And then the sun came up...Updated

Actual photo of the sun taken this morning

So, Coach Clawson will be leaving Bowling Green.  He has addressed the team and explained why he did it and the players are reported to understand.  It seems that the presser in Winston-Salem will be held at 4:30 this afternoon.

And look.  The sun did come up today.

Obviously, I'm disappointed to lose Coach Clawson, who I think was a great fit for this program.  I wish him nothing but the best.  He made a huge contribution to this university.  He took a football program that was rotting...APR issues, arrests, poor results on the field...and he built it back in a way that is sustainable.  He got good players, good coaches, instilled discipline, found ways for those players to succeed.  Restored the APR.  And he did win a championship, putting him one title ahead of Urban Meyer and Gregg Brandon.

He did everything we asked him to do and did it well.  He knows what he is doing and he wants to ply his craft at a place where he will make more money and compete on a bigger stage.  Godspeed.

The University has announced that Adam Scheier will coach the team in the bowl game.  This is a little bit of a surprise.  He is the special teams and TE coach.  I don't want to read the tea leaves, but I suspect that indicates that the staff is going to go with Clawson and the hire will be from the outside.  Chris Kingston announced that he would begin a national search.  No word on how many assistants will stay to help with bowl game prep.  (Note: teams win bowl games every year under these circumstances, so do not despair).

There has been some opinion in the Nation that the Wake Forest job is not a big enough step up to warrant making the move.  A couple things there...he's going to make a lot more money and coach in a major conference.  Also, this is a perfect situation.  Clawson is a long-term builder.  If he ended up somewhere where they wanted to win tomorrow, it might not work out.  But Wake Forest does not have those expectations.  He will have the time to build what he needs and he will make it work.  I think it is an excellent situation.

There is also some opinion that the team is now destined to return to mediocrity.  This does not happen to be true.  I point you to NIU...which has gone through Novak, Kill, Doeren and Carey and maintained the program.  It isn't easy, but it is what you have to do to win in the MAC over time.

Richard Russell is a Presidential historian.  He once said that Presidents earn their money by getting two vital decisions right a year.  And this is true of Athletic Directors.

It is Chris Kingston's job to bring in a coach who will take what is good and sustain it.  It isn't easy, but you want to sit in the corner office, this is the kind of thing you are expected to succeed at.  There is no try.  You either do or do not.

I think he will do it.  I get a great sense of his ability.  He's ambitious and clear-headed and I think he will find the right guy.  The job will be attractive, because it isn't a rebuilding job anymore.  A coach can come in here and succeed relatively quickly.  It doesn't have a big paycheck, but it could be viewed as a path to a good paycheck.

So, I have confidence that Kingston will find the guy we need.  My only concern is that it not be a guy who wants to blow the whole thing up to fit some bizarre style that only he can coach.  We need a guy who will use what is here.  We worked hard to get here and we need to sustain not gut.

And so we begin to look into the future.  In the near future, there are four parts of this little ritual.  First, obviously, we will be watching for rumors on the identity of the new coach.  The second part is listening to fans who will start screaming tomorrow about why a new coach has not been hired yet.  The third is watching our committed recruits, who are right now getting texts from opposing coaches.  The fourth is watching to see if any players transfer, in particular to Wake Forest.

One last point.  People have been drawing the contrast between how people (especially the players) reacted to Tim Beckman leaving and to Dave Clawson.  I would point you, also, to the reaction when Urban Meyer left.  The difference today is that Clawson has done this with class.  He didn't lie about it.  And he didn't leave without meeting with his team, which I view as unconscionable.  If I was an  AD and I hired a new coach and he said he didn't need to meet with his old team before he left, I would un-hire him.  I would have expected Coach to act with class and dignity and he has.

Updated:

The Sentinel has an update based on talks with people today.  Coach had an emotional meeting with the team, but seems to have been direct and honest.

If you are gaming who Kingston might pick, parse this out.

‘‘When you are hiring somebody, specially a head coach, the best predictor of future success is past success,’’ Kingston said. ‘‘What I look for is someone who is already doing what you want to do. I want a winner. I want someone who had proven themselves. I want someone who can interact with the university, the community, and has the emotional intelligence to reach these players to get the best potential that you can out of them.

‘‘Being a head coach, you either are or you aren’t, and so there is something to be said for that. Is that the end all and be all? No, but it’s a power characterize if it’s someone who is leading the organization the right way,’’ Kingston continued. ‘‘We’re going to track a lot of qualified individuals, and I’m excited about that.’’