Report: Butler Did It

According to a report on foxsports.com this morning, Barry Collier will become the new athletics director at the Butler University.

Here’s the link:
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5827582

If it’s true, it’s not much of a surprise, and I’m sure Steve Pederson and company are glad to see him go. At the tail-end of last season, I would’ve bet my house (actually, my townhouse) that Collier was going to get fired. When he didn’t, it surprised a heckuva lot of people. Assuming foxsports.com has its story right, the athletic department may have lucked out: They did not have to spend millions by buying Collier out, and they get a new head coach in the process. The question is, who will it be?

The foxsports column mentions a few head coaching candidates,
like Wyoming coach Steve McClain, Kent State’s Jim Christian, Nevada’s Mark Fox, and UCLA assistant Kerry Keating.

I’m just not sure who would be willing to move this late in the game. I think the Huskers have a much better shot at nabbing a school’s top assistant than a head coach. But with dangling dollars and a shot at coaching in the Big 12, I guess anything is possible… even in August.

I like Collier a lot. I think he’s a tremendous man of character, which stems from his strong faith. But looking at his record as Nebraska’s head coach, the lack of NCAA Tournament appearances, and the seemingly bleak future of this team (look at the roster), it’s time for a new direction.

What do you think of this whole situation?