The college football universe is dominated by the news today that Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel has resigned.  Though this is not surprising, the timing is.

I liked Coach Tressel.  He appeared to me as a guy who was a class act who simply made some bad decisions.  From a leadership perspective, the biggest mistake he made was that he gave the impression that protecting his players was more important than protecting his employer, the one who signs his paycheck, the Ohio State University.  Misleading the NCAA was a result of that decision.

For Tressel personally, if he doesn’t go to the NFL, the question becomes his employability.  Let me say this, if he was repentant, I would hire him and fast.  Check out the numbers provided by ESPN:

  • Tressel is tied with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops for the most appearances by a coach in BCS bowls (8). He boasts a 5-3 record that includes a 1-2 mark in games that decided the national championship.
  • Tressel has guided Ohio State to 10 or more wins in six consecutive seasons, the fifth-longest such streak in FBS history and the longest in Big Ten history.
  • Tressel is the only coach in NCAA history to win more than 100 games at two separate schools (Youngstown State and Ohio State).
  • Tressel’s 106 wins are the third most by an Ohio State coach, behind Woody Hayes (205) and John Cooper (111). His winning percentage of .827, meanwhile, is significantly higher than both Hayes (.761) and Cooper (.715).
  • Tressel last year became the third-fastest coach in Big Ten history to reach 100 victories, doing so in his 121st game. Michigan’s Bo Schembechler and Fielding Yost both reached the 100-win mark in 119 games.
  • Under Tressel, the Buckeyes spent 14 weeks as the No. 1-ranked team.
  • Tressel’s Big Ten winning percentage ranks second in league history behind only Schembechler (.850).
  • He coached 21 first-team All-Americans at Ohio State and 47 first-team All-Big Ten selections.
  • Tressel boasts a 9-1 record against archrival Michigan and is the only Ohio State coach to defeat the Wolverines in seven consecutive games.

Let me make a bold statement, when the Mark Richt era is done at Georgia, I would hire him immediately. He is a perfect fit for that school for the following reasons:

  1. Christian man who I feel would be repentant.
  2. Knows how to own a strong recruiting base like the state of Georgia.
  3. Knows how to beat a natural rival.  Would help Georgia finally beat Florida.
  4. Can run a national program.
  5. He’s a winner.

But the question is, would you hire a person with Tressel’s resume at your organization?

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