Andrew Singer: Dave Doeren is good for NIU football. The man comes from a Big Ten program in Wisconsin, and has shown throughout his career that he is ready for this opportunity. Just seeing how many recruits that he swayed from the football powerhouse of Florida is enough to convince me. People made the claim that Jerry Kill had recruiting ties in Kansas. Not to say Kansas has no good recruits, but there’s no way they are even on the same wavelength as Florida recruits.

Jimmy Johnson: He appears to have the goods, both in his resume and players. But I wonder how long Doeren will stick around. He’s already brought some talented recruits, including Jamal Womble, but is this the sequel to the Jerry Kill debacle we just witnessed less than three months ago?

AS: Doeren very well may ditch the program after a few successful seasons, but you know what? That would mean that NIU would have a handful of winning seasons under its belt. Everyone in DeKalb should realize that NIU is not USC or the University of Texas. Very few coaches want NIU to be their final destination. The only thing that NIU should be concerned with is finding the next coach on the rise that will eventually ditch its university for greener pastures.

JJ: Well according to Doeren, he wants to make NIU the next Boise State/TCU in a team from a small and disrespected conference to a BCS contender. So, if he wants to stick to his first day “say everything right speech,” he’ll have to setup his camp in DeKalb for at least five seasons. I don’t see that happening though. If the Huskies capture the MAC Championship next season and win their bowl game, BCS schools will be lighting up NIU Athletic Director Jeff Compher’s phone line. Sounds like the backlash from the Huskie Nation is only a few years away…

AS: One season isn’t enough to convince the vultures from the BCS. Doeren is here for at least as long as Kill, but most likely longer. Kill didn’t even stay long enough to have the team be completely his. Arguably his best player in Chad Spann came into the fold while Novak still roamed the NIU sideline. While I don’t think Doeren will stay nearly as long as Novak did, I do believe the man when he says he wants to build something at NIU. Doeren is only 39 and has time to build something tangible at NIU while still envisioning a more high-profile head coaching position.

JJ: I think NIU needs to set the bar higher though. They can’t settle for being just a name on another get-in and get-out coach. Things should go well next season and it wouldn’t surprise me if NIU follows up this past year with another big season in 2011. But after that, that’s when things will get interesting for Doeren. Quarterback Chandler Harnish will be gone after next season as well as Willie Clark, Trevor Olson and Keith Otis. Doeren will need some of his first-year recruits to grow up fast.

AS: Dave Doeren will be tested there’s no doubt about it, but we both watched freshman quarterback Jordan Lynch last year during spring practices and you agreed that he looked better than a freshman. I’m not saying he will be great, but don’t count him out. Doeren’s pedigree predicts that he will be a force in the MAC. Too good for NIU.