Navy’s Paul Johnson to Nebraska?
College Football November 26th. 2007, 12:55pm
The college coaches started dropping like flies over the weekend, and there are plenty of attractive head coaching gigs open right now: Michigan, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and depending on your view of the SEC, Mississippi. A reader who apparently keeps track of such suchery claims that Navy hotshot Paul Johnson is one of the frontrunners for the Nebraska job (even though LSU defensive guru Bo Pelini is supposed to be the leader), and our intrepid tipster claims there will be a meeting with Cornhuskers legend Tom Osborune next week.
“Navy Head Coach Paul Johnson is Nebraska’s first choice to replace Bill Callahan. Coach Johnson will visit Lincoln right after the Army game on Dec. 1st. Coaches are not allowed to go out and make home visits with recruits until Dec. 1st, so when Coach Johnson is out “recruiting” he will stop by Lincoln and meet with interim AD Tom Osbourne.”
Based on this email tipster, what we want to know is - if Johnson is really going to travel to Nebraska, will he do so under the guise of checking out a blue-chipper in the heartland? Unfortunately, we haven’t the time nor the energy to scour the Navy or Nebraska college football message boards, but somebody who frequents those places could probably shed some light. And please, Nebraskans (?), we’re just passing along an email … try not to bombard us with your lust for Turner Gill or Bo Pellini.
Nebraska Dispatches Cessna to Baton Rouge (Wizard of Odds)
Turner Gill performs miracles (Legend of Cecilio Guante)
Husker rumors (Scout.com)
Prediction: Nebraska will pursue Johnson (Tigers for Paul Johnson)
22 Responses to “Navy’s Paul Johnson to Nebraska?”
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November 26th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Johnson would bring the option back to Nebraska.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/11/25/4749cd307e9d9
Gill, Pelini, and Grobe are the only 3 mentioned so far. I like Johnson though.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Not a frequenter of the Navy message boards (is there such a thing?) but as an Annapolis resident and Navy fan, I can tell you that whoever lands Paul Johnson will get themselves a very good coach. This is especially the case if Emporer Osborne wants to go back to running the option offense of years past.
If Johnson can field respectable football teams with kids who are looking at 5 year military commitments, I think he could do pretty good recruiting at Nebraska.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
johnson is a very good coach and NOT an option coach. only reason he runs the option at navy is that gives him the best chance to win… the talent he has runs the option better than any other offense.
i’m always very impressed when a coach adjusts his offense to what suits his talent the best, not the other way around. that’s smart football.
do some research on johnson. he only became an option coach when he went to navy.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
My money’s on Pelini–the guy they should have hired in the first damn place instead of Callahan.
I have no vested interest in the ‘Skers (I’m an SEC grad) but my family’s from the state, and let me tell you–this search is being dissected thousands of times more intently than is the presidential campaign, make of that what you will.
That said, Pelini’s the right guy–former Assistant, defensive genius (which they need a whole lot of after this year’s debacle), and a sizable base of support in-state.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
OT
Cuban movie bombs. Shocka!
/OT
November 26th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
tbl, check out brian smith at mgoblog. Claiming K. Ferentz has been offered the job, and accepted…interesting stuff
November 26th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
The option should not be brought back to Nebraska, anyone who followed them can tell they have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and it doesn’t need an overhaul.
The defense is beyond pathetic however and that is what the new coach should have a background in. I think Gill and Pelini are too unproven, they need a coach with a college track record.
I loved Osborne’s honesty in saying that Callahan would have kept his job if he had won his last 4 and had no chance otherwise.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I would love to believe your tipster, though I would be more inclined to do so if he could spell Osborne correctly.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
jimmy, check your facts. Johnson ran the option (and owned 1-AA with it) at GA Southern as well before moving on to Navy. I should know, I sat in the stands and watched the original Adrian Peterson run in it for years. He’d be a great fit at Nebraska, IMO.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
speaking of open coaching jobs
http://mgoblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/ferentz-update.html
Mr. Ferentz…in the big house?
November 26th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Navy didn’t this year have a defense either.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
pelini is taking over the vacant job at LSU when Miles takes off
November 26th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Lots of good stuff being said about the potential candidates for the job here in Nebraska. I heard Johnson was a dark horse for the job and I have heard nothing but good things about him and reading Dirty Sanchez and Jimmys posts, he may be better than I first thought. I do like Pelini as a coach but not Gill. I agree both don’t have the experience of running the likes of Nebraska. Like another poster stated, this is a huge deal here in Huskerland. Lets hope whomever he chooses, they turn around this awful defense.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
jeff:
i seem to recall when johnson was the o-coordinator at navy (prior to georgia southern) he ran a spread option, not triple option, and was successful.
his offense at hawaii (pre june jones) wasn’t a triple option either. they threw the ball a bit, with success.
regardless, johnson seems to adapt his offenses to fit the talent he has on hand. to me, that demonstrates and open if not an intelligent football mind.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I’ve read elswhere he is more of the spread option coach like Osborne had while at NU. Locals called it the Osbone Offense and from what I have gathered, Johnsons offense is based off of this offense Osborne ran. To be honest, I really want Paul Johnson as the next Husker coach.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Charlie Weis to Dunkin Donuts?
November 26th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I am a subscriber to a certain message board (that will go nameless) and far too many people have Pelini as the frontrunner for it to be a rumour. By all accounts his interview went well and now TO is looking at others to covers his bases (Grobe and Gill).
November 26th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
There is a team meeting today to (supposedly) announce to the players that Bo has been hired as the new coach. They say an announcement will be made in the next day or two.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
university of buffalo’s coach.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
College football just isn’t the same without the wishbone at Nebraska.
Makes a ton of sense for him to go to Lincoln.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:20 am
Everyone needs to realize that Paul Johnson was an “option” coach long before Navy. His experience goes back to the Erk Russell days at Georgia Southern and his resume includes two National Championships while using the option at Georgia Southern as the head coach. He can adapt to his talent but he is perhaps the best option coach in the country. His biggest asset is his ability to motivate his players up to and including running through brick walls. He is ready for prime time but it would not surprise me if he stays at Navy well into the future. My family experienced all of his games at Georgia Southern.