MoyeCowbell

Winning and on the field product aside, what elements/traditions would you like to see C3 bring in, and which ones must he honor from our past? For me: Must Keep: Hep's Rock and The Walk Please Bring In: The Bison! Let's bring it back!! And Never Entertain: Cam Cameron's IU logo

That would be a hilarious flex. "I'm so good, I'll make this guy look competent." ...and goes out and does it.

That's all you can ask for. We can't rewrite history. We can't erase past mistakes and shortcomings. But we can focus on the things that can be changed moving forward, and it starts with the product on the field. All of the other 'advantages' other teams have, can simply be reduced if we have a competent & competitive team.

Ugh. The worst thing about this game against Maryland is that it's gonna happen right smack dab in the middle of an endless Twitter battle over who Coach Cignetti is going to hire as his Special Teams coach.

Will/would Cig listen to his assistants and go zone late in the game? THAT is the question.

I think this also/further proves IU's commitment to the program and a willingness to do what it takes to be competitive. I could see past administrations walking away after the first offer with a "welp, we tried" attitude. This time it was clear that they/we liked what C3 brought to the table, and were going to make sure they got him.

I wonder how many of these guys will reconsider IU with today's news?

If Cignetti doesn't play this at his introductory press conference, I hope Dolson fires him on the spot.

LIGHT 'EM UP, LIGHT 'EM UP

UPDATE TIME!

Dalton Knecht-ing again and again against UNC right now. 33pts with 6 minutes to go (4-8 from deep)

JHS with his first NBA points tonight against Detroit! Hopefully it's the start of a long and successful career.

But they have been. They've put so much effort into having a good basketball team and have still come up empty. That's why its so much fun beating down on them. In football, our administration has thrown a stick in its own wheel spoke again and again. We very clearly haven't done all that we can to be the best we can be.

I'm not conflating the two points. Our coaching was not great and our playmaking was suspect. If we simply tackle, we beat Purdue. But there also is a very real argument that better players (through hook, crook or a whole lotta $$$) would also have a direct impact on the results. At this point, it's all conjecture, but to @btownqb's point, hopefully it starts now.

Right, but a potential HC isn't picking the school based on who is there right now. They're picking the school based on potential, aligned vision, resources, money, etc. My whole argument is that I don't see IU as some end-of-the-earth, derelict program. There is solid potential, despite what the detractors say. If everyone (IU's Board, President, AD, Coaching staff and players) are all on the same page, then this opening can be a very good one.

Ok, so then my question is even more valid. If CTA has any legitimate gripes about the NIL money not making it to the players... well, it looks like we had enough! Just wonder if it was used earlier, how things could've changed.

I'm not a CTA apologist. I cheered as loudly as anyone when we were winning, and felt equally as disillusioned the past three seasons. Given the trajectory, I believe it was time for him to go. However, I do wonder, if the $15-$20M that was used for his buyout -- and I completely acknowledge how the money comes from different sources, but humor me here -- was instead used towards the program's NIL package, what the talent and results would look like?

Some of these schools might have better coaches at the moment. But in a vacuum, what makes Kansas State better than IU? I don't believe on equal footing that Iowa State is better than IU. Same thing for all the programs I listed. I'll concede that our history and past answer why they've been better. But if we actually have the institutional commitment to compete with our peers (like we all hope and want), then I'm not all that ready to believe that we're lesser than those programs.

I'm not trying to be antagonistic by repeatedly quoting you... But I feel the regionality of players doesn't matter as much as it did in the past. Of course there will be local favoritism, but with the expansion of conferences from coast to coast, where good players grow up doesn't equate to where they land. IU has repeatedly recruited Florida with a passion.

No way to sugarcoat our disastrous history. But if you take into account potential and possibility, coupled with an unwavering commitment to seeing better results, I can come up with several programs -- easily -- that would rank behind IU. NC State, Iowa St, Vanderbilt, Duke, Illinois, Northwestern, Oregon St, Washington St, Minnesota

He'S NEveR bEAten WeSTErn miCHigan. cAn HE ouT-reCruIT AKrOn?

I'm not trying to derail this thread, but I think it's worth a discussion when talking about potential hires. CTA made many questionable calls, both on the field and off. He was/is likely too loyal and too invested in the players and coaches on a human level (aka, a normal guy). It always seemed integrity and character-building opportunities were as important to him as winning (and dare I say, maybe even more). Allen is a great motivator and is vocal about his desires to be a "leader of men". Again, very noble and commendable. But as a football coach -- fair or not -- winning is the only metric that matters. Whereas CTA wanted high-character guys who are good at football, the really successful coaches want highly talented players who also happen to have good character. It's a small but important distinction. The next coach needs to demand excellence on the field (and from his staff) first. A relentless pursuit to be the best between the lines. If you're not doing your job, you're not sticking around. And maybe it's sociopathic, but the loyalty (in this context) should be to the skill and not the person.

A cut to his buyout. The fact that he was even willing to discuss this shows his high character. Wow.

Well, Allen did recruit Penix. He did hire DeBoer and Wommack and others... He did provide a sense of leadership that came with integrity and passion. I think his time ran out. I am all for a change because he unfortunately didn't get it done. But to sit back and throw dirt on his name because he's gone is more of a reflection on the naysayers than him. He didn't work out. Really sucks. And so we move on. But he did show us what's capable. He did make us believe that success can be attained here.

Strong disagree.