Speculation has run rampant for months that Syracuse officials were looking to fire Greg Robinson and hire a new football coach.
Now comes the breaking news by Pete Thamel of The New York Times that the school has hired a search firm to find a suitable replacement for Robinson, who is 8-34 overall and 2-22 in the Big East in three-plus seasons. Syracuse is currently 1-6 overall and, at 0-3 in the Big East, is one of only two winless teams in the conference.
The story in Thursday’s editions says Syracuse hired Chuck Neinas, a veteran consultant and former Big Eight Conference Commissioner, to seek a new coach and that UConn coach Randy Edsall has been contacted. Edsall played QB at Syracuse and was later an assistant coach who was passed over for the head job when Paul Pasqualoni was hired in 1990. Edsall recently signed an extension at UConn through 2013.
Syracuse AD Daryl Gross denied that Neinas had been hired.
“That’s not true, that’s speculation,” he told The Times.
Besides Edsall, other potential candidates include Buffalo’s Turner Gill, TEmple’s Al Goldstein, former Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin and Florida assistant head coach Steve Addazio.
MCCOY TO RETURN
The Sporting News is reporting that Texas QB Colt McCoy will return to campus for his senior season. The frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, McCoy has led the unbeaten Longhorns to an average of 48.1 points per game.
“I play a lot like [Cowboys QB] Tony Romo,” McCoy told The Sporting News. “Maybe not as risky now, but he’s a playmaker. He can make some yards with his feet, but he’s also right on the money, he’s accurate and he’s smart with the ball.”
