Nice NYT Article on Ex LSU Coach Bo Pelini

Nice article on the Bo Pelini in the New York Times today. It is Huskers’ New Coach Promises to Heed Program’s Old Ways .

I was a huge Pelini fan and when there was talk of Les Miles leaving I very much wanted him to be in serious contention for the job.

The main complaint I kept hearing from LSU fans that was parroted a million times was BO hated recruiting and thus would be a bad fit. I always thought that was suspect. IN the Times we read:

Heads nodded enthusiastically when Pelini announced that the Huskers signed 30 walk-ons, mostly from Nebraska, and that these kids who grew up “bleeding red” would once more be a prominent part of the program. ......He has been on the telephone courting the state’s high school coaches. He speaks with fervor of the vaunted walk-on program that Callahan and his staff merely paid lip service to.
Just as Osborne did, Pelini has assigned an assistant to every inch of the state to find the undersized-but-big-hearted football player who could be developed into a scholarship player or beyond. In the past, some have come from the eight-man leagues. Some turned down scholarships at smaller programs. Twenty-eight of them went on to play in the N.F.L., and many, many more became high school and college coaches.
“I’ve heard Coach Osborne talk about some of the players who came around here from different areas across the nation and who were huge talents,” Pelini said. “When you surround them with kids who grew up living or dying whether Nebraska won or lost, those talented guys become much more committed to the program. The more towns that are represented, the more ownership people have in our program.”

Hmmm that does not sound like someone that "hates" the recruiting aspect of the job to me.