Jets' Futility Claims Another Victim

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 7:35 AM EST, Thu, Jan 8, 2009

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Jeff Jagodzinski's national name recognition has gone from zero to 60 in the last three days. Jagodzinski led Boston College to the ACC Championship game in both of his seasons as their head coach, but didn't get a lot of attention for his work. The attention came when reports surfaced that he'd be fired if he took an interview for the Jets head coaching vacancy, and is growing now that he has been fired for having that conversation.

Jagodzinski is considered a dark horse for the Jets job, but taking the leap of faith in himself may still pay off. He helped prepare Matt Ryan for the NFL in his first season with B.C., and given the splash Ryan made as a rookie there are likely more than a few NFL teams who might want his help developing their own quarterbacks. The much older Jets quarterback knows Jagodzinski from Green Bay, where he coached tight ends from 1999-2003 and was offensive coordinator in 2006. Even if he doesn't get the top job, if he impressed the Jets he could find himself working with Brett Favre and helping groom his replacement as an offensive assistant.

The Seahawks are also reportedly interested in hiring Jagodzinski to be part of Jim Mora's staff. Given the dearth of successful college-to-NFL coaching transitions, getting into the league is a good move for a guy with designs on running a NFL team one day. He may have been a bit foolhardy in jumping from B.C. without a guaranteed landing spot, but that may have been his only option.

B.C.'s upset is understandable, but it seems like a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. They will lose recruits who wanted to play for Jagodzinski, they'll have to break in a new coach for the second time in three years and, most importantly, lose a coach whose acumen is widely regarded. Boston College may be overrating their own status in the college football firmament if they think that top-tier coaches are going to go there as a final stop rather than using it as a rung on a bigger ladder. No one likes to be used as a stepping stone, but it's easier if you accept that it is your station.