Has Ron Zook Saved His Job?

• krambman

  

  Coming into the season everyone knew that he was on the hot seat and many thought that it was a foregone conclusion that this would be his last year in Champaign, but now he has his team one win away from bowl eligibility and his three losses (Missouri, Ohio State, and Michigan State) have only one loss combined. So, has he secured himself at least one more year at Illinois?
• ytownfootball

  

  Probably, but he shouldn't be removed from the hot seat though. You've taken a rational look at his losses, I don't know it the Illini faithful will do so.
• elbuckeye28

  His job is safe for a while, but I think the positive changes have less to do with him and much more to do with the new coordinators.
• LJ

  

  elbuckeye28;538662 wrote:His job is safe for a while, but I think the positive changes have less to do with him and much more to do with the new coordinators.

  
  whom he hired
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Yes. I think at the end of the year, they finish 4th or 5th in the Big Ten.
• krambman

  

  elbuckeye28;538662 wrote:His job is safe for a while, but I think the positive changes have less to do with him and much more to do with the new coordinators.

  
  Like LJ said, Zook hired those coordinators. He realized that he wasn't getting the job done and brought in people who could. It takes a lot for a coach to hand over the coordinator position to someone else. And not only did he bring in new coordinators, but he also let them hire some of their own assistants.
  

  ytownfootball;538637 wrote:Probably, but he shouldn't be removed from the hot seat though. You've taken a rational look at his losses, I don't know it the Illini faithful will do so.

  
  Well, luckily for him the Illini faithful don't make the decisions, the athletic director does, and I think that he/she is probably a pretty rational person. Otherwise, thy never would have become an athletic director.
• elbuckeye28

  LJ;538675 wrote:whom he hired

  
  No doubt that he did a good job there, but that does not excuse his poor coaching throughout his career. He is a great recruiter, but a below average coach. I would also think that Petrino will have some larger job offers in the next could of years. Then he's either going to have to find a another coordinator or go back to losing 8 games a year.
• krambman

  

  elbuckeye28;538814 wrote:No doubt that he did a good job there, but that does not excuse his poor coaching throughout his career. He is a great recruiter, but a below average coach. I would also think that Petrino will have some larger job offers in the next could of years. Then he's either going to have to find a another coordinator or go back to losing 8 games a year.

  
  Correct, he has been a below average coach his whole career, but you know what? Now he's hired some good coordinators and has handed over play calling duties. He's recognized that he's an average coach and has taken steps to make up for that.
• Speedofsand

  

  Purdue coach wouldn't let go of Zook's handshake, I'd love to know what Hope was saying.
• Little Danny

  

  ^^^ Hope was saying he will miss seeing Zook and the other coaches at the B10 Football Coaches meeting next year.
  
  As far as Zook goes, he looks to have saved his job for now. As someone else mentioned, he will not be completely off the hot seat next season either. Any sign of regression and I would not be surprised for the AD to make a change.