Brian Kelly, was he not a coaching option at one point???

**CloneIce** · 10-16-2009, 10:14 AM

Brian Kelly is a great coach who has won big at every level he has coached at. He has also proven time and again that he can maximize whatever talent is available and build a winning team with it. Plain and simple, Kelly is one helluva football coach. Such a better fit for ISU than Gene Chizik was.

I have been very, very impressed with CPR so far, so I'm optimistic that he will prove he is a great coach as well. Still, I will never understand why we hired Chizik over Kelly.

**ColoradoClone** · 10-16-2009, 10:19 AM

It's pretty funny really... if we had hired someone else, but knew Chizik was a possibility, fans would be saying "if only we'd gotten Chizik. He's 5-1 at Auburn and moving them to the top of the SEC again."

**weR138** · 10-16-2009, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Clones85'

We offered Kelly. He just hesitated while waiting to see if he would get the Michigan State job. By the time he wanted to take the ISU job, it was gone

Originally Posted by Rogue52

Clone85's depiction of the situation was one that was was described by Jeremy/Paul Clark after Chizik's departure.

The claim was that Pollard wanted Kelly, but he hesitated. Pollard didn't want to be left in the cold so he offered Chizik. Chizik accepted.

In the end, I think the result is the same. Paul Rhoads is eventually head coach of Iowa State.

Originally Posted by ricochet

Although I don't think Pollard has said it publicly, the only 2 people that had serious consideration for the job were Chizik and the current Baylor coach (Briles?). I guess it is possible he looked at Kelly but I don't think he was to the point of offering him the job.

Originally Posted by CloneIce

Brian Kelly is a great coach who has won big at every level he has coached at. He has also proven time and again that he can maximize whatever talent is available and build a winning team with it. Plain and simple, Kelly is one helluva football coach. Such a better fit for ISU than Gene Chizik was.

I have been very, very impressed with CPR so far, so I'm optimistic that he will prove he is a great coach as well. Still, I will never understand why we hired Chizik over Kelly.

Looks like it is either because Kelly wanted the MSU job or he was never considered. The world may never know.

**Aclone** · 10-16-2009, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by jburke

Imagine what could have been if we would have brought in Brian Kelly instead of Chezzick, granted the Big 12 is 100x tougher then Big East, and he took over for a decently competative team. Don't get me wrong I love where we r heading now with CPR but I would have traded Bk for Chizi any day.....

"Recently competetive"? He took over a loaded team whose coach had left for a better job...Michigan State.

Comparing that to what Chizik took over is laughable, at best.

**The_Architect** · 10-16-2009, 10:34 AM

Easier to recruit to Cincy than ISU, besides the previous coach set the table nicely for him.

**The_Architect** · 10-16-2009, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Aclone

"Recently competetive"? He took over a loaded team whose coach had left for a better job...Michigan State.

Comparing that to what Chizik took over is laughable, at best.

Correct.

**Aclone** · 10-16-2009, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by The_Architect

Easier to recruit to Cincy than ISU, besides the previous coach set the table nicely for him.

...then there is the factor that Cincy plays a much easier schedule in the Big Least. But the already talented roster had much more to do with Kelly's immediate success.

**Clones85'** · 10-16-2009, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Aclone

"Recently competetive"? He took over a loaded team whose coach had left for a better job...Michigan State.

Comparing that to what Chizik took over is laughable, at best.

Loaded? They had to play their 5th string QB last year.

This year? They lost a ton of talent on defense and they are killing it. He left some solid talent but they were far from loaded

**Jarrods79** · 10-16-2009, 11:09 AM

Wow, ok, so a lot of past inside information. But again, too tough to tell how well any of these coaches would do with any given situation.

Just curious, does anyone know who else was interviewed/considered besides CPR this past time around? I know there were some wild names being thrown around.

**flynnhicks03** · 10-16-2009, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Clones85'

Loaded? They had to play their 5th string QB last year.

This year? They lost a ton of talent on defense and they are killing it. He left some solid talent but they were far from loaded

Fine. Pollard screwed up by not getting Kelly. Are you happy now? What point are you trying to make?

**Clones85'** · 10-16-2009, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by flynnhicks03

Fine. Pollard screwed up by not getting Kelly. Are you happy now? What point are you trying to make?

Wow. Not that point. Not sure where you got that out of anything I said. It's Friday man....relax!

Pollard made no mistake. He went after Kelly and Kelly was waiting on a better offer. Pollard wasn't going to wait for him so he hired Chizik who looked like a home run hire at the time. No complaints at all.

The only point that I am trying to make is that Brian Kelly right is now is one of the top 5 coaches in the country. He is that good.

**Wesley** · 10-16-2009, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by bostrem00

well if Chizik would have went 19-5, itd be a whole different story....we wouldnt have wanted Kelly, but this comes up every year that Coach Kelly winning games...its getting old..

Hey guys, you keep picking on Gene. He did win five games in two years. That one year we crushed Colorado. Gene the Dancing to Auburn Machine.

**weR138** · 10-16-2009, 11:35 AM

[QUOTE=Clones85';1299413]Wow. Not that point. Not sure where you got that out of anything I said. It's Friday man....relax!

Pollard made no mistake. He went after Kelly and Kelly was waiting on a better offer. Pollard wasn't going to wait for him so he hired Chizik who looked like a home run hire at the time. No complaints at all.

The only point that I am trying to make is that Brian Kelly right is now is one of the top 5 coaches in the country. He is that good.[/QUOTE]

And I have to agree with your point about 2 yrs w/ Chiz vs. 2 yrs w/ BK, I do believe BK would've done better.

I knew we weren't going to keep Gene and from what I heard we wouldn't have kept BK either (Cincy won't) but either way I was hoping for a guy like CPR to come in after "that guy" (Gene, BK, Harbaugh, etc.) split. What I didn't see coming was that "that guy" would leave ISU in worse shape than what he found it.

I think most of us are happy with Paul. I just hope we can be patient.