Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn (center) will remain at Cincinnati to coach the Bearcats on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl against Florida (Courtesy of Cincinnati Athletics).
It took all of seven days for athletic director Warde Manuel to name a replacement for head coach Turner Gill. It took many candidates, many interviews, and certainly numerous trips to Duff’s and the Anchor Bar to tempt candidates with Buffalo’s claim to fame.
Good work by Manuel, who worked tireless hours looking for an employee. A drawn out process would have limited Buffalo’s replacement options and could have been a nightmare from a publicity and program-building standpoint.
Instead, Manuel succeeded in getting an experienced, respected and successful coach to replace Gill. The days of hiring head coaches with a 56 percent winning percentages at Cornell are over. Those worried about replacing Gill must commend Manuel for not settling for a coach with a limit of accolades and a bevy of questions.
Quinn, a big name with 27 years of coaching experience, is someone Manuel couldn’t interview four years ago when Jim Hofher was fired. Around the time of Gill’s hiring in ’05, Buffalo was one of the worst programs with few positive attributes to sell itself with.
But Gill showed that winning at the Western New York university isn’t an unrealistic illusion, constructed by Buffalo sports fans long yearning for success in any sport.
With that said, a good coach, one with enthusiasm and who knows how to pitch the university to talented recruits skeptical of the school, was needed.
So is Quinn the guy that can continue Buffalo’s emergence as a competitive Division I program?
Initial observations point toward yes. Labeled as the best, most enthusiastic assistant coach by the country by highly regarded offensive line coach and ardent UB football supporter Jim McNally, Quinn brings a successful offensive scheme for quarterback Zach Maynard and the rest of Buffalo’s offensive weapons to utilize. It didn’t matter who Cincinnati’s quarterback was this year; Quinn’s philosophy put the signal caller and other offensive players in a position to succeed and brought the team to a 12-0 record.
From an X’s and O’s point of view, Quinn is a big-time hire.
And the big name Quinn possesses will help convince some of the highly-regarded recruits that committed to the Gill-led program to keep their allegiance with the Bulls. There’s no doubt that some recruits that chose Buffalo because of master recruiter Gill will have second thoughts, with some possibly following Gill to KU, but Quinn helped Brian Kelly secure respectable classes built to bring Big East Championships to Bearcat Nation.
But Quinn’s refusal to go Benedict Arnold on his old team impresses me the most. We’re in an age where coaches like Brian Kellys and Rich Rodriguez, ones that leave their old teams out to dry, are common. It shows true character and commitment for Quinn to be there for his former team before the most important game in its history.
This refusal to leave Cincinnati won’t hurt Buffalo in the hunt for commitments. It’s currently a dead period in recruiting and coaches are not allowed to talk to recruits until after Jan. 1.
But that doesn’t mean Quinn can’t show potential UB Bulls what he’s about. He has a chance to impress potential UB Bulls while other coaches are celebrating the start of a new decade. Quinn, who was offensive coordinator for Cincinnati during the last three years, will lead the Bearcats in the team’s Sugar Bowl matchup against the mighty Florida Gators on Jan. 1. Right now there is no better recruiting tool than seeing a potential head coach shouting his rear-end off and encouraging his players in one of the biggest bowl games. The publicity Buffalo will also give the program that much more credibility.
And what about if, somehow, Cincinnati defies all the odds and beats Tim Tebow and the Gators? Fans, players, recruits and everyone associated with UB Football will be sold.
The days of mining the fertile recruiting lands of Texas and Florida may be over, and battling MAC teams for tough-minded midwestern recruits may begin, but everything points to a solid hire by Manuel.
Bulls fans will bring in the new decade as Bearcat fans for one night.
