Cutcliffe to Duke!

ESPN is reporting that Tennessee assistant head coach and offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe has agreed to become Duke's next head coach.

Why do I love this hire?

1. Duke's last two head coaching hires (Carl Franks and Ted Roof) went a combined 13-90. Both of these coaches had never been a head coach before and obviously struggled tremendously as leaders. I've been adamant that Duke go after someone who has not only been a head coach before, but also been relatively successful at it. Considering that Cutcliffe compiled a 44-29 record as head coach at Ole Miss from 1999-2004 (including a 4-1 bowl record), he fits the bill.

2. The guy knows how to develop quaterbacks, having already coached a few Heisman trophy finalists and a number of good professional players at the position. Cutcliffe was instrumental in developing Peyton Manning, then went to Ole Miss to mentor Eli. When you're on the recruiting trail, these things matter.

If you can't tell by now, I'm pumped and all Duke fans should be excited about the future of this program. The administration has been making subtle hints that competing in football is a priority. First Duke hired a consulting firm to guide Duke in building its program. Plans for one of the group's recommendations, a costly renovation of Wallace Wade Stadium, have already been drawn up and approved by the Board of Trustees.

Second, Duke University President Richard Brodhead decided to write a new mission statement for athletics. Brodhead wrote that "Duke aims for a level of athletic performance that will frequently produce winnings seasons and the realistic opportunity to compete for team or individual championships." This decision tells me that the Duke administration is finally ready to allocate the necessary resources to building this program.

After another terrible year, I finally feel like Duke football is back on track.