UConn Hires Bob Diaco

It seems like UConn would have been competing with Rutgers for a head coach had the Scarlet Knights gone through with the coaching search. Today, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, winner of the 2012 Broyles Award (nation's top assistant), was named head coach by our friends over in Storrs. Diaco is known as the man who turned around Notre Dame's woeful defense, as the Fighting Irish have been dominant defensively over the past four years, especially during their 2012 run to the BCS National Championship. He is also credited in building a formidable Cincinnati unit that went undefeated in the regular season in 2009.

Diaco hails from Cedar Grove, NJ, and is a good fit for the Northeast/Midwest region. He recruited quite a bit in New Jersey, and he also played linebacker at Iowa, so he has experience covering every boundary of the new and improved (yes, improved) B1G. UConn inked the former defensive caller for a very reasonable $1.5 million per year for a five-year contract, and that's with American Athletic Conference money. Other names on UConn AD Warde Manuel's short list were Pat Narduzzi, Pete Lembo, and Bud Foster. Those names sound familiar? I must say, the Huskies snagged a very good coach on paper today, and this should more than make up for the ridiculously terrible Paul Pasqualoni hire.