Grading Head Coaching Hires

It's the offseason for the Longhorns, and well we need some new threads to thrash on. I saw this article in USA Today grading coaching hires. What do you think?

I guess a couple of things that caught my eye include:

- No Big 12 head coach changes that I can think of (please, no more posts on Strong)
- Will Muschamp fever has cooled
- Interested in Dino Babers since Texas OC Gilbert worked for him


A-plus
Virginia Tech — Justin Fuente

A
Miami — Mark Richt
Iowa State — Matt Campbell

B-plus
Virginia — Bronco Mendenhall
Syracuse — Dino Babers
Tulane — Willie Fritz
Memphis — Mike Norvell

B
Missouri — Barry Odom
Maryland — D.J. Durkin
UCF — Scott Frost

B-minus
Georgia — Kirby Smart
USC — Clay Helton
Rutgers — Chris Ash
Minnesota — Tracy Claeys
East Carolina — Scottie Montgomery
Minnesota — Tracy Claeys

C
South Carolina — Will Muschamp
BYU — Kalani Sitake

F
Illinois — Bill Cubit

 

Willie Fritz moving on up. Started at SHSU.

 

This was another article I read about Muschamp. He says he's going to model his head coaching style after Nick Saban.

 

Coach Fran pondering a move back to a&m?

 

Not a bad list. I would move Mendenhall up to an A. I think the commonwealth is going to see a lot of good football between Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Dino Babers might also be an A and Scott Frost a B+.

Matt Campbell might be an A+ because I did not think Iowa State would get him. If Iowa State gets a good up and coming coach with potential and many bigger schools make uninspired hires like some of those on that list, I would say Iowa State made an A+ hire, at least based on what we know now. I am sure some of the B+ hires and above hires will be busts and the B and lower hires will turn out great.

Finally, Muschamp seems to be leaving a path of destruction. Tubberville had sustained success, Muschamp shows up and leaves, things go downhill. Mack Brown had sustained success, Muschamp shows up and leaves, things go downhill. Florida had sustained success, Muschamp shows up, things go downhill (though he did leave talent behind.... or a very easy SEC east, I am not sure). Muschamp shows up to Auburn again, they go 6-6 (in fairness, Malzahn seemed to be going downhill prior to Muschamp). Will be interesting to see what happens at South Carolina. Now I am not saying Muschamp is responsible for the above, but I will say that while I hear Texas fans say they would like "Chizik, Tomey or Robinson" back as DC, they never say they want Muschamp back as DC anymore.

 

Interesting that you listed Virginia Tech's hire, Justin Fuente, as an A+. Did you know that his first two years at Memphis were worse than Strong's here?

Fuente: 7-17
Strong: 11-14

So maybe those of us who think, in fairness, that Strong deserves two more years to really get his players on the field are right. We shall see.

 

Carryhorn, Ive brought up that exact point before. I am pretty sure you were in the thread. I stated that there are instances of coaches winning after a bad 2 years and it is possible. That said, Memphis was in far far worse shape than us.

Here is my post on 11/21 Chris Simms thread that carryhorn was in:

"I still say Charlie gets 3 years and I hope he turns it around. Fuente had a worse record year 2 at memphis and turned it around year 3. Somecoaches do turn it around year 3.That's one of the reasons I say give Strong 3 years. I just do not have any confidence at this point. Strong needs to at least finish 8-5 to come back. He needs tobe able to at least match mack's past three years.As Brad said, that's really low expectations foryear 3."

 

Interesting if we save this thread until same time next year. I have gut feeling Mushchamp does a decent job. Aggy should be worried.

 

Muschamp should have been patient here.