CFB coaching carousel

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1291]

It's not like every single player on Colorado's roster is completely worthless. Also, it's pretty rare for a kid who is good enough to start at his current school to enter the transfer portal. You can find stars, but you can't build an entire roster from the portal. I get weeding out the kids who don't want to work to get better, but I really don't see this working out for him. CU is going to be terrible next season. He's going to have to rebuild with high school kids, and this program won't be competitive until 2025 at the very earliest. I think he gets fired halfway through his third season.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10145]

2 minutes ago, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

It's not like every single player on Colorado's roster is completely worthless. Also, it's pretty rare for a kid who is good enough to start at his current school to enter the transfer portal. You can find stars, but you can't build an entire roster from the portal. I get weeding out the kids who don't want to work to get better, but I really don't see this working out for him. CU is going to be terrible next season. He's going to have to rebuild with high school kids, and this program won't be competitive until 2025 at the very earliest. I think he gets fired halfway through his third season.

When almost every school is better then CU.... there will be plenty of non-starters who are better than CU starters. No one is taking over a program and rebuilding with high school kids ever again.

[Herpa Derpa 6112]

If there is one thing I've never doubted about Neon, it's his football acumen. He'll have them bowl eligible by 2024 and then we'll see if he gets a shot at a big dog.

Doubters be warned.

[Pancho 44475]

40 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

I think he should have stayed at Jackson State and been the 21st century Eddie Robinson.

Why? Why does that have to be his only option?

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1291]

2 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

When almost every school is better then CU.... there will be plenty of non-starters who are better than CU starters. No one is taking over a program and rebuilding with high school kids ever again.

Sure, and he absolutely does need to use the portal heavily. I just think it's stupid to start running kids off before you even meet them and see them work out. Bad teams still have some good players.

[Valmy77 13094]

1 minute ago, Pancho said:

Why? Why does that have to be his only option?

It doesn't. It just would have been cool and made him a legend.

Now he is just going to be a regular CFB coach and that's fine to.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

1 minute ago, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

Sure, and he absolutely does need to use the portal heavily. I just think it's stupid to start running kids off before you even meet them and see them work out. Bad teams still have some good players.

Has he done that, though?

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1291]

Just now, Doc Daneeka said:

Has he done that, though?

Guess we'll find out.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Just now, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

Guess we'll find out.

Agreed. The best time to claim something has happened is after it has happened. 

[closetojumping 62239]

26 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Perhaps not handled in the most delicate of ways, but how many people from a 1-11 team are indispensable?

Sure, most of the guys on the roster are probably dead weight for a good P5 team, but they're not all trash. The guy just created, immediately, the "Us vs Them" dynamic between the current roster and whoever Sanders brings in from both a recruiting and transfer perspective. That dynamic is natural anyway, and when trying to right a ship, you normally want it to go away extremely quickly. He doubled down on stupid.

Separate the brand of "Coach Prime" and just think about what happened here:

A guy walked into a room of employees, all very immature and barely adults, and told them they were all fired unless they could prove otherwise. He did this en masse without any offline preamble to key personnel and without having analyzed the roster whatsoever. You would have to presume that he will not need any of those players and that he already has alternatives lined up to replace them, with depth. Rosters with excellent talent per player but held back due to sanctions, with only like 55 guys on the roster, have historically struggled to reach .500 for multiple years in the aftermath. Less talent makes it even harder. This is what he's effectively creating. 

The better approach is either: 

1) The same kind of coffee-is-for-closers speech after meeting players individually and doing a little research to understand the right ones to talk to in regard to what he's about to go in and say. 

Or

2) Give a more positive speech about assessing everyone this winter and spring and building a winner. Then trapdoor as many as you like after seeing them in the offseason workouts and spring drills. 15-20 guys will leave ahead of the spring without encouragement and bringing in key transfers this month won't create a roster crunch. 

Anything besides one of those choices is short-sighted. 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Like I said, not handled in the most delicate of ways, but I think it’s pretty realistic for everyone involved to recognize that there’s going to be massive roster turnover starting ASAP.

He said out loud what people already knew and sometimes that bothers people and sometimes it’s counterproductive, even though people knew it.

[closetojumping 62239]

12 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Agreed. The best time to claim something has happened is after it has happened. 

Oh give me a fucking break. We know for a fact that the reaction from the players involved was immediately chaos afterwards. That's been reported and covered already. Guys were calling parents, former staff, mentors, etc., and asking "am I still on this team?" That's running players off, whether intentionally or not, full stop. Playing stupid about that is tedious, boring nonsense. It happened. 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Oh give me a fucking break. We know for a fact that the reaction from the players involved was immediately chaos afterwards. That's been reported and covered already. Guys were calling parents, former staff, mentors, etc., and asking "am I still on this team?" That's running players off, whether intentionally or not, full stop. Playing stupid about that is tedious, boring nonsense. It happened. 

Oh give me a fucking break. “He said mean things so I’m calling my parents asking if I’m still on the team.” That’s not running people off. That’s allowing themselves to run. 
 

He will, I’m sure, start trapdooring people as soon as he can, but that’s different from what he’s done so far. 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Doc Daneeka

[closetojumping 62239]

19 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Oh give me a fucking break. “He said mean things so I’m calling my parents asking if I’m still on the team.” That’s not running people off. That’s allowing themselves to run. 
 

He will, I’m sure, start trapdooring people as soon as he can, but that’s different from what he’s done so far. 

Doc, is your MD in Tautology, perhaps? 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Just now, closetojumping said:

Doc, is your MD in Tautology, perhaps? 

We have different definitions of what entails “running off.” I think it means taking affirmative steps to remove someone from the roster. You appear to believe, though I don’t want to misstate your position, that it means stating hard truths which indicate that many people are likely to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Sooner than later. 
 

It’s a continuum and we seem to disagree where in the range what Sanders has done so far falls. That’s fine, not everyone has the same opinions. 

[TheStoicPaisano 9904]

Oregon beat writer tweets.

 

[Fondren & Main 6669]

Those bitches went 1-11 this year.  They should all be worried about their spots.

[MIkeHoncho 1895]

3 hours ago, redswingline said:

They were 1-11 last year and I can tell you that they did not lose to USC 11 times..

They also didn't have coach Prime last year.  He's comin' 

[Macanudo 12926]

1 hour ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Perhaps not handled in the most delicate of ways, but how many people from a 1-11 team are indispensable?

Not all of them.   Sanders has a chance at having like 50-60 guys on scholarship next year.   I'm not rooting against him but I'm not sure CU was the place for him to land.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Not all of them.   Sanders has a chance at having like 50-60 guys on scholarship next year.   I'm not rooting against him but I'm not sure CU was the place for him to land.

I don’t think there’s likely to be much middle ground here. He’ll wreck shop or get wrecked, imo. It will be entertaining to watch from a distance, either way.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

2 hours ago, tbone_ said:

Seems like a great way to start. Just grab the wheel and steer straight into the ditch.

The difference between a responsible driver and a maniacal mass murderer is just a little bit of steering wheel travel on a busy thoroughfare. 

[Macanudo 12926]

36 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Tautology

Say that again.

[59 Burst 434]

I have no fucking idea how he will do. But I can’t wait until the first controversy. 

[utexas8 1433]

Is Stanford even looking for a coach

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Herpa Derpa said:

If there is one thing I've never doubted about Neon, it's his football acumen. He'll have them bowl eligible by 2024 and then we'll see if he gets a shot at a big dog.

Doubters be warned.

On the field, no doubt.

Off the field, fuck no.  A lot of college football is off the field.

[texifornia 56518]

8 minutes ago, utexas8 said:

Is Stanford even looking for a coach

I'd heard they were sniffing around Elko and Clawson, but neither was particularly enticed.

[Wulaw Horn 18980]

21 minutes ago, utexas8 said:

Is Stanford even looking for a coach

Why would they need a coach? They probably have at least 50 coaches on the field. 

[redswingline 1057]

33 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

Say that again.

I see what you did there

[Francisco 2.0 32333]

 

 

 

[redswingline 1057]

15 minutes ago, slorch said:

 A lot of college football is off the field.

Football is 90% on the field and the other half is mental

[redswingline 1057]

32 minutes ago, utexas8 said:

Is Stanford even looking for a coach

They reportedly talked with Greg Roman current OC for the Ravens.

Makes sense as he was @ Stanford around 2010 with Harbaugh. He would presumably understand the hurdles they face when it comes to recruiting players whose majors aren't finger painting.

Edited December 5, 2022 by redswingline

[LTtxfan 48970]

7 minutes ago, redswingline said:

Football is 90% on the field and the other half is mental

[redswingline 1057]

3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I guess I am dumbstruck by reading the takes here and elsewhere that this Sanders to CU move is going to be awesome. I would understand that POV if the "awesome" part was the expectation of watching a train wreck unfold in real time. But that's not what is going on here. Folks seem to think his success at CU is a lock. Why?

CU doesn't even have the money rallied together yet to manage Sanders' salary. You guys think NIL is just going to come together? "They're working on it." Guess who else is "working on it"? Every other school. Texas' NIL work is an ongoing challenge and the people "working on it" have been doing so for over a year. These people are intelligent, well-heeled, connected, and working with an AD with full buy-in and understanding. Compare that CU, which had zero NIL under Dorrell. Now they're going to snap their fingers and make it all happen? Okay.

Beyond that, Sanders' handling of his arrival on campus, irrespective of how it landed for you guys here, has landed at the national level like the Hindenburg. Players walked out of that room and immediately called other coaches and their parents, asking what the fuck just happened? Sanders is getting crushed on talk radio and in the press. 

I realize Deion Sanders was perhaps the greatest CB to have ever played the game. And he used charisma and energy to pull Jackson State up off of the mat. CU isn't Jackson State. They're in a P5 conference. They have facilities issues, NIL issues, personnel issues, competition issues, administrative issues, etc. They need someone sophisticated and organized to turn around that program. Is that Prime Time? Knock me over with a feather if it is after watching the laughable debacle of his bullshit with the high school he ran. Is there something to convince us that he's learned that lesson and fixed his own bullshit or hired some folks who will manage the administrative and organizational aspects better than he will? 

Ed Orgeron won a national title. Charlie Strong won a Sugar Bowl. I realize that disorganized figureheads can stumble into D-1 success. I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to believe that that can happen at an institution that just went 1-11 in the PAC 12 and has a recent history of basically loathing their football program. But okay, sure, recruiting!

[Hermanator 6944]

5 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

I think he should have stayed at Jackson State and been the 21st century Eddie Robinson. 

You could not have picked two people who are closer to polar opposites of each other. Robinson was always a teacher first and coach 2nd. He felt his duty and calling was to serve the black youth, then multiracial youth, as a teacher and coach. He came up through the WW2 years, then civil rights era, and into the modern age and did whatever necessary from coaching both offense and defense to doing tape jobs himself to making his players sandwiches when no place that would serve them could be found. 

Deion Sanders is a self centered, flashy, loud mouthed jackass who showed with his horrific behavior surrounding the Prime Academy he doesn't care about the young men. He just cares about winning and the glory for himself. 

He isn't fit to wash Eddie Robinson's car much less be spoken of in the same light as him. 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Hermanator

[Aqua Buddha 14509]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Sure, most of the guys on the roster are probably dead weight for a good P5 team, but they're not all trash. The guy just created, immediately, the "Us vs Them" dynamic between the current roster and whoever Sanders brings in from both a recruiting and transfer perspective. That dynamic is natural anyway, and when trying to right a ship, you normally want it to go away extremely quickly. He doubled down on stupid.

Separate the brand of "Coach Prime" and just think about what happened here:

[b]A guy walked into a room of employees, all very immature and barely adults, and told them they were all fired unless they could prove otherwise. He did this en masse without any offline preamble to key personnel and without having analyzed the roster whatsoever. You would have to presume that he will not need any of those players and that he already has alternatives lined up to replace them, with depth. Rosters with excellent talent per player but held back due to sanctions, with only like 55 guys on the roster, have historically struggled to reach .500 for multiple years in the aftermath. Less talent makes it even harder. This is what he's effectively creating. [/b]

The better approach is either: 

1) The same kind of coffee-is-for-closers speech after meeting players individually and doing a little research to understand the right ones to talk to in regard to what he's about to go in and say. 

Or

2) Give a more positive speech about assessing everyone this winter and spring and building a winner. Then trapdoor as many as you like after seeing them in the offseason workouts and spring drills. 15-20 guys will leave ahead of the spring without encouragement and bringing in key transfers this month won't create a roster crunch. 

Anything besides one of those choices is short-sighted. 

So, the Elon Musk method of motivating people?

[ClubWhatever 12087]

He just out talented people in the junk league he was in.  Rising higher, the devil in the details will get you.  Let’s see if he has sufficient attention to detail to prevent a clown show. 

[tbone_ 14021]

You could not have picked two people who are closer to polar opposites of each other. Robinson was always a teacher first and coach 2nd. He felt his duty and calling was to serve the black youth, then multiracial youth, as a teacher and coach. He came up through the WW2 years, then civil rights era, and into the modern age and did whatever necessary from coaching both offense and defense to doing tape jobs himself to making his players sandwiches when no place that would serve them could be found. 
Deion Sanders is a self centered, flashy, loud mouthed jackass who showed with his horrific behavior surrounding the Prime Academy he doesn't care about the young men. He just cares about winning and the glory for himself. 
He isn't fit to wash Eddie Robinson's car much less be spoken of in the same light as him. 

Well said

[Texzilla58 4717]

Colorado will have to figure out their NIL game. Charisma is great and all, but money talks. They get that locked down and the show will be worth watching.

The AD said they didn’t have the money for Deion. He ain’t working for free

[DFW Horn 6118]

5 hours ago, Doc Daneeka said:

I don’t think there’s likely to be much middle ground here. He’ll wreck shop or get wrecked, imo. It will be entertaining to watch from a distance, either way.

It's Colorado, so I'm only in it for the entertainment value. UT shouldn't play those ass-clowns OOC, anyway, or NU, or Mizzery, or aggy. Fuck 'em all

[Brothahorn 10085]

20 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

The AD said they didn’t have the money for Deion. He ain’t working for free

No. But right now he is technically working for half or some of his money.

[LTtxfan 48970]

Man... a bunch of wishcasting in here...

 

A look at the North Texas opening

ZACH BARNETT          7 HOURS AGO

Quote

The last three North Texas head coaches to leave Denton with a .500 or better record are Hayden Fry, Jerry Moore and Seth Littrell. Fry and Moore are in the College Football Hall of Fame, and Littrell was shown the door on Sunday.

That juxtaposition encapsulates where North Texas finds itself today. The program has but brief periods of sustained success at the FBS level, and the Littrell regime counts as one of those periods: six bowl appearances in seven years, two trips to the Conference USA championship.

But Littrell's Mean Green teams consistently fell short against quality competition, especially considering the investment in the program. Littrell was among the highest-paid coaches in the conference, a new indoor practice facility opened in 2019, and yet a trip to the 2022 C-USA title game didn't obscure the program's 21-27 record over the past four seasons.

In firing Littrell, North Texas is telling the world that what UNT football has been is not what it could, should and, if it gets this hire right, will be. 

All the reasons why Littrell was let go -- 7-win seasons amid major investment in terms of facilities and pay in one of the nation's best recruiting markets -- is why North Texas will be an attractive job within the coaching profession. 

The website Athletic Director U listed North Texas first among Conference USA AD jobs, and no worse than second among any of its nine categories ranging from brand perception, to donor support, to quality of life.

Two major variables here: 1) North Texas does not have an AD right now after Wren Baker took the West Virginia job last week, and 2) North Texas joins the American next season.

Littrell left North Texas better than he found it, and so the Mean Green believe they can shop at a higher price point than they did in 2015. That's not to say UNT won't eventually hire a Power 5 coordinator (Littrell was North Carolina's offensive coordinator when he took the job), but that they aren't limited to those candidates.

On that front, multiple industry sources have mentioned Justin Fuente's candidacy in Denton. 

Fuente sat out the 2022 season after he was let go for the sin of going 5-5 at Virginia Tech. He's 69-54 at Memphis and Va Tech, with an American title in 2014 and an ACC Championship appearance in 2016. A Tulsa native, Fuente also has relevant local experience with five seasons as an assistant under Gary Patterson at TCU. With 69 career victories at the FBS level, Fuente would instantly become the most accomplished hire in Mean Green history.

That said, sources close to Fuente have indicated there's no guarantee he would take the job if offered. The 46-year-old can afford to be picky in his sabbatical, and only Fuente can say if the Mean Green check enough boxes.

Program sources indicate Graham Harrell would be a popular hire within the fan base. Harrell was Littrell's first offensive coordinator in Denton, and his three years represent the peak of the previous regime. After a 5-8 debut (the staff inherited a 1-11, pre-Portal era team) North Texas went 18-9 in 2017-18, including an 8-1 stretch in 2017 and a 6-1 start with a blowout win over Arkansas to begin the 2018 campaign. 

TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is another name that has been mentioned in industry circles. Riley is, obviously, the younger brother of Lincoln Riley and the coordinator of a College Football Playoff-bound offense. Garrett, 33, is young, even by family standards. Though Lincoln was 33 when he took over Oklahoma, he had six years of coordinator experience, three of them at OU, when he took over a turn-key operation in Norman. Taking over a different program would be a different animal altogether. However, the way Sonny Dykes built SMU and, now, TCU should be a blue print for whoever takes over at North Texas, particularly in the way Dykes and company have aggressively targeted Metroplex natives in the transfer portal.

For that matter, TCU inside receivers coach Doug Meacham was a finalist for the job the last time it opened. Meacham does not have the hot name of Riley, but he has the same qualifications that led him to be runner-up to Littrell, plus first-hand experience within the Dykes machine. Kenny Perry and Joe Gillespie, both former Texas high school coaches, could also be solid candidates in the event North Texas covets an apple from the Dykes tree. 

Speaking of Texas high school football, one name with high potential would be Texas Tech wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Emmett Jones. Jones is in his eighth year as a college coach, with experience under the Kliff Kingsbury and Joey McGuire staffs in Lubbock, sandwiched around three years at Kansas. Prior to that, Jones crafted a successful career as a high school football coach in Dallas. Jones was an assistant at three Dallas schools before taking the head coaching job at South Oak Cliff.

Astute readers will recall last December South Oak Cliff won Dallas ISD's first state championship since 1958, and the Golden Bears are currently in the semifinals to defend their 5A Division II crown. While Jones obviously did not coach those teams, the 2021 title was a transformational moment for Dallas high school football, and so the SOC brand has never been hotter.

On that front, another intriguing name would be Los Angeles Rams running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples. Only 27, Samples would be the youngest FBS coach in the sport's modern history, but Samples is also the most connected and most accomplished 27-year-old in the game. The son of powerhouse Duncanville High School head coach Reginald Samples, Samples coached at Houston, Texas and SMU after his Oklahoma State playing career ended. He held on-field jobs at SMU as running backs coach and assistant head coach and was set to perform the same duties on Dykes's current TCU staff before taking the running backs job under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.

With no current full-time AD in place, this will be a different search than most. President Neal Smatresk made the decision to fire Littrell, and the expectation within the industry is he'll be involved in the search for Littrell's replacement more than is usually expected of a Division I president. Associate vice president/COO Jared Mosley is the interim AD and the odds-on favorite to become the full-time AD -- Mosley spent 11 years as Abilene Christian's AD, becoming the youngest AD in the country (26) at the time he got the job in 2004 -- but that decision has yet to be made as of press time.

With AD and head coaching searches running simultaneously, a conference move coming in the near future and lots of industry interest, North Texas has the potential to be a search unlike any other in the 2022-23 cycle.

 

 

[Laxtonto 11932]

10 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Man... a bunch of wishcasting in here...

 

A look at the North Texas opening

ZACH BARNETT          7 HOURS AGO

 

 

My guess is the search starts (and most likely ends) with Fuentes. If they can’t come to terms $$ wise, my next guess is the ECW OC.

They really need to get it right this time with them moving to the AAC. 
 

Was pretty surprised when I found out that UNT is 13th all time in conference titles with 25. They have spent a ton of cash and have been in the top of there conference in coaching salaries but haven’t quite gotten a consistent run lately. 

[Bodhi 1111]

55 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

It's Colorado, so I'm only in it for the entertainment value. UT shouldn't play those ass-clowns OOC, anyway, or NU, or Mizzery, or aggy. Fuck 'em all

Move on already.  NU already has a new Sadist Daddy.  We don't need Texas anymore to get annually embarrassed.

 

 

[msucolt45 3989]

I know that Seth was “lineage” OU Sucks, but I liked his hire at UNT and he’d done good things there. UNT is in a tough conference for that level and I thought he was doing a good job. Part of his problem, I guess, was the rise of the UTSA program under Traylor.

I would hope that Sark grabs Littrell and puts him on the staff in at least an advisory role, because OU sucks will be his landing ground. IMO - I like SL.

Hook’em!

[LTtxfan 48970]

1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

A look at the North Texas opening

ZACH BARNETT          7 HOURS AGO

The last three North Texas head coaches to leave Denton with a .500 or better record are Hayden Fry, Jerry Moore and Seth Littrell. Fry and Moore are in the College Football Hall of Fame, and Littrell was shown the door on Sunday.

That juxtaposition encapsulates where North Texas finds itself today. The program has but brief periods of sustained success at the FBS level, and the Littrell regime counts as one of those periods: six bowl appearances in seven years, two trips to the Conference USA championship.

But Littrell's Mean Green teams consistently fell short against quality competition, especially considering the investment in the program. Littrell was among the highest-paid coaches in the conference, a new indoor practice facility opened in 2019, and yet a trip to the 2022 C-USA title game didn't obscure the program's 21-27 record over the past four seasons.

In firing Littrell, North Texas is telling the world that what UNT football has been is not what it could, should and, if it gets this hire right, will be. 

All the reasons why Littrell was let go -- 7-win seasons amid major investment in terms of facilities and pay in one of the nation's best recruiting markets -- is why North Texas will be an attractive job within the coaching profession. 

The website Athletic Director U listed North Texas first among Conference USA AD jobs, and no worse than second among any of its nine categories ranging from brand perception, to donor support, to quality of life.

Two major variables here: 1) North Texas does not have an AD right now after Wren Baker took the West Virginia job last week, and 2) North Texas joins the American next season.

Littrell left North Texas better than he found it, and so the Mean Green believe they can shop at a higher price point than they did in 2015. That's not to say UNT won't eventually hire a Power 5 coordinator (Littrell was North Carolina's offensive coordinator when he took the job), but that they aren't limited to those candidates.

On that front, multiple industry sources have mentioned Justin Fuente's candidacy in Denton. 

Fuente sat out the 2022 season after he was let go for the sin of going 5-5 at Virginia Tech. He's 69-54 at Memphis and Va Tech, with an American title in 2014 and an ACC Championship appearance in 2016. A Tulsa native, Fuente also has relevant local experience with five seasons as an assistant under Gary Patterson at TCU. With 69 career victories at the FBS level, Fuente would instantly become the most accomplished hire in Mean Green history.

That said, sources close to Fuente have indicated there's no guarantee he would take the job if offered. The 46-year-old can afford to be picky in his sabbatical, and only Fuente can say if the Mean Green check enough boxes.

Program sources indicate Graham Harrell would be a popular hire within the fan base. Harrell was Littrell's first offensive coordinator in Denton, and his three years represent the peak of the previous regime. After a 5-8 debut (the staff inherited a 1-11, pre-Portal era team) North Texas went 18-9 in 2017-18, including an 8-1 stretch in 2017 and a 6-1 start with a blowout win over Arkansas to begin the 2018 campaign. 

TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is another name that has been mentioned in industry circles. Riley is, obviously, the younger brother of Lincoln Riley and the coordinator of a College Football Playoff-bound offense. Garrett, 33, is young, even by family standards. Though Lincoln was 33 when he took over Oklahoma, he had six years of coordinator experience, three of them at OU, when he took over a turn-key operation in Norman. Taking over a different program would be a different animal altogether. However, the way Sonny Dykes built SMU and, now, TCU should be a blue print for whoever takes over at North Texas, particularly in the way Dykes and company have aggressively targeted Metroplex natives in the transfer portal.

For that matter, TCU inside receivers coach Doug Meacham was a finalist for the job the last time it opened. Meacham does not have the hot name of Riley, but he has the same qualifications that led him to be runner-up to Littrell, plus first-hand experience within the Dykes machine. Kenny Perry and Joe Gillespie, both former Texas high school coaches, could also be solid candidates in the event North Texas covets an apple from the Dykes tree. 

Speaking of Texas high school football, one name with high potential would be Texas Tech wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Emmett Jones. Jones is in his eighth year as a college coach, with experience under the Kliff Kingsbury and Joey McGuire staffs in Lubbock, sandwiched around three years at Kansas. Prior to that, Jones crafted a successful career as a high school football coach in Dallas. Jones was an assistant at three Dallas schools before taking the head coaching job at South Oak Cliff.

Astute readers will recall last December South Oak Cliff won Dallas ISD's first state championship since 1958, and the Golden Bears are currently in the semifinals to defend their 5A Division II crown. While Jones obviously did not coach those teams, the 2021 title was a transformational moment for Dallas high school football, and so the SOC brand has never been hotter.

On that front, another intriguing name would be Los Angeles Rams running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples. Only 27, Samples would be the youngest FBS coach in the sport's modern history, but Samples is also the most connected and most accomplished 27-year-old in the game. The son of powerhouse Duncanville High School head coach Reginald Samples, Samples coached at Houston, Texas and SMU after his Oklahoma State playing career ended. He held on-field jobs at SMU as running backs coach and assistant head coach and was set to perform the same duties on Dykes's current TCU staff before taking the running backs job under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.

With no current full-time AD in place, this will be a different search than most. President Neal Smatresk made the decision to fire Littrell, and the expectation within the industry is he'll be involved in the search for Littrell's replacement more than is usually expected of a Division I president. Associate vice president/COO Jared Mosley is the interim AD and the odds-on favorite to become the full-time AD -- Mosley spent 11 years as Abilene Christian's AD, becoming the youngest AD in the country (26) at the time he got the job in 2004 -- but that decision has yet to be made as of press time.

With AD and head coaching searches running simultaneously, a conference move coming in the near future and lots of industry interest, North Texas has the potential to be a search unlike any other in the 2022-23 cycle.

 

Here's link to the North Texas article... Lots of candidates listed.

https://footballscoop.com/news/north-texas-football-candidates-justin-fuente 

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by LTtxfan

[boilerhorn 1335]

3 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

So, the Elon Musk method of motivating people?

My first reaction, too.  Then I realized that Musk (and his buddies and his creditors) just paid $44B to buy Twitter.  He owns it.

CU has given Sanders an annual $5mm promissory note to coach the team and his first actions as coach are to publicly run off whatever talent he's inherited.  He's an employee.

He could have introduced himself, discussed his philosophy, noted how he was going to interview and evaluate everyone, and fielded questions.  Made it about the players and the team and, behind closed doors, remind the players that they helped get the previous guy fired.  Expectations will be high, etc. etc. etc.  In true Deion form, he made it about himself and went full-on mercenary mode.

[Royale with cheese 1459]

9 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I went out in Boulder on a Saturday night a few years ago (2019 I think) and I was stunned by how lame the downtown night life was.  There were very few college kids out partying.  Nowhere close to it's reputation.  Pretty much everyone I talked to said the CU students of today aren't like 20 years ago

 

"From Boulder, home of the University of Colorado, Tulagi's proudly presents . . . the Fabulous Astronauts!"

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Alas. 

[Gil Bang 25898]

[Skipper 6103]

16 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Here's link to the North Texas article... Lots of candidates listed.

https://footballscoop.com/news/north-texas-football-candidates-justin-fuente 

 

The odd thing about the North Texas opening is their AD just bolted for WVU like a week ago.  So this was the President (or boosters) making a call.  Now they have to hire both an AD and a coach.   So good luck with that.

[LTtxfan 48970]