Brady Hoke....

[GoBlue21]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3768737

San Diego State to hire Ball State's Hoke, source says

San Diego State will name Ball State coach Brady Hoke as its next head coach, a person briefed on the decision told ESPN's Joe Schad on Sunday.

Hoke, who interviewed with San Diego State last week, was also a candidate for the head coaching position at Auburn, which was filled Saturday by Iowa State's Gene Chizik.

Ball State, ranked 22nd in the final BCS standings, finished the regular season 12-1 after losing its finale 42-24 to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

The Aztecs (2-10, 1-7 MWC) fired Chuck Long after three seasons and the program's first 10-loss season.

Other finalists for the San Diego State position were former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione and UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.

Ball State will face Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 6.

When asked about his conversations with Auburn, Hoke didn't go into detail.

"We had discussions, but I think there's been a lot of discussions," Hoke told the Mobile Press-Register on Wednesday.

"If you're any kind of competitor, the challenges are out there, so there's always a high interest," Hoke said.

Why would Brady Hoke go to San Diego St.? Is SDS better than Ball St.? I just don't understand this decision. It's gotta be a lot more money is all I can guess...

[BlueSpread]

That is strange. I'd think SDSU would be a lateral, if not downard, move. This is basically shitting his career down the toilet imho.

[BBA1994]

I too have questioned this move since I first read about it. Then I started thinking a little more about it and it might not be a bad decision. First, Hoke is 50 years old so how many more years does he want to coach, maybe 10 more years? He's only making $240k a year at BSU and rumor has it that he'll be making $750k a year at SDSU so that's a nice little bump. He also will get to live in just about the best climate in the US plus be located in the fertile SoCal recruiting ground. Finally, and I think this is most important, he needs to cash in right now. Next year when BSU falls back to 6-6 or worse, he won't be a hot coach. Once he didn't get the Auburn job, maybe he realized that he needed to cash in and coach at SDSU even though it's a lateral move at best. Perhaps he would have been considered a candidate at Oklahoma State but a bird in hand (SDSU's offer) is worth two in the bush (any other offers coming his way this year).

[GoBlue21]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3771858

Ball State tried to keep Hoke, who quits for SDSU job

Ball State coach Brady Hoke has resigned, athletics director Tom Collins said on Monday.

ESPN's Joe Schad reported on Sunday that Hoke agreed to coach San Diego State next season.

"Coach Hoke has had a tremendous amount of success as our head football coach," Collins said in a statement. "His offer at San Diego State is a testament to that success. We worked very hard to keep him at Ball State, while also being sensitive to the current economic environment. The search for a new head coach begins today."

That search may be a short one. A source close to the situation told ESPN's Joe Schad on Monday that Cardinals offensive coordinator Stan Parrish will be named to replace Hoke. Ball State plays on Jan. 6 in the GMAC Bowl.

San Diego State scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Despite Ball State's announcement, SDSU officials refused to confirm Hoke's hire.

"Nope, I'm not going to confirm it," athletic director Jeff Schemmel said. "When it's time for a press conference we're going to have one."

Told of Ball State's announcement, Schemmel said: "So be it."

Ball State said that it offered to make Hoke the highest-paid employee at the school if he stayed. He could have earned a base salary of $390,000 with $60,000 in Mid-American Conference incentives and another $255,000 in Bowl Championship Series and national incentives.

"None of us wanted to see him go," Ball State President Jo Ann Gora said in the statement. "When Coach Hoke told me San Diego State had offered him a guaranteed package of $3.5 million over five years, I knew we had done all we could to keep him. In these economic times, we simply cannot reasonably match such a generous offer. This is an outstanding program with a national reputation and passionate fans. It is an attractive position, and I am confident we will find a strong successor. I wish Coach Hoke and his family the very best as they transition to San Diego."

Ball State's only loss came against Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship. Hoke went 34-38 in six years at the school, but drew national attention when his team went unbeaten into December. Hoke replaces Chuck Long, who was fired in late November. Long was 9-27 in three seasons at SDSU, which hasn't had a winning record since 1998. The Aztecs were 2-10 this year, the school's first 10-loss season.

Can't really blame him, you do what you gotta do!