The House of Blue

No doubt. With the timing of this announcement on Strong's new contract, it sure smells like Jurich is trying to capitalize regarding all of the negativity, uncertainty, etc. re the direction of the UK football program.

Smart move if you want to own recruiting especially in the Louisville area. Kids want to know who they are going to play for so now they know if they go to Louisville for the next 7 years.

If you are a UK recruit who are you going to be playing for in 2-3 years.

Very smart move IMHO especially since Barnhart is a no decision guy. UK has been put in check by this move. To counter, UK has to if they get rid of Joker hire someone with a name that can drag these players out of Louisville.

Thats your opinion Cobby. Recruits look at it in a different way especially if they are from Louisville. As for Jurich, since he's from Louisville he sucks.

As for Barnhart, everyone has an opinion. My opinion is he is a very bad AD. Why? He can't raise money for the things needed. His hirings that almost ruined basketball. His attitude toward the fans and his bunker mentality. Joker is not the issue, Barnhart and the UKAA is the issue.

Have to agree with you here JD. This is the same AD who continues to extend the contract of his basketball coach and sweeten it with loyalty clauses -- causing excessive expenditures to the athletic budget for what? What has Pitino brought to UL that other coaches could have brought for a lot smaller price tag?

Same argument could be made for Strong. Here's a guy with an overall losing record, just fired an OC mid-season for questionable reasons, hired a recruting coordinator who is up to his neck in NCAA issues; and he gets a raise and extension. Really?

Someone mentioned earlier about UL and Jurich being 'all in' for football. This move imo is akin to being under the gun and all in with a pair of deuces. Could win, but it's doubtful. If Barnhart did the same thing right now, the fans and people on this board would be rioting. Jurich does it, and people are bowing at his feet. I don't get it.

It's exactly that. The UofL football program is a shadow of what it used to be (which was really only a shadow of what it thought it actually was) because of Jurich's terrible hire with Kragthorpe.

The vast majority sees Strong as a good hire, just as the vast majority saw Joker as a good hire. But the jury is out on both as head coaches and Strong comes into a mess that the AD made, whereas the UK program was on overall solid footing (thanks a the hiring that only our current AD would have made).

UofL fans don't see it, but the bloom is off of Jurich as an AD with a national reputation, unless Strong bails him out. But if he doesn't, Jurich needn't have any aspirations beyond UofL.