I know that from 1978-2005 Northwestern won 96 games, and I know that, if they beat Utah in San Diego at the end of this month, they will have equaled that total in just 13 seasons under Fitzgerald. Trust me, in a year very short on hot candidates and can't-miss guys in the coaching world, he is as close to one as possible to just that from the college sphere.
"Total stud," as one long-time NFL scout put it. "I would hire him in a minute. But he's never leaving Northwestern."
"Everything about him would play in the NFL," said another NFL decision maker. "But I don't think that's what he wants. He's not going anywhere"
"He would be at the top of my list," said one NFL personnel man with a team considering a coaching change. "But I don't think we'd have much of a chance to get him. It's a lot like David Shaw at Stanford. Are they ever going to really leave?"
Maybe so. Maybe not. I recall hearing a lot of the same things about Jim Harbaugh before he eventually left Stanford for the 49ers.