Nebraska A.D. fired, Callahan likely next; UB's Turner Gill to replace him?

Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, and it seems almost inevitable that football coach Bill Callahan will be next.

If Callahan is shown the door, some Buffalo fans are worried that Nebraska might try to lure Heisman finalist and former Osborn/Solich/Callahan assistant Turner Gill away from resurgent UB*. Gill interviewed for the top job in Lincoln back in 2004 before it was ultimately offered to Callahan. He was hired by Buffalo in '06.

Columnist Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star mentioned Gill as a possibility in a column Sunday: "Turner Gill? Well, he’s doing wonders at Buffalo. The Bulls are 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Their three league victories equal the most since joining the MAC and returning to Division I-A in 1999. The former Husker quarterback is calling the plays for an offense that features elements of a West Coast attack, a power-I formation and even some option." Gill's name is also floated at the Fire Coach Callahan blog. And FanIQ asks: "Will Turner Gill be coming back?"

*Can you be "resurgent" if you've never been good before? Hmm. Maybe the Bulls are just "surgent."

UPDATE: Stewart Mandel writes:

[University Chancellor Harvey] Perlman said Monday that he would soon appoint an interim athletic director with "full authority to assess the state of the athletic department and its athletic programs and to make any decision necessary to advance those programs." Translation: The guy can fire coaches -- and, barring a dramatic turnaround, he will.

As a result, Perlman is facing an unusually important "interim AD selection" -- because the identity of that person could go a long way in determining the identity of Nebraska's next football coach. The popular rumor du jour is that of Huskers legend/Congressman Tom Osborne temporarily taking the reins and bringing back favorite son Turner Gill, who, in his second season at Buffalo, has the long-inept Bulls sitting a half-game out of first in the MAC's East Division with a 3-1 conference record.

UPDATE 2: Fox Sports also mentions Gill in its article about the Nebraska situation: "Turner Gill, the former Husker great and architect behind a minor MAC uprising at Buffalo, has been bandied about as a possible replacement as head coach. Yet others still hope that with Pederson out of the picture, Nebraska will get a second chance to hire LSU's Bo Pelini, a fan favorite in 2003."

Comments

[Scientizzle]

Sure makes that $500,000/year-'til-2012 extension for Pederson look stupid...especially since the ink's been dry for only 3 months!

[David K.]

Un-related, but i think you should put a line through the "Irish" part of your title this week :)

[Brendan]

David, does the brand-new addition to the right sidebar suffice? :)

[Brendan]

I also just changed my subtitle...

[David K.]

too subtle

[texasyank]

Yeah, that was some statement game, beating the Huskers at home and all.

Fight freaking on.

[HUSKERS 94 95 & 97]

FINALLY!!!

[Becky]

"Long-inept?" HARUMPH! The Bulls are merely athletically challenged.

[kcatnd]

I grew up as a Nebraska fan before attending ND, so I've been following this closely. Right now, I'd be more willing to get rid of defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove than Bill Callahan.

Offensive production has taken a dive the last two weeks, but the defense has been even worse, by every stretch of the statistics. At least when the offense works, it works very well and can put up some points, but it was the defense that kept the team out of the game with USC, nearly lost to Ball St., barely held on at Wake Forest, and got completely demolished the past two weeks.

I know Callahan is ultimately responsible, but I'm not convinced he's the problem...yet.