One part of a coaching transition is how the recruits presently committed to the school react to the loss of the coaches that recruited them. This was and still is a side effect of the coaching change at NC State and will undoubtedly have an impact here. It is expected some recruits will jump ship and the best hope you have is that it will not be any of your top recruits. So needless to say there has been a great deal of fear and trepidation from UNC fans that QB Mike Paulus will change his mind if the coaching situation is not settled to his liking. In fact we know this because he went as far as to tell us so:
Paulus, whose brother, Greg, plays basketball at Duke, made it publicly known he wants assistants Frank Cignetti Jr. and Dave Brock to stay, and he told athletics director Dick Baddour as much Monday.
“It seemed like it really did matter to him,” Paulus said. “He understands I’m the ringleader, and if I de-commit, others might step back.”
Now, Paulus was apparently instrumental in bringing other players in once he committed in April, so in one respect he feels he has a certain degree of power in regards to some of the other members of the recruiting class.
On the other hand, who does Paulus think he is Archie Manning? At the risk of sounding extremely unpopular among my fellow Tar Heel fans, but I am of the opinion that a high senior recruit has no business attempting to influence the coaching transition at UNC. Who UNC hires and which coaches are ultimately retained in that hire are decisions which have a deep and very long term impact beyond Mike Paulus’ potential career at UNC. Paulus made a commitment to the University of North Carolina, not to John Bunting. Now I understand that players will make recruiting decisions as much on the connection with the coach as they do the school itself. However in this case Paulus has declared himself a “ringleader” and has essentially dictated a set of terms to Dick Baddour. Those terms state that if UNC does not retain Frank Cignetti and Dave Brock as assistants, then Paulus might be inclined to look elsewhere.
I do not know about anyone else, but that is exceptionally arrogant on his part. Someone tell me what the difference is between what Paulus said and straight up blackmail? And when are you are talking about an AD who, one at least previous occasion, deferred to the players over a coach, it is even more frightening. Basically Mike Paulus is out there dangling his commitment in front of UNC in an effort to influence how the program’s coaching staff should be built. What’s more he is also saying that other recruits might be inclined to follow his lead if he is not satisfied with what happens.
Now, I want Paulus to come to UNC just as much as the next Tar Heel fan. He is as good a QB recruit as UNC has seen in a very long time. At the same time I also understand that the program is bigger than one player. The decision being made by UNC officials is about building a successful program of winning football not just for the next four or five years of Mike Paulus and this class but for years beyond that. Those of us who advocated Bunting’s dismissal fully understood that losing recruits would be a part of this equation, much the same way NC State fans did when they pushed Herb Sendek out the door. We also advocated that change in hopes the next coach could not only recruit the Mike Pauluses of the world but implement such a player to the tune of 8+ wins a season. So in my mind whatever Paulus decides to do will ultimately be inconsequential if the correct personnel decisions are made by Baddour. The attention of this search should be devoted to ascertaining what kind of program UNC wants and hiring the coach that will make that happen. If Cignetti is part of that plan, that’s great. If that coach brings in his own assistants which have been a part of his previous success, then that is what needs to happen. And if Mike Paulus wants to get on board with whichever coaching staff takes the job in Chapel Hill in the near future then that is fine.
If Mike Paulus does not like the coaches that are hired, then he can take his ball and go home because I personally have no time for an 18 year old with the degree of arrogant self importance this one is showing right now.
October 27, 2006 at 7:55 am |
I totally agree. The concept of a player or potential player influencing the decision is absurd. Carl Torbush is an example of what happens when players have an impact on the coaching hire. When NCSU hired Chuck Amato there was a mass exodus of recruits yet it did not cause a collapse of the program. Of course Phillip Rivers made a big difference in that.
I would live Paulus to come to UNC, we need the QB help. On the other hand there is no guarentee he would be any better than the other highly touted QB recruits over the years.
October 27, 2006 at 10:42 am |
I agree, UNC must make the best decision for UNC ;not for Greg Paulus! His statements are the perfect example of the tail attemping to wag the dog! Infact, his attitude tells me that UNC might be better off with out him period!
October 27, 2006 at 12:19 pm |
Sounds like this Paulus kid, and his father, might be problem children that the Heels would be better without having come to Chapel Hill. Yes, I know the kid has a lot of talent, but does Carolina want an “inmates running the asylum” mentality, no matter the skill level?
I would hope not. The new Tar Heel head coach should bring in his guy, whether or not it is Cignetti. These decisions should not be made by a seventeen year old, and if they are, then a terrible precedence has been set. Imagine Mr. High School America telling the new coach he wants to come to UNC, but doesn’t like coach so-and-so and if he’s let go, he (Mr. High School) is their guy.
Besides, despite the hype, there’s no guarantee that Paulus will be all that anyway. UNC needs to shore up their offensive line first and keep whoever the QB is upright.
October 27, 2006 at 12:42 pm |
I remember Greg Paulus pulling a stunt on dook on national signing day. All of dooks recruits signed there LOI’s except for Paulus. It appears to me that the Paulus brothers like to play games with the schools they committed to attend.
If Mike wants to play for UNC then that is fine with me. He should not have any say whatsoever about who the next head coach is or the make up of his staff is no matter how big of a prospect he is.
If the AD and others involved in the hiring of the next head coach are affected by one recruits misgivings, then they need be fired just like Bunting. UNC need to make the best decision for its football future by hiring the right coach for the job. Hiring a good coach is far more important than one recruit. If Paulus wants to be a part of UNC football, then the door is open for him. As of the moment, all he is one unsigned recruit of many that we have.
October 27, 2006 at 9:17 pm |
agreed
October 28, 2006 at 12:28 am |
yes same
October 28, 2006 at 4:59 pm |
Let Mike Paulus wind up at Miami of Florida State, where kids with these types of attitude seem to wind up.
If this kid is as good that people say he is, then I would love to have him. However, his attempt at blackmailing UNC shows that he’s lacking in a few other areas that a successful quarterback needs to excel in other than just running or passing the ball.
October 28, 2006 at 6:47 pm |
Given the fact that the current coaching staff was done in by two underachieveing quarterbacks, I think it is entirely reasonable that Paulus can throw his weight around. Let’s hope he can put his money where his mouth is, as I’m supremely frustrated at how the current QB’s have stalled just about every winning opp. we’ve had.
October 28, 2006 at 8:26 pm |
Bunting_fan,
QB play has definitely hurt this year but I think the killer was the defense. The defense should have improved but it got worse.
If Paules or another talented QB does not come, I still think Cam Sexton has potential. Joe Daily needs to try a different position.
October 30, 2006 at 5:55 am |
QB’s with potential unrealized can stifle an offense. Yes, the defense shares the blame, but QB’s lead teams. Take a look at the Vandy game, and tell me exactly where the game was lost.
Paulus knows his value, which will never be higher than now if he stinks, and will only increase if he doesn’t. I see no reason for him not to try and call the shots. He’s just trying to lead the team, sending signals to the other recruits. I don’t like it either, but I get it.
October 30, 2006 at 8:51 am |
I think you mean the VT game but your point is well taken. The defense looked OK against VT but part of the was that the Hokies didn’t have to use their offense to win, they just waited for the next UNC mistake. Otherwise, besides Wake the defense has been horrible.
This year’s failure was a total team effort all things considered. My hope is that Paules comes and at very least his presense pushes Cam Sextion to realize his potential. That said, Paules need not have any say in who the next coach is any more then the 1997 Heels should have influenced the hire of Carl Torbush.
July 15, 2007 at 7:58 am |
I say, good for Paulus. First, the notion that players commit to the school, and not the coach, is ridiculous and naive. Isn’t the point of all those in-home visits, recruiting visits, and phone calls from coaches to develop a personal relationship with coaches; and then to capitalize on those relationships by signing the player to your school? And, aside from the coach/player relationship, recruits carefully consider the match between their own abilities and the team’s (read, coaches) system? When a coach then leaves, the underlying terms of the agreement change (the old bait and switch).
So, the school fires the coach that Paulus believed could best help him reach his potential, and Paulus gets bashed?
Schools fire coaches. Coaches leave for more money. Why shouldn’t a player try to do whatever is in their limited power, to create the best situation for themselves? No one else is looking out for them.
February 10, 2008 at 7:20 pm |
the kid just want to win some games, if you look at right now, the best team in this State right is not even in Divison I. something is got chance.