Only Two Years! Embree Fired, Program in Shambles

  The murmurs quickly made their way around the Coors Events Center as tweets and texts informed the Buff faithful that Mike Bohn had run out of patience and had fired Jon Embree.  There was more focus on this news than on the hoopsters playing a hard fought game and taking down the Air Force Falcons.  No one can say the firing is unexpected, despite the reports that the university was willing to give him one more year, the performance on the field, the results and statistics were all too awful to be ignored. I stand with very mixed feelings.  I don't agree at all with the idea in principle, but as Matt McChesney said: "I am not in favor of firing him after two years...it's a little hasty...That being said, can you blame them?
  Embree, however, felt he had the rug pulled right out from under him, having been assured of his job and having only had two years to right a sinking ship.  It is a shame that they gave Hawkins a lame duck fifth year, but could not even find a way to support Embree for a third.
  I just am not sure who will actually want to take this job where there is little support, money, fans, talent (both on roster and in-state) and a worsening national reputation as a tough place to win.  Add that to the fact that assistants can really only get one-year contracts and it appears now that any coach has a two-year window.  There are tons of names out there, but I doubt that many of them would even consider coming here over at least five other schools that are looking for head coaches. The new coach probably needs to be a big name that will make a splash with donors and recruits, but that will cost a lot of money to lure someone here especially given all the previously stated circumstances.
   My first pick is Jeff Tedford, recently fired from Cal who is an offensive guru, may not be looking for a huge contract with a $7M buyout and might be looking for a little Pac-12 revenge.  The crowd favorite at the basketball game was Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who has already turned the job down once.  Among the other names that have been mentioned in early conversations: Jon Gruden, current head coahces: Charlie Strong, Louisville; Art Briles, Baylor; Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech; Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky; Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State; Gary Andersen, Utah State;  Top coordinators ready to make a jump? Oregon's Mark Helfrich; Washington's Justin Wilcox; UCLA's Noel Mazzone; Alabama's Kirby Smart; Clemson's Chad Morris; Oklahoma State's Todd Monken; and Michigan State's Pat Narduzzi. Both Stanford coordinators Pep Hamilton and Derek Mason also will merit a look. Oh and of course, Dave Logan.
  The other major question is how will this affect an already thin roster?  Who will transfer that is already here?  Frosh corner Jeff Hall already has speculated about transferring.  How many of the 13 middle of the road verbal commits waver?  Who will a new coach be able to bring in?
More to come, but check in for updates at CUattheGame.com and RalphieReport.com.