--New Rice coach Todd Graham had some definite ideas about who he wanted to hire when he was being interviewed for the head coaching job. Having a plan in place was one of the many factors that impressed Rice athletic director Bobby May about Graham. As soon as Graham completed his responsibilities as Tulsa's defensive coordinator in the Liberty Bowl and he was announced as the new coach, Graham moved quickly by bringing three Tulsa assistants to Rice, hiring Danny Phillips to coach the defensive line and special teams, Jason Jones to coach defensive backs and Jess Loepp to coach tight ends. Soon after, he hired Todd Dilbeck from the Oklahoma high school ranks to coach the offensive line and then added a Texas high school coach, David Beaty, to coach receivers.

Graham took a little more time hiring his coordinators and finally got what he wanted when he hired Alabama defensive line coach Paul Randolph to be his defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Graham and Randolph, both 39, worked together at West Virginia in 2002.

"It was not an easy thing to get him here. Matter of fact, I got told 'no' once," Graham told the Houston Chronicle. "But I wouldn't take no for an answer. He's fundamentally the best coach I've ever been around. And in all the years I've been coaching, I worked with him six months and he made me a better person just by being around him."

Graham then hired former Texas quarterback and Syracuse assistant Major Applewhite to coordinate the offense and move Rice from a triple-option attack to a more balanced pro-style offense. Applewhite may be only 26, but Graham likes what he sees.

"We've got some experienced guys around him, guys that have been coaching 15, 20 years," Graham said. "I was looking for the right chemistry, and he's a guy that possesses great character and is very mature beyond his years as far as his knowledge of the game of football."

Graham also hired Yancy McKnight as his strength and conditioning coach and brought in yet another Texas high school coach, Dean Jackson, to coach running backs. He still had one more spot to fill as of national letter of intent signing day.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We had been working some late hours to evaluate the talent that we have. We knew exactly what we needed from a standpoint of going out and recruiting. Not only did we look at our kids here, we also looked at, 'What can we recruit year in and year out?' And that's what drives our philosophy and our schemes." -- Rice coach Todd Graham.

Copyright (C) 2006 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.