IU athletics director Fred Glass moved quickly in firing football coach Bill Lynch yesterday. I couldn't believe he did so.
It was only 24 hours after an emotional victory over Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game and Lynch was out. After experiencing Saturday's game -- and the celebration afterward -- I thought Lynch had saved his job with the victory.
But Glass made the right decision. All the numbers have been laid out, and all of them point to one simple fact: The Hoosiers were not good enough during the Lynch era.
This team should be playing in a bowl next month. It had plenty of talent, especially on offense. Four players -- Ben Chappell, James Brewer, Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher -- could be taken in the NFL Draft. And with the schedule the Hoosiers had, a 5-7 record is disgraceful.
I've talked to several players in the last 24 hours, and many of them feel Lynch shouldn't have been fired. They liked Lynch who was, by many accounts, a player's coach. He never threw a player under the bus publicly. He stood up for his players when they made mistakes. He always acted in only the most professional of ways.
But now that Lynch is out, what does this mean for a guy like Belcher, who said after the Bucket game that he's coming back for his senior season? I have to think he is at least going to test the NFL waters and see where his stock is at.
His decision might also hinge on the selection of a new coach. In today's edition of the IDS, I mentioned Mike Leach and Brady Hoke as possible candidates to replace Lynch. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg released a preliminary list that includes: Hoke, former Minnesota coach Glen Mason, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst and Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell.
The most important thing in regard to this search is the fact Glass is willing to spend the money necessary to get the coach he wants. Lynch's $660,000 salary was the lowest in the Big Ten this season.
With the new facilities and money now available, Glass should be able to get a pretty good replacement. The actual hire, however, could take a little while.
