I don't think firing Pellini was a mistake but do agree that Riley was not the guy they needed. He'd never really shown the ability to compete at a high level in the PAC-12, so what made Eichorst think it was suddenly going to come together for him in the Big-10.
The problem now is getting a guy like Patterson. Even a school like TCU is now paying enough that if a guy is comfortable, why move. Patterson is comfortable. He can coach there for another decade if he stays even reasonably competitive. He'll be set financially. He's in the middle of a very fertile recruiting territory.
Yes he could go to Nebraska and make more money, but now you have to recruit to a more remote school in a state with little in the way of fertile recruiting and you have to compete in a tougher conference. You might be gone in 3-5 years and if you fail badly you may not score another gig anything like it. Some of these guys don't see Nebraska as a job that is really a move up.
The problem now is getting a guy like Patterson. Even a school like TCU is now paying enough that if a guy is comfortable, why move. Patterson is comfortable. He can coach there for another decade if he stays even reasonably competitive. He'll be set financially. He's in the middle of a very fertile recruiting territory.
Yes he could go to Nebraska and make more money, but now you have to recruit to a more remote school in a state with little in the way of fertile recruiting and you have to compete in a tougher conference. You might be gone in 3-5 years and if you fail badly you may not score another gig anything like it. Some of these guys don't see Nebraska as a job that is really a move up.
