Coyle: 'We'll move quickly' on hiring new football coach

Shortly after firing University of Minnesota head football coach Tracy Claeys, Athletic Director Mark Coyle said he had been in this situation before at Syracuse and Boise State.

"I've had to conduct two searches before, head football coaching searches and other coaching searches, in my time as athletic director. It's going to feel like years, but we'll move quickly," Coyle said Tuesday.

Coyle made the decision to fire Claeys and most of his staff earlier that day, after meeting with University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, legal counsel, Board of Regents Vice Chair David McMillan and Regents Chair Dean Johnson. Johnson said that over the course of the four-hour meeting, Coyle described what the program had accomplished.

"He talked about the pluses of a GPA increase and class attendance increase and graduation rate increase. 8-4 record, 9-4 with a bowl. That's good," Johnson said.

There was the obvious bad in the view of the administration: Claeys had backed his players during their short-lived boycott last month. The players were boycotting football because their teammates had been suspended due to an internal university investigation over sexual assault allegations.

Johnson said that wasn't the only issue that raised question marks about the future.

"On recruiting we're falling behind, according to seven or eight recruiting organizations. We're also down about 6,200 season tickets. Not all Tracy's fault, I acknowledge that. As we began to look at it, finally Mr. Coyle said it was his recommendation we make a change."

Claeys' firing about a month before signing day could also have an impact on recruiting.

"Anytime you get a coaching change this late in the process that's going to have oftentimes pretty dramatic results," said Barton Simmons, an editor and writer at 247Sports, a news website. "Unless there's a quick hire made that can then settle things down, give some clarity to the situation and tell recruits who they'll be playing for, because ultimately that's what it boils down to," Simmons said.

Simmons said it will also be key to get someone in that players know — not someone they have to Google.

Johnson, of the Board of Regents, said he expects a hire soon.

"I know that Mr. Coyle and his team are out looking, making phone calls and I do not know what their progress is, but I know they would think they'd like to get it accomplished as soon as possible" perhaps even sooner than two months, Johnson said.