Yale Head Coach Rumored to be Leading Candidate at Rice

[acbearkat]

Rice University in Houston is looking for a new head coach, and according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football, Yale head football coach Tony Reno is said to be the leading candidate replace Mike Bloomgren.

FCS head coach reportedly emerges as favorite at Rice - Footballscoop (https://footballscoop.com/news/fcs-head-coach-reportedly-emerges-as-favorite-at-rice)

Breaking: Tony Reno emerges as favorite for Rice job (https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2024/11/25/breaking-tony-reno-emerges-as-favorite-for-rice-job?ref=article_preview_title)

[CHIP72]

If Rice does hire Yale's head coach, hopefully it works out better for them than it did when they hired Jerry Berndt from Penn nearly 40 years ago.

[Go Green]

While some former Ivy coaches have gone onto do great things (among others, George Siefert), Ivy head coaches have not had much success after poached directly as another head coach.

Maybe Reno breaks the mold?

[dbackjon]

While some former Ivy coaches have gone onto do great things (among others, George Siefert), Ivy head coaches have not had much success after poached directly as another head coach.

Maybe Reno breaks the mold?

I can see the attraction for a school like Rice - small, rigorous academics (AAU, R1).

[bulldog10jw]

While some former Ivy coaches have gone onto do great things (among others, George Siefert), Ivy head coaches have not had much success after poached directly as another head coach.

Maybe Reno breaks the mold?

George Seifert didn't even have success in the Ivy League. Circumstances dropped him into a NFL job at just the right time.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Didn't Tim Murphy decline the opportunity to interview with Notre Dame in the early 2000s?

[Go Green]

George Seifert didn't even have success in the Ivy League. Circumstances dropped him into a NFL job at just the right time.

I didn't say that he did. I just said that he went on to do great things.

Same is true for Jim Knowles.

[bulldog10jw]

I don't even know what conference Rice is in anymore. Maybe Tony goes for a big payday, and I wouldn't blame him, but recruiting against the other Ivy schools is a bit different than recruiting against schools with much lower academic standards. Rice is not Stanford.

[Go Green]

Didn't Tim Murphy decline the opportunity to interview with Notre Dame in the early 2000s?

There was always talk that Murphy was interested in this job or that job. Many on the Ivy Board suspected that he was simply floating those stories to the press to gain leverage with Harvard for pay increases.

The early 2000s would have been the George O'Leary fiasco. My recollection is that Jon Gruden was the top choice after Davie was fired, but O'Leary was a strong second choice. After O'Leary was caught lying on his resume, Tyrone Willingham was hired at least in part for image rehab purposes.

[Go Green]

I don't even know what conference Rice is in anymore. Maybe Tony goes for a big payday, and I wouldn't blame him, but recruiting against the other Ivy schools is a bit different than recruiting against schools with much lower academic standards. Rice is not Stanford.

But Reno does have good experience in playing in mostly empty stadiums. I'd imagine that's a good fit for Rice. :)

[bulldog10jw]

But Reno does have good experience in playing in mostly empty stadiums. I'd imagine that's a good fit for Rice. :)

Very true xthumbsupx

[Ivytalk]

Rice is an outstanding school, offering an education that’s every bit as good as Stanford or the Ivies. And it’s smaller than any of them, with 4,600 undergrads. I went to HS in Houston, and my sister went to Rice, so I know the place well.

Rice is now in the American Conference with Army, Navy, Tulane, Memphis, and others. Its stadium now seats 47,000. Average attendance around 20k. Reno has won several Ivy titles and is now 6-6 against Harvard after losing his first 4. Rice would be a good challenge for him.

[DFW HOYA]

Rice is an outstanding school, offering an education that’s every bit as good as Stanford or the Ivies. And it’s smaller than any of them, with 4,600 undergrads. I went to HS in Houston, and my sister went to Rice, so I know the place well.

Rice is now in the American Conference with Army, Navy, Tulane, Memphis, and others. Its stadium now seats 47,000. Average attendance around 20k. Reno has won several Ivy titles and is now 6-6 against Harvard after losing his first 4. Rice would be a good challenge for him.

Not that either side would do it, but a Yale-Rice home-and-away series would be fun for both schools, and more doable than, say, Harvard vs. Stanford.

[bulldog10jw]

Not that either side would do it, but a Yale-Rice home-and-away series would be fun for both schools, and more doable than, say, Harvard vs. Stanford.

One game in TX would be fine. No reason for a home and home.

[ngineer]

Wow, I am glad Cahill left for Lehigh when he did. He was at Yale a good number of years, and it probably felt like Reno would be at Yale forever, so he made the move to strike out on his own. Timing can be everything.

[Puddin Tane]

Damn near impossible to be successful at Rice

[Go Green]

Damn near impossible to be successful at Rice

People said the same thing about Kansas State, Northwestern, and Columbia.

[Pards Rule]

There was always talk that Murphy was interested in this job or that job. Many on the Ivy Board suspected that he was simply floating those stories to the press to gain leverage with Harvard for pay increases.

The early 2000s would have been the George O'Leary fiasco. My recollection is that Jon Gruden was the top choice after Davie was fired, but O'Leary was a strong second choice. After O'Leary was caught lying on his resume, Tyrone Willingham was hired at least in part for image rehab purposes.

Tavani and Murphy shared a rental room in 1987 their first year on Russo's staff. And of course Jack Siedlecki was poached from Albany by Russo in 1980 after he was hired in Dec. And retired as Yale AD.

[JacksFan40]

Rice is hiring Davidson HC Scott Abell. Has been at Davidson since 2018 with a 47-28 record. Also being reported on X by Pete Thamel.

https://attheroost.com/2024/11/26/scott-abell-rice-football-head-coach/

Following an extensive national search, Scott Abell, current head coach at Davidson, is expected to be named the next Rice Football head coach.

Scott Abell will be the next head coach of Rice Football, sources tell The Roost. Abell has spent the last seven years at the helm of Davidson which plays in the FCS Division of college football. While with the Wildcats, Abell won the Pioneer League twice (2020, 2021) and owns the best winning percentage in program history.

[bulldog10jw]

Rice is hiring Davidson HC Scott Abell. Has been at Davidson since 2018 with a 47-28 record. Also being reported on X by Pete Thamel.

https://attheroost.com/2024/11/26/scott-abell-rice-football-head-coach/

Following an extensive national search, Scott Abell, current head coach at Davidson, is expected to be named the next Rice Football head coach.

Scott Abell will be the next head coach of Rice Football, sources tell The Roost. Abell has spent the last seven years at the helm of Davidson which plays in the FCS Division of college football. While with the Wildcats, Abell won the Pioneer League twice (2020, 2021) and owns the best winning percentage in program history.

Good luck to him.

[Professor Chaos]

Quite the step up for Abell. Color me skeptical.

[ngineer]

Good luck to him.

As the Eli give a sigh of relief...

[bulldog10jw]

As the Eli give a sigh of relief...

👍

[DFW HOYA]

Quite the step up for Abell. Color me skeptical.

Abell runs the triple option, which takes the right players and a lot of patience. A strong opponent can stuff it in a hurry.

[Baron Sardonicus]

Abell runs the triple option, which takes the right players and a lot of patience. A strong opponent can stuff it in a hurry.

Could be they are nostalgic for Ken Hatfield. His teams lost a lot of games at Rice, but maybe it will be different for Abell, who runs a little bit different scheme. There aren't as many "strong opponents" in the AAC.

[Pards Rule]

I recall Jerry Berndt who turned around Penn in early to mid 80s went to Rice...and promptly flamed out. Did Jerry come back to Philly via Temple?