Wow: A shocker. I follow the UT soccer team--and women's collegiate soccer--pretty closely. Mark Krikorian--who won 3 national titles with Florida State and has to be considered the best coach in women's soccer (in his 17 years coaching the Noles soccer team, they reached the elite 8 13 times and I think the final four something like 12 times)---suddenly resigned a few weeks ago, citing his unwillingness to work for the school's relatively new athletic director. I don't know what the problem is, but Krikorian, who was already the highest paid coach in women's soccer, earning about $425,000 a year or so, essentially said to the school: I'll stay on if you pay me $700K or so, plus bonuses, knowing the school probably wouldn't do it. It offered him about $500K or a bit more, but he said no and resigned. (He won't be unemployed for long.) The AD then said the school was willing to pay it's next coach $400K +. But here's the thing: You have to get an experienced coach to take a job at the best program in the country, and the pay would generate interest among good coaches. But do you really want to follow Krikorian at FSU, when there is no way the new coach can maintain the ridiculously high standard he set? I would not leave a good situation to take the FSU job--but the $400 K salary is, I think, almost double what Pensky is making now--and so he's ambitious and willing to take the risk.
It's sux because we had a our best soccer team ever last year--and it has a chance to be even stronger this year, with all but one starter back and some outstanding players on the team. So just when it looked like Pensky was turning our soccer program into a powerhouse, he's now jumped ship. Pensky is a very good recruiter, and while I can see him doing well at FSU, he won't do as well as Krikorian--nobody could--and the ACC is the best conference in women's soccer. A few days ago an FSU fan suggested that the job might interest Pensky. I laughed it off, and supposedly the Noles were about to hire the coach at New Mexico. So I don't know what happened, but now our rising soccer program may be in some jeopardy unless White can make a strong hire--and he'll have to do it quickly. And if he wants to hire a really good coach, he should raise the salary. Pensky is an excellent recruiter. Last year he brought in 3 freshmen who not only became starters but were All-SEC type players. You should check out Taylor Huff, if you get a chance.