Say Hello to Stan Parrish

At the very minimum, regardless of what people think of the quality of the hire, the waiting game is over. Athletic Director Tom Collins named current offensive coordinator Stan Parrish the new head coach at Ball State University yesterday, the 15th person to hold that position. Parrish, as most know, is replacing Brady Hoke, who bid Muncie adieu for San Diego State earlier this week.

[Ed. Note: Embedded video yanked because it annoyingly started on its on. You can access it here if you would like to]

All in all, a solid hire for the Cardinals and Collins, and really the only viable option. It has a good chance to retain recruits and players, and perhaps most importantly, a good number of the assistants. I'm sure some will go, but most will stay, and regardless of what happens, Stan has been around the game long enough to fill their spots with viable options.

My initial reactions seemed to be in line with everyone else's during the Liveblog. I thought Coach Parrish seemed much more energetic and personable than I expected. He was humorous at times, cracking jokes and seeming off the cuff. He also seemed ridiculously human, realizing that his close friend had just left the program. What was overwhelmingly apparent was his focus and desire to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. His media skill needs some work (as does Nate Davis's) but all things considered, I think Parrish passed his first test with flying colors.

Coach Parrish mentioned several times over that the deciding factor in his will-he-or-won't-he couple of days was the players themselves. He seems genuinely connected to the team and the University, and I'm of the opinion, at least for now, that Stan Parrish is the guy to not only continue the current success, but to build on it, both physically in terms of facilities, but metaphorically in the mindset of the coaches, players, fans, and administration.

So, at the end of what could have been one of the worst weeks ever for Cardinal athletics, we're sitting pretty good. Welcome, Coach Parrish... don't make us hate you.

If you'd like to say a few words for Coach P, feel free to in the comments section. We'll be chatting with him after the Bowl Game. So make him feel welcome.