The New Mexico Lobos set the bar over the last few years for the worst football in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Mike Locksley went 2-26 over the two and a half years that he was at the helm of the Lobos. Locksley had it rough on and off the field while he was at New Mexico. Physical altercations with coaches, minors getting DWIs in his car, it wasn’t good. When New Mexico relieved Locksley of his duties on September 25th it surprised nobody.
So who does New Mexico go out and pick as his replacement? A young up and comer that can motivate the troops and get them playing above their heads? Guess again. The Lobos went with former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie. It really was a very surprising hire. The biggest reason it was a surprise is because he hasn’t coached since 2001. That’s my biggest gripe. Other than that, I really like this hire. Davie didn’t light the world on fire at Notre Dame but he did just as well as the two coaches that have come directly after him.
Why do I like the hire? Davie has been out of coaching for a while but he is a commentator so he’s been able to watch and analyze a lot of football as his job. I would like to think he’s had a lot of time to think about what went wrong in his tenure at Notre Dame and make sure those things don’t happen in his latest venture. Davie is well spoken and charismatic and I think he will be able to recruit as well as anybody else that they could have gotten for the job. Plus, telling a kid that you’ve coached at Notre Dame and puts kids in the NFL never hurts. I think Davie will do a good job coaching fundamentals and New Mexico will be well disciplined with him on defense and on Special Teams once he’s been there for a couple of years.
Is Davie going to make New Mexico into a Southwest power? Probably not but I think he’s the right guy to help them rebuild the program and get them back on solid footing. The time starts now Bob Davie, you are on the clock and you’ve got a lot of work to do.
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