Tag: Rick George

Rick George denies rumor of Colorado board planning on voting to leave Pac-12

Rick George denied talk of a vote on CU’s future in the Pac-12

You may have heard, but in case you haven’t, the Pac-12 is in a liiiiittle bit of a precarious position.

Ever since news broke last year that both USC and UCLA will leave the conference for the Big Ten in 2024, the Pac-12 has just been trying to survive, with invitations to San Diego State and SMU potentially on the horizon.

On the other side of that coin lies the Colorado Buffaloes.

It has been rumored that a significant portion of the current Pac-12 schools have talked to the Big 12 about potentially jumping ship and heading to more stable pastures, one of which being the former Big 12 member Buffs.

Recently, there was a rumor that the University of Colorado Board of Regents would hold a vote next week about whether to leave the Pac-12 — talk that CU athletic director Rick George flatly denied Wednesday evening.

Of course, conference realignment is a fluid game and a vote could happen at some point, especially if fellow Pac-12 members Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and others leave.

But at least through this coming Monday, Colorado will remain Pac-12 members and ride out the storm as the conference tries to solidify its future.

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CU president Todd Saliman gives update on Buffs’ head coach search

CU president Todd Saliman gave a small update on how the head coach search is going

University of Colorado president Todd Saliman joined Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson on his pregame radio show prior to kickoff between CU and Oregon on Saturday.

Johnson, of course, quickly brought up the ongoing head coach search and asked Saliman about the role he is taking. Essentially, his response indicated that chancellor Phil DiStefano and athletic director Rick George have been delegated with the most work, as you’d expect. Colorado has also hired a search firm to help.

We haven’t seen any specific names linked directly to CU yet, but the expectation is that a head coach will be named soon after the season.

Below is what Saliman said, courtesy of the Colorado Football/Basketball Radio Network:

“I did talk to the chancellor and I talk to Rick, but they’re the ones whose job it is to go out and do that work. Rick has been traveling all over the country talking to folks and he has reported that there are excellent, excellent coaches out there who are interested in this job and we’re thrilled and we can’t wait to get one of them here.”

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What went down on Thursday with Rick George’s interview rumors

Here’s what went down on Twitter regarding Rick George’s rumored interest in other schools

Thursday was a fun day for those of us who enjoy some college sports gossip.

About three weeks into his search for Colorado football’s next head coach, rumors began to swirl on Twitter that athletic director Rick George has been interviewing at other schools. In particular, he was rumored to have interviewed for Auburn’s vacant AD job.

Personally, I trust the reports coming out of people who cover the program closely, and some of the rumors on Thursday seemed sketchy. But feel free to think for yourself and let us know your opinions.

Below is a short synopsis of what happened:

CU Buffs, Rick George using search firm for head coach search

The Colorado Buffaloes and athletic director Rick George have reportedly hired a search firm to assist in their head football coach search

The Colorado Buffaloes began 0-5 and fired Karl Dorrell. They named Mike Sanford the interim head coach and won their first game, 20-13, against Cal.

Athletic director Rick George has mentioned that this will be a long coaching search, and we might not have an answer until after the season.

The Buffs have now hired a search firm to help out with the decision, according to Brian Howell of BuffZone.

Colorado has retained the search firm of Eastman & Beaudine to help with the process of hiring a full-time head football coach. According to a BuffZone source, CU has had a “high level of interest” in the job, leading to the decision to hire a search firm.

There are plenty of intriguing factors with the Buffs job, including the fact that they could move to the Big 12. Even with Dorrell out, many recruits have stayed true to their commitment to Boulder.

We have already discussed many potential names from different outlets, and some big-time names out there make sense for the Buffs.

As the 2022 season continues to develop, we might not see an answer for a head coach, but hiring a search firm is an exciting decision by Colorado.

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Rick George outlines his expectations for Colorado football post-Karl Dorrell

Athletic director Rick George discussed what his expectations are for Colorado football

On Sunday evening, Colorado athletic director Rick George, interim head coach Mike Sanford and university chancellor Phil DiStefano met with the media to discuss the dismissal of Buffs head coach Karl Dorrell and the elevation of Sanford.

During the press conference, George was confident Colorado could get back to its winning ways, and that the coaching change was largely made due to Colorado not meeting expectations over the last 15 years or so years.

I asked about the specifics of George’s expectations and here is the answer I got from him:

“Our expectations for CU football is to become nationally prominent, that we’re discussed on game day in a positive way, in that we compete every time we go out there and play and we win more than we lose. We consistently go to bowl games, occasionally we compete for national championships, conference championships. I have that expectation for all of our sports, not just football.”

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Colorado AD Rick George: ‘This place can be and will be a football powerhouse’

Rick George remains confident that Colorado football can rebound

A few hours after the firing of Karl Dorrell became official, Colorado athletic director Rick George, university chancellor Phil DiStefano and interim head coach Mike Sanford met with the media on Sunday evening.

All three shared their respect for Dorrell while showing some excitement for a fresh start.

The one quote that stood out to me the most came from George, who remains confident that the Buffs can return to national excellence (h/t Jake Schwanitz of DNVR): “This place can be and will be a football powerhouse.”

It’s going to take several more massive changes for that to come true, but most would agree that Sunday’s moves were a positive step for the program.

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Rick George releases statement on Colorado football’s struggles

Rick George shared his disappointment in Colorado football’s 0-3 start and asked fans to continue supporting the program

As the CU Buffs sank even lower on Saturday during a 42-point loss to Minnesota, many fans have reached a breaking point. Pleads to fire head coach Karl Dorrell and even boycott the program were plentiful on Twitter over the weekend.

Things didn’t exactly get better when athletic director Rick George released a statement on Sunday evening in which he reiterated his support for the program’s direction and essentially begged fans to keep their faith.

Colorado fans didn’t exactly find the statement encouraging, to put it kindly. A full-blown rebuild seems to be the preferred direction and George’s statement said quite the opposite:

Like all of you, I have been disappointed to watch our football team struggle this fall, most recently yesterday at Minnesota.  I know that our coaches and our student-athletes are capable of so much more and that all of you deserve better results.

I want you to know that I hear you.  I recognize and understand your disappointment and frustration and perhaps, even anger.  We have not come close to meeting our expectations this season and we own that.  I know that Coach Dorrell, our coaching and support staff, and our student-athletes are working hard to get us on track, and with conference play starting this Saturday, we hope we all will enjoy a home victory over UCLA.

Regardless of your feelings right now on Colorado Football, I encourage you to continue to support our tremendous football student-athletes, who need your cheers, encouragement and support now, more than ever.

Here’s how Dorrell responded to George’s statement (h/t CUSportsReport’s Nikki Edwards).

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Karl Dorrell’s buyout number is a huge concern for CU Buffs

All eyes are now on Rick George

The Colorado Buffaloes are off to an 0-3 start. Now, they weren’t expected to win many games and we’ve talked in depth about the difficulty of their September schedule.

On the other hand, the Buffs have scored 30 points combined through three games and have lost each game by at least 25 points. That isn’t good, and head coach Karl Dorrell hasn’t found success from any quarterback or really anybody on offense, for that matter.

So, naturally, after a 49-7 loss to Minnesota, questions began to swirl about Dorrell’s job security. As athletic director Rick George decides his next move, Brian Howell of BuffZone and Pac-12 columnist John Canzano brought up Dorrell’s buyout, which drops off in January.

So, if the Buffs do move on soon, they are on the hook for nearly $9 million. If it happens in January, after the season ends, it drops to $7.4 million.

Those numbers are massive and would be a ton of money for Colorado to eat. It may decrease if he got another job, but with the way he has performed in Boulder, he might be headed for an assistant role next.

Still, questions are arising about the next step for George, and nearly $9 million to move on from Dorrell right now is a tough pill to swallow.

Then again, if they keep him around and lose more games, players won’t want to come to Colorado. Fans won’t want to attend games at Folsom Field, and, well, the program will lose out on even more money.

It is time for Colorado to look in the mirror and see what makes sense at this point.

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Rick George reminds everyone about USC, UCLA’s lack of recent national success

Rick George fired a subtle shot at USC and UCLA

USC and UCLA will only be in the Pac-12 for a couple more seasons. Their move to the Big Ten has the entire college football world shaken up, and the Colorado Buffaloes are one of a half dozen teams the Big 12 may have their eyes set on.

The domino effect won’t be ending anytime soon. But for now, the Pac-12 will have USC and UCLA. Colorado athletic director Rick George got honest about the loss of the Los Angeles schools.

“We didn’t lose any team that has appeared in a CFP playoff game,” George told the media on Wednesday. “We still have the strength of those (remaining) teams that are in our conference.”

His comments were humorous (from a CU fan’s perspective) and truthful, however you want to swing it. And it might not go over well with the USC and UCLA fans.

Sure, the Pac-12 didn’t lose teams that have played in the College Football Playoff, but UCLA and USC are both on the rise (especially the Trojans with Lincoln Riley), and the loss of two historic programs will still be detrimental to the conference.

Nonetheless, after George’s update on Wednesday, it’s unclear if Colorado will stay in the Pac-12 or return to the Big 12.

Still, George probably ruffled the feathers of UCLA and USC, fans and he might not want to check his mentions or emails for quite some time.

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Rick George believes trust is present among remaining Pac-12 schools

Rick George said the Pac-12’s main focus moving forward is keeping the remaining schools aligned

After USC and UCLA dashed for the Big Ten, you’d think that the remaining Pac-12 schools would be left with some trust issues. Colorado athletic director Rick George, however, sees mostly transparency during recent discussions with his now-nine other counterparts.

George spoke with the media on Wednesday and said the Pac-12’s current loyalists are aiming to stay aligned, though it’s not yet clear if that means committing to the Pac-12 or joining another conference. While George said “everything is on the table,” keeping the band together seems to be the prevailing focus.

“We trust the people in the room and we have to,” George said. “We look each other in the eye — we’re not in person, but we’re on Zoom — we see each other and we talk through it. I think when this initially happened, there was some concern and there was a reaction to the news that went out there just like you all had a reaction. But again, I always think that cooler heads prevail. Once we had an opportunity as a group to sit down and talk through where we were, to make sure that we were aligned in where we wanted to go, I think it’s been really helpful for us.”

Colorado’s nine-year AD also commended Pac-12 Commissioner George Kilavkoff on his handling of the situation.

To add another layer to the conference’s alignment, George was asked if CU has had a closer relationship with Utah throughout this process, which was at least the thought from outsiders. Despite joining the Pac-12 together and sharing a geographical connection, he confirmed that wasn’t the case; rather, he reiterated a 10-team commitment.

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