Doug Marrone Hired as Syracuse Head Coach

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone has been officially hired as the Syracuse University Head Football Coach.

I'm not terribly surprised by the hire, although I am a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I think Marrone is going to be great for the program, but I was really hoping Turner Gill would get the position.

Darryl Gross - the Syracuse University Athletic Director - was quoted as saying: "We've hired a guy that is a Syracuse graduate, who bleeds orange, who brings in tremendous, tremendous knowledge of football from his college and especially his pro experience," said Gross. "He's someone that we can look forward to exciting offenses, seeing a lot of snaps per game. Better than that, he's somebody that brings leadership, who comes from the Bronx. When you talk about New York's College team, he fits the profile perfectly. He will be a tremendous recruiter in the Northeast, who knows the coaches. He's somebody that we believe will win at Syracuse."

Marrone does have the benefit of being a Syracuse Alumni, and has helped put together the second coming for the "Greatest Show on Turf" this year in New Orleans, but unlike Gross, I'm suspicious of his ability to recruit in the Northeast. He has spent a large part of his career here in the northeast, but hasn't coached at the college level in this area since 1994. He's been away for nearly a decade-and-a-half, I'm afraid most of his connections aren't of much use anymore.

Poor recruiting killed Greg Robinson. He actually overachieved as a coach with the talent he brought in. I don't want to watch Syracuse go down the same road with another out-of-town hire. For years Syracuse has harvested talent from nearby states like New Jersey and Connecticut, but in recent years both Rutgers and UConn have experienced a resurgance and those recruiting wells have dried up. That is one of the reasons I was backing Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill. He's proven that he can recruit well in the Northeast. He's familiar with the area and has the connections neccesary to bring the talent back to Syracuse.

I'm eager to see what Marrone can do, though. Syracuse has several really talented running backs, but their offensive line has been the epitome of terrible for years now, limiting the effectiveness of their offense. Marrone has a strong history as an O-line coach, and he should be able to come in and whip that unit into shape. Even though I wasn't pulling for him, I'm going to root for Marrone to help turn this disappointing Orange team around.