Cincy's Dantonio to Michigan State?

[Irish Envy]

ESPN is reporting this. Interesting hire if true.

 

[scooper]

Yep. And from what I heard this morning, UC matched the offer. And he's still leaving.

 

[njuneardave]

he's a dangerous coach. Cincy is one of the best "bad" teams. They always put the scare into a few major programs

 

[jiggafini19]

They need a coach with a background in defense to bring some discipline back there.

 

[TonyTiger]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/MIJD101112714_1024x768.jpg

Press Conference: http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112706aaj.html

When Dantonio took over at Cincinnati, they were horrendous. But after three years with few resources, Dantonio has the program headed upward. His first season things changed quickly, a 7-5 record. After that he lost many starters and was forced to start 5 freshman, his team struggled to 4-7 but that was still better than previous Cincinnati teams. This year has been the biggest breakthrough year. His Bearcats are 7-5 while playing the 2nd toughest schedule in the nation, and 4 of the 5 losses came against current Top 15 teams.

Before that, Dantonio was a Defensive Coordinator for Jim Tressel at Ohio State. His defense were known as some of the stingiest in the nation, and they won a National Championship for the buckeyes in 2002. And by the way, I think it will be pretty nice that Dantonio will be able to show recruits his Ring, dont you?

And before that, Dantonio was a Defensive Backs coach under Nick Saban at MSU. The Spartans had one of the top defenses in the Nation under Dantonio every year, and his "ties" to MSU will be helpful in many ways. Read the bit below for more info:

During MSU's 10-2 season in 1999, he tutored cornerback Amp Campbell, who earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. Under his supervision, the Spartan secondary ranked among the NCAA leaders in pass defense three of his last four years, finishing No. 10 in 1998, No. 16 in 1997 and No. 22 in 2000. In his last season as secondary coach at MSU, the Spartans only allowed 164.1 yards a game through the air, ranking seventh in the country. During his six years in East Lansing, MSU compiled a 39-30-1 record.

Here are some quotes, etc. about Dantonio:

"This process has been one that as I said in the letter that was sent to everyone has been an interesting one to watch. When one has a star faculty member typically one goes through a process and sorts through all of the candidates and comes down with one at the end. In this process, everyone seemed to have a candidate coming into the process, and had lots of reasons why that individual should be selected. I really want to commend the board and also Director Ron Mason, Associate Director Mark Hollis and Coach Tom Izzo for not falling into the typical trap of how a coach is selected but really stepping back and looking at criteria and what's best for Michigan State University, and at the same time weigh what are the fine elements of what make a successful football coach. Amid all the swirl of controversy that sometimes goes with this process. And I know that each of us in our own way put our own candidate aside to listen to others and to think about what would be the best fit for Michigan State."

-Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon

"First, Mark Dantonio is a great family man. Second, he brings honesty and integrity to the Spartan football program - something Michigan State expects and deserves. In addition, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the head coaching position.

"He's familiar with Michigan State, having spent six years there as an assistant coach. He's familiar with the Big Ten, having coached at Michigan State and Ohio State. More importantly, Mark has been involved with winning football programs, including being a part of a National Championship at Ohio State. He's also had an opportunity to run his own program at Cincinnati and his teams had a reasonable amount of success.

"While serving as an assistant at Michigan State, Mark was one of the top recruiters on the coaching staff. He knows the MSU academic and campus community. He also has ties to Ohio and other parts of the Midwest, which is so important in recruiting.

"Mark really has the right blend for Michigan State. This is a great opportunity for Michigan State, and I hope everyone gets behind Mark and pulls together."

-Miami Dolphins Head Coach Nick Saban:

"Mark Dantonio is the right coach for Michigan State University. He's a guy that's dying to be here. And just as important, he understands Michigan State and knows that we are dying to experience great success in football.

"Being a football coach is a multi-dimensional job. Like any major hire, you can't get the best in just one dimension. They've done a great job getting the best coach that can handle all the different aspects that you have to handle as football coach."

-Michigan State Men's Basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo

"I am so proud to have Mark Dantonio back in the Big Ten. It's a little bit like when one of your players receives his degree or is a first-round draft choice. You just feel good about what they have accomplished. Mark will build a great program and will do a great job. We are looking forward to competing against him, but the neighborhood just got tougher."

-Ohio State Football Head Coach Jim Tressel

"Mark Dantonio is a good get for Michigan State. He has a proven track record with winning programs as an assistant coach, and he's already done some good things as a head coach. I've watched his Cincinnati teams play several times on television and his players always compete. The entire team is excited about the hire.

"I was thrilled to be consulted by the Athletics Department administration during the search process. It showed that the administration truly cares about the returning players, especially the seniors-to-be. It was great to have input in the search process because I know that rarely happens."

-Michigan State linebacker Kaleb Thornhill

"Mark Dantonio is the right man, for the right job at the right time. I predicted Mark's hire as soon as the position became available. When you look at the situation, this is a perfect hire. Mark has Michigan State bloodlines, so he's emotionally invested in the football program. Mark is a no-nonsense coach that demands attention to detail. I'm also convinced that his teams will play harder than any past Spartan football teams.

-ESPN Color Analyst and Former Ohio State All-American Chris Spielman

"I think Mark coming back is extremely important to former players. He alluded to the fact that he wants to be here, him and his family. He's a former Spartan, and he feels like he's coming home and we as former Spartans are excited to have him back. I think he's a tough disciplinarian as much off the field as he is on the field. He cares about you as a player, and I think he's going to bring back certain philosophies that Michigan State needs to have in place in order to produce wins on the field. His expectations are high, which they should be, and it's exciting as a former player to know that we have a guy here who wants to compete for championships. Mark is a very detail oriented guy, so you know as a player that you're going to be held accountable for everything on the field and off the field, and I think that is where the pursuit of championships starts."

-Former MSU football player Bill Burke