Speculation among the Kentucky fan-base...

Per the talking heads, Kentucky has a short list of replacement coaches, and the leading candidate is...

Frank Solich.


For what it's worth,
-john

I understand this is speculation but why would he go? He would be going into a fire storm at Kentucky where they want instant success, it took Frank 7(?) years to get us to this point and the UK fan base doesn't have that kind of patience like we have. Frank is like royalty in Athens and he would be taking over the Eastern Michigan of the SEC. Besides rumor is most of the money is funneled into basketball and football gets the bare bones minimum. I hope he doesn't leave and I understand it's just the talking heads talking but I honestly feel he won't take it. Rumor was around 5 years ago Frank was the top candidate for the Minnesota job and he declined, would he really want to take on another rebuilding project all these years later with his feet instantly in the fire or would he rather retire enjoying the fruit of his labor? He doesn't seem like a guy that follows money but then again we thought the same way about Groce.... 

University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart got his master's degree at Ohio. But so did the rest of the AD's in the country, so that means nothing.

I like to imagine that phone call would go like this:

Barnhart: "Frank, what would it take for you to leave Athens and take over this...uh...wonderful football program? We're nominally in the SEC! Look it up on Wikipedia! We're legit and everything!"

Solich: "I want Calipari money."

Barnhart: "Done."

Solich: "I want the guarantee that Tim Couch will never, ever, not ever, never be forced to be my quarterback coach."

Barnhart: "Done."

Solich: "I want Ashley Judd to be the first person every high school recruit sees when they enter campus."

Barnhart: "Would you take Wynonna?"

Solich: "Did you just ask me that?."

Barnhart: "Sorry. Okay. Done. So it's a deal?"

Solich: I wasn't done. And..."

Barnhart: "And?"

Solich: "Kentucky."

Barnhart: "What do you mean, Kentucky?"

Solich: "The state. I want you to hand over the deed to the entire state of Kentucky. Every hill, every tree, every crag of rock...okay maybe not Richmond..."

Somewhere, a KentuckyCatFan is saying, "We're a football school!" to anyone who will listen.

Wait. All these years dragon has been telling me Ohio was a basketball school....


..and that patience is why Ohio deserves they success they have - they allowed Frank to build the program the right way. Ohio fans are a very, very special and unusual group. Even in the 4-8 year of 2008, no one was jumping down Frank's throat. The press wasn't hostile. The fans weren't hostile. Everyone was disappointed, but looking forward to the next year. As a coach, that's what you want. Heck, in any position, that's what you want - support and encouragement whether times are good or bad. Having fun in life, and being treated well are often much more valuable than money.

I think that applies to some of the assistant coaches, too - I think most of them could find more money elsewhere, but along with that would find less job security, less fun, and less job satisfaction. Most of the assistants have had the experience of being part of a staff that was terminated, and a situation where the fans were hostile. I think that's why they appreciate the way they are treated in Athens so much. That's the only explanation for why there is so little staff turnover. Seriously, take a look at the Bios of the assistants, and look at what they have accomplished here at Ohio. Is there even one of them that probably couldn't find another job somewhere, if they were looking?

KY can offer more money than Ohio pays. I don't think Frank probably needs the money, and he's working past 65 not because of money, but because he is having fun. He has said he'll keep coaching as long as he's still having fun. Going in, and starting a new rebuild doesn't sound much like fun, now, does it? Having fans and press constantly looking over his shoulder, second guessing what he does, etc, doesn't sound much like fun. I saw Frank in press conferences in Nebraska. Every time he confronted the press, before games, after them, whenever, he was tense, bracing for the inevitable barrage of hostile questions. Now, at conferences he is relaxed, having fun, fielding softball questions, and making jokes, and making analogies to Direct TV commercials. He most certainly is having fun.

Now, let's say that Kentucky approached one of the Ohio assistant coaches, say Albin, Gdowski, Dixon, or Burrow, and offered them the job, and the chance to make their own name. In that case, I would think they probably would take it, and give it a shot. Two former Solich assistants are already head coaches, Bo Pelini and Carl Pelini, so why not a third one?

Yeah but our Doc flys over successful recruits.....when the do you want to play at Kentucky and get your arse beat question enters the picture the flyovers become few and far between.

It's not the fact that Ohio is a "mid major" that makes it a good place for Solich. It's the Ohio fans. I think if Solich could be in a conference where he had a legitimate shot at a National Championship, and also had the Ohio fans, he's be happy there, too.

Well played Ryan.

L.C. is exacty correct about that 4-8 year.  You know me; I'm griping if the effort and conception are not right.  But even in that 4-8 year, you could see that we were doing it right, you could see the future.

I very much believe that Coach will stay at OHIO, a place where he can be a football coach in an excellent way without all the who-needs-it stuff of the over-pressured spotlight.

Heck, shouldn't the question be 'who will be wise enough in 10-12 years to come here and take this splendid OHIO gig?'

I just don't see Kentucky being able to sell the move to its fanbase.  He'll be 69 years old at the beginning of next season.   They aren't a year or two away from becoming competitive.  Five years ago, maybe.  I'd also be shocked if Frank would take the job.  I'm not saying there aren't jobs he would leave Ohio for but not one like Kentucky. I think the talking heads don't realize just how old Frank is.

You also have to factor in his staff..any coach worth his salt will always consider the status and financial improvement of his staff if he were to make a move. It's not ALL on Coach Solich and how comfortable he is here at Ohio. An undefeated year this year or another 10 win plus bowl game and you will see a scramble for his services. U can take that to the BANK!

He's too old to try and rebuild Kentucky now, if anything Arkansas should have tried to hire him to keep that program moving forward for 2 or 3 seasons after Petrino got canned.