Central Michigan, the last FBS program in the nation to have an open position at head coach, hired Detroit Lions Special Teams Coach John Bonamego as head coach last night after a lengthy process that followed the surprising departure of Dan Enos, who left suddenly to strangely take on the OC job at Arkansas.
The official word came down early this morning central time about the hire, which followed a rather disorganized approach that included conversations with both former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke and Ferris State coach Tony Annese, amongst others.
The athletic department is not immediately returning calls this morning, as the final details of the contract are being negotiated through the weekend.
Bonamego last coached in the college ranks as an assistant in 1999, after having served at Maine, Lehigh, and Army, but has been in the NFL ever since after stops at Jacksonville, Green Bay, New Orleans, Miami, and finally his last stop, Detroit.
A Central Michigan alum, Bonamego was likely not the first choice for the beleaguered program, as Annese and Hoke both had stronger resumes as college head coaches, despite Hoke's recent run at Michigan. Hoke was highly successful in the MAC at a previous stop at Ball State, and turned San Diego State into a winner in just two years after several losing seasons there prior to his arrival. Annese has Ferris State running in the right direction, and like Hoke, has built a strong tie in the Michigan high school ranks. Bonamego will have to build those ties quickly, and will likely need some booster assistance to get that process started in the area.
CMU will open the 2015 season with back to back home games in Oklahoma State (9/5) and Monmouth (9/12) before trekking on the road to take on Syracuse and Michigan State the following two weeks.
The issue now will lay in who Bonamego hires as his staff. Much of the former staff under Enos bailed for other jobs around the nation in both the NFL and college ranks in the last 48 hours when it became obvious that Bonamego had been hired. It is certain that Bonamego had conversations with several former staffers before they departed about possible roles in the program.
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