Urban Meyer or bust

[SwanderedTalent 5,761]

6 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

But with everything that is going on, if UM wanted to bring that fucking loser with him, do you really think that would be the sticking point to the hire? Not a fucking chance.

Disagree. That dude is toxic, currently unemployed, and didn't have a good reputation as a receivers coach in the first place. I think if Meyer made his hiring conditional on bringing Smith, Texas would balk. Imagine if we were trying to bring Mack Brown back and he insisted Cleve Bryant be part of the package. 

[Your Mom 4,791]

You guys know a lot about flight tracking and Urban’s wife’s taste in food but you are really shitty at movie references. 
 

 

[NoName 16,287]

6 hours ago, Rip76 said:

If this happens these freaking 11am games stop.

 

The 11 AM games aren't going anywhere - Fox is making it a key part of their CFB slate and has for a couple of years. Unless something MAJOR changes with CFB rights, they are here to stay.

[RGBIII 22,798]

[Longboard Horn 40,102]

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

1 minute ago, RGBIII said:

[NoName 16,287]

2 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

[Fud 9,545]

34 minutes ago, Parliament said:

His offenses at Ohio State were maddening. Good because of talent and execution. But not great because his play calling lacked alot.

He seemingly figured it out with his last hire 

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

@immamac I move to make a motion that if Urban Meyer is hired we change @futureman name to fistureman. 
 

 

[Fud 9,545]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

@immamac I move to make a motion that if Urban Meyer is hired we change @futureman name to fistureman. 
 

 

*fistedman

[Parliament 14,121]

37 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

I can guarantee you, Zach Smith will not be employed by the university of Texas...no

I was joking about that.  

[JesusSweatDuck 17,780]

4 minutes ago, Fud said:

*fistedman

fissureman

[immamac 42,513]

4 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

@immamac I move to make a motion that if Urban Meyer is hired we change @futureman name to fistureman. 
 

 

If he fists his own asshole as promised there will be no changes. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17,780]

9 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

@immamac I move to make a motion that if Urban Meyer is hired we change @futureman name to fistureman. 
 

 

Live look at futureman's anus

[phdhorn 6,224]

Remember that TommyBoy' & Co.s' buyout goes down $3mil tomorrow (12/1).  Jus' sayin'.

Edited November 30, 2020 by phdhorn

[Hank_Hill 18,484]

Just now, phdhorn said:

Remember that TommyBoy' $ co.s' buyout goes down $3mil tomorrow (12/1).  Jus' sayin'.

Still don’t know the accuracy of this but, like, Tuesday so...

[NoName 16,287]

37 minutes ago, Parliament said:

His offenses at Ohio State were maddening. Good because of talent and execution. But not great because his play calling lacked alot.

Using oFEI ranking here...

• 2012: 32
• 2013: 3
• 2014: 2
• 2015: 22
• 2016: 21
• 2017: 4
• 2018: 5

Texas over the last 10 years has rarely had execution or quality play calling so I would honestly settle for either of those at this point.

basically UM offenses at tOSU were either top 5 or in the 20s? average of 13.

Texas from 2012 to today has averaged 58th overall in oFEI (as many rankings in the 100s as they have less between 1-20), and under Herman have averaged 44 (109, 25, 13, 28 - avg of 22 last 3 years though!)

Having talent AND execution at the same time? Having an offense that actually impresses basically anyone?

This board's collective reaction:

[phdhorn 6,224]

... and CDC's utter silence the last 3 months, and especially this weekend, is deafening.   In a good way.

(i.e. I don't think we'll hear anything until Wed. soonest.  Of course the big cigs probably wipe their asses with $100's, so $3 mil to them might not mean much.  But I think they'll just let it go until Dec. 13 then fire the ejection seat, unless they don't think they can make up the recruiting defect, which from what I hear right now is massive.)

Edited November 30, 2020 by phdhorn

[Burt Macklin 18,989]

2 minutes ago, NoName said:

Using oFEI ranking here...

• 2012: 32
• 2013: 3
• 2014: 2
• 2015: 22
• 2016: 21
• 2017: 4
• 2018: 5

Texas over the last 10 years has rarely had execution or quality play calling so I would honestly settle for either of those at this point.

basically UM offenses at tOSU were either top 5 or in the 20s? average of 13.

Texas from 2012 to today has averaged 58th overall in oFEI (as many rankings in the 100s as they have less between 1-20), and under Herman have averaged 44 (109, 25, 13, 28 - avg of 22 last 3 years though!)

Having talent AND execution at the same time? Having an offense that actually impresses basically anyone?

This board's collective reaction:

Those two offenses in the 20s can be explained by two words: Tim Beck 

[Fud 9,545]

3 minutes ago, NoName said:

Using oFEI ranking here...

• 2012: 32
• 2013: 3
• 2014: 2
• 2015: 22
• 2016: 21
• 2017: 4
• 2018: 5

Texas over the last 10 years has rarely had execution or quality play calling so I would honestly settle for either of those at this point.

basically UM offenses at tOSU were either top 5 or in the 20s? average of 13.

Texas from 2012 to today has averaged 58th overall in oFEI (as many rankings in the 100s as they have less between 1-20), and under Herman have averaged 44 (109, 25, 13, 28 - avg of 22 last 3 years though!)

Having talent AND execution at the same time? Having an offense that actually impresses basically anyone?

This board's collective reaction:

Basically, don't hire Tim Beck 

[pearlandhorn 3,269]

2 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

... and CDC's utter silence the last 3 months, and especially this weekend, is deafening.   In a good way.

I’m imagining your avatar is CDC, Herman, and Meyer right now.

[Dbeasy 14,962]

Still don’t know the accuracy of this but, like, Tuesday so...

They also just quoted this in 104.1

[Longboard Horn 40,102]

 

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

10 hours ago, immamac said:

Fuck, what do we do on the site if this happens? tagline obviously, but gif? lock the whole board to one thread?

I thought about this for a while and I think the best thing we could do is just remove cloak room from the site. 

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

This made me laugh

[CycleTex87 2,953]

The timing question is interesting with probably the last regular season game coming up this weekend.  If TH wants to coach again, he plays along and keeps his mouth shut, takes his buyout and says good things about his time at Texas, and quietly goes away after corching the Horns for the last time against KSU.

[tonedeaf 56]

6 minutes ago, NoName said:

Using oFEI ranking here...

• 2012: 32
• 2013: 3
• 2014: 2
• 2015: 22
• 2016: 21
• 2017: 4
• 2018: 5

Texas over the last 10 years has rarely had execution or quality play calling so I would honestly settle for either of those at this point.

basically UM offenses at tOSU were either top 5 or in the 20s? average of 13.

Texas from 2012 to today has averaged 58th overall in oFEI (as many rankings in the 100s as they have less between 1-20), and under Herman have averaged 44 (109, 25, 13, 28 - avg of 22 last 3 years though!)

Having talent AND execution at the same time? Having an offense that actually impresses basically anyone?

This board's collective reaction:

I dont mean to beat a dead horse, but if he (CUM) fixes the OL that will cure lots of issues.  Lets do this. 🤘

[gmr548 16,482]

Imagine if we were trying to bring Mack Brown back

[closetojumping 62,141]

34 minutes ago, RGBIII said:

It’s clear Bobby Burton reads our recruiting board. 

[Hiphopopotamos 20,865]

Long fucking list of HC candidates from Bruce Feldman:

It’s not expected to be the typical hectic year on the coaching carousel due to the pandemic and the financial challenges that have come with it, but South Carolina looking beyond a $15 million hurdle to fire Will Muschamp showed that things can —and will still get wild.

Vanderbilt’s firing of Derek Mason on Sunday created a fourth FBS vacancy to go with South Carolina, Utah State and Southern Miss. Bigger dominoes though could fall in the next month. With that as a backdrop, let’s size up the 20 most intriguing names that could be in play this year on the coaching carousel.

1. Urban Meyer

Full disclosure: I work with the former Ohio State head coach at FOX on our “Big Noon Kickoff” show.

Meyer is the elephant in the room when it comes to potentially huge coaching openings, and there could be one coming open this winter at Texas. Tom Herman is near the end of his fourth season at Texas, and the Longhorns are nowhere close to being a top-10 team. And despite a strong second season when they finished No. 9, it’s been very underwhelming.

After last season, Herman fired most of his staff — many of whom he brought with him from Houston — but the results haven’t been much better. A loss last Friday at home to Iowa State dropped Herman to 7-7 in his last 14 games. The feeling is this program should be better than it is now, and recruiting is backsliding. It would take $15 million-plus to move on from Herman, not to mention the cost of parting with the coaching staff.

People with knowledge of the matter say the UT brass is prepared to move on from Herman, but where they’d go next is the really intriguing part. Herman’s old boss, Meyer, is the wish candidate. He won national titles at Florida and at Ohio State and wasted little time getting them there. The 56-year-old does have health concerns, and those were a real factor in him walking away from a plum job in Columbus. Does he still want badly to be on the sidelines?

Here’s my read on the situation: It’s really, really, really hard for coaches who walked away on top to stay away — especially someone as wildly competitive as Meyer is. In Texas, you have a big job in a conference that appears ripe for the taking. This certainly isn’t the meat grinder that is the SEC. There are some parallels to how watered down the Big Ten was back when Meyer first showed up in Columbus. Meyer also has a good window into what’s going on inside at Texas and the personnel there given his former defensive coordinator Chris Ash now runs the Longhorns defense. Texas has great resources and a hefty recruiting base that Meyer did well mining when he was at Ohio State.

All that said, Meyer has taken to TV really well. He is extremely engaged in our show and very passionate about it — maybe as much as any analyst that I’ve worked with in TV. He genuinely cares about the show and takes great pride in the presence he has as a commentator on the sport, so I could definitely see him staying committed to that. I’ve worked with some former coaches who moved into TV and they essentially went through the motions, coasting on their name and personalities. That is definitely not Meyer or how he’s transitioned to it here.

I don’t know this for certain, but I suspect there are moments when he’s tempted by the prospects of being back in it as a coach, striving toward building and running a powerhouse being wired for how all-consuming that is. And then there probably are other days when he’s very comfortable with his situation now.

2. Matt Campbell, Iowa State

If Michigan or Texas were to come up, Campbell would be a strong option for both. In fact, I think if the Wolverines need to find another coach, to me, he’s the best option.

Campbell builds and develops a culture as well as any young coach in the sport. His teams play hard and never quit. Spend time around his program and you come away thinking, “OK, I get it. I’m a believer.” He also has a great eye for talent. The 41-year-old Ohio native is the real deal. Iowa State was fortunate to land him. He has the Cyclones 7-2 in his fifth year, and they are 30-18 in his last four seasons. Given the program’s history, that is remarkable. This the first time the Cyclones have beaten the Sooners and Longhorns in the same season since the conference began in 1996.

3. Hugh Freeze, Liberty

He wins games. He’s won everywhere he’s been and elevated each program, including now at Liberty where he’s taken over a mostly FCS-caliber roster and turned it into a Top 25 product. He’s a fantastic play-caller and has continued to evolve as a head coach. I’m convinced he could make South Carolina into a Top 25 team pretty quickly. I’m even more confident he’d do that at Tennessee (a job he grew up wanting) and Auburn in even less time. Neither of those jobs are open, and they might not come open until 2021 at the earliest, but we’ll see.

4. Steve Sarkisian, Alabama offensive coordinator

The former USC and Washington head coach has spent two years calling plays for the Tide, and his stock is soaring. Since taking over Alabama’s offense, the Tide is averaging 48 points per game and eight yards per play. In the decade before, the Tide averaged 37 ppg and 6.67 yards per play.

Sarkisian fizzled out at USC as he struggled with personal problems, but word is he’s in a much better place and has impressed a lot of folks in Tuscaloosa. That has carried over to parts of the coaching industry, where he turned down Power 5 head coaching opportunities last year at Colorado and Mississippi State. People with knowledge of the matter say South Carolina has a lot of interest in him, but he’s going to be very choosy.

He has positioned himself well to be a viable candidate when Nick Saban opts to step down, whenever that may be. Sarkisian was the acting head coach in the Iron Bowl with Saban home sidelined with COVID-19, and Sark led the Tide to a 42-13 rout, prompting Saban to say the staff did a marvelous job and crediting the California native for doing a “nice job of managing things.”

5. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

The former Ohio State standout turned down a chance to coach in the Big Ten at Michigan State last winter. There’s been a lot of chatter that Fickell, 30-5 the past three years, would only be tempted by very few jobs, and none of those are open. Could a Buckeye really sign on to be Michigan’s head coach? It doesn’t sound like it based on those who know Fickell well. Would Texas be more attractive? What if James Franklin ended up jumping at Texas and then Penn State had a vacancy?

6. Billy Napier, Louisiana

Another Nick Saban protégé, Napier is a 41-year-old Tennessee native who spent almost a decade coaching in South Carolina as a Clemson assistant. Napier is 19-4 in the past two seasons and has shown savvy in putting together an excellent staff and developing a winning culture for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He’s turned down opportunities for SEC jobs and is a strong candidate for the South Carolina vacancy, but does he want to wait on Auburn or Tennessee?

7. James Franklin, Penn State

This has been a clunker of a season for the Nittany Lions with key opt-outs and a decimated running back room. The Nittany Lions are 1-5, but anyone who questions Franklin’s coaching acumen is kidding themselves. His work at Vanderbilt (two Top 25 seasons in three years) is unmatched, and he has led Penn State to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl.

The 48-year-old Pennsylvania native has been a good fit, and he knows he has a good situation. The reason he’s on this list is that it’s no secret Texas AD Chris Del Conte thinks very highly of Franklin.

8. Jeff Hafley, Boston College

The Eagles hit a home run in hiring the 41-year-old New Jersey native, and his early success is not surprising. Hafley worked wonders improving the Ohio State defense last year and has long been known as a fantastic recruiter. He’s 6-4 with a close loss at Clemson. It’s only been one year as a head coach, and that isn’t much of a sample, but if I’m Michigan and I have to make a candidates list, he’s higher on my list than a lot of the usual suspects.

9. Brent Venables, Clemson, defensive coordinator

He’s been the best defensive coordinator in college football for a few years now and has been a terrific part of the Tigers’ program. Venables has turned down some decent Power 5 head coaching opportunities. He’s happy at Clemson and is coaching his two sons now. It’s going to take a ripe situation to get him to leave. If I’m Texas, I’d have Venables high on my list. He played in the Big 12 footprint, was a key assistant at Kansas State and Oklahoma and is a dogged recruiter.

10. Clark Lea, Notre Dame defensive coordinator

If the Nashville native and former Vanderbilt player wants the Commodores’ head coaching job, he’s going to be very hard to pass up. The 38-year-old has player a key role in Notre Dame’s rise as a College Football Playoff contender. Under Lea, the Irish are No. 3 in total defense and have been terrific at shutting down some special players, with Clemson star Travis Etienne at the top of the list.

11. Shane Beamer, Oklahoma assistant coach

The son of Frank Beamer and a former South Carolina assistant on Steve Spurrier’s staff, Beamer has a lot of momentum for the Gamecocks opening with some key boosters and many former players.

12. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

He’s invigorated a program from 3-9 in his debut season to 5-7 last year to 9-0 and produced the Sun Belt’s top offense in yards per play (6.74), relying on a very creative scheme. The 43-year-old played college ball at East Tennessee State and spent four years coaching there. He’s a viable option for Vanderbilt and South Carolina too, even though he’s never coached at the Power 5 level.

13. Will Healy, Charlotte

The 35-year-old Chattanooga native did amazing work at Austin Peay. He parlayed that into the Charlotte job, where he’s 9-9 in two seasons at a place that had won just 12 games in the previous four seasons. He figures to be a strong candidate in the Vanderbilt search.

14. Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator

He’d be higher on this list if there were more tempting potential vacancies. A former Broyles Award winner, Elliott also has been choosey. People with knowledge of the matter say he declined interest in the South Carolina vacancy. He is on a lot of schools’ want lists, but this might not be the ideal cycle for him given the possible vacancies that may pop open.

15. Rhett Lashlee, Miami offensive coordinator

There’s actually not a lot of inventory on “hot” offensive guys because so many others have landed head coaching jobs. The 37-year-old has done a very good job at Miami, turning around what was a dreadful offense. Lashlee has grown a lot from his time at Auburn on Gus Malzahn’s staff. He’ll likely merit a closer look from South Carolina, Utah State and Vanderbilt.

16. Lance Leipold, Buffalo

Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Utah State at least need to kick the tires here. He won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater. He left for Buffalo, one of the hardest places to win in college football, and he has kept winning. The Bulls are 23-9 the past thee years, and he keeps finding and developing talent like RB Jaret Patterson.

17. Jay Norvell, Nevada

The former Iowa Hawkeyes player has done a good job with the Wolf Pack, who have very limited resources in the Mountain West. He’s 20-12 the past three years. The 57-year-old could be an option at South Carolina and perhaps at Utah State, where he knows the league well and would have better resources.

18. Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech

A proven program builder, Holtz has quietly done a nice job at Louisiana Tech and is 60-39 there, including 14-6 in the past two years. Could the 56-year-old get in at South Carolina? It feels like that might be a reach. His dad coached there and had some good seasons, but the program went on probation in his wake. Holtz also might be a fit for a Utah State program in a need of a rebuild after Gary Anderson’s brief second tenure.

19. Sean Lewis, Kent State

The former Syracuse assistant has done a remarkable job at one of the toughest FBS jobs in the country. A 34-year-old former Wisconsin player, Lewis has the Golden Flashes 3-1 and led them to their first bowl win last season after going 2-10 the previous year. He’s probably a longshot for South Carolina but could be in play if Illinois opens.

20. Jeff Monken, Army

No question, what the 53-year-old Illinois native has done with Army football is impressive, going 33-15 the past four years. (The Black Knights had one winning season in the 17 years before he arrived.)  Monken is a candidate for South Carolina given his connection to school president Robert Caslen, who came from West Point. He also could be in play for the Vanderbilt opening and perhaps for Illinois if that were to come open.

[UncleBuck 6,444]

It’s clear Bobby Burton reads our recruiting board. 

I sent him some screenshots

[Reynolds Woodcock 4,658]

18 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

Still don’t know the accuracy of this but, like, Tuesday so...

It’s been de-bunked a million times. His buyout is prorated. There is no million or multi-million dollar cliff. We are either paying him to coach or paying his buyout.

[Blotto 23,424]

1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

I get what you are saying, and I don't think UM would touch that with a ten foot pole, anyway..

But with everything that is going on, if UM wanted to bring that fucking loser with him, do you really think that would be the sticking point to the hire? Not a fucking chance.

Well its an absurd question, because Meyer likely doesn't give a fuck about Smith now that he doesn't have to pander to tOSU and Earl Bruce. But I absolutely believe that the University would veto any chance of Smith coaching here. He's an embarrassing pyschopath with a need to espouse his lunacy on social media and was recently sentenced to jail time for his asshattery. There is zero fucking chance Meyer would be allowed to hire that fuckstick. Zero. 

[stork642 4,498]

30 minutes ago, immamac said:

If he fists his own asshole as promised there will be no changes. 

Not even dirty keyboard?

Edited November 30, 2020 by stork642

[HeyMcFly 144]

1 minute ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Long fucking list of HC candidates from Bruce Feldman:

It’s not expected to be the typical hectic year on the coaching carousel due to the pandemic and the financial challenges that have come with it, but South Carolina looking beyond a $15 million hurdle to fire Will Muschamp showed that things can —and will still get wild.

Vanderbilt’s firing of Derek Mason on Sunday created a fourth FBS vacancy to go with South Carolina, Utah State and Southern Miss. Bigger dominoes though could fall in the next month. With that as a backdrop, let’s size up the 20 most intriguing names that could be in play this year on the coaching carousel.

1. Urban Meyer

Full disclosure: I work with the former Ohio State head coach at FOX on our “Big Noon Kickoff” show.

Meyer is the elephant in the room when it comes to potentially huge coaching openings, and there could be one coming open this winter at Texas. Tom Herman is near the end of his fourth season at Texas, and the Longhorns are nowhere close to being a top-10 team. And despite a strong second season when they finished No. 9, it’s been very underwhelming.

After last season, Herman fired most of his staff — many of whom he brought with him from Houston — but the results haven’t been much better. A loss last Friday at home to Iowa State dropped Herman to 7-7 in his last 14 games. The feeling is this program should be better than it is now, and recruiting is backsliding. It would take $15 million-plus to move on from Herman, not to mention the cost of parting with the coaching staff.

People with knowledge of the matter say the UT brass is prepared to move on from Herman, but where they’d go next is the really intriguing part. Herman’s old boss, Meyer, is the wish candidate. He won national titles at Florida and at Ohio State and wasted little time getting them there. The 56-year-old does have health concerns, and those were a real factor in him walking away from a plum job in Columbus. Does he still want badly to be on the sidelines?

Here’s my read on the situation: It’s really, really, really hard for coaches who walked away on top to stay away — especially someone as wildly competitive as Meyer is. In Texas, you have a big job in a conference that appears ripe for the taking. This certainly isn’t the meat grinder that is the SEC. There are some parallels to how watered down the Big Ten was back when Meyer first showed up in Columbus. Meyer also has a good window into what’s going on inside at Texas and the personnel there given his former defensive coordinator Chris Ash now runs the Longhorns defense. Texas has great resources and a hefty recruiting base that Meyer did well mining when he was at Ohio State.

All that said, Meyer has taken to TV really well. He is extremely engaged in our show and very passionate about it — maybe as much as any analyst that I’ve worked with in TV. He genuinely cares about the show and takes great pride in the presence he has as a commentator on the sport, so I could definitely see him staying committed to that. I’ve worked with some former coaches who moved into TV and they essentially went through the motions, coasting on their name and personalities. That is definitely not Meyer or how he’s transitioned to it here.

I don’t know this for certain, but I suspect there are moments when he’s tempted by the prospects of being back in it as a coach, striving toward building and running a powerhouse being wired for how all-consuming that is. And then there probably are other days when he’s very comfortable with his situation now.

2. Matt Campbell, Iowa State

If Michigan or Texas were to come up, Campbell would be a strong option for both. In fact, I think if the Wolverines need to find another coach, to me, he’s the best option.

Campbell builds and develops a culture as well as any young coach in the sport. His teams play hard and never quit. Spend time around his program and you come away thinking, “OK, I get it. I’m a believer.” He also has a great eye for talent. The 41-year-old Ohio native is the real deal. Iowa State was fortunate to land him. He has the Cyclones 7-2 in his fifth year, and they are 30-18 in his last four seasons. Given the program’s history, that is remarkable. This the first time the Cyclones have beaten the Sooners and Longhorns in the same season since the conference began in 1996.

3. Hugh Freeze, Liberty

He wins games. He’s won everywhere he’s been and elevated each program, including now at Liberty where he’s taken over a mostly FCS-caliber roster and turned it into a Top 25 product. He’s a fantastic play-caller and has continued to evolve as a head coach. I’m convinced he could make South Carolina into a Top 25 team pretty quickly. I’m even more confident he’d do that at Tennessee (a job he grew up wanting) and Auburn in even less time. Neither of those jobs are open, and they might not come open until 2021 at the earliest, but we’ll see.

4. Steve Sarkisian, Alabama offensive coordinator

The former USC and Washington head coach has spent two years calling plays for the Tide, and his stock is soaring. Since taking over Alabama’s offense, the Tide is averaging 48 points per game and eight yards per play. In the decade before, the Tide averaged 37 ppg and 6.67 yards per play.

Sarkisian fizzled out at USC as he struggled with personal problems, but word is he’s in a much better place and has impressed a lot of folks in Tuscaloosa. That has carried over to parts of the coaching industry, where he turned down Power 5 head coaching opportunities last year at Colorado and Mississippi State. People with knowledge of the matter say South Carolina has a lot of interest in him, but he’s going to be very choosy.

He has positioned himself well to be a viable candidate when Nick Saban opts to step down, whenever that may be. Sarkisian was the acting head coach in the Iron Bowl with Saban home sidelined with COVID-19, and Sark led the Tide to a 42-13 rout, prompting Saban to say the staff did a marvelous job and crediting the California native for doing a “nice job of managing things.”

5. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

The former Ohio State standout turned down a chance to coach in the Big Ten at Michigan State last winter. There’s been a lot of chatter that Fickell, 30-5 the past three years, would only be tempted by very few jobs, and none of those are open. Could a Buckeye really sign on to be Michigan’s head coach? It doesn’t sound like it based on those who know Fickell well. Would Texas be more attractive? What if James Franklin ended up jumping at Texas and then Penn State had a vacancy?

6. Billy Napier, Louisiana

Another Nick Saban protégé, Napier is a 41-year-old Tennessee native who spent almost a decade coaching in South Carolina as a Clemson assistant. Napier is 19-4 in the past two seasons and has shown savvy in putting together an excellent staff and developing a winning culture for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He’s turned down opportunities for SEC jobs and is a strong candidate for the South Carolina vacancy, but does he want to wait on Auburn or Tennessee?

7. James Franklin, Penn State

This has been a clunker of a season for the Nittany Lions with key opt-outs and a decimated running back room. The Nittany Lions are 1-5, but anyone who questions Franklin’s coaching acumen is kidding themselves. His work at Vanderbilt (two Top 25 seasons in three years) is unmatched, and he has led Penn State to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl.

The 48-year-old Pennsylvania native has been a good fit, and he knows he has a good situation. The reason he’s on this list is that it’s no secret Texas AD Chris Del Conte thinks very highly of Franklin.

8. Jeff Hafley, Boston College

The Eagles hit a home run in hiring the 41-year-old New Jersey native, and his early success is not surprising. Hafley worked wonders improving the Ohio State defense last year and has long been known as a fantastic recruiter. He’s 6-4 with a close loss at Clemson. It’s only been one year as a head coach, and that isn’t much of a sample, but if I’m Michigan and I have to make a candidates list, he’s higher on my list than a lot of the usual suspects.

9. Brent Venables, Clemson, defensive coordinator

He’s been the best defensive coordinator in college football for a few years now and has been a terrific part of the Tigers’ program. Venables has turned down some decent Power 5 head coaching opportunities. He’s happy at Clemson and is coaching his two sons now. It’s going to take a ripe situation to get him to leave. If I’m Texas, I’d have Venables high on my list. He played in the Big 12 footprint, was a key assistant at Kansas State and Oklahoma and is a dogged recruiter.

10. Clark Lea, Notre Dame defensive coordinator

If the Nashville native and former Vanderbilt player wants the Commodores’ head coaching job, he’s going to be very hard to pass up. The 38-year-old has player a key role in Notre Dame’s rise as a College Football Playoff contender. Under Lea, the Irish are No. 3 in total defense and have been terrific at shutting down some special players, with Clemson star Travis Etienne at the top of the list.

11. Shane Beamer, Oklahoma assistant coach

The son of Frank Beamer and a former South Carolina assistant on Steve Spurrier’s staff, Beamer has a lot of momentum for the Gamecocks opening with some key boosters and many former players.

12. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

He’s invigorated a program from 3-9 in his debut season to 5-7 last year to 9-0 and produced the Sun Belt’s top offense in yards per play (6.74), relying on a very creative scheme. The 43-year-old played college ball at East Tennessee State and spent four years coaching there. He’s a viable option for Vanderbilt and South Carolina too, even though he’s never coached at the Power 5 level.

13. Will Healy, Charlotte

The 35-year-old Chattanooga native did amazing work at Austin Peay. He parlayed that into the Charlotte job, where he’s 9-9 in two seasons at a place that had won just 12 games in the previous four seasons. He figures to be a strong candidate in the Vanderbilt search.

14. Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator

He’d be higher on this list if there were more tempting potential vacancies. A former Broyles Award winner, Elliott also has been choosey. People with knowledge of the matter say he declined interest in the South Carolina vacancy. He is on a lot of schools’ want lists, but this might not be the ideal cycle for him given the possible vacancies that may pop open.

15. Rhett Lashlee, Miami offensive coordinator

There’s actually not a lot of inventory on “hot” offensive guys because so many others have landed head coaching jobs. The 37-year-old has done a very good job at Miami, turning around what was a dreadful offense. Lashlee has grown a lot from his time at Auburn on Gus Malzahn’s staff. He’ll likely merit a closer look from South Carolina, Utah State and Vanderbilt.

16. Lance Leipold, Buffalo

Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Utah State at least need to kick the tires here. He won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater. He left for Buffalo, one of the hardest places to win in college football, and he has kept winning. The Bulls are 23-9 the past thee years, and he keeps finding and developing talent like RB Jaret Patterson.

17. Jay Norvell, Nevada

The former Iowa Hawkeyes player has done a good job with the Wolf Pack, who have very limited resources in the Mountain West. He’s 20-12 the past three years. The 57-year-old could be an option at South Carolina and perhaps at Utah State, where he knows the league well and would have better resources.

18. Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech

A proven program builder, Holtz has quietly done a nice job at Louisiana Tech and is 60-39 there, including 14-6 in the past two years. Could the 56-year-old get in at South Carolina? It feels like that might be a reach. His dad coached there and had some good seasons, but the program went on probation in his wake. Holtz also might be a fit for a Utah State program in a need of a rebuild after Gary Anderson’s brief second tenure.

19. Sean Lewis, Kent State

The former Syracuse assistant has done a remarkable job at one of the toughest FBS jobs in the country. A 34-year-old former Wisconsin player, Lewis has the Golden Flashes 3-1 and led them to their first bowl win last season after going 2-10 the previous year. He’s probably a longshot for South Carolina but could be in play if Illinois opens.

20. Jeff Monken, Army

No question, what the 53-year-old Illinois native has done with Army football is impressive, going 33-15 the past four years. (The Black Knights had one winning season in the 17 years before he arrived.)  Monken is a candidate for South Carolina given his connection to school president Robert Caslen, who came from West Point. He also could be in play for the Vanderbilt opening and perhaps for Illinois if that were to come open.

Urban or we keep herman... fuck giving another non established coach another chance to get paid.

[Bevo14 8,272]

2 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Long fucking list of HC candidates from Bruce Feldman:

It’s not expected to be the typical hectic year on the coaching carousel due to the pandemic and the financial challenges that have come with it, but South Carolina looking beyond a $15 million hurdle to fire Will Muschamp showed that things can —and will still get wild.

Vanderbilt’s firing of Derek Mason on Sunday created a fourth FBS vacancy to go with South Carolina, Utah State and Southern Miss. Bigger dominoes though could fall in the next month. With that as a backdrop, let’s size up the 20 most intriguing names that could be in play this year on the coaching carousel.

1. Urban Meyer

Full disclosure: I work with the former Ohio State head coach at FOX on our “Big Noon Kickoff” show.

Meyer is the elephant in the room when it comes to potentially huge coaching openings, and there could be one coming open this winter at Texas. Tom Herman is near the end of his fourth season at Texas, and the Longhorns are nowhere close to being a top-10 team. And despite a strong second season when they finished No. 9, it’s been very underwhelming.

After last season, Herman fired most of his staff — many of whom he brought with him from Houston — but the results haven’t been much better. A loss last Friday at home to Iowa State dropped Herman to 7-7 in his last 14 games. The feeling is this program should be better than it is now, and recruiting is backsliding. It would take $15 million-plus to move on from Herman, not to mention the cost of parting with the coaching staff.

People with knowledge of the matter say the UT brass is prepared to move on from Herman, but where they’d go next is the really intriguing part. Herman’s old boss, Meyer, is the wish candidate. He won national titles at Florida and at Ohio State and wasted little time getting them there. The 56-year-old does have health concerns, and those were a real factor in him walking away from a plum job in Columbus. Does he still want badly to be on the sidelines?

Here’s my read on the situation: It’s really, really, really hard for coaches who walked away on top to stay away — especially someone as wildly competitive as Meyer is. In Texas, you have a big job in a conference that appears ripe for the taking. This certainly isn’t the meat grinder that is the SEC. There are some parallels to how watered down the Big Ten was back when Meyer first showed up in Columbus. Meyer also has a good window into what’s going on inside at Texas and the personnel there given his former defensive coordinator Chris Ash now runs the Longhorns defense. Texas has great resources and a hefty recruiting base that Meyer did well mining when he was at Ohio State.

All that said, Meyer has taken to TV really well. He is extremely engaged in our show and very passionate about it — maybe as much as any analyst that I’ve worked with in TV. He genuinely cares about the show and takes great pride in the presence he has as a commentator on the sport, so I could definitely see him staying committed to that. I’ve worked with some former coaches who moved into TV and they essentially went through the motions, coasting on their name and personalities. That is definitely not Meyer or how he’s transitioned to it here.

I don’t know this for certain, but I suspect there are moments when he’s tempted by the prospects of being back in it as a coach, striving toward building and running a powerhouse being wired for how all-consuming that is. And then there probably are other days when he’s very comfortable with his situation now.

2. Matt Campbell, Iowa State

If Michigan or Texas were to come up, Campbell would be a strong option for both. In fact, I think if the Wolverines need to find another coach, to me, he’s the best option.

Campbell builds and develops a culture as well as any young coach in the sport. His teams play hard and never quit. Spend time around his program and you come away thinking, “OK, I get it. I’m a believer.” He also has a great eye for talent. The 41-year-old Ohio native is the real deal. Iowa State was fortunate to land him. He has the Cyclones 7-2 in his fifth year, and they are 30-18 in his last four seasons. Given the program’s history, that is remarkable. This the first time the Cyclones have beaten the Sooners and Longhorns in the same season since the conference began in 1996.

3. Hugh Freeze, Liberty

He wins games. He’s won everywhere he’s been and elevated each program, including now at Liberty where he’s taken over a mostly FCS-caliber roster and turned it into a Top 25 product. He’s a fantastic play-caller and has continued to evolve as a head coach. I’m convinced he could make South Carolina into a Top 25 team pretty quickly. I’m even more confident he’d do that at Tennessee (a job he grew up wanting) and Auburn in even less time. Neither of those jobs are open, and they might not come open until 2021 at the earliest, but we’ll see.

4. Steve Sarkisian, Alabama offensive coordinator

The former USC and Washington head coach has spent two years calling plays for the Tide, and his stock is soaring. Since taking over Alabama’s offense, the Tide is averaging 48 points per game and eight yards per play. In the decade before, the Tide averaged 37 ppg and 6.67 yards per play.

Sarkisian fizzled out at USC as he struggled with personal problems, but word is he’s in a much better place and has impressed a lot of folks in Tuscaloosa. That has carried over to parts of the coaching industry, where he turned down Power 5 head coaching opportunities last year at Colorado and Mississippi State. People with knowledge of the matter say South Carolina has a lot of interest in him, but he’s going to be very choosy.

He has positioned himself well to be a viable candidate when Nick Saban opts to step down, whenever that may be. Sarkisian was the acting head coach in the Iron Bowl with Saban home sidelined with COVID-19, and Sark led the Tide to a 42-13 rout, prompting Saban to say the staff did a marvelous job and crediting the California native for doing a “nice job of managing things.”

5. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

The former Ohio State standout turned down a chance to coach in the Big Ten at Michigan State last winter. There’s been a lot of chatter that Fickell, 30-5 the past three years, would only be tempted by very few jobs, and none of those are open. Could a Buckeye really sign on to be Michigan’s head coach? It doesn’t sound like it based on those who know Fickell well. Would Texas be more attractive? What if James Franklin ended up jumping at Texas and then Penn State had a vacancy?

6. Billy Napier, Louisiana

Another Nick Saban protégé, Napier is a 41-year-old Tennessee native who spent almost a decade coaching in South Carolina as a Clemson assistant. Napier is 19-4 in the past two seasons and has shown savvy in putting together an excellent staff and developing a winning culture for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He’s turned down opportunities for SEC jobs and is a strong candidate for the South Carolina vacancy, but does he want to wait on Auburn or Tennessee?

7. James Franklin, Penn State

This has been a clunker of a season for the Nittany Lions with key opt-outs and a decimated running back room. The Nittany Lions are 1-5, but anyone who questions Franklin’s coaching acumen is kidding themselves. His work at Vanderbilt (two Top 25 seasons in three years) is unmatched, and he has led Penn State to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl.

The 48-year-old Pennsylvania native has been a good fit, and he knows he has a good situation. The reason he’s on this list is that it’s no secret Texas AD Chris Del Conte thinks very highly of Franklin.

8. Jeff Hafley, Boston College

The Eagles hit a home run in hiring the 41-year-old New Jersey native, and his early success is not surprising. Hafley worked wonders improving the Ohio State defense last year and has long been known as a fantastic recruiter. He’s 6-4 with a close loss at Clemson. It’s only been one year as a head coach, and that isn’t much of a sample, but if I’m Michigan and I have to make a candidates list, he’s higher on my list than a lot of the usual suspects.

9. Brent Venables, Clemson, defensive coordinator

He’s been the best defensive coordinator in college football for a few years now and has been a terrific part of the Tigers’ program. Venables has turned down some decent Power 5 head coaching opportunities. He’s happy at Clemson and is coaching his two sons now. It’s going to take a ripe situation to get him to leave. If I’m Texas, I’d have Venables high on my list. He played in the Big 12 footprint, was a key assistant at Kansas State and Oklahoma and is a dogged recruiter.

10. Clark Lea, Notre Dame defensive coordinator

If the Nashville native and former Vanderbilt player wants the Commodores’ head coaching job, he’s going to be very hard to pass up. The 38-year-old has player a key role in Notre Dame’s rise as a College Football Playoff contender. Under Lea, the Irish are No. 3 in total defense and have been terrific at shutting down some special players, with Clemson star Travis Etienne at the top of the list.

11. Shane Beamer, Oklahoma assistant coach

The son of Frank Beamer and a former South Carolina assistant on Steve Spurrier’s staff, Beamer has a lot of momentum for the Gamecocks opening with some key boosters and many former players.

12. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina

He’s invigorated a program from 3-9 in his debut season to 5-7 last year to 9-0 and produced the Sun Belt’s top offense in yards per play (6.74), relying on a very creative scheme. The 43-year-old played college ball at East Tennessee State and spent four years coaching there. He’s a viable option for Vanderbilt and South Carolina too, even though he’s never coached at the Power 5 level.

13. Will Healy, Charlotte

The 35-year-old Chattanooga native did amazing work at Austin Peay. He parlayed that into the Charlotte job, where he’s 9-9 in two seasons at a place that had won just 12 games in the previous four seasons. He figures to be a strong candidate in the Vanderbilt search.

14. Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator

He’d be higher on this list if there were more tempting potential vacancies. A former Broyles Award winner, Elliott also has been choosey. People with knowledge of the matter say he declined interest in the South Carolina vacancy. He is on a lot of schools’ want lists, but this might not be the ideal cycle for him given the possible vacancies that may pop open.

15. Rhett Lashlee, Miami offensive coordinator

There’s actually not a lot of inventory on “hot” offensive guys because so many others have landed head coaching jobs. The 37-year-old has done a very good job at Miami, turning around what was a dreadful offense. Lashlee has grown a lot from his time at Auburn on Gus Malzahn’s staff. He’ll likely merit a closer look from South Carolina, Utah State and Vanderbilt.

16. Lance Leipold, Buffalo

Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Utah State at least need to kick the tires here. He won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater. He left for Buffalo, one of the hardest places to win in college football, and he has kept winning. The Bulls are 23-9 the past thee years, and he keeps finding and developing talent like RB Jaret Patterson.

17. Jay Norvell, Nevada

The former Iowa Hawkeyes player has done a good job with the Wolf Pack, who have very limited resources in the Mountain West. He’s 20-12 the past three years. The 57-year-old could be an option at South Carolina and perhaps at Utah State, where he knows the league well and would have better resources.

18. Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech

A proven program builder, Holtz has quietly done a nice job at Louisiana Tech and is 60-39 there, including 14-6 in the past two years. Could the 56-year-old get in at South Carolina? It feels like that might be a reach. His dad coached there and had some good seasons, but the program went on probation in his wake. Holtz also might be a fit for a Utah State program in a need of a rebuild after Gary Anderson’s brief second tenure.

19. Sean Lewis, Kent State

The former Syracuse assistant has done a remarkable job at one of the toughest FBS jobs in the country. A 34-year-old former Wisconsin player, Lewis has the Golden Flashes 3-1 and led them to their first bowl win last season after going 2-10 the previous year. He’s probably a longshot for South Carolina but could be in play if Illinois opens.

20. Jeff Monken, Army

No question, what the 53-year-old Illinois native has done with Army football is impressive, going 33-15 the past four years. (The Black Knights had one winning season in the 17 years before he arrived.)  Monken is a candidate for South Carolina given his connection to school president Robert Caslen, who came from West Point. He also could be in play for the Vanderbilt opening and perhaps for Illinois if that were to come open.

Quote

This certainly isn’t the meat grinder that is the SEC

[Hiphopopotamos 20,865]

Just now, HeyMcFly said:

Urban or we keep herman... fuck giving another non established coach another chance to get paid.

The 'keep Herman' scenario isn't a scenario.  There will be a new head football coach at Texas in 2021. 

[LTtxfan 48,952]

58 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

Chip Brown's shit about our administration being nervous about having to shuck and jive for the Legislature exposes how little he understands about college athletics and how it is funded. 

If FCB can fuck this up, he will try to do it.  Then he'll tell his 247 members, look how good I am -- told yah so.

Fuck that worthless guy...

 

[troph 24,560]

damn this thread is trucking again.  I bet we are at 150 pages by the middle of the afternoon with really no new information.  maybe we can have a better diversion than Kendra Scott this time?

[HenryJames 65,884]

8 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It’s clear Bobby Burton reads our recruiting board. 

That fucking thread title.

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

1 minute ago, troph said:

damn this thread is trucking again.  I bet we are at 150 pages by the middle of the afternoon with really no new information.  maybe we can have a better diversion than Kendra Scott this time?

It will get there fast with the scheduled noon press conference from Herman. 

[Viper 12,018]

2 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

It will get there fast with the scheduled noon press conference from Herman. 

maybe even faster if it's descheduled

[Mikey4 2,476]

The 'keep Herman' scenario isn't a scenario.  There will be a new head football coach at Texas in 2021. 

Agreed. Logically, if we can't have Urban, it makes more sense to keep Herman for 1 more year than to pay all this money to take another risk on an unproven coach. It's at least possible that given a real off-season, Yurcich and Ash can make improvements. However, at this point, fans and donors are just too emotionally invested in replacing Herman. If he's here, support for the program will drop in a major way, and that affects everything -- giving, ticket sales, recruiting, etc. I think he has to go either way.

[immamac 42,513]

interim coaches can be for a full season 

[BurntOrange&White 39,567]

Just now, immamac said:

interim coaches can be for a full season 

I honestly don’t know why we would let him finish out the season. It does no good to him, the school, and etc. 

[immamac 42,513]

Just now, BurntOrange&White said:

I honestly don’t know why we would let him finish out the season. It does no good to him, the school, and etc. 

who said TH would be interim? Give it to Ash or Yurchich who cares. Fuck Give it to Sam Ehlinger.

[HeyMcFly 144]

11 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

The 'keep Herman' scenario isn't a scenario.  There will be a new head football coach at Texas in 2021. 

I want to believe... i do, i just cant... it seems like we are okay with status quo

[HeyMcFly 144]

well not we... but the dudes who give much more in donations than me lol

[HenryJames 65,884]

3 minutes ago, immamac said:

interim coaches can be for a full season 

Negged.

[hookem2010 2,597]

I got accepted to UT within a month or 2 of the VY national championship, was there during the Colt years and moved from Austin the summer of 2010. Just accepted a job in Austin and am moving back at the end of the year. I really just wanted to say "you're welcome", and I'm sorry for the last decade.