Coaching Rumors: The Al Golden File

This week we will be running a series on potential coaching candidates to replace Al Groh, who was fired on Sunday. Next up, Temple Head Coach Al Golden.

If, as red4z noted, Mike London is the presumptive front runner, Al Golden has to be a close second. Golden took over as Temple's head football coach in December of 2005, and at only 40 years old, he ranks as the nations' sixth-youngest head coach. Despite his youth, the New Jersey native has deep ties to Virginia football that include two separate stops in C'ville. Golden first came to UVa as part of George Welsh's staff where he served as a graduate assistant from 1994 - 1996. During his first stay in the Hook, Golden worked with both the linebackers and special teams and helped guide Cavalier greats and NFL first-round draft picks James Farrior and Jamie Sharper. After stints at Boston College and his alma mater Penn State, Al Groh brought Golden back to UVa in 2001 as the defensive coordinator on his original staff. At that time, Golden was the youngest defensive coordinator in the country (notice a theme).

As Virginia's defensive coordinator, UVa's defense improved tremendously. In his first season, Virginia ranked 108th in total defense and 74th in scoring defense. At the conclusion of his penultimate season in 2004, the Hoos were 18th in total defense and 17th in scoring defense. On top of serving as the defensive coordinator, Golden also worked with the linebackers from 2001 - 2004, and most Cavalier fans are very familiar with many of his pupils including standouts Angelo Crowell, Ahmad Brooks, and Kai Parham.

In the winter of 05' Golden left to take over what was at the time arguably one of the worst football programs in Division 1-A (now FBS). A job very few coaches found attractive, many Cavalier fans (myself included) thought the move to Temple was career suicide. Between 1991 and when he took the job in 2005, the Owls had failed to win more than four games in a given season. Yet, while Temple appeared to be the poster child for college football's hopeless programs, Golden refused to dwell on the negatives and took on the challenge of trying to revive a program that almost relegated itself to 1-AA (now FCS). After going 1-11 in his first season, the Owls won 4 games in 07' and 5 games in 08'. Currently, Temple is 9-3 (the most wins since 1979) and the Owls are likely headed to a bowl game for the first time in 30 seasons. Most agree Golden's work at Temple represents one of the best program turnarounds in recent history.

Pros: Golden can clearly coach, and he has demonstrated he can take an ailing program and build it back up. While Virginia's situation isn't quite the disaster he faced at Temple, the Hoos have indeed fallen on hard times and would benefit from someone such as Golden who is experienced in completely overhauling a program. The former Penn State linebacker has proven he can recruit, and that includes right here in the Commonwealth. As UVa's defensive coordinator, Golden was responsible for helping land Ahmad Brooks, who was the USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year and the highest rated recruit ever to wear the orange and blue. In fact, Brooks was only the first of two Virginia High School Player of the Year recruits he helped land - Olu Hall also held that honor when he committed in 2004. His efforts have not dropped off at Temple where his first recruiting class (2006) was rated tops in the MAC by Collegefootballnews.com, and both his 2007 and 2008 classes were ranked first in the league by Scouts.com. If you've seen Temple this year, you know his stud freshman running back Bernard Pierce could play anywhere.  

Cons: While Temple's turnaround is nothing short of remarkable, some might argue the program really had nowhere to go but up, particularly since it moved over to the MAC. The Owls have consistently improved under Golden, but he could be this year's version of Turner Gill.  After leading a similar turnaround in Buffalo, Gill was the hot name in both 2007 (Nebraska opening) and 2008 (Auburn and Syracuse). However, this year, the Bulls dropped to 5-7 and finished 8th in the MAC. Golden likely needs one more year to prove he is not a flash-in-the-pan and can both build and sustain a winning program.

Why he would come: Timing is everything. Just as any school that brings him after one winning season might be taking a chance, Golden himself could be risking it by not getting out while the gettin' is good. Now might be the time to make the jump since a losing season next year could mean several more years at Temple (Gill's name rarely comes up now after the Bulls slipped a little this season). Beyond that, Golden is extremely familiar with the Virginia program and has demonstrated recruiting success in the state.

Why he would not come: Golden does not appear to be prepared to simply jump at the first opportunity that comes his way. In 2007 Golden interviewed for the UCLA job but removed his name from consideration. If Golden feels like he has a good chance to log one or two more winning seasons at Temple, he might decide to hold out for an even more attractive coaching spot (say perhaps his alma mater Penn State when Paterno finally rides off into the sunset). Following in his former boss Groh's footsteps might also prove less than ideal.

Evaluation: For those who like Mike London, it appears Golden possess many of the same credentials. In fact, one knock on London is that he has yet to establish his own program and win with his own players. Inheriting good players and getting them over the hump is one thing. Taking over a helpless program, somehow convincing kids to come to Temple, and then posting the first winning season in decades is truly another thing. Golden coached and recruited well while serving as UVa's defensive coordinator and could help re-establish some in-state recruiting success. Like Virginia's basketball coach Tony Bennett - a young coach and former NBA player - Golden's youth and playing experience would likely resonate with recruits and players alike. It appears he is definitely one of the top choices and for good reason. The guy holds a masters in sports psychology from UVa and has put it to good use while completely transforming the mindset at Temple. Golden appears to have a knack for making the best of a bad situation, which is exactly what Virginia needs.