And I like it. It is not just because of his last name (he is the son of former Notre Dame head coach and now ESPN analyst Lou Holtz), but because I think he is the right person to take the program to the next level. Full disclosure, I'm a USF alum.
Holtz's took over an East Carolina team that if I said it was incompetent, it would almost be a compliment. Before Holtz took over in 2005, the Pirates had lost 22 of their last 25 games, seven of them by 33 points or more. If you were a BCS powerhouse in need of style points, ECU was the opponent you wanted.
However, everything changed once Holtz came in. The 45-year-old coach changed the team's mentality and took them to a bowl game in his second year as coach, a 27-7 loss coincidentally against USF in the Papajohns.com bowl, and to two Conference USA titles. In his five seasons at the helm, Holtz compiled a 38-27 record with the Pirates and gained national recognition for the program and for himself as coach.
A change of mentality and a dose of consistency is exactly what the Bulls need to win the Big East and get to a BCS bowl. It remains to be seen whether that will happen in 2010 or if Holtz will need his own recruiting classes to do so in 2011 or 2012.
Florida's mantle is there for the taking with UF in transition without Tebow and who knows for how long with their coach Urban Meyer. Miami is searching for consistency, and Florida State going through their first year without Bobby Bowden. It will be up to Holtz and his players to seize the opportunity.
(How many wins do you predict for USF this year? Poll at the bottom of the page.)
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