I watched parts of the 2001 Holiday Bowl the other day, and Mack's hair is dramatically whiter than it was then. With all this Urban Meyer talk, made me think about it... and my friend and I were just discussing it. My answer was, I wouldn't be shocked. My thought is Muschamp wouldn't sign this coach in waiting deal if he had reason to believe Mack would be here 10 more years. I have heard speculation that Mack wants one more championship before he hangs it up. Well, we're 60 minutes away from that.
This was a plan or a thought, perhaps, but things have changed a little. I am positive there is a plan in place that will all make sense.
If Mack gets another crystal football, the taste of winning it all would be too strong for him to quit. Not to mention 5 big ones awaiting him next season, and all of the incentives he will get this season. Mack is only 58. He came to Texas from NC so he could be with a program that would win National Championships. He is in the position to win another one, and the way he recruits, there will be more to come. Mack is having too much fun to step down after this season, crystal football or not. As has been said before, the AD job pays significantly less, and is not near as exciting for a football coach such as Mack. He will want to bank some of that $5 million/yr. for a few years before he starts thinking about retirement. For all that are worried about Muschamp bolting because Mack is hanging around, I have to ask you: which person do you want as your head coach - Mack Brown or Will Muschamp? I think the answer is clear. Even of Muschamp bolts, there is always the chance he would come back when Mack retires (although the Florida job would be hard to leave).
It would not surprise me at all. He has aged a lot and gained some serious weight in last the few years. Has had some medical problems and has all the money he will ever need. I think he would like to go out on top. I think the raise was as much about a sign of respect for Mack as it was ensuring we had all the dollars budgeted for our coaching staff as would be needed to hire the best HC and staff possible. They want to make sure money is not an object. So, I don't see it as relevant. However, I see Mack going out when a great QB and team leaders are all coming back versus leaving his replacement with a freshman QB. He'll go out an top with the opportunity for a coach to carry on his legacy with no transition time.
If Will goes to Florida (if he was offered, if he took it) he does not come back to Texas. If he went to one of our training grounds for assistant coaches I could see him coming back.
Kinglaw, he would if the talk of him maybe taking a role as AD or something in that department is true. Plus, he may just want to protect his legacy. It may be a quirk he takes seriously in that he views Will as a friend. Who knows for sure? Mack.
Of course Mack would not shaft his successor. I just don't think that leaving Muschamp (or whoever, Muschamp may be long gone by the time Mack retires) with a great team would factor into his decision to retire. Of course he would want his successor to be successful, especially if he goes to AD. Mack would always want UT to be a great team. I just don't think what team he leaves behind is as much as a factor as going out on top when he wants to.
Like you, I have no idea what Mack's going to do... But I know what I'd do, were I Mack. If we contrive to lose this game, I'm staying awhile, and see if I can't get me another one of those Xtal Balls... If - as I expect - we win it... I'm done. I've been watching Saint Darrell, and he's got him a pretty damned nice gig, and I think I could enjoy having the same thing. I'm not the slightest bit worried about money - I'm good right now, even if not another cent comes in... but it will: mark it down. I'm not gonna announce right away. I want to get this next crop in the barn, because we've got the makings of a team that can go down in history. Some time this spring, maybe after spring practice, I'm going to announce that this is my last year, and Coach Boom will be taking over at the end of the 2010 season, and that Boom's going to have a significant hand in overall team matters, not just the Defense.
I think Mack isn't as stressed by the Texas job as Urban is by the Florida job. I think Mack isn't as stressed by the Texas job as he was during his first 5 or 6 seasons here. Mack has a pretty good handle on how to manage the job and the pressures that come with it - and when I contrast that with the way Urban, or Stoops, or other "high intensity" coaches deal with their job stress, it amazes me. In short, Mack has grown into the Texas job, fully embraces all that comes with it, good and bad, and therefore I would be utterly shocked if he retires after this season.
The MNC in 2005 took a ton of pressure off of Mack. He has reached iconic status, which gives you a pretty much unfettered license to not give a **** about what is said. Mack is good friends with Dodds and all the big cigars. Those are the only people who could put any stress on him at this point and they love him. Meyer seems like he must have created a ton of stress on himself by handling too much of the minutia of D-1 program himself. For instance, it seems like Meyer is the most active UF coach on the recruiting trail. Mack relies upon his assistants to recruit and he only comes in to seal the deal. Running a monster program like Texas or Florida is like running a major corporation. If try to do everything, it will consume you. Mack gets that and places his trust in good people to get things done. Call him a "CEO" all day, but he has efficiently ran one of the biggest programs in all of sports for 11 years without running himself into the ground. If he calls it quits after the game, it will be because he wants to leave on top.
After seeing the debacles of some of the largest corporations in the country lately, calling Mack a CEO and the Texas program a corporation is an insult. However, Mack has the program in such a smoothly running operation, that he can plug and play assistants without any dropoff in effectiveness. There is no doubt that the UT program is where it is today because of Mack. Like you say, the big cigars love Mack so much, he can do just sbout anything he wants. Giving him a raise to $5 million shows how much they value Mack, and what he means to Texas. I agree that Mack, unlike Meyers and Stoops, is enjoying the hell out of coaching football, and is not stressing as badly when OU had the streak going on us. He seems to be at peace with himself, and the position he is in today - being the most successful coach in football today. I believe Mack winning the crystal football will only whet his appetite for more, especially since he has a fabulous recruiting class coming in. ESPN ranks UT's recruiting class at #1, with Florida at #2.
Mack will be hear at least another 2 or 3 yrs and as far as Will I don't see him as the type of person to go back on his word. If he had no intention of staying at UT he would have never signed that contract. Just my opinon.
I think it comes down to DD and when he steps down. I think being AD at UT would be something MB would be interested in. And I can certainly see DD retire if we win the MC. Then MB would retire and become AD , then Coach Boom would step in and become coach. Now if we lose the MNC all bets are off.
No, he probably coaches 3-4 more years. We could lose Muschamp to the Gators and if so good luck to hom but I really expect UF to go after someone with HC experience. They will start with Stoops and then move to someone like Butch Davis, he really seems like a perfect fit for them.
My guess is that MB coaches through the 2011 season. I do not see MB going on to Athletic director and I think it would be a horrible move by all parties. The AD is a prety thankless job and requires a great deal of effort. Plus the really good ADs have long lists of coaches and assistents in every sport. It is a professional job. Kind of like a professional GM. Retired coaches dont usually work out too well. Of course there are exceptions. I have no doubt MB could do the job, I just don't know why he would want to. Give him a consulting job at the U and let him work with coaches, students, alumni etc.
a bigger more important question might be, if not Mack Brown, who becomes AD when DeLoss retires? Especially with Muschamp "in place", who The University of Texas hires as AD is a much more important and potentially perilous decision. Most if not all our athletic programs are in really GREAT shape. A bad hire for AD could put that all hard work in jeopardy down the road.
I think this is a much better time for Deloss to retire than it is for Mack. Mack still has three or four good years left, IMO. I believe Deloss is 72 years old, and major issues such as stadium expansion have occurred. We're kind of in a lull, the next big stadium expansion won't be for a while, probably 8-10 years. Something tells me that Deloss is on a schedule that doesn't necessarily include informing Mack before he retires. The question will be does Mack care to work for another A.D? I would think any new AD would get out of Mack's way, but you never know for sure. Mack might feel like having to train an AD and WM at the same time might be more of a hassle than it's worth.
