Syracuse Football Coaching Search Profile: Dave Warner, Michigan State Co-OC

Until the Syracuse Orange have a new football coach, we'll be previewing candidates that may be up for the job. One of these individuals might be leading the program. Or maybe it's someone else entirely. Sometimes we're wrong. Sorry.

Who's this guy?

Dave Warner

Where is he right now?

Michigan State, where he is the co-offensive coordinator as well as the running backs coach.

Where else has he been?

He bagan his coaching career at some place called Syracuse as a GA working with the offense. He worked his way up the ladder at Kent State, Kansas, Bucknell, Wyoming, UConn, Houston and Southern Miss. While at Kansas he befriended a secondary coach named Mark Dantonio. Dantonio hired him at Cincinnati and then followed him to Michigan as QB coach before getting promoted to co-OC in 2013.

What do current fans think of him?

They call Warner the highest-paid, most second-guessed guy on Dantonio's staff. But it's hard to argue with the results this season.

Random fun fact:

Warner threw for three touchdowns and 16 interceptions as a junior in college.

Six degrees of Syracuse:

He's got one hell of a connection. He played quarterback for Syracuse from 1978 to 1981. He's still in the top ten in most completions in a season (as well as career interceptions).

Advantages to hiring him?

He's a Syracuse guy. He's worked in some of the best programs in the nation. He's worked under Mark Dantonio for a decade. He's overseen a great offense and he understands how to deal with the pressure that comes with it all.

Drawbacks to hiring him?

Why has it taken him so long to work his way up the ladder? Why did it take so long for Mark Dantonio to elevate him? How come he hasn't been a head coach before now?

Odds it happens?

I'll go with 11%, a quarter of a 44 for a Syracuse guy. I think if you took away the Syracuse connection, you probably wouldn't even have Warner in consideration. He does have some great pedigree but I think there is a Greg Robinson-esque concern of why he hasn't moved up the chain quicker. Do we want to be the test case again?

Previous Profiles: Scott Frost, Ed Orgeron, Dino Babers, Joe Moglia, Mike Sanford, Chris Ash