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Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2009 > January > 28
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tressel won’t name next coach
The growing trend in sports throughout all levels is naming the next head coach before the current coach is finished. One of the most recent examples came at Texas, where the team announced that assistant Will Muschamp will follow coach Mack Brown when Brown leaves the program.
Seems a good enough idea, right? No question about continuity with recruits when the time comes, no worry from the coach that his or her legacy will be forgotten.
But don’t ask Jim Tressel to do the same thing at Ohio State:
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, a year younger than Brown, said he might have reservations for more pragmatic reasons. He said he had not spoken to coaches who have created a succession plan but has watched Big Ten opponents Wisconsin and Purdue go through the transition. Tressel acknowledged the advantages, such as retaining a standout assistant and creating stability, but he questioned the effect on players or other assistants who may be confused by divided leadership.
“The guy it’s easiest on, in my mind, is the athletic director,” Tressel said. “Maybe who it’s hardest on is the other coaches and the players.”
I can see his point. Other coaches might not stick around if they get other assistant offers because they know they have no shot at the head coaching job. If it seems like it’s getting close to the head coach leaving, players could lose respect for discipline and cozy up to the coach-in-waiting.
But, there will be no media-intensive and stressful search for the athletic director.
There are both positives and negatives to the practice.
Just don’t look for it to happen at Ohio State.
