[DesMoinesHawki]

Okay ... not a shocker that Kirk hired from within. I think the majority of us knew deep down it was going to happen. And I know this past week we were teased a bit in thinking Kirk might hire from outside the program.

I am just curious if we hired the best available? Or did we simply shuffle people around out of loyalty? If Phil Parker's resume jumped to the top of the stack then kudos and no complaints. I just find it hard to believe that we didn't get some pretty interesting resumes submitted. Let's face it, landing a gig as defensive coordinator at a Big 10 school is pretty inviting. Kirk himself even said the program was in such a state that there would be interest from outside the program.

With all of the coaching changes that take place in the college and pro ranks there have to be pretty some pretty attractive candidates out there.

One obvious question I think a lot of people have is if our current staff is so well versed then why have other schools not been knocking on their doors? Yes, I know they enjoy coaching with Kirk. But if Michigan State came calling a few years ago for Phil Parker to become its defensive coordinator I am guessing he would have jumped at the chance.

I know this is a topic where people have their pretty strong opinions and my post is not to disagree with the hires but simply raise the question if these were the best possible candidates out there. In Kirk's eyes ... well, we have our answer.

I think Phil Parker is a great guy. Have had the pleasure of meeting him on three occasions. Same goes for Coach Morgan. I think our coaches are class act people.

I think we become short-sighted however, to immediately assume Phil Parker is going to make a great defensive coordinator simply because he has "paid his dues" to Kirk. I hope he does become a great coordinator. I just think it would have been interesting to allow someone a chance who HAS been a defensive coordinator at another program, or possibly someone who has been a head coach at another school.

I was not completely convinced we needed to hire from outside but I think some would admit it would have been interesting to see what other coaches were interested in the positions.

Let's face it, there are a lot of talented people out there in their respective fields, and that goes for the corporate world and in the coaching world.

I work for a large Fortune 100 company and I know when positions are posted we get some awfully good candidates submitting their resumes. I can't imagine if we simply took the approach of promoting within just because "Margaret" has been loyal to us for 13 years. The reason we are successful and continue to grow is because we bring in the best people. People with different perspectives with different experiences ... who offer new ways of looking at things ... I hope we did not miss that opportunity.

[Stealthawk]

Yes, THEY did.

[drew003]

Many people defend cronyism. Hiring a coach you've never worked with is a huge risk. You don't how they interact with others, what their motives are, if they are an average/good/outstanding coach (you've never observed them) ect ... If you are confident you got someone that is talented and a good fit, you go with them (football or business). There is very little risk. Cronyism exists all over the place and it makes sense.

[ajbrand33]

What makes you so sure the "best possible coaches" want to come here. They are more equipped at making this decision than anyone here. They have all the info, not us. Tell me who the best possible coaches are and show me where they were beating down the door for this job.

[tweeterhawk]

To the OP, No. There are/were better options available outside the walls of Fort Kinnick. Kurt Ferrets is squandering an opportunity.

[aeischeid]

Woohoo!

[AZHAWKFAN1]

Kirk is a status quo don't rock the boat kind of guy. This hire reflects that.

[olivecourt]

Originally Posted by DesMoinesHawki

With all of the coaching changes that take place in the college and pro ranks there have to be pretty some pretty attractive candidates out there.

OK, fair point-- who do you think would have been better? Bradley? Hermann? Stoops? Why, specifically?

One obvious question I think a lot of people have is if our current staff is so well versed then why have other schools not been knocking on their doors? Yes, I know they enjoy coaching with Kirk. But if Michigan State came calling a few years ago for Phil Parker to become its defensive coordinator I am guessing he would have jumped at the chance.

No one on this board or any other thought that someone was going to come knocking on KOK's door, but surely enough someone did. The reality is that we don't know and we aren't ever going to know if guys on staff are being pursued by other teams. Maybe the Dolphins and Philbin were the first guy KOK said yes to after turning down several others. Maybe Phil Parker turned down other jobs for precisely this chance. Maybe not. But you can't assume that they aren't getting interest from other schools just because they haven't taken other jobs.

[jameskalina]

We may never know.

Judging from the secretcy regarding the release of "sensitive" information by the University I wouldn't hold my breath on finding out.

[MoseSchrute]

Originally Posted by DesMoinesHawki

I was not completely convinced we needed to hire from outside but I think some would admit it would have been interesting to see what other coaches were interested in the positions.

Of course it would be interesting to see who else was interested, but those secrets are now forever locked in the vaults of Fort Kinnick.

[FalseMirage]

For the right price anyone can be made available. To paraphrase a great poet Kirk is more comfortable with the known knowns; these are the things that he knows he knows.

He's not as comfortable with the known unknowns, which are the things he knows he doesn't know.

Worse yet are the unknown unknowns, which is to say the things he doesn't know he doesn't know.

[RocknRollface]

Originally Posted by olivecourt

OK, fair point-- who do you think would have been better? Bradley? Hermann? Stoops? Why, specifically?

Yes, more experience, better recruiting ties, new blood.

Yes, same as above,

Absolutely yes, way more experience, much more accomplished, brings to the table what Iowa lacks emotion, played at Iowa

None may have wanted to come here and I understand that.

[imported_ankle23]

Originally Posted by drew003

Many people defend cronyism. Hiring a coach you've never worked with is a huge risk. You don't how they interact with others, what their motives are, if they are an average/good/outstanding coach (you've never observed them) ect ... If you are confident you got someone that is talented and a good fit, you go with them (football or business). There is very little risk. Cronyism exists all over the place and it makes sense.

nice job here.

it's worked out very nicely for KF so far - look at all the relationships these guys had with each other prior to KF assembling his staff. KOK/Philbin/KF/Doyle at minimum all went way back. Of course Parker and Parker knew each other from MSU and Parker and Ferentz new each other from coaching in the big ten.

coaching is no different than top level business hiring - a bad hire can be really bad for the business, so you want to make the best informed choice as possible - and that is where human relationships are key.

[TChawk]

Originally Posted by Stealthawk

Yes, THEY did.

No and it is not even close....

[NewMexHawk]

These hires had NOTHING to do with the hiring the best possible coaches. It had everything to do with loyalty and friendship and nothing more. Even IF one of the coaches are not doing the best possible job they can, it does not matter.

Those two aspects are more important to KF than the Iowa football program and with the status of his contract, that being Iowa having no possible way of ever firing him, he can do whatever he wants and no one can tell him beans. He has complete control over the Iowa Football Program. Even the AD cannot tell him one thing. He can go 1-11 and still not change one thing and laugh all the way to the bank and Iowa cannot do one thing about it.