Syracuse Head Coach

Lately all of the speculation about Syracuse firing Head Coach Greg Robinson before the season is over has produced a lot of rumors. Mostly its the fans who want Robinson out- and quickly. There is a growing number of Orange fans who want change and want it now, in hopes of getting a head start on recruiting and preparations for next season. Let's take a look at some of the talk that's been going on and what it might lead to.

Right now there is an abundance of people predicting Lane Kiffin (fired by the Oakland Raiders yesterday) will be Robinson's successor. Kiffin is young (early 30s), has a little more than a season's worth of head coaching experience among the professional ranks (combined record of 5-15), zero head coaching experience at the college level, and ties to SU Athletic Director Darryl Gross. He was highly touted as an assistant before getting his first head coaching role- which he may have landed before he was ready for it. Sound familiar? It should if you follow the Orange, because essentially that's how Greg Robinson came to the Syracuse campus to take the reigns of an at-the-time-average-but-slowly-declining football program (it should be noted that Robinson had no previous head coaching experience whatsoever). I do not profess to be an expert on Lane Kiffin, but personally, I do not see him as the right man for the job. To me, if the Orange fire Robinson and hire Kiffin they are going in circles. They need to take a look at some other established coaches who have run programs, been to bowl games, and can recruit the NJ/CT market that SU used to own. Thus far under Robinson, the recruiting scene has been destroyed, they have been to zero bowl games, and they have produced just 2 Big East Conference wins.

As a fan, I've always felt that the Syracuse name is one to carry some weight; it should be able to draw recruits based upon its winning tradition, among many other selling points (they currently rank 14th on the all time wins list). Instead, we have watched the quality of SU recruits diminish for the last 4 seasons, and it will take some serious work to get back in power in the Northeast market. Given the state of the program and the obstacles they have to overcome, I believe Kiffin is the wrong hire for Syracuse at this point in time. In my opinion, they should focus on a coach who has collegiate coaching experience. Someone who has won, someone who has run a team and recruited, someone who has won bowl games- a guy with a 'national' name if you can get him. They need a coach who can come in and take over, rejuvenate the team with confidence, and establish a firm base for the program. The players may like Greg Robinson as a person, but it is clear in their actions and interviews that they do not believe in him as a coach.

Continuing on the path of speculation you will find former Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr. Many SU fans believe Carr is the right man for the job. In fact, rumors are circulating (none confirmed yet) about Lloyd sightings on the Syracuse campus. If this is true, I think Gross is in the right mind set. Another name I would throw into the fold would be Terry Bowden. He's a football pedigree, born and bred, and has the experience to go with it. As a fan, I would be happy with either of these two hires.

We could go on all day throwing names into the mix but the point is Syracuse needs a new head coach who can get them back to competing. That is the first step. Not winning national championships. Not winning conference titles. Playing competitive football games. Robinson has talked for hours upon hours about being competitive and seeing positive growth and results on the field and insisted that his teams are improving and about to take the next step. But in the 3 + seasons he's been working the SU sidelines we have seen no concrete evidence. The poor tackling/lack of conditioning/missed blocks/general look of confusion hinges on one thing: preparation. The Orange have not been properly prepared to win games. They need a coach who can teach them how to win, how to finish off a game. Hell, at this point I'd settle for someone who can teach them how to stay in a game.

When all is said and done I think you have to let Robinson stay until he can no longer reach his goal of going to a bowl this season. That was the team's goal at the start of the season and it is only fair to give Robinson a shot at reaching his goals with the group of seniors that he recruited. Right now they are 1-4. Barring some sort of miracle, they will likely be eliminated from bowl contention in a matter of weeks. At that point I think it is fair to let Robinson go and either work with an interim or bring in a new coach if the guy you want is willing to sign. While I agree that it would be a positive step for recruiting to bring in a new coach sooner than later, a football season is too precious, too valuable to just throw away. You cannot quit before you've even been eliminated from the post-season. SU fans need to sit tight for the time being. I know that is tough with it being bye week and all, but better days are ahead for sure. And the reality is that the list of available & attractive coaches is still too thin to be cashing in your chips at this point in the season.