Vandals Hurt Akey’s Breaky Heart

Opinion, Team FYN Sports

The Idaho Vandals became the first FBS school to make a head coaching change during this season, as the school announced on Sunday that Robb Akey had been relieved of his duties, effective immediately.

Akey, who was in the middle of his sixth season as Vandals head coach, posted a 20-50 record at Idaho with the highpoint coming in the 2009 season, when the Vandals finished the year 8-5 and won the Humanitarian Bowl.
Idaho never could take advantage of its big bowl win, as the team managed a 9-25 from that point forward. Saturday’s 70-28 loss to Louisiana Tech was just too much for the Idaho athletic department to take, which led to the announcement of Akey’s firing, leaving offensive coordinator Jason Gesser to serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

No offense to Coach Akey, who from what I can tell seems like a poor man’s Joe Kines, but his firing has officially kicked off the part of the college football season that I enjoy the most: the coaching carousel. Yes, this is the time in which athletic departments make changes, leaving the fan bases to wonder who will be the next head coach and sportswriters like me to make educated guesses at who that just might be.

The Idaho job definitely won’t be an easy job to predict, mainly due to the fact that the Vandals aren’t exactly a top-tier non-BCS school and will be facing life as an FBS Independent due to the WAC’s extinction following this season, but I always enjoy a good challenge. Here are five candidates that I would go after if I was the man making the calls in Moscow:

Dan Hawkins, former Colorado HC – I initially wasn’t crazy about the idea of bringing in Hawkins when I saw it mentioned on ESPN’s Truth & Rumors, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how great it would be. Hawkins had the most success coaching in the state of Idaho at Boise State (posted a 53-11 with 4 WAC championships), and his fifteen years of head coaching experience is exactly what the Vandals need right now. Although it probably would take a good offer to lure Hawkins away from his commentator gig, Hawkins better realize that his return to coaching definitely won’t happen with a major program.

Dennis Erickson, former Arizona State HC – My guess is that the Idaho fans out there (both of them) probably would be a little miffed if the team brought back Erickson, who coached Idaho from 1982-1985 then returned for a one-year stint in 2006 before bolting after a 4-8 year to take the Arizona State job, but if Idaho is ever going to be a consistent contender they will have to let bygones be bygones. According to a report by CDA Press, Erickson is sitting tight in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, hoping for another head coaching job to open up; if he plays his cards right, an in-state one might just be waiting for him.

Robert Prince, Boise State OC – Let’s face it: it would be a huge win if the Vandals could pick up anyone from the Broncos’ staff. Prince has a nice resume, as he spent time at Boise State, Colorado, and Portland State in college as well the Seattle Seahawks, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. He may not be the brains behind the Boise business (that would be Chris Petersen), but it wouldn’t hurt to try and transfer some of the magic to Moscow.

Paul Petrino, Arkansas OC – The lesser known of the Petrino brothers, Paul has some experience at Idaho (WR/RB/ST coach from 1992-1994) and will more than likely be out of a job once Arkansas’s season comes to a close. I know it wouldn’t be exactly a sexy hire for Idaho to pluck Petrino, but it would be a win-win for both sides: Paul would have a chance to really show how good he is without his big brother around, and Idaho would have a coach that people have heard of.

Beau Baldwin, Eastern Washington HC – Baldwin would be a great hire by Idaho, although the possibilities of him leaving the Eagles, a team that is currently 6-1, for the mess that is the Vandals’ program right now is pretty low. Baldwin, only 40 years old, has never posted a losing season in his six seasons as a head coach with stints at Central Washington (his alma mater) and Eastern Washington. Baldwin could probably wait for a better job to come open (a realistic one would be a middle-of-the-road Mountain West team), but it wouldn’t hurt the Vandals to gauge his interest.

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