Brady Hoke is the best man for the job!

By Kenneth W Paczas

In 2007, Carr announced his retirement, and rumors swirled who would be the next coach. The name Jim Harbaugh came up and people laughed.

“He has never won at a big time program. His first year at Stanford was blah. We need a sexy name.”

Three years later, don’t you wish you just hired the best coach? If we just hired Harbaugh that day, Michigan would of never fell off and you would still have a top 10 program in the country. Now, you can’t get him, and what does the fan base yell for?

“We want a sexy hire. We need a NAME!”

What is wrong with you people? Jim Tressel was not a sexy hire for OSU, Bob Stoops was not a sexy hire for Oklahoma, Jim Harbaugh was not a sexy hire for Stanford. Each program decided what they wanted out of their football team, and went out and got it. Since then, they have built huge programs. Michigan has their chance to do this with Brady Hoke.

Hoke looks a lot like he belongs in Animal House but the guy can flat out coach. He was at Michigan during a lot of good years (he recruited Tom Brady) and created others as a head coach where few came before. He took over at Ball State after six consecutive non-winning seasons, had four more in his first four years, then went 7-6, then 12-1, then bolted for San Diego State, where it should be a lot easier to recruit than Muncie, Ind., where Ball State is 6-18 since he left.

Except, historically, it wasn't easier. San Diego State had 10 consecutive non-winning seasons before Hoke, then another his first year.

This year, the Aztecs finished 9-4, with their first bowl win since 1969, and tied for third in the rugged Mountain West Conference, behind TCU and Utah, which beat the Aztecs by five and four points, respectively. San Diego State's other losses were by three points to Missouri and three to Brigham Young.

Hoke's best teams have had sturdy lines and running games, the perfect foil for nasty northern climates, particularly with Big Ten regular seasons now extended beyond Thanksgiving and the possibility that Soldier Field someday could host an inclement-weather conference championship game.

Respect columnist Jason Whitlock loves him so much, he went on to write this about Hoke.

“Hoke knows how to win and gets the best out of his players and coaches. They know how to recruit and identify talent that works in their system. At Ball State and San Diego State, Hoke assembled coaching staffs more qualified and skilled than the schools' budgets allow. Good coaches love working for Hoke. “

He also didn’t hesitate to add a prediction.

“If Michigan would love Hoke with half the passion Hoke loves Michigan, beating Ohio State and returning to the top of the Big Ten wouldn't take more than three seasons.”

Hoke is known for his defensive mindset. That being said, Hoke also knows how to coach offense.  I was impressed when, during a pretty dismal 5-7 season in 2006, Hoke chose to have his offensive line made up almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores.  He explained to his fan base that while the upper classmen might not make as many mistakes, they were not as talented as his young guys weren't going to help with the future of his program. Hoke was convinced if his young guys got the playing time, they could be something special down the road.

In 2007, the Cardinals were 7-6 and got invited to their first bowl game under Hoke. In 2008, they won 12 games, the most in school history.  None of that happens if Hoke doesn't coach his guys through the rough times to prepare them for greatness.

Hoke knows the school, the tradition, and he loves every part of it. MSU and OSU will not be just another game to him.

A lot of fans are upset about not getting a name. Well I would rather get the best coach and Hoke is that. Trust me, in five years, Miles will be long fired from LSU while Hoke will be a name and the Michigan fan base will be united under Hoke-A-Mania!