What a joy to be able to speculate knowing that one of these individuals will indeed be our next HC. Here's what I am thinking/wondering: Who has the resume "and" fits the image we are seeking? While it is unlikely that anyone can be the ambassador that Mack was, perhaps a few could come close. Within that category I would mention John Harbaugh, Mora, Del Rio. I don't see any of the top college candidates being the strong, ambassador type. Next, let's look at recruiting. I suppose that Briles tops that list but his age and style may not fit the profile we are seeking. Franklin? I am not a recruiting guru so perhaps others on this Board will have some thoughts. As Jayakris has mentioned, Franklin has done a pretty good recruiting at Vandy. The No Baggage Factor. This might be a perception issue for Malzahn. The next DKR? The whole package. In this category I have no idea, but it would need to be an up and comer. Franklin, Shaw, Gruden? I include Gruden because of his demeanor and personality. The Proven Commodity? There are many choices here. Virtually everyone mentioned in the post would qualify. Jim or John Harbaugh come to mind although John has not done it in college. The Big Splash Factor: There are many candidates in this category as well with some of the NFL names probably topping the list. Nobody would make the impact that Saban would have made, but Gruden and the Harbaughs might come very close. Perhaps the most important key? Who would Steve Patterson like? Can we decern anything from his choice of Graham at ASU? Perhaps. Young, up and comer, Texas roots, recruiter? Who best fits the entire profile? Frankly I am not sure.
Pass on Richt = Mack Jr. Texas needs a hardass coach for a change. Harbaughs, Mora, Dantonio fit that bill. Coaches and media agree that UT is one of the top 5 jobs in the country in a recruit rich state. Just how hard can it be for an ambitious and competent coach to recruit? HC personal recruiting skill should not be determinative with the right staff and proper, intense and diligent evaluation and development.
Vegas just posted their odds. Favorite is Saban at 2-1 because there is no buyout in his new contract. Could he have signed to get people to back off? I doubt it. But Vegas makes money off their odds.
Oh boy. Again that line of "just how hard can it be to recruit at Texas?". Ask Mackovic and McWilliams how hard it was. recruiting bluechips requires you to show that you can do it. You need to show that you have the assistants who can do the job. The top recruits don't come just because it is Texas. It is a bit easier at Texas than it is at Baylor or Oklahoma State, but it is not too difficult to imagine a coach being unable to recruit well. Because we have had many many years when we had seen that. It is even tougher when you are dealing with HS coaches used to how good Mack was, in that job. They could just tell the kids and the parents - "you can't go wrong with Mack and the family atmosphere" or "you won't be playing or sharing rooms with felony suspects in Mack's program" etc. The new coach will have to establish such reputations. It is all not that automatic as one thinks.
If the Malzahn, Mora, Shaw, Jimbo, Harbaugh type possibilities aren't going to happen, I would take a look at DeRuyter at Fresno State also - though not knowing about his recruiting ability is a concern (he does have Texas contacts, as he was at A&M quite recently). A risky hire, but with high upward potential for something special. If I were hiring, I would be reluctant to pull the trigger on it, but I would consider him.
I really like Shaw. He's great at fundamentals, doesn't get away from his core competency in games, and doesn't get out-coached. Even when Stanford was favored, they usually had the less athletically dominant team. He has his team in the Rose Bowl in the Pac 12 with a mediocre QB. Makes me think he would have had this team in the Fiesta Bowl comfortably this year.
Not a guess since no one has mentioned the guy. But has anyone paid attention to San Diego this year and how much better Rivers is playing? Their OC is a guy named Ken Whisenhunt. Won a superbowl as OC at Pittsburgh. Took Arizona to a Superbowl as Head coach. He's a southern guy from Georgia and is only 50.
2005, I agree that Shaw might be an excellent choice. My only concern is that he inherited a stellar foundation laid by Harbaugh. Such a foundation and culture of hard nosed football seems not to currently exist here. Would he be as successful following Brown as he has been following Harbaugh? On the positive side, he is young, obviously bright and he fits beautifully into the image that Texas wants to project. Powers should love him. Probably Brown too. Recruiting here might be an unknown although I would expect him to do well particularly given his pedigree (Stanford) and his ethnicity. Now, if Harbaugh was available...
Given the roller coaster of the past 24 hours, could there be another surprise in store for us today at 1:00? Could part of Mack's deal be to introduce his replacement? I know, I'm getting giddy and it's late but, ahh, is anyone tracking flights tomorrow morning from SFO, BNA , BWI or TCL? No doubt, prospects and agents all over the country are hyperventilating. After all, the best coaching job in the country just became available.
Go to sleep duke. Nothing happening now. I hope a flight has gone to LAX or Burbank to get a guy though... That is the guy I want, really.
My bet, or hope, is that Steve Patterson will bring his professional experience -- plus having been completely outside this institution and it's mixed influences -- all into play and steer the hire toward a selection that will in time be seen as hitting the nail square on the head. It may be an NFL guy. It may be a Pac 12 guy or an SEC guy. My bet is that he will steer the hire based on a comprehensive plan. It's what he does. He makes decisions on a comprehensive many-sided plan.
Nothing of that sort. I am not waiting to argue against him if anybody mentions the name Franklin either. I just want people to tell me what is great about him, as I am genuinely puzzled at so many people saying he is good, and not giving me any data or info on how or why. That's the only reason I bring him up. A 17-8 record at ANY school (big or small) is not that terribly impressive. I see no serious evidence that he out-schemes people for some huge upsets either (but I have not seen his games; so if you have info on those things, tell me). So, rather than blame me, why not give me some reason why you want him. Not generalities like "he can really coach" or that "he knows his football" - and those kinds of phrases that some people throw around. I need numbers. Data. What I see is 17-8, and that is 17-8. And a 1-7 in quality games is a 1-7. So why is everybody impressed with him? He did fine in recruiting (not terrific or anything but quite decent considering it's Vandy) and I myself mentioned. That's all I have. Thurd Coast, you can debate or not as you like, but not giving me any argument or info in his favor and then saying that I have something against him and that my argument is "petty" (huh? on what?), is of no use. Why would I have anything against Franklin?
Let's add a few desired or required characterisitcs: Runs a clean program. No NCAA issues. Disciplinarian. Good recruiter. Can relate to Texas HS coaches. Access to quality assistant coaches. Good with the Xs & Os. Proven track record. Middle of career - not too young or too old. (Is that age discrimination?) Stresses academics. Good with the media??? LHN responsibilities?? Good with the donors??? Capable of handling coaching and political job requirements (prefer someone that is solely a coach and forget the political/Donor BS. Let Patterson handle that.) What other qualities are desired?
Swashbuckling prowess? Why has Leach's name not come up? Other than the political donor side, he meets the above criteria. I don't particularly care for his personality but he sure was a coach I dreaded having on the opposing sideline.
Chad Morris OC at Clemson and former Lake Travis Head Coach. Prior to Clemson he was the OC at Tulsa and I think they set a record that year for points scored. Malzahn also served as OC at Tulsa prior to Morris as well. Knows Texas HS football. Runs a spread offense that he learned from Malzahn through various coaching clinics when they were both HS coaches which is geared toward Texas HS football. Morris is still young too. 46 maybe? Oh yeah Clemson is 31-8 with Morris as OC. just my two cents.
Morris' only issue is he has no major university level HC experience. No sure Patterson will want to stick his neck out that far as if this turns out bad he will be gone with the new coach. As we have seen super good at the coordinator level does not always translate to super good on the HC level (see Muschamp).
Craig Bohl would bring to UT a resume very similar to Sweater Vest's when he took over at tOSU. And I could live with that. But I'd also like to see anybody named Harbaugh here too, preferably Jim.
Franklin should be and is on the short list for good reasons. He has a very impressive record coaching and recruiting at a top academic school playing in the toughest conference in America. He has brought Vandy back from the grave and made them more than respectable in a short time. The cupboard had been bare at Vandy for decades. Besides being young and energetic, he is smart. He holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and can talk the talk with parents of athletes about education being important--he has also walked the walk and has the sheepskins to prove it. At Texas he has a much, much easier sell to recruits than at Vandy. To Mack's credit he put Texas back on the football map and the name Texas gets you in the door. Franklin has been head of recruiting and now head coach. He knows how to do it. He is good on game day. He is tough. His players play for him. I saw Vandy play before Franklin got there. They stunk. And had for years and years. The job he did to bring them back is nothing short of amazing. Should he be the number one choice? I'm not saying that. But, there will be no hesitation by the big cheeses to place him smack in the mix with the Harbaugh's, Shaw, Mora and Malzahn. The fact that he succeeded at Vandy puts him in a similar station as Shaw. Very good academics plus success on the field. Unlike Shaw who had the athletic foundation built up by Harbaugh, Franklin started from scratch. Mack's work here is going to give any coach a leg up. The cupboard is not bare, and if the new coach can keep the studs of the incoming class intact, he will be well on his way to the bringing Texas back to the MNC picture.
There's a lot of talented coordinators who probably should get a look at HC. Chip Kelly, Art Briles, Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn were highly successful HS coaches prior to becoming head coaches. You gotta take a risk and innovative offenses are hard to come by. Chad Morris fits that bill. Here's a nice little write up on Chad Morris's career. I like guys who are hungry and this guys a star in the making. I guarantee he is getting a HC gig somewhere after the season. Link Honestly his only flaw is that he was an Aggie grad but heck Royal was a Sooner and that paid off well. Nobody's perfect I guess. lol
