To me, this would qualify as a buddy hire. I don't believe that Nebraska should limit it's searches to individuals that have worked with current staff members in the past. Nebraska should be committed to going out and finding the very best fit for the job.
I'm not a fan of this hire, but understand it completely. New scheme, new language, new attitude, new drills, new personnel (coaches and players), new everything so to ease the transition - make sure you're covered with at least one person that is familiar with everything. And that one person,
outside of another P5 coach (yes, I confirmed) who isn't leaving his current position, is Elliot.
Years ago I made a career change, company wise not industry. I kept everyone on board with the new company when I took over, some of it was part of the agreement I made during negotiations and some of it is how I operate (give rope, hang yourself or survive). I brought one person with me, and it was the one person that knows how I operate/manage/sell/coordinate/etc. He wasn't the best hire I could make, he wasn't the smartest hire I could make but he was one of two people that knows how I do things, inside and out, and that was invaluable to me with the task at hand.
IMO, allowing Diaco to fill this position with who he thinks is the right person is the only way to go about it. We're paying Diaco $800,000 & his track record as a defensive coordinator tells me, "hire who you want Bob"....