Hoke to Michigan, Graham to Pitt, Whipple to UConn

Tom Bradley may not be going anywhere.
(Photo: LBU/Mike)

All that mass hysteria racing through the Penn State media, message boards and--ahem--blogs lately about Tom Bradley leaving for a head coaching job may turn out to be nothing more than a stressful lesson in patience.

You know those open coaching positions--especially those at Pitt and UConn--that were supposed to signal a massive shift for Penn State, Michigan, the SEC, the Big East, and THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE?

Yeah, all those schools have their new head coaches, but nothing has really changed. Scrap is most likely staying at Penn State for now. And, believe it or not, the universe is still in tact.

Pitt

The Pitt Panthers have a new head coach, who just happens to not be nick-named "Scrap." Here is the now former Tulsa head coach, Todd Graham:

"We are thrilled that Todd Graham has agreed to become the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh," Pederson said in a statement.

"His innovative, creative and energized approach to football makes him an exciting leader for our program. He has a proven track record of success at all levels of football and his wealth of experience on both sides of the ball gives him a unique set of credentials."

Graham is an offensive guy, who wants to make Pitt into the next Oregon. Because, you know, turning a smash-mouth, I-formation, defense-first team into a finesse, no-huddle, speed-first offense-first team works so well all the time. Good luck, Pitt. You just sent your program back 20 years. I guess the 26 victories--including the program's first 10-win season since 48-14¹--the last three seasons under Wannstedt wasn't enough progress?

UConn

That brings us to the UConn vacancy. The Hartford Courant's football beat writer/blogger posted yesterday that Mark Whipple is the latest "leader" in the field of candidates for the Huskies head spot:

I'm hearing very strongly today that former University of Miami offensive coordinator and UMass head coach Mark Whipple has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Randy Edsall as the next head football coach at UConn.

And now Philly.com is saying the same thing.

The Associated Press reported last night that a UConn athletic department official said former Eagles assistant offensive coach Mark Whipple was in the final stages of negotiations to land the UConn job. Whipple was with the Eagles in 2008, then left to become the offensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes.

So it looks like Scrap is going 0-for-3. I feel bad for the guy personally, because he obviously wants to be a head coach, and absolutely deserves his chance to be one. But at the same rate, he's been great for Penn State. And another season of him running the defense is only a positive for the team.

Michigan

Not much more simply put than "It's Hoke."

University of Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon announced today (Tuesday, Jan. 11) the hiring of Brady Hoke as the 19th coach in the 131-year history of Michigan football. Hoke arrives in Ann Arbor after spending the past eight seasons as a head coach at Ball State (2003-08) and San Diego State (2009-10).

“We are pleased to announce the hiring of Brady,” said Brandon. “He is a terrific coach and will be a great ambassador and leader for our football program. We look forward to having him build a championship program on the field and in the classroom.”

And the precursor to all that, was this:

"I am pleased to announce that Les Miles will remain the head coach at LSU."

So there you have it, folks. Everything you thought would bring down the house... none of it happened.

1. What's 48-14? Why, this is 48-14...

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email