Recruiting. Coaches will play who gives the team the best chance to win, Period. There have been some remarkably stupid comments made such as Padilla only played against Nebraska because Ferentz wanted someone to blame other than Petras or Brian in case they lost. Or, Ferentz won't switch because he does not want to be proven wrong. Funny, but you see walk-ons play all the time at Iowa. That in itself means a selected scholarship player is sitting because the other guy gives the team a better chance to win. If Padilla gave them a better chance, he would have been given the chance. The career of the Head Coach, as well as of ALL his assistants rely on winning. And before you say that doesn't apply to Ferentz, take an objective look at his record. Just because the team plays a boring style of offense doesn't mean his program hasn't been very successful at the one thing that truly matters in D-1 sports
So - blame the coaches for selecting the wrong players during the recruiting process. You could even say blame them for development. But to say they are too stubborn to make a change for whatever reason is naivete and just plain wrong.
So - blame the coaches for selecting the wrong players during the recruiting process. You could even say blame them for development. But to say they are too stubborn to make a change for whatever reason is naivete and just plain wrong.