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Nebraska's search for its new defensive line coach is coming up on its third week. The fact that things have been so quiet during Mike Riley's vetting process shouldn't come as a big surprise. There were little-to-no leaks when Riley initially filled out his staff last December. About a week into the search to replace Hank Hughes, Riley spoke about the process in an interview on "The Drive" on 590 AM. At that time, Riley revealed that he was personally handling the hiring and had a list of about 50 coaches' names on it. Riley said Nebraska wanted to hire a candidate quickly, but also would perform due diligence. They have definitely done that.
A few names have been tossed around. Guys like John Parrella, currently the defensive line coach at Northern Michigan has been floated since the opening first became public. Another popular choice is Chris Kiffin, who was an offensive intern on Bo Pelini's staff from 2008-2010. Kiffin has since moved on to become the defensive line coach at Mississippi and is now regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. Both of these guys could be good choices for different reasons.
There has been some speculation that UCLA's Angus McClure was offered the job - or at least was aggressively pursued - before receiving a raise and a two-year contract extension to stay with the Bruins. McClure, a former graduate assistant under Bill Callahan, was likely Nebraska's top candidate for the job. If not, he was very close to it. McClure had talked with Husker assistants about the job, and was still in the mix for the position as late as last Thursday night before the Bruin extension became public the following day. It was clear that UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. wanted to keep McClure on staff. He is regarded as one of the best recruiters in the Pac-12 and is Mora's recruiting coordinator. Losing McClure would have been a big blow to UCLA's recruiting operation, which is considered one of the best in the nation.
Despite losing out on McClure, I anticipate Riley filling the position with an outstanding coach. Riley continues to handle the search methodically as he turns his focus to other candidates. With spring ball now less than two weeks away, I would expect a coach to be named relatively soon, perhaps this week.
Mike Riley obviously doesn't need my help, but I wanted to throw out a name that I think should be a part of the conversation for the opening. Robert Prunty is currently the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati - who initially hired Prunty in 2010 while still coaching at Texas Tech.
Prunty gained a reputation early on as a tremendously successful high school head coach. A Virginia native, Prunty orchestrated a remarkable resurgence at Gretna (VA) High School. He turned around a program that had lost 44 consecutive games between 1991-1995 and went 11-1 in his final season there in 2001. Thanks to the program he installed, Gretna went on to become a powerhouse, winning four state championships from 2003-2008.
In 2002, Prunty accepted a position as head coach at his alma mater, Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. He helped build Hargrave into the country's premier football prep school. Prunty was known for producing players that would go on to the NFL - twenty-seven in total as coach from 2002-2009.
After being hired by Tuberville, Prunty enjoyed immediate success on the college level. Thanks in large part to his efforts, the Red Raiders signed the highest rated recruiting class in school history in 2011, and Prunty was named the Big 12 Recruiter of the Year by both Rivals and Scout after being responsible for 16 of Tech's 27 signees. His recruiting skills were evident again the following year when the Red Raiders signed its second-highest rated class in school history. Once again, Prunty was named the Big 12 Recruiter of the Year by Scout and Fox Sports after accounting for 14 of Tech's 27-member class. Prunty has proven to be more than just an ace recruiter. He was integral in turning around the Texas Tech defense. In 2012, the Red Raiders finished the regular season No.39 nationally in total defense after finishing No.114 the previous year.
In January of 2013, Prunty followed Tuberville to Cincinnati and once again found immediate success on the recruiting trail. Despite relocating to a footprint outside of his newly built Texas Rolodex, Prunty was named the 2014 AAC Recruiter of the Year in his first season with the Bearcats, where he was personally responsible for 12 of Cincinnati's 24 signees. Prunty followed up that effort with yet another AAC Recruiter of the Year acknowledgment in 2015.
Prunty is easily Cincinnati's most valuable member of the staff. He holds more titles and responsibilities than any other coach and is considered Tuberville's right-hand man. According to USA Today, Prunty made $300,000 last season with the Bearcats - the same amount as Hughes. It would probably take a salary exceeding $400,000 and an accompanying title like associate head coach and/or run game coordinator to get Prunty to make the move to Lincoln. But the guy is clearly worth it. His recruiting ties extend beyond just Texas and Ohio - although just having ties to those states make him an ideal candidate. Prunty has also signed players from California, Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas and Washington (D.C.). He is also all over the spectrum with positions he recruits. He has signed defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs - even offensive linemen and quarterbacks.
I have a feeling we will hear who Riley's choice is soon. Whether Prunty was a member of the 50 coaches listed by Riley, or even a finalist we will never know. He is just this one person's No.1 candidate.
Prior to contributing to HuskerMax, Jeremy Pernell co-founded the all football website N2FL.com. He served as the editor in chief of the college football portion of the website which focused heavily on recruitment and talent analysis, including the NFL Draft. You can email him at N2FL@hotmail.com.
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Nebraska's search for its new defensive line coach is coming up on its third week. The fact that things have been so quiet during Mike Riley's vetting process shouldn't come as a big surprise. There were little-to-no leaks when Riley initially filled out his staff last December. About a week into the search to replace Hank Hughes, Riley spoke about the process in an interview on "The Drive" on 590 AM. At that time, Riley revealed that he was personally handling the hiring and had a list of about 50 coaches' names on it. Riley said Nebraska wanted to hire a candidate quickly, but also would perform due diligence. They have definitely done that.
A few names have been tossed around. Guys like John Parrella, currently the defensive line coach at Northern Michigan has been floated since the opening first became public. Another popular choice is Chris Kiffin, who was an offensive intern on Bo Pelini's staff from 2008-2010. Kiffin has since moved on to become the defensive line coach at Mississippi and is now regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. Both of these guys could be good choices for different reasons.
There has been some speculation that UCLA's Angus McClure was offered the job - or at least was aggressively pursued - before receiving a raise and a two-year contract extension to stay with the Bruins. McClure, a former graduate assistant under Bill Callahan, was likely Nebraska's top candidate for the job. If not, he was very close to it. McClure had talked with Husker assistants about the job, and was still in the mix for the position as late as last Thursday night before the Bruin extension became public the following day. It was clear that UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. wanted to keep McClure on staff. He is regarded as one of the best recruiters in the Pac-12 and is Mora's recruiting coordinator. Losing McClure would have been a big blow to UCLA's recruiting operation, which is considered one of the best in the nation.
Despite losing out on McClure, I anticipate Riley filling the position with an outstanding coach. Riley continues to handle the search methodically as he turns his focus to other candidates. With spring ball now less than two weeks away, I would expect a coach to be named relatively soon, perhaps this week.
Mike Riley obviously doesn't need my help, but I wanted to throw out a name that I think should be a part of the conversation for the opening. Robert Prunty is currently the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati - who initially hired Prunty in 2010 while still coaching at Texas Tech.
Prunty gained a reputation early on as a tremendously successful high school head coach. A Virginia native, Prunty orchestrated a remarkable resurgence at Gretna (VA) High School. He turned around a program that had lost 44 consecutive games between 1991-1995 and went 11-1 in his final season there in 2001. Thanks to the program he installed, Gretna went on to become a powerhouse, winning four state championships from 2003-2008.
In 2002, Prunty accepted a position as head coach at his alma mater, Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. He helped build Hargrave into the country's premier football prep school. Prunty was known for producing players that would go on to the NFL - twenty-seven in total as coach from 2002-2009.
After being hired by Tuberville, Prunty enjoyed immediate success on the college level. Thanks in large part to his efforts, the Red Raiders signed the highest rated recruiting class in school history in 2011, and Prunty was named the Big 12 Recruiter of the Year by both Rivals and Scout after being responsible for 16 of Tech's 27 signees. His recruiting skills were evident again the following year when the Red Raiders signed its second-highest rated class in school history. Once again, Prunty was named the Big 12 Recruiter of the Year by Scout and Fox Sports after accounting for 14 of Tech's 27-member class. Prunty has proven to be more than just an ace recruiter. He was integral in turning around the Texas Tech defense. In 2012, the Red Raiders finished the regular season No.39 nationally in total defense after finishing No.114 the previous year.
In January of 2013, Prunty followed Tuberville to Cincinnati and once again found immediate success on the recruiting trail. Despite relocating to a footprint outside of his newly built Texas Rolodex, Prunty was named the 2014 AAC Recruiter of the Year in his first season with the Bearcats, where he was personally responsible for 12 of Cincinnati's 24 signees. Prunty followed up that effort with yet another AAC Recruiter of the Year acknowledgment in 2015.
Prunty is easily Cincinnati's most valuable member of the staff. He holds more titles and responsibilities than any other coach and is considered Tuberville's right-hand man. According to USA Today, Prunty made $300,000 last season with the Bearcats - the same amount as Hughes. It would probably take a salary exceeding $400,000 and an accompanying title like associate head coach and/or run game coordinator to get Prunty to make the move to Lincoln. But the guy is clearly worth it. His recruiting ties extend beyond just Texas and Ohio - although just having ties to those states make him an ideal candidate. Prunty has also signed players from California, Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas and Washington (D.C.). He is also all over the spectrum with positions he recruits. He has signed defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs - even offensive linemen and quarterbacks.
I have a feeling we will hear who Riley's choice is soon. Whether Prunty was a member of the 50 coaches listed by Riley, or even a finalist we will never know. He is just this one person's No.1 candidate.
Prior to contributing to HuskerMax, Jeremy Pernell co-founded the all football website N2FL.com. He served as the editor in chief of the college football portion of the website which focused heavily on recruitment and talent analysis, including the NFL Draft. You can email him at N2FL@hotmail.com.
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