Tulsa Assistant Bill Blankenship To Replace Todd Graham As Head Coach

The Tulsa football program has gone the way of proud Michigan, hiring A Tulsa Man, associate head coach Bill Blankenship, to head up the Golden Hurricane following the departure of Todd Graham to Pitt. A local-boy triple threat, as a former Tulsa quarterback, position coach, and Oklahoma native, Blankenship either beat out or was cheaper than Clemson and Arkansas OCs Chad Morris and Garrick McGee, depending on who's doing the talking.

If you didn't know Tulsa was looking for a new head ballcoach until you heard McGee was withdrawing from the search, don't feel bad. Graham was a low-profile hire for Pitt himself, and the Golden Hurricane, despite finishing the season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, are perhaps the most ignored ten-win team in Division I-A, unless they come up in discussion of the history of Gus Malzahn.

Last seen wrecking Hawaii in the 2010 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Tulsa will return a wealth of all-name candidates for Blankenship to work with in the 2011 season, including quarterback Shavodrick Beaver, wide receiver Genesis Cole, and linebacker Curnelius Arnick.