The offer is on the table

Well, as several have reported Bill Lynch has been offered a 5 year deal to continue coaching the Football team. According to those I've talked to, this offer was talked about early this week, with the official offer extended Wednesday afternoon. Coach Lynch was then given the holiday weekend to make the decision with an official announcement from the Coach expected to be made Monday.

By all indications, he will except, but he will consult with his family before proceeding further. If for some reason he would decline the offer, then a national search will begin immediately. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll except. At the beginning of the season, Coach Lynch didn't want to talk about the future and instead wanted to concentrate on the season at hand. He made some comments that made some people think that he might not be interested in taking over the program full time, but in the end, it appears, he's ready to do so.

Coach Lynch will also be looking for one more assistant coach to fill in on the offensive side of the ball. The hope is the staff wants someone that is young, but a good recruiter in, and around, the southern part of the country. No names have surfaced at this point though.

Speaking of recruiting, it appears IU has 6 or 7 ships to fill and the rumors I've heard lately is that IU is looking to oversign as well. I expect Robert Martin to get an offer, but he's a ways away from qualifying from what I've been told. The same may hold true for Jamal Hampton, but he's also lacking the necessary test scores to qualify.

Of course the big guy that is still out there is Darius Willis. He of Franklin Central and IU's top target for sometime. He would have a chance to come in and start from Day one, or at least share the load with a healthy Demetris McCray. Bryan Payton will also be in the mix next season, but it appears that Thigpen will go back to WR, especially if Hardy goes pro, as is expected. It appears that IU is sitting in pretty good shape with Willis, but officials will start in the middle of December, so we probably won't know much until the middle of January at the earliest.

IU will concentrate on finding another QB, LBs, a DE, a WR, and DBs with the remaining ships. It appears IU wants to sign another athletic QB, with BJ Daniels of Tallahassee Florida being their top target. Also, IU is looking for an athletic DE and a big (6'2"+) WR, along with speed and size at DB and LB.

As for the Bowl Game, it appears as of today, IU will be going to the Champs Sports Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. The opponet would be an ACC team with what I've been told the most likely opponent being the University of Miami or Florida State. If I were choosing, I'd take Miami, but we'll see. Should be an excellent opportunity to recruit going down to southern Florida. This game will be played on December 28th and shown nation wide on ESPN. Last year, Purdue lost to Maryland in this bowl.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving!