Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich
Illinois coach Ron Zook is reportedly looking to hire one of FSU's best assistant coaches, offensive line coach Rick Trickett.
Trickett could be using this to get his new contract under way (he still has a year remaining), but odds are he'll talk to the Illini about this position. Considering former offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was making $500,000, I might throw my name in there, too. Apparently they pay assistants pretty well, though I'm not sure how much Trickett is currently making or would make if he made the move.
In reading some of the comments on the blog, I noticed some of you compared this situation to Bud Foster at Virginia Tech, and it's a fair comparison -- FSU fans should feel as troubled about losing Trickett as Virginia Tech fans would about Foster. Trickett is just as good at his job, and all you have to do is look at this year's young offensive line for the proof.
The upside to this is that FSU has a coach on its staff so highly regarded. The question now is can they keep him there. Extending his contract would probably help.
Heather Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
