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The Syracuse Orange will introduce Mark Coyle as AD in just a short while. As you anxiously await his introductory press conference, let's take a look at some opinions from a couple of people very familiar with his work as AD of the Boise State Broncos.
Over the weekend, Chris Carlson at Syracuse.com was able to get some thoughts from Men's Tennis Head Coach Greg Patton. Patton shared his opinion into Coyle's leadership style, his commitment to a well-rounded athletic department, and he confirmed the notion that Coyle is concerned about student welfare, which SU football player Sam Rodgers said was one of the things the search committee found impressive.
From Carlson's story:
Patton agreed Rodgers' impression of Coyle was accurate. The Boise State athletic director frequently handles even minor disciplinary issues, like citations for underage possession of alcohol, by meeting with athletes himself.
"He'd meet with them, talk with them, let them know they were representing the school and the community," Patton said. "It wasn't like getting called to the principal's office. More like a counselor."
Brent Axe was able to get the media perspective when he spoke with Idaho Statesman reporter Dave Southorn. Southorn covered Boise State Athletics and gave this interesting response to Axe's question about the type of AD that Coyle was at Boise:
"Mark is the sort of guy who won't be front and center, always in front of a camera, but he's the sort who gets things done."
That quote says that Coyle might lean more towards Jake Crouthamel than Daryl Gross. Southorn also added that Coyle's fundraising background helped all programs at Boise and that he was very social media savvy. It will be interesting to see if that experience will help Syracuse avoid situations like this, or this.
We should learn more about Coyle's vision when he speaks with NunesMagician later today. What are you hoping to hear from Syracuse's new AD during his press conference and initial Syracuse media appearances?