Home Football Think Riley Left to Help OSU?

Think Riley Left to Help OSU?

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He knew his contract was an albatross.  One thing we know is the guy genuinely loved OSU (due to his father, him painting the stadium growing up, etc). Starting to think he realized the contract had become a burden, he still wanted to get paid a few more years, and there was no way for OSU to buy him out. Is it possible he consciously yet cryptically handed OSU a gift? I.e instead of saddling OSU with his buyout; he went to someplace he cares nothing about, and is having them pay it? Just an idea.

I’m sure a lot of the other stuff we speculated is true, but I think this maybe factored in.

Then again, maybe not. This from Eggers:

On Monday, before he left to recruit in California, Riley had a
meeting with De Carolis. One source said it was just the two of them. A
second source said President Ed Ray was also on hand.

“Something happened in that meeting,” the first OSU staffer says. “That’s when it changed.”

Athird source — who had not talked directly to Riley, but had spoken
with someone who had — says while De Carolis had no intention of firing
Riley, the athletic director pulled back on his support in some way. It
may have been that De Carolis wanted more control and influence on what
Riley felt should be his decisions. It may have been De Carolis wanted
Riley to give back some of the seven years left on his contract. It may
have been De Carolis didn’t want to extend the contracts of assistant
coaches beyond next year.

So Riley left for California with mixed emotions about his future at Oregon State.

{and then skipping a few quotes and such to get to the “time line” type stuff…}

Riley was to have headed to Hawaii for another recruiting trip on
Thursday. Instead, he returned to Corvallis Wednesday night. On Thursday
morning, he was no longer the Beavers’ coach.

115 COMMENTS

  1. BTW, the people who don’t want Bronco Mendenhall are crazy, imo. He’s the Tinkle of this hiring cycle. He is an asset instead of liability (Riley) and would have a +1 or even +2 win variant per year. I get the lure of taking a shot on Wells and the young guys, but BM would be a home run.

      • He’s a great coach. Tailing off could be due to circumstance…not sure what is going on there. But when have you ever seen them poorly prepared or a mind boggling gameplan? I haven’t.

        • I’ve watched a ton of BYU football and have even been to a few games in Provo. They’ve had some very bizarre games and meltdowns to the point it made me wonder wtf was going on with the mentality of the team.
          I do think he would benefit from coaching at a non-Mormon school just from the standpoint of his players not taking off mid-career to proselytize their faith around the world. Yeah they get older, more mature players that way but I think it disrupts program continuity.

      • Yeah, as a Utes fan, as well, I read a lot of the BYU/Utah squabbling. Many BYU fans aren’t that enamored with Mendenhall any longer. Good defenses, but QB development and management of the offense are often issues.

      • ^ This comment is a perfect example. People were high on him when his price was high. Now his price is lower, and people don’t like him. Same guy, same great coach…this guy is actually a huge value. Only question is if he’d want to coach at OSU. He doesn’t sound keen on it.

  2. So, we know Riley was contacted by Nebraska on Monday, and had accepted the job on Wednesday.

    It could be that the difference the staffer noticed was due to the call from Nebraska on Monday, not from the meeting with BDC. Since pretty much no one seemed to know about the Nebraska offer, they attributed the difference to the meeting they assume was about something Riley didn’t like.

  3. If Ed Ray was at said meeting that’d be a good thing…It would be great if the guy that raised over a billion dollars for mostly academic improvements took a larger interest in the athletic side of things. Athletics need a similar fundraiser and it can be done if OSU wants it.

    • Just based on the couple things I read. Bob Stitt actually sounds intriguing. Possibly a Chip Kelly-like hire in terms of running an innovative offense.

    • Stitt would be very interesting as an OC, but not a HC. From what I’ve read he seems pretty happy where he is.

      Ill stick with Beau Baldwin as who he will/should go after. Harsin/Wells are both very solid options, but also have reasons to not leave (seems to love BSU/ the contract buyout).

      Im not opposed to Bronco, but my excitement would be tempered. To me, 3-9 is the same as 9-3. Bronco strikes me as the guy that could do better than MR, but not the guy that gets us over the hump. Id be ambivalent to the hire, but totally willing to eat crow if wrong.

  4. My gut is Riley bouncing is a combination of all things:

    1) Knowing the Contract was an albatross; his love for OSU
    2) Hearing he’d need to let go of some assistants in the BDC meeting (You know it had to be Banker and/or Read)
    3) Laying a 5-7 egg with his favorite QB ever and a senior laden defense. 2014 was lined up to be the year of OSU football and we sucked
    4) Media finally getting to him. I think Coach Teflon could’ve dealt with the just the negative football talk this year. But once that whole gang rape deal popped up locally his character took a hit, and there was no possible justifiable explanation for how he handled it.

    Perfect shit storm and an amazing offer by Nebraska gave him a chance bow out quietly in the middle of the night and keep his legacy intact.

    • So you are saying Riley saw his own failure with a veteran defense and a record setting Qb, and lesser prospects for next year, and BAILED…. and you think that leaves his legacy intact? No. His timing definitely tarnishes his legacy.

      Media getting to him?!? LOL…its far worse most other places.

      And he didnt bow out quietly. He bailed suddenly, in the middle of telling recruits he is continuity in action. You are sugar coating this and it doesnt deserve it.

  5. helping out OSU was a factor, but I would submit a minor one. He could see the fans emptying of fans and had to know the heat was on his bosses to do something about it. I agree with the post above that the most encouraging aspect of the Eggers report is that Ed Ray was in the meeting and impliedly that he and BDC teamed up to put some pressure on Riley; maybe contract related but more likely assistant coaches. Just to be explicit: now that Ray has invested in the determination of the problem he’s in a position to help BDC with the solution.

    downside risk of Riley leaving is low; we’ve already reverted to the bottom of the conference, and the north division, and next year was likely a 4 win ( +/- 1) and the potential upside is sizable. Potential reward outweighs any incipient risks 2 or 3 to one in my opinion.

      • Glad Ray has his priorities straight (academics). Hopefully with the title of largest Oregon university and new building developments, some of that will carry over to help athletics. We just need Massari to get our fundraising and upgrades on track for athletics.

      • Article is being misrepresented. Jonathan Smith is #2 in a list of people the author thinks BDC should be considering. Nowhere does the article imply that this is actual inside info.

      • here it is:

        Oregon State was like most everyone else in the country; it, too, had no idea that at the end of the week it would need a new football coach.

        Nebraska moved swiftly and intently to hire away Mike Riley, who spent the past dozen seasons at OSU, creating a new Power 5 opening in the process.

        After Florida and Nebraska’s moves, Kansas, Michigan and Oregon State are the major openings at the moment.

        Later, I’ll have notes on the ongoing search at Kansas and the new one at Colorado State. Plus, who will win the Will Muschamp sweepstakes once he gets back from the Caribbean?

        As for Oregon State, Riley provided the model of success, winning 85 games and going to eight bowl games since his second stint at the school began in 2003. If that doesn’t sound like a very high standard, understand that it’s a very difficult job.

        It was always a developmental program, but then Oregon’s rise made the challenges even greater. If a higher-end recruit wants to go to a remote Oregon city, he’s far more likely to be wowed by the sites and scene in Eugene. That’s just reality.

        All that doesn’t preclude success, but development and positive energy — Riley’s calling cards — have to be a central part of the hire for Oregon State AD Bob De Carolis.

        So where does he look?

        [+] EnlargeBronco Mendenhall
        Robin Alam/Icon SMI
        Bronco Mendenhall has connections to Oregon State.
        1. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU head coach

        Mendenhall, 90-38 at BYU, went to Oregon State, started his coaching career there as a grad assistant and later returned as a defensive assistant coach. Those are all outstanding credentials.

        If not for a season-ending injury to quarterback Taysom Hill this fall, the Cougars might have been in the race for a New Year’s Day bowl bid.

        Since BYU is a private school, salary information is a bit scarce; most reports have the 48-year-old making around $1 million a year. Oregon State can work with that. Riley was making about $1.5 million per year at the time of his exit.

        Last thought to file away: Coaches with defensive backgrounds seem to have better results when it comes to developing underrecruited players, and the Cougars have been a top-25 yards-per-play defense the past four years, including No. 6 in 2012.

        2. Jonathan Smith, Washington offensive coordinator

        Smith played quarterback for OSU from 1998-2001, earning offensive MVP honors in the Beavers’ 41-9 Fiesta Bowl win against Notre Dame in 2000.

        He has learned quarterback and program development from Chris Petersen, one of the best at it. Smith followed Petersen to Washington, so he’s been broken into Pac-12 coaching as well.

        Both (3) Tom Herman (Ohio State co-offensive coordinator) and (4) Scott Frost (Oregon OC) would be in the same vein as far as first-time head-coaching hires go. Those two, however, are among the five Broyles Award finalists. Herman does have a West Coast tie, too, having gone to Cal Lutheran in California.

        5. Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State head coach

        After going 20-6 in his first two seasons at Fresno State, the Derek Carr-less Bulldogs slipped back to 6-6 in 2014. But there’s still plenty of faith in DeRuyter.

        I was told DeRuyter was trying to work his way in at Kansas, and he still might be, but Oregon State could be a better fit considering where he’s currently coaching. Getting players from California will always be important for OSU.

        6. Matt Wells, Utah State head coach

        Wells’ name is popping up for a number of jobs, even Tulsa (where he was once an assistant). I would think he would be interested in any Power 5 job.

        In Logan, he learned development from now-Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen.

        The 41-year-old Wells is 18-9 at his alma mater, even though he has had to work around season-ending injuries to star quarterback Chuckie Keeton in each of his first two seasons. If healthy, Keeton had a chance to be what Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch was in 2013 in terms of a Group of 5 (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt) star.

        7. Beau Baldwin, Eastern Washington head coach

        If De Carolis went to the FCS ranks, Baldwin would be a solid fit. The native Californian led Eastern Washington to the 2010 FCS title, as well as semifinal appearances in 2012 and 2013.

        At 10-2, EWU is the 4-seed in this year’s FCS bracket. It hosts Montana on Saturday. EWU is 33-8 the past three seasons. If it served as a sort of audition, one of those wins came last year at Oregon State.

        8. Brady Hoke, free agent

        Hoke and De Carolis were both at Michigan in the 1990s, when Hoke was an assistant coach and De Carolis was an assistant administrator. So there’s a tie.

        But given the note above about developing players, is Hoke really the right call? Michigan recruited well, but it did not follow through in terms of development. I could see Hoke more in play at Colorado State than another, immediate Power 5 job, even with his link to the AD.

        EXTRA POINTS

        • Colorado State’s administration made clear Wednesday that it believes CSU is a “dream job.”

        It’s a beautiful part of the country and a new stadium would be nice, but any school outside the Power 5 might want to tailor expectations accordingly.

        For its last hire — a very, very good one — CSU hired Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama, Jim McElwain. So something along the same lines would be sensible — though, no, I don’t mean it should pursue Lane Kiffin.

        Some of the names from above — Herman and Frost, in particular — make a lot of sense. If ADs at major schools are looking for head coaches with experience, and Jeremy Foley is obviously among them, CSU would be a great place to be. It’s just never going to be an end-all destination, despite the administration’s passion for Fort Collins. How many of those are out there, in all of college football? A dozen?

        However, if CSU is intent on something a bit more stable, DeRuyter could be a candidate to move across Mountain West divisions.

        Hoke might also be good, going back to this more familiar league. Rich Rodriguez “remembered” how to coach once he left Michigan.

        While it might not necessarily be a coach’s dream job, it’s about as good as it’s going to get in the Mountain West. McElwain probably made it into something close to a top-5 Group of 5 job.

        • Will Muschamp is currently enjoying some vacation time with his family before making a decision about 2015 and beyond. He’d like to continue as a head coach somewhere, I’m told, but the defensive coordinator opportunities in front of him are better.

        I expect Muschamp to land at Auburn. It presents everything he would want: a handsome salary, returning talent such as defensive linemen Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams and a sustainable, viable coach in Gus Malzahn.

        Plus, it’s more familiar to him than Texas A&M would be, even considering his time spent in Austin. Muschamp was Auburn’s DC in 2006 and 2007.

        In fact, I’d say it’s more likely Muschamp would take South Carolina over A&M. If it went well, I’m told Muschamp believes he’d be in line to replace Steve Spurrier.

        That seems like a stretch to me, considering he was just fired from a division rival with more resources. Maybe South Carolina couldn’t do any better, though. That’s going to be a tricky hire for former baseball coach Ray Tanner, whenever the time comes.

        • Those close to the Kansas search say AD Sheahon Zenger is interviewing candidates via phone, going through some of the names we’ve been mentioning since the middle of the season.

        Connections are important here, going back to the Jayhawks’ recent heyday under Mark Mangino. So former Nebraska OC Tim Beck (who will be a great free-agent hire for someone), Texas A&M receivers coach David Beaty and Ohio State co-OC Dave Warinner are all in play, as is interim Clint Bowen. Bowen’s candidacy lost some steam when KU lost its final two games, at Oklahoma and Kansas State, by a combined score of 95-20.

  6. Based on what Schnell was saying it seems like Riley and his staff no longer believed they could be competitive. Riley knowing he would fail and how ugly it would get and how tarnished his legacy would be had to leave for his own good. Like they say in football… next man up.

  7. Opie using big words in his pressed like “championships.” Too bad that wasn’t in his vocabulary while in Corvallis.

    If he takes Banker and Read he’s even dumber than I thought. Most likely will take Bray and Brennan which is too bad. Garrett will be sacrificed and will get an asst job in the NFL next year.

    If Ray puts as much effort into the AD’s office as he has with the academic side then some things can really start to happen. I believe OSUProf believes that Dr. Ray is very committed to athletics and has done more for OSU sports than anyone including Risser, which is saying something.

    Please relieve DeCareless!

    • I am just hoping that Bray and Brennan being young up and comers see the value in unhitching from Riley at this point. Bray might feel more allegiance to the school than Riley… at least I hope.

  8. I believe Riley left for Riley. He didn’t tell anyone and not taking the assts. closest to him.

    My (unnamed) sources say that Erickson really wants the job and is going to be vetted.

    • He may want it but it ain’t gonna happen. That would be the 2md worst choice after Banker. Thanks for the Fiesta DE but too little, too late.

      Jaynes thinks he the best choice. No more retreads!

  9. I’ll re-post my list here:

    1. Lance Leipold – Hey! He now has some D1 experience!

    2. PJ Fleck – HOW do you pronounce that?

    3. Tim DeRuyter – Talk about doing more with less. He would probably pay us just to get out of Fresno.

    4. The OC/DC route – OC would be Josh Heupel, DC would be Brent Venables

      • He is interesting. And he’s the type of coach we should be looking at. I’m not a huge fan of coaches who inherit great programs as their first proving ground. That would include Wells, Harsin and Carey who took over for Anderson, Petersen and Doeren respectively. What have they proven?

        Dino Babers, Matt Campbell and Willie Fritz probably get a pass on that because they have been head coaches long enough that their recent success can be attributed to their skills. Craig Bohl, Bob Diaco and Chuck Martin have great resumes but all face uphill battles and had a tough first year of it. Mark Hudspeth and Doc Holliday would be great gets, which is why I don’t list them… since they will likely end up in a power conference out east where they would likely rather be (Holliday to Michigan maybe?). We don’t want a retread. Although, Bill made a decent case for Muschamp on the other thread. Not a terrible idea… but Hoke? Are we kidding people?

        That leaves me with my man-crush on Leipold and a sensible choice in DeRuyter (who apparently denies wanting the job).

        As I look at OSU, I see a bunch of mediocrity-accepting funky fans holding progress at bay. Progress to me is not the spread or the read option. I wouldn’t be opposed to either if the new coach is highly proficient at either. But we are a little set up for a pro-set or a one back system. Progress would be looking at OSU and telling everyone what is needed for the new coach to succeed and what it will take to get it done. The new coach also has to have good connections, a decent or better resume, energy, recruiting skills and A FRIGGIN’ IDENTITY!!!!!!!!!

        So… without any further ado, I invite you to see who this PJ Fleck dude is:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_6PvjRin0w

  10. 1. I have been on the fire Riley bandwagon since his second year of his second stint. I wish I had the time or resources to put together a video montage of all the poor time management instances. That would be fun. However, I think Angry is being a little too harsh to say he has no character. Yes, the rape situation and the way Riley handled it was unjustified. He screwed up big time, and I’m sure he feels bad about it. I think he is probably a good Christian man, and not the devil in disguise. And like the rest of us, made some pretty big errors in life.

    2. With that said, I too think Riley made this move partially out of love for OSU. At the same time I think he also did it partially out of the disappointment he was inevitably facing – the biggest disappointment of all for him being unloved by OSU fans, press, & perhaps the administration who were now possibly taking some actions he didn’t like.

    3. We all got what we want – Riley gone. Geez that took forever. But it couldn’t have gone over any smoother for all parties involved. So I don’t find it necessary to hammer his character. He did all of us and himself a great favor, and I think he knows it. Thanks, Riley. And good luck in Lincoln.

  11. I’ve gone from having no personal problem with Riley as a human to finding him completely disgusting in about 3 weeks (since the Brenda Tracy story, and now this crap^)

      • I already chimed in on that I thought your response to the Brenda Tracy situation was misguided. Also, there’s been many comments in here about Ed Ray and BDC not caring, so isn’t Riley confirming that?

  12. I just donated to OSU athletics for the first time in 4 years. Not huge money, but more than I’d ever given before. I bet I’m not alone.

      • Yeah, that’s the other reaction I’m sure people will have.

        I think this will be a big windfall for OSU athletics. I think this job is better than people (the media) think. This is a power 5 conference, decent facilities, nice town, all that. Somebody good wants this job and we can afford to pay them to help re-energize the program.

        • This job is a GOOD one. Riley already used it TWICE to jump to much better jobs/locations, and both times just based on mediocre performance. Any good coach should jump at it. At OSU you dont have to go BCS or now playoff, to be seen as a genius.

      • I won’t donate another dime until the Nutria is gone. That fucking thing has brought nothing but bad luck to us since one ass-wipe in the athletic department thought it was a good idea.

        Look back to the date it was established and see how football and basketball have fared since.

        Casey won’t allow it on the baseball uniforms, either.

        I’m an Angry Beaver guy!

    • That interview is kind of awkward…Riley knows nothing about Nebraska, the AD is justifying the hire the entire time…this is not going to end well.

    • I realize I’m taking this out of context, but he said it…

      “I got a lot more out of Oregon State than they got from me.”
      Mike Riley, Nebraska Head Coach

    • I didn’t finish that; painful to watch. He is so mentally slow, it kind of has the look of somebody who is being taken advantage of, except there’s nothing for Nebraska to take advantage of and they’re going to wind up disappointed.

      I honestly felt like I could have answered the questions better than that. Nebraska boosters must have been cringing.

      • They should be cringing. I cant see anything rational about this hiring of Riley. He is clearly going downhill as a coach, and despite all the accolades about what a great guy he is, there is clear evidence that he isnt really so nice.

        And totally agree about the mental slowness. He always speaks that way and his inability to handle time critical situations in games or even instill that in his players, speaks volumes. I guess if they go to the playoffs in the next couple years or even win the BIG, we can think they were right, but then it will also be clear that he was really coasting at OSU.

      • I would love to see a SMART coach hired. Smart guys learn. That was always one of Mikes problems, he never seemed to learn anything new. He just kept trying to hammer that round peg. Maybe a smart coach attracts smart players? Big dumb athletes that succeed on athletic ability alone go to schools with winning records. What we need are coachable kids, and smart kids are coachable. I know, that’s a bit of stretch, but I think what OSU needs is a different approach to success.

        We cant do it with money like Oregon, we cant do it with tradition like Standford or USC, we cant do it by being a “party school” like ASU. Why not build a program on the strategy of being smarter than the other guys. I don’t know if Tom Herman is the guy that could bring that to OSU, but its an interesting possibility.

  13. As I posted in an earlier thread, Ed Ray responded to my friends email with a “you will see changes in the next month”. I HAVE to believe he wasn’t the only one to reach out to the administration. I believe this goes along with the meeting he had with BDC and/or with Ed Ray. I believe they pushed Riley on his assistants, during Rileys “evaluation” he didn’t want to get readyd of anybody which I think the admin suggested strongly. At that point Riley feels lack of support and bolts. I don’t think it was anything to help OSu in anyway, it was more about seeing the writtening on the wall and to “protect” and stay loyal to his assistants he left. If he thinks the pressure he is tough wait till he gets back there, beavergopher probably could have insights on that.

    As far as the Bronco hiring or anybody else who may be lacking on one side of the ball, if they come in here with a plan to address it like Tinkle did it would work. Tinkle a great coach new he needed to recruit so he went out brought in assistants whose strengths compensated his weaknesses.
    More than anything we need somebody who has a vision of success and plan to get there. I don’t want somebody who is looking for an opportunity.

    • The coverage of the football team in the local papers is just like that in an NFL city. There is no off season. Welcome to the fish bowl coach.

    • What an utter disaster. The only good thing that came out of this is that all the SJW types now look like total idiots for all the harping they did. Otherwise, I’m afraid stories like these will make any rape victims on campus even more afraid to come out than before.

  14. Any rumblings about some interviews being set up? If Wells gets the interview he is expected to, I believe he lands the job. Program will be on good footing and moving forward along with basketball for a number of years. Wells and Tinkle is pretty good.

  15. Rumors are Bob Stoops to Michigan. That means Todd Graham can get hired on at Okie and proclaim it his dream job. And that would leave ASU open.

  16. Like Wells a lot but Wilcox may be one of the better guys to change and amp up the culture. I think he deserves an interview to see who he would bring with him. Hayward?

  17. When was Riley contacted by Nebraska? If that was Monday, then the meeting with BDC was about that, not BDC leaning on him.

    I keep hearing this bit of Riley loving Corvallis….but he already left that dream location once. And if he was being leaned on to do something like change assistants, big deal. And now he is leaving it again, instead of fighting to stay, by doing better.

    If he was just concerned about the school having to do an impossible buyout, hell, just renegotiate the contract. I cant believe the AD was even threatening Riley for not quite getting to a bowl.

    So I think this was purely mercenary, just like his first exodus to the Chargers.

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