The buzz within NCAA coaching circles is that Doug Marrone was the seventh choice to take over the Syracuse program.
If true, that means there were six separate candidates that waved off the opportunity to run this BCS program, that said “Thanks, but no thanks” to Dr. Doom and the Dome Gnome Nancy Cantor.
Some are making those decisions look wise. Chip Kelly at Oregon (despite having to suspend his best player for the season after an opening-night post-game fight) is proving no drop-off after taking over the reigns from Mike Belotti.
In New Mexico, however, different story.
Mike Locksley was an assistant under Ron Zook at Illinois and while his name never officially popped up in the interview process, many felt he was a potential candidate after his haul of recruits to Champagne. His classes helped infuse a dormant program with enough talent to reach the Rose Bowl a few seasons ago (and wearing that orange-and-blue polo, it’s almost like the looking glass imagining him answer questions at the Monday press conference on South Campus).
Lock took the New Mexico job and has more than validated his hire. Not only are the Lobos winless on the season, he also has reportedly created the crapstorm of all crapstorms at UNM.
First, a female athletic office assistant sued Locksley for sexual harassment.
Then the jewel of his first recruiting class left the team for family reasons.
Now, he has allegedly punched one of his coaches. In the face. And the school is sorting it out.
The police report:¬†“(Wide receivers coach Jonathan) GERALD TOLD OFFICERS THAT AFTER LOCKSLEY GRABBED HIM BY THE COLLAR SEVERAL COACHES TRIED TO INTERVENE, BUT ACCORDING TO GERALD, LOCKSLEY PUNCHED HIM IN THE MOUTH, CUTTING HIS LIP. UNM’S VP OF ATHLETICS PAUL KREBS SAYS HE’S STILL SORTING IT OUT. GERALD HAS NOT RETURNED TO THE TEAM.”
While Marrone’s Marauders actually trailed an FCS team at home, at the half this weekend, let’s remind ourselves it could be a lot worse.
