Bobby Hauck at UNLV

Montana's loss is UNLV's gain.  Bobby Hauck will be named the new head football coach at UNLV.  In Missoula, Bobby took over a program that had been very successful.  The Grizzlies have dominated the conference since their rivals, Boise State, Idaho and Nevada, moved up to the FBS in the mid-90s.  It has not quite been that long since UNLV had a winning season.

Arguably, the Big Sky Conference is still one of the top conferences in the lower subdivision, but the task ahead of Hauck is daunting.  The Mountain West Conference features two teams that have busted into BCS bowls with the cards stacked against them, and another program that is right on their tail.  Plus another program that is firmly entrenched in fourth.

One strength that Hauck has that will be an asset in Las Vegas is that he is a strong recruiter.  He was the recruiting specialist as an assistant at UCLA.  He has used those contacts well.  As his predecessors built teams off of transfers from the upper subdivision, Hauck has built a roster the way a FBS school would need to.  There are only two such transfers on the current Grizzly roster.  If UNLV will help and upgrade their facilities at Sam Boyd Stadium, Hauck should have no trouble getting quality talent to Las Vegas.

The decision on who will replace Hauck in Missoula will depend on where they want to take the program.  Will they continue to dominate the Big Sky Conference and remain a force in the Championship Subdivision, or will they join their former rivals in the Bowl Subdivision?  They may want to find a coach who can take them to the next level.  Or they could hire back Joe Glenn who certainly would want to rekindle his old success in Missoula.  (See update below.)

One word of advice for Hauck, Las Vegas is nothing like Missoula.  That fact may be the one thing standing between Hauck and success at UNLV.  The last coach to move from Montana to the Mountain West, namely Joe Glenn, did not do too well.  Hauck seems to have taken the Grizzlies to a level beyond what Glenn did, he may be able to turn things around in Las Vegas.

Update: Here is a list from the Missoulian of potential candidates for the Grizzly HC job. Joe Glenn has publicly stated he is not interested.