ND at the time would have made him basically the 5th highest paid assistant coach in the country.
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His decision was not about the $$.
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Elko’s move was lateral; if Lea leaves, it will be a promotion. Lea isn’t going to stay for $ if he wants to be a head coach.
He gets to learn yo be a head coach. Best case scenario, he turns Vandy around somewhat, learns the ropes and becomes a viable candidate for the ND job a few years down the road (assuming he would want it).