Tracy Claeys name Minnesota Head Coach, 3 year deal

They almost beat michigan lol I think it's a good move, you save the season and he's basically been the coach anyway since kill was always out

As usual, I will probably be wrong, but Minnesota could have done much better.

It seems too rushed, not like anyone was going to swoop in and hire him now.

And the downward spiral for MN has started and they didn't even get that high under the rebuild of the coach that retired this season.

Wow what a bad move. Fatass couldn't even figure out a clock at the end of the Michigan game

Sounds like a player hire. Dude will last 2-3 years max

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Definitely is.

Minnesota is dealing with quite a bit right now due to the resignation of Norwood Teague (Athletic Director) and the retirement of Jerry Kill, which temporarily threw Minnesota's program into flux.

The university is so hell-bent on the continuity of Jerry Kill's staff + keeping the 2016 class together that they are willing to hire from within.

I have no doubt that Minnesota wants to elevate their program, and have taken necessary steps to do so with the approval of new facilities, but I'm not sure hiring Tracy Claeys does much to actually elevate the program.

Time will tell, but I just have a feeling Minnesota will continue to be just another average B1G program that can, at the least, stay competitive against Top-25 teams in-conference. Their record against Top-25 teams since the turn of the century is abysmal.

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Wait...this makes no sense. Claeys has been a HUGE part of EVERY turnaround that Kill has made, especially this one and you think its a bad idea for them to keep him? I don't get it. Minnesota HAD been bad for a long long time before he showed up. Why get rid of a guy when he's been part of the solution.

Maybe they didn't like any of the guys that were going to be available?

I'm not fully convinced that the MAC guys (Babers, Fleck, Carey or Campbell) would be a slam dunk hire for Minny so why not try to stay on course?

I'm sure it's a pretty nice deal for the Minny AD and they can probably walk away at any time without much buyout. Sure, you can see it as maintaining mediocrity but Minnesota is not some sleeping giant just waiting for a good coach to turn them great.

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Wait...this makes no sense. Claeys has been a HUGE part of EVERY turnaround that Kill has made, especially this one and you think its a bad idea for them to keep him? I don't get it. Minnesota HAD been bad for a long long time before he showed up. Why get rid of a guy when he's been part of the solution.

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Tracy Claeys has been a huge part of the turnaround Jerry Kill made at Northern Illinois and Minnesota. I am not claiming otherwise. He has stepped in multiple times, on an interim basis, when Jerry Kill was forced to step away from the game after seizures.

Additionally, I never claimed that hiring Tracy Claeys was a "bad move," but Minnesota rushed this one out with the Athletic Department reeling after the Norwood Teague resignation and the Jerry Kill departure.

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I'm sure it's a pretty nice deal for the Minny AD and they can probably walk away at any time without much buyout.

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Nice of you to take what I said earlier and construe it as your own thought. I acknowledged, in this thread, that this three-year deal protects the university a bit as it likely includes a smaller buyout should the program not make any progress, and regress, under Tracy Claeys.

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Sure, you can see it as maintaining mediocrity but Minnesota is not some sleeping giant just waiting for a good coach to turn them great.

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Minnesota now has so much invested in the football program with TCF Bank Stadium opening just a few years ago and new facilities set to break ground.

Time will tell if this is the right hire, but chances are the three-year contract will allow them to get their Athletic Department stabilized and we will see if Tracy Claeys survives the transition. I'm not convinced, unlike you.

In any case, looks like we will agree-to-disagree.

they should have gone after Bo Pelini

Bad Move

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Bad Move

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Who should they have hired? Lots of criticism yet nobody has said hey....this guy would be a great fit and here's why.

Yes, Minny isn't having a great year. You have to remember that this is a team who isn't routinely winning 8-10 games a year and they are trying to keep what has made them successful in their very recent past.

If it doesn't work, they can drop this guy quick and move on.

This wasn't a program that was going to go out there and get a hire that was guaranteed to knock it out of the park. What they have is a guy who can keep the status quo going and try to build something long term.

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Illinois could really take a big leap forward this offseason, if they commit to it

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How so? They were likely to be picking from the same group of MAC coaches everybody else was.

They can dump some money into a coach if they choose, but who is out there with ties or interest at this point?