Blitz,

Timing is everything, whether the discussion is pass plays ... or coaching changes.

Coach Solich's original receivers coach was Derek Mason. Coach Mason's opportunity to "ascend" to an NFL role (Minnesota Vikings) happened in the same time frame that Chuck Amato got whacked at North Carolina State.
 
Among Amato's assistants was Dwayne Dixon, whom Amato had become very familiar with when he was an assistant at Florida State and Dixon was the right-hand man of first Steve Spurrier and then Ron Zook at Florida. The "Zooker's" demise at Florida coincided with Amato's needs for a seasoned assistant at North Carolina State.

Without those events happening when they did, OUr program would not have been blessed with Dwayne Dixon. He was a Gator guy through and through, first as a player and then as a coach/mentor/leader who could be counted on ... and who developed great players in Gainesville.

I hold my breath every time coaching changes take place at high-profile places, because Dwayne is a prize. That we have had him for five years has been a genuine blessing. Only things I can figure are that the family likes OUr environment a whole lot (Dwayne is, in addition to being a coach, very much a family man) and that there is a very good vibe around Coach Solich and his program.

Just a hunch here: We got ourselves another winner with the arrival of Ron Collins. I could be all wrong about this, but when you look at his resume, you do have to appreciate there is something special that "We Got Frank"!

Remember that as head coaches turn over, there is also a huge turnover of assistant coaches, and with each job switch there is a move across the country, which in turn mean relocating the family. One thing these guys have here is job security. Solich doesn't appear likely to be fired, and he doesn't appear to be ready to retire for a few more years. Ohio may not pay as much as some places, but the pay isn't bad, and the job security is good.

Even when he does retire, the odds favor an inside hire, meaning that the assistants would continue to have job security for some additional years. Note that it would not be a Knorr situation where Grobe took almost the entire staff, and Knorr had to hire a whole new staff. If Solich retires, and one of his assistants is promoted, the new head coach would likely retain most of the existing staff, so there would be much more continuity.

Note that as far as Dixon's son, I thought it was a truly classy move that he was a walkon, since he apparently had no other offers. If he can earn a scholarship, so be it, but as the son of a coach, the burden should be on him to prove his worth. I think that is the best. When a staff starts awarding scholarships to nephews and sons that have perhaps marginal qualifications, I think it damages team morale. Note that if Dixon's son was an obvious choice, and, say had offers from a couple other MAC schools, that would have been different. I loved in "Relentless" how Dixon treated his son just exactly the same as any of the other players. That's exactly how to to it.

Never thought of it as a violation, but I always wondered if Solich ever pulled anything like this for his assistants.

http://espn.go.com/colleges/georgia/football/story/_/id/7...

The best time to ask that question (gift/wage) is before you do it. In some of the cases, like Fabris, it clearly sounded like a gift. In other cases, it sounded to me like there were agreements done in advance, rather that an after-the-fact gift.