what total disrespect bill stewart should quit now

[smazza]

he would gethired in asecond

WVU AD blunt in Stewart assessmentEmail Print Comments450 Associated Press

Bolder Hire: Haywood Or Holgorsen?

Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay discuss Pitt's hire of Mike Haywood and West Virginia's hire of Dana Holgorsen

Tags: College Football, Pittsburgh Panthers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Mike Haywood, Dana Holgorsen, SportsCenterBolder Hire: Haywood Or Holgorsen?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Bill Stewart is being slowly forced out as West Virginia's football coach because athletic director Oliver Luck believes the Mountaineers had become an also-ran instead of a national power.

Ubben: Settle Down, Stillwater

No assistant coach on Oklahoma State's staff was more indispensable than Dana Holgorsen, but his exit in Stillwater is not a cause for panic, ESPN.com's David Ubben writes. Blog

• Blog network: College Football Nation

Luck held a news conference Thursday to address the hiring of Oklahoma State's Dana Holgorsen as West Virginia's head coach in-waiting, scheduled to replace Stewart prior to the 2012 season. Holgorsen will serve as the Mountaineers' offensive coordinator next season.

Just four months after he took over as athletic director, Luck said he met with Stewart on Nov. 14, the day after a 37-10 win over Cincinnati.

"I didn't believe we had an opportunity to win a national championship with the direction of the program," Luck said. "At the end of the day, results matter. And we weren't getting the results.

"I want our Mountaineer program and expect us to compete at the highest levels."

Luck said he first met with Holgorsen on Nov. 23. Holgorsen, whose hiring was announced by Luck in a statement Wednesday, has signed a six-year term sheet, but there is no signed contract yet as some details need to be ironed out.

Holgorsen, who will be paid be paid $800,000 in 2011 -- which will increase to $1.4 million, plus incentives, in 2012 -- could be introduced at a news conference next week, Luck said.

Luck said there were two options with Stewart, who is 28-11 and earned a Big East co-championship this year but no BCS bowl berth in his three seasons.

Luck said Stewart must resign after the current season, or he could stay on for one more year.

Rather than fire Stewart, Luck said he decided at the conclusion of the regular season to let Stewart keep his job next season after the Mountaineers finished with four straight wins. Stewart will take an undetermined administrative post in 2012.

"I think coach Stewart did a marvelous job toward the second half of the year," Luck said. "We went on a great win streak, and I thought he deserved the head coaching position for the 2011 season."

Luck said he doesn't foresee a conflict between Holgorsen and Stewart next season.

"Bill Stewart's the head coach," Luck said. "There's no question about that. Dana Holgorsen's the offensive coordinator, just like Jeff Mullen was this past season."

Stewart had not held a meeting with his players about the decision as of Thursday afternoon.

Luck said the defensive coaching staff will be retained. What happens to the offensive staff will be up to Holgorsen.

In Holgorsen's hiring, Luck cited the addition of TCU to the Big East starting in 2012 that will create an entirely new challenge.

"I see a rapidly improving Big East," Luck said. "The addition of TCU is going to raise the bar for all of us in the Big East and we need to respond to that and prepare ourselves. Because I believe eventually the road to the Big East championship will go through Fort Worth and we need to be prepared to go ahead and beat a team like TCU on the road, claim a Big East championship and get to national championship consideration."

That also is expected to open up recruiting possibilities and Luck said Holgorsen will help identify potential recruits in both Texas and Oklahoma.

Wins and losses weren't the only issue for the coaching change. Luck said season-ticket sales have declined since Stewart became head coach.

"We've only had two crowds since 2004 under 50,000 at Mountaineer Field," Luck said. "Both of those took place in the last couple of years. Can you blame the weather? Sure. But that, to me, is an indication our fans aren't satisfied with the product and that factored in as well."

Luck said he's modeling the transition to ones conducted when Bret Bielema took over at Wisconsin and Chip Kelly assumed control at Oregon.

"I've got no doubt that it will be handled professionally, as well as it was handled in the Oregon and the Wisconsin situations," Luck said.

Luck's biggest fear was that Holgorsen, whose name had cropped up for several coaching vacancies, could end up somewhere else, including with a WVU opponent.

"I wouldn't want to prepare against his offense," Luck said. "I wanted him to be at this university to lead us in the long term. He is, I think, one of the outstanding l coaches in college football today and I wanted him at WVU because I do think he can lead us to a national championship."

[bulls96go]

Gutsy! but that is why he is paid the BIG BUCKS!

many predicted this outcome when Stewart got the job: a slow slid for WVU

Not every piano tuner can play a masterpiece!

Lets be real!

The BE just got tougher this year. TCU comes in, UL with Strong, Pitt gets a real coach, WVU gets better, Syracuse rising from the dead, Uconn is Uconn, Cinci has a good coach(time will tell),Usf has good coach, Rutgers?.

There is a "new crop" of BE coaches 6 of 8 (all 6 with good pedigrees) plus TCU (10yrs of good to great football)

will Villanova want to step in to this tougher conference I hope they see opportunity and jump in.

Every coach will have to "earn their keep" I believe defenses will rule the day next year.

Big picture the BE has improved the football product and laid a good foundation to grow.

[smazza]

r-rod never won a national title

wv will never win a national title

[GaUSFBull]

Agree completely with the disrespect issue, but who would hire Stewart?  He's really not that marketable.

[Paisa el Toro]

r-rod never won a national title

wv will never win a national title

They have great fan support and boosters with plenty of cash to throw that program's way. Out of all the Big East Schools, I'd say WV or Louisville have the best combination of intangibles to win a national chamipionship in the next 5 years. I love USF, but we have a long way to go in cultivating a solid fan base and continuing to improve our athletics infrastructure.

[2000bull]

wasn't the stewart hire based more on emotion than common sense? It was more like they finally woke up from a drunken stupor and realized they got married to the village idiot in vegas.  They should have realized that during the Colorado game.

While I agree it is totally disrespectful to stewart, he does have the option to walk away from it.