i watched Long's presser yesterday and it is worthwhile for anyone who enjoys seeing people squirm in front of a microphone.
the thing that shocked me the most about it was that Long kind of poopoo'd the prospect of an internal/interim hire for 2021...Made it seem like KU would conduct a national search and hire a real live external person in the near future. I think that's going to be really hard to do for a couple reasons:
1. I think a sitting head coach is going to be a really tough pull. The job sucks, the pay is going to suck because of cashflow problems, KU is probably going to make him keep almost all of the staff "to ensure roster stability" (but also because I don't think they can afford another ~1-3 million in assistant buyouts). Speaking of buyouts, KU would have to cough up additional money for the sitting head coach's buyout. The coach would have to leave his school/program/players in a lurch with the lousy timing of this (spring practice are in a couple weeks). There's a lot of things working against a guy like Lance Leipold from taking this job.
2. An assistant is more likely, but still kind of tough for a lot of the reasons listed above (job/pay/timing, etc.). Kevin Kane has been tossed around quite a bit, and I think he's the most likely external hire from a logistical standpoint. Smaller buyout, KU guy, not really qualified to be a HC anywhere else in FBS, so cash-in if you can. Would probably be a little bit weird of a dynamic for a guy like Mike DeBord who has been around the block to be taking orders from 37 year old and woefully underqualified Kevin Kane, but beggars, choosers, and all that.
3. Some unemployed retread...They've already hired Weis and Miles, but hell if they want to make a run at that again, go nuts.
If it were me, I'm giving "The Field" plus money vs. an internal hire of Jones/Eargle/Elliot/DeBord -- at least for '21. The timing and financial problems are just enormous obstacles, and I think a lot of that goes away if they can just survive the '21 season. Name a guy like Jones hc, give him a 3 year program-friendly contract, give him a small buyout if things go even further sideways, and they can do this again in two years where money is a little more predictable/under control. Doing this would keep the roster in decent shape, allow him to recruit without lame duck appearances, and most importantly, KU can afford it.
but this is all why i was shocked to see Long give the impression that they're going to hire someone from the outside. maybe he can swing it, but at this point, i have a hard time believing it. and now, if they do end up making the most practical choice of an internal hire, they're going to be pissed because long sold them something else yesterday.
