Akron fires Brookhart; hires Ianello

[Redhawk]

Akron fires J.D. Brookhart after four straight losing seasons - ESPN

AKRON, Ohio -- The University of Akron has fired football coach J.D. Brookhart.

Athletic director Tom Wistrcill announced the move Saturday, one day after the Zips defeated Eastern Michigan 28-21 to finish the season at 3-9.
Wistrcill said in a statement that four straight seasons with the team finishing below .500 in the Mid-American Conference played into his decision. He said the search for a new coach would begin immediately.

Brookhart was hired in 2004 and had one year remaining on his contract. He posted a 30-42 record at Akron and was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2004. The Zips won the MAC East Division title and the program's only MAC Championship in 2005, defeating Northern Illinois to earn Akron's first bowl berth as a Division I program.

 

[Redhawk]

Big Ten aides could be in mix at Akron - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

Whenever there's a coaching change in the Mid-American Conference, it's a good bet Big Ten assistants will be in the mix.

Michigan State aides Don Treadwell, Mark Staten and Pat Narduzzi gained consideration for the Miami (Ohio) opening last year, and Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell was mentioned when the top job at Bowling Green became available.

There's another opening in the MAC, this time at Akron, and Big Ten assistants once again could be candidates.

The Sporting News mentioned Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst and Fickell as possible contenders for the Akron job.

Chryst was a leading candidate to succeed Joe Tiller at Purdue, and he might want to aim a little higher than Akron. Fickell will certainly be a head coach some day, and served as Akron's defensive line coach from 2000-01, but he also could hold out for a more coveted job.

Ohio State wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell, who took a more active role in the team's play calling this season, also should gain some interest for vacancies.

 

[Redhawk]

Ianello Hiring Good For OSU Recruiting | Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Recruiting, OSU Big Ten Football, OSU Basketball – Bucknuts.com

Akron has hired former Notre Dame assistant Rob Ianello as their new head coach. The official announcement is expected this afternoon. It is good news on a couple fronts for Ohio State recruiting.

First, Ianello headed up Notre Dame's recruiting efforts. He is an excellent recruiter and if he had stayed on with the Irish when they hire a new coach, he would have been a much bigger threat to Ohio State recruiting than he is at Akron. Simply, the Zips very seldom are recruiting the same prospects the Buckeyes are.

Also, Buckeye assistant Luke Fickell's name had come up in relation to the Akron job. Losing Fickell would have been a blow to the Bucks' recruiting efforts as well.

Of course the big opening is still out there. What happens with the Notre Dame job will certainly impact Ohio State recruiting one way or the other.