I'm hearing from Texas people that Venebles (sp?), Muschamp, and Foster are A&M's top three. They are "supposedly" offering Foster $1.5 million. Muschamp is expected to leverage A&M for more money from elsewhere. No word on Venebles. TFWIW.
I personally don't buy the Foster rumor tho. He has no experience recruiting in Texas and it's not like he' s known as a hotshot recruiter. But maybe that won't matter at a place like A&M.
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You have to question Kiffin's level of interest. He crashed and burned as a HC in the NFL and NCAA, a unique feat. I think he's content and cozy at Bama.
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Lane Kiffin has the easiest job in America, you get a talent pool of like 5+ straight top 3 recruiting classes and I could make Alabama a national championship
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Seriously. Hearing the commentators gushing over his playcalling was hysterical.
"Lane Kiffin is a genius, he's one of the best in the country at finding match ups for his playmakers. See, now he's moved Amari Cooper to the slot."
Wooooooow. He moved the best college wide receiver in years to the slot, and watched him run right past a defender??? Wonder what made him think to send Cooper, the BEST COLLEGE RECEIVER IN YEARS, on a simple one move go route down the field?? Fuckin Genius... how does he come up with this stuff...
Hate that Hack.
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I don't know what's going to happen after this Virginia win. Like most Tech fans I'd like to see more offense. After seeing that Marshall put up 66 and lost, there is something to say for defense still.
My guess is now Beamer is safe. Will someone try to poach Bud with an offer he can't refuse? Any bets on Loeffler?
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My feeling is that Loeffler and Beamer are, right now, a package. So both will stay. I cannot see Beamer heading out after this win and earning another bowl. And I am very skeptical we would attract a good OC given the current state of affairs. Any OC that comes knows Beamer will not be there forever, and he knows that Bud Foster most likely will rise to the HC position. So any OC worth his salt will probably not accept a position with such built-in uncertainty. If Beamer stays, Loeffler stays, that's my prediction. And both will stay. They need one more year to right the ship,
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I think it's foolish for anyone to assume Bud Foster will be our next coach. There's just no guarantee that Bud will get the promotion, especially now that Whit is in charge
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I've never viewed it as a lock. Muschamp was a hell of a DC, but that transition to HC didn't go so hot. I'd love for Bud to jump in and take us to the next level, but who knows if he's got that in his game.
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He's thinking that Bud would only go somewhere else for a HC job but he'd be a DC here. We'd be matching HC pay for a DC to satisfy the previous commenter that we'd match what Bud gets offered elsewhere.
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We would be cheering our collective butts off but the FCC would start fining us when Bud told the field interviewer while trying to get the halftime locker room, to "go F0cc off and get the hell put of the way."
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Bud and Sam Rogers would pay a visit to the FCC. The entire organization would mysteriously disappear. Or we just send Bud to Marshawn Lynch for pointers.
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I'd think that if Bud and Sam got pissed at some organization at the same time, the rip in the space/time continuum would render my life nonexistent anyway.
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Maybe not anymore, but people noticed/cared when he was at Texas Tech. Those were some fun teams to watch, too.
I just don't buy the "Bud is too rough around the edges to be a head coach" talk, because a) I don't think he's really that rough around the edges. He's obviously an intense dude, but I've heard too many accounts of how different his off-the-field persona is from the one we see on game days. I honestly don't see it really being a problem. And b) guys much more unmannerly than Bud have had success as head coaches.
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Watch the Indiana situation. Kevin Wilson, their HC, was a very good OC at OU. And their OC, Kevin Johns I believe, has put up good numbers. Indiana is top ten in the ncaa in rushing this year.
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There are lots of things written in lots of books, but for what it's worth in Beamer's book he says that Bud has told him he stays in Blacksburg as long as Frank does.
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i feel like alot of people forgot that in franks contract when he is no longer a coach he is something like the football athletic director or something like that for 5 years or so? or is that not the case anymore? Bud isnt going anywhere but up either in position or pay or both.
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No, Frank's title will be Assistant to the Athletic Director, and his responsibilities will involve fund raising & 'general promotion of VT athletics'. No limiting his duties to football. There was never, ever anything in any contract he signed that included anything otherwise.
This will be his severance package. No special title, just an honorary position and salary for eight years at $250K annually. I would imagine there will be no time clock for him to punch, either.
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This was just an observation, and certainly not based on any facts other than knowing how CFB tends to operate, but after the game he was asked about what winning this game meant to him and Frank said that he was proud of how consistent the program has been. Reading between the lines, I think Frank wants everyone back for AT LEAST one more year to make another push, or even 2016. Personally, I would like to see them all back next year with a healthy, intact squad and let's see what they can accomplish.
As much as CFB is a class act and would never say so himself, there's a part of me that would love for him to tell his detractors to go to hell.
What a great win!
GO HOKIES!!!
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Bo Pelini was just fired from Nebraska apparently. I'll embed a tweet when I'm not on mobile.
EDIT:
Bo Pelini fired at Nebraska— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 30, 2014
Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst has dismissed Head Football Coach Bo Pelini effective immediately, per a school email.— Tom Dienhart (@BTNTomDienhart) November 30, 2014
Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst has dismissed Head Football Coach Bo Pelini effective immediately. Press conference 1pm.— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) November 30, 2014
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I think Nebraska has a false since of how good they are. Callahan was a dumpster fire. But Pelini was the perfect coach for them (and the one they should have hired in the first place). Midwest is a tough place right now with the population shift. Think it will hard for them to get back to the glory they expect.
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One state has a small, diminishing economy/population, enjoys months of sub-zero temperatures, and must recruit nationally due to a lack of in-state talent. The other enjoys milder weather, a much larger (and rapidly growing) population in one of the most economically significant regions of the country, and in-state recruiting hotbeds that annually produce national top-10 players.
Nebraska may (currently) have a slight budgetary advantage, but not a good comparison imo.
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Nebraska is a good comparison when you think about it. Both have historical bowl records, Nebraska has 48 bowls in 51 years. Both have devoted fans and sellout streaks. In the last 15 years each has played for a National Championship. Both recruit about the same middle of the road. Both conferences are about equal. This year we've each played top 25 teams. Them 3 and us 2. They scored 41 on Miami and we scored 6 on them. Since 2008 when Bo was hired both schools have won 3 bowl games
Perhaps the best illustration of Pelini's tenure at Nebraska is the team's 7-17 record against ranked teams. The Huskers rarely had issues putting away the teams they should beat, but they rarely beat teams ranked ahead of them. There are a lot of expectations at Nebraska, and "pretty good" was simply not enough to satisfy them.
Compared to Tech who since 2008 is 13-12 against Top 25 teams but loses the games they should win
Since being hired the only difference is Beamer has won 2 ACC championships and Bo couldn't win 1 and Nebraska is wanting change and wanting to win
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But look what surrounds us WVU, UNC, WAKE, NCSU, DUKE, UVA, ODU, MARYLAND, PITT, ECU, NAVY, TEMPLE. Nebraska like a lot of Midwest schools/teams OSU, UM dominate the TV coverage and fan base in their state and border areas. VT doesn't even dominate TV coverage in VA.
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Nebraska like a lot of Midwest schools/teams OSU, UM dominate the TV coverage and fan base in their state and border areas. VT doesn't even dominate TV coverage in VA.
First things first, I don't agree VT doesn't dominate state coverage when they field a great team.
Secondly (and more importantly) even if Nebraska does have an easier job recruiting Nebraska than Virginia Tech does recruiting Virginia... it's still easier for VT to get elite prospects because of the number of elite prospects that come from VT's region. Nebraska just isn't going to get National Title quality players out of their state. Virginia Tech is.
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I guess I should accept that folks will never run out of ways to rationalize why VT should be terrible at things and operate like a provincial also-ran.
So I'll just say that I hope Whit Babcock doesn't think like this.
From my perspective, VT is a much more desirable coaching job than Nebraska - for all of the reasons previously stated and more. I think expectations should be higher for VT, but maybe I'm being an irrational fan.
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Well...I've been in Neb for a good while, and these fans are freakin' rabid. I mean, the elected their legendary coach Tom Osbourne to senate at one point in time. Nebraska is a desirable program, so much money gets put into it from these crazy farmers.
You are correct in the aspect that expactations should be higher at VT. I see Big Red all day everday, and every Husker fan is irrational about everything Nebraska football. They have 5 national championships here, and have been to a few other NC games, the fans here want championship football every year.
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Nebraska recruits a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
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Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state
No, but it's not a coincidence that the top recruiting programs are historically located in the parts of the country which generate the top recruits. It's way easier to recruit elite talent when that elite talent pops up in your backyard. Is it possible to recruit out of state? Yes. But it's not easy and it's not preferable. Just like it's possible to be a professional basketball player if your under six foot... but it's way harder.
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That modern football is no longer regional. Winning the state of Virginia against UVa shouldn't be our biggest goal. If Sweat was from Florida, or Tennessee or Nebraska would we be as interested in him.
Tech needs an immediate upgrade at offensive line and did Tech target the to 50 O lineman in the country or just those in the state of Virginia
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When you were considering schools did you give preference to the ones that were closer to home? Because that's what most people do and that's why recruiting is generally region based. I agree that we should still be interested in Sweat if he was from Florida, but do you really think wasting resources on him when he can go to good schools close to home is even worth it? I'm willing to bet a lot of the Big 12 schools barely put any effort in going after him.
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When I looking at schools I was thinking about cost of going to a school, and my future of what the school can get me. Apply that same to football. Scholarship so costs doesn't matter. If you're a top football player you want a coach that can coach you up and a team you can win on.
I think it was during a FSU game the announcers were saying that the last time Winston lost a game was his Sophomore year of high school, or something crazy like that. I think AJ Macaren at Alabama was the same, did he end up with 3 losses and 3 national championships at alabama or was it 4 losses and 2 national championships
In recruiting, its a high effort, high risk, high reward operation. We need to be traveling more, seems like we need to be doing more to get out there. Last year Duke signed more recruits from Florida than North Carolina. So far this season Duke has more recruits committed from California and Georgia each than NC. UNC had only 40% of last years recruiting class from NC
Buzz talking about 2015 recruiting class. Saw all but one Boo Williams AAU game this summer.
Buzz spent that much time in the 757 to sign the top talent
Comparing the 'hotbeds' Texas, Florida, and California
Big 12 Schools in Texas have Texas. But those outside, like OU have more players from Texas and California than from Oklahoma. In the last 2 years OU has had 10 players from California, OU is 16 - 30 hours away from by car depending on where in Cali. Tech has had 5 players from Florida. Which is 8 - 14 hours away, depending on where in Florida. Dallas is 16 hours from Blacksburg. Tech has 0 players from Texas in the last 2 years
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That still doesn't mean it isn't easier to recruit those nearer to you, and it still doesn't mean there isn't an inherent advantage to being located in a talent rich region.
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Nebraska recruit a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
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Straight comparing two states makes no sense. If you have ever driven through Nebraska, not just to Omaha (on the border with Iowa) but through the whole state, you'd realize why I say this. There is literally nothing out there, and this is coming from the guy that lives in Wyoming. You can't recruit that state and expect to win. Hell, you can't recruit that entire state period. It's too big and the people are too spaced out to ever find all the good players. On my drive to Wyoming with my dad we just kept wondering out loud how Tom Osbourne put together such consistently good teams because there is no way anyone could scout that entire state.
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the drive on 80 from Cheyenne to Omaha is the worst I have ever driven. Once you get into Nebraska there is not a single turn the entire length. I took this route the first time I drove to VT across country. I drove I40 every other time, just painful. I had to stop at the Cabella's store for a while just to break the monotony and when I was on it I saw at least 6 speed traps.
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I feel ya man. I drove out there when I moved and it is easily the worst part of the drive. At least Wyoming has some cool scenery, Nebraska is just flat with not mountains and corn or wheat on either side of the highway. It's funny because when I talk to my friends from back East they always complain about western Ohio, they don't know boring.
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I liked driving through NE, IA and MN. My wife is from Sioux City and we flew into Omaha a lot to visit her family and then drove up to Minneapolis to see her parents. I like that kind of drive.
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Omaha through to Iowa is completely different than Omaha to Cheyenne. I loved driving through Iowa. I've driven through Minnesota and North and South Dakota before, Montana, Tennessee.. lots of long states, But Nebraska to Wyoming was by far the worst.
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You can't recruit that state and expect to win. Hell, you can't recruit that entire state period. It's too big and the people are too spaced out
I'm kinda lost on this. I am saying that Bo didnt just recruit the state or the region. He didn't just go to the top players in Omaha, or Kansas City or the Twin Cities.
BO recruited for the best players in the country, he could have had an easier time recruiting the region. The top contributing states to Nebraska Footbal were far, even farther than from your drive through.
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I wasn't disagreeing with you, just didn't know where to add that post in considering there were so many posts already on the topic so I just picked the last one.
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It's a pretty easy argument to make that Bo Pelini acheived about as well as you can at Nebraska now-a-days, while Frank Beamer has spent the past three years fielding teams who are performing almost as poorly as possible. That argument gets even easier to make when you factor in the quality of recruit in Virginia Tech's region vs Nebraska's.
If someone told me that they though Whit could get a coach who could get Tech back into national title contention quicker than Frank Beamer, even if I disagreed I certainly couldn't call them "delusional".
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It's not delusional, but it is improbable. Everybody focuses on what the positives could be with a coaching change but not the potential negatives. From a statistical standpoint alone, coaching hires fail more often than succeed. Changing could result in losing recruits or coaches (Bud). Whit COULD hire a coach better than Beamer, but would you bet on it? I most definitely would not.
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Everybody focuses on what the positives could be with a coaching change but not the potential negatives.
I think both the positives and the negatives are discussed everytime the possibility of Frank being replaced comes up.
From a statistical standpoint alone, coaching hires fail more often than succeed.
That's a very very debatable point for multiple reasons. One, what is the definition of success? If it's merely "do better than your predeccesser", than I really don't think that coaching hires fail more than fifty percent of the time (considering coaches are usually fired after their poorest performances).
Two, you can't compare the likelihood at finding a great coach to takeover at Virginia Tech to the likelihood at finding a great coach at an average football program. Virginia Tech is in a P5 conference, it is located in a region that produces a good number of high quality football recruits and is in range of some of the best recruiting in the country. Virginia Tech has facilities better than the vast majority of other football programs. Virginia Tech has a history of great fan support and of being the most respected football program in the state. In short, Virginia Tech is in a position to get a high quality coaching prospect... not just some shot in the dark that programs lesser programs have to take.
Third, one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the country is currently on our staff. Bud Foster has a way better than "50/50" shot to be successful at Virginia Tech and they could promote him basically anytime they want.
So is it more improbable for Virginia Tech to find a new successful head coach or for Frank Beamer to reclaim the ten-win magic he used to have? Keep in mind the last three teams Frank Beamer has fielded have been some of the least successful teams he's fielded since the 90's...
I don't know the answer to that question. But I wouldn't dismiss it either.
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Excellent points. If Bud remains with the program, I'm optimistic about the future. But, I would bet on Frank getting back to ACC championship football before any coach not named Bud that I would expect vt to get. That's not me slighting our position to get a coach. Its just very few great coaches and its hard to get them if they don't already have an affiliation with the school.
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Those Nebraska tweets lower on this thread make me think too. If Frank and Bud were gone, the current players could have all sorts of reactions as well. Whenever Frank's time comes to an end, I think Bud has to be promoted up. I don't see him staying and playing for another coach and losing the lunch pail defense could crush this program in a transition to a new coach. I by no means think Bud is a slam dunk as HC, but the alternative scares me to death.
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Sounds like they handled it badly. If I fired a manager, I'd always let the team know in person before any kind of other communication went out. Give them time to react and absorb.
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Difference is that Beamer would be retiring, not fired. And it would be expected. I mean, it's not like Nebraska was horrible and everyone had been talking all year about firing the coach. Sort of just happened.
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Nebraska was also 9-3, so a coaches firing is completely unexpected.
We're a 6-6 team that has narrowly avoided bowl ineligibility with a last game of the season win 2 of the past 3 years for a program used to winning 10 and competing for conference titles. 4 years ago we were a BCS At-Large. You wouldn't see that big a player revolt because they would have seen it coming here. The team just hasn't been that good.
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Bo Pelini has been fired after seven seasons at Nebraska, zero conference titles and an inability to get over the 10-win mark. Nebraska's 7-17 record against ranked teams was also a problem
Losing to an unranked Wisconsin in the Conference Championship 70 - 31, might also help
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan St. All three have been in talk for the playoff all year. Only FSU has been in the talk for the ACC
Wisconsin, Michigan St, and Nebraska recruit a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
Nebraska wants to win the B1G One
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So weird they fired him...They are bowl eligible and they won their last game...He makes them competitive. The days of winning national championships is over for them anyway. Should have stayed in the Big 12 so they could have recruited Texas easier
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Nebraska wants to win championships. In 7 years at Nebraska Bo won 0 and Played for only one conference title, and lost 70 - 31 to the 5th place B1G team due to Probation for the top remaining teams (OSU/Penn St)
Nebraska doesn't want to settle for mediocrity
As for recruiting Texas. It's there leading state for recruits, followed by Louisiana, Florida, and California. And then Nebraska
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I both understand why Nebraska fired Pellini and expect them to fail in finding a better replacement. It's a call you have to make if you are Nebraska and you want to win titles. But the chance of finding a better successor is pretty low.
That's the predicament of so many fanbases (UGA and VT come to mind).
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True, SMU should never be a permanent stop, unless they hire Craig James for comic purposes, I assume his info is still in the payroll dept from when he played there...
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I don't think Bud will leave VT. Earning 1.5m as a DC would put him about 500k above the highest paid (base salary). LSU and Alabama are highest at 900-950k.
He was offered the Georgia job a few years back, but VT offered an annuity for him to stay.
Bud is awesome as a DC. I am not sure how he would do as a HC. I think he loves what he does as DC and he's one of the best in the country. I hope Babcock does offer him more $$ and I think he will. Some proof is what he did in the basketball program with Buzz.
I think Bud likes Blacksburg, he's been here a long time.
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Bud isn't leaving Vt. He's not leaving VT to do the same job somewhere else. I believe his HC time has come and gone as far as going to other schools. He has interviewed before and not gotten the jobs and has been uninterested in others that have showed interest in him. He wants a HC job at a power five program and a decent one at that. Again I think that time has come and gone save for VT. It would have to take something like Alabama to come offer for him to leave imo, and that's not happening.
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My pick for OC would be a guy by the name of Sonny Cumbie. He's from the Mike Leach tree. We all remember Lincoln Riley of ECU, same breed. Can win with great recruits or not so great. Proven system. Put that kind of O with our D and bang!!!!
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Very true, but it seems the team is also in a fair amount of upheaval. Current players are skewering administration over this choice. Very toxic environment at the moment; we'll see who replaces Pelini. That may certainly change things, but it sounds like a lot of the Nebraska guys had a very personal connection with him.
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Nebraska's Players are publicly voicing their frustration:
At the end of the day Bo was the only one who gave a shit about us. You think Eichorst or Pearlman gave a shit? All they care about is $$$— Matthew Finnin (@StepDaddyFinnin) November 30, 2014
I can guarantee not one of us has ever even had a conversation with either of them.— Matthew Finnin (@StepDaddyFinnin) November 30, 2014
Make no mistake. We just lost our father-figure, role model and you have the balls to tweet us saying "don't overreact"?— Matthew Finnin (@StepDaddyFinnin) November 30, 2014
Think of a non family member in your life u would do anything for. Now imagine having that person ripped out of your life. Thats how we feel— Samuel Hahn (@daHAHNi) November 30, 2014
Basically we woke up to a break up text over an email... how you expect us to feel?— Michael Rose-Ivey (@Rose_IveyNB15) November 30, 2014
That's just a handful. I feel bad for the players. Can't believe they fired a decent coach who was so beloved by his players.
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Difference between a potential VT coaching change and Nebraska is that Nebraska was actually a somewhat good team this year. Hell, they finished 9-3 and were a top ranked team before Wisconsin had their way with em in the second half. Firing a coach after a season like that is pure shocking, and to have the news broken to the team via the media is absurd, but lets not say we would be seeing the same thing at VT if a coaching change was enacted tomorrow. We're a 6-6 squad who had one of the worst season long offensive shit shows in recent memory that needed a last minute comeback win over the bottom feeding 5 win program of your own division to gain bowl eligibility the week after being shutout by the 3 win bottom feeding program of the opposite division. The only reason a coaching change isn't expected out of us this year is because of the name of the coach in charge. The results speak for themselves.
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That program sounds like it's going to be a mess for a while unless they make a huge splash with the new hire but I don't know who they are looking at.
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No idea why RichRod would leave Arizona now. He has beaten Oregon twice in two years, they are division champions and going to the conference game against? Oregon. He has Arizona ranked in forever and top ten in, maybe first time ever. I am told the Athletic Department are talking seriously about investments in facilities and pay upgrades. Apparently RichRod has pulled in long time basketball boosters to support the team and he has supposedly made serious in-roads with southern california high schools for 5 star recruits.
I just don't see it and the people I know in Tucson (#sourcesonacactus) say he is there to stay... but this is RichRod. You never know.
Anyway, when I lived there I went to games. It was pathetic. The stadium was half full until mid-2nd quarter when it got maybe 70% and then dropped to about 40% in 4th quarter. Was like that for almost every game I attended. With a student body not just apathetic to football but actively subverting it by holding rallies, greek life events (which are HUGE there), and other things during games.... craziness I said. I was routinely yelled at to sit down and stop yelling so much. Looks like things have changed there which is great. But man did it suck there for a LONG time.
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Yeah I trhought the same thing after the asu game this week. I think he would be crazy to leave Arizona now. He's got a good thing going there. I don't think he leaves for at least a few more years and some mediocre seasons.
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Freeze's rise is amazing, but I don't think he leaves. He seems to be Ole Miss' Frank Beamer and invested to stay there. But... that is A LOT of money.
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I think Freeze leaves Ole Miss and RichRod* leaves Arizona. The perception is that these are just two middle tier schools who had a good year, much like VT was in 2000 when UNC came calling.
But this isn't UNC coming calling, it's UF (for Freeze) and LSU or Nebraska (potentially for RichRod). Both of those schools can be power houses.
I think Oregon made a jump from Tier 2 job to Tier 1 job about a decade ago (but as we know, Oregon has a unique situation). I can't really think of another Tier 2 job that had a Tier 1 season and stayed there (Wisky maybe?). VT did it for about 5 years, arguably. Maybe Baylor can do it because their system is so unique and Briles seems to not want to leave.
TCU and Patterson are in a similar situation.
*RichRod is unique in that he has already had a Tier 2 job that became a Tier 1 situation for a few years at WVU and jumped for a Tier 1 job only to fail spectacularly. But I doubt he has the humility to not jump again when offered.
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The perception is that these are just two middle tier schools who had a good year
sure, anything is possible, both could go, but I don't think this is accurate.
Arizona has been consistently better since RichRod got there. It hasn't been just one a good year but a program on the rise that went through a rebuilding and then into real performance. I think what you see there is just the start of what RichRod can do with it. I can't stress how little Tucson and UofA cared about football when I was there. He seems to have energized the entire city and it's a rich little city.
As for Freeze, I just don't see it. He seems to me to be a commitment type of guy. I think he has his dream job win or lose and moving to UF for money is not something he would do, unless fired from Ole Miss. That's just from what I read about him. But here again I don't see Ole Miss as having just a singularly good year. Freeze has only been there a short time but he has consistently gotten better and better. He also is pulling recruits like never before. I see him staying.
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RichRod probably also realizes it is easier to get into the playoffs in the PAC than the B1G or SEC. All he has to really do is beat Oregon and he knows how to do that.
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This train of thought comes up a lot. It can even be applied to VT's underground pursuit of Richt, that playing in the (whichever division we are in) ACC is a lot easier than playing in the SEC East.
I just don't see coaches ever making decisions based on that rationale. Maybe it is their ego, that, "sure, winning at Arizona is great but I can win at LSU!" or whatever. Coaches always jump for the bigger job. Sometime because of money, but a lot of time, because of the allure of grandeur.
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Yeah, but I would also like living in Arizona a lot more than around LSU. Might technically be hotter, but is a dry heat and there is a kind of serene beauty in that part of the Country.
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I think that you may be underestimating RichRod's hindsight and introspection. He already made the jump to the high prestige job for gobs of money. It did not go well for him, and he seems to be much happier in a job like Arizona where he can build what he wants, the way he wants, and without a ton of pressure from irrational fans, alumni, and boosters. Arizona is basically his chance to do things all over again, this time focusing on what really made him happy the first time.
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yes, exactly. To add, don't forget that RichRod needs several seasons to get his type of players into his system. This was one of the biggest issues at Michigan. The pressure there just couldn't wait for him to translate success. Everyone wanted it now, now, now. And then he imploded.
Conversely a place like Arizona that has bottom of the barrel expectations and nothing but time, and is positioned well with wealthy boosters, cool little city and near enough to recruiting hotbed of southern Cal and the magic happens. I would be very surprised to see him leave but then again, he left WVU at it's height of glory under his coaching so maybe that's precisely when he leaves Arizona as well. doubt it though.
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It could very well be that he saw the glass ceiling at WVU, being a member of the doomed Big East, etc. Not to mention, Michigan is a legendary program. Sure, they've not been at the top in a while, but they have far more resources than WVU in every way possible, and are in a very comfortable situation conference-wise.
So he learned his lesson about going for greener pastures. I think he stays at Arizona for a while. He can continue to build there, and in a great conference.
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I think his problem at Michigan wasnt offense it was defense. He went through 3 different coordinators over three years and he likes to run the 3-3-5 which doesn't work well in the big ten since alot of the teams are power run and its just not fair having a 170 lb CB have to come up and tackle a 200 lb back. As for leaving WVU I dont blame him. He was at the height of his desirability as a coach. People forgot this but Alabama wanted him before they hired saban.
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Heard a rumor on Thanksgiving from a Wahoo relative of mine that the reason uva brought back London is strictly money.
They wanted John Paul Jones to foot the bill for a new coach, but he's still pissed they hired London and told them to clean up their own mess. Without his support uva couldn't afford to buyout London's contract and make a new hire.
So I guess maybe we should be thanking JPJ for keeping the time cop around a little longer(?)
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He was kept on his existing contract, which had a tenure provision in it to reward him for staying until Jan 1st. Just like the contract Bud has, he gets a bonus for staying until Jan 1st.
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London has two years remaining on a five-year contract extension he signed following the 2011 regular season. He earned more than $2.3 million this past year and is due a longevity bonus of $750,000 on Jan. 15. It would have cost Virginia almost $7 million to change regimes after this season.
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Yeah I think his buyout was $5.6 million for this season so that makes sense. However his buyout after next year is a much more affordable $2.3 million I believe which would enable them to hire a new coach.
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Money indeed was the primary reason they kept him. I think the another under the radar reason is that the general perception of LOLUVA being a dumpster fire at the moment; with the cultural introspection they're undergoing at the time gives them enough on their plate that they didn't want to pile more on by firing a coach.
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The Administration sited lack of quality wins. Additionally the new AD reviewed the tape and determined IT WAS A CATCH!!! and therefore it was no longer considered a win.
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Supposedly his wife really, really is determined to stay on the West Coast. Trade to the Raiders, then a move of the franchise to LA in 2-3 years at probably 6-7M annually.
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Also remember that when Cleveland was discussing trading for Harbaugh this spring before backing away, the price was only two 3rd round draft picks, a bargain for an experienced playoff caliber NFL coach.
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How would this impact us searching for a new OC or HC in the same year as other major programs are replacing their staffs? Would it be a good idea for us to try and replace our staff (or offensive staff) when this year's proven targets will likely be going to those other schools? I bet Whit will dish out some cash for the next coach but I don't know if he will drop or can drop $5m+ a year given our donor base is miniscule compared to those schools.
My thoughts are that finding a suitable OC would still be possible but if we were going to hire a HC from outside, this would not be the year to try and do it. These are not my opinions on what we should do as far as keeping or firing the current staff, just my opinions on if Whit was planning to make a change, what should be considered.
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Its becoming pretty clear that if we hope to truly compete as a football program going forward, we're going to need to significantly dip into our checkbook to bring in a good coach. The way the haves are starting to separate themselves from the have nots, its very likely by the time we get around to hiring a new coaching staff, we better be in a position to pony up $4M a year, or we probably won't even get a callback.
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Hugh Freeze agreed to a four year extension of his contract with Mississippi, taking his salary up from $3M annually to $4.5M annually on average. This removes him from the discussion in the Florida job. Coincidentally, Florida then announced that they have a scheduled meeting with Jim McElwain today. Since the meeting was made public in advance, you can be pretty sure the results have already been determined and that McElwain will be the next head coach at Florida. He has SEC ties, having been a OC at Alabammer.
On a side note - for the last few years, the trend when hiring Coordinators to be head coaches among Power 5 conference teams is virtually always to hire an OC, not a DC.
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Miami AD Blake James says the rumors are false - 'Al Golden is our coach and will continue to be our coach'. repeating what he has said all along. The internet fan base wants Golden fired, but they don't pay his buyout, nor the salary of the next head coach.
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Florida has now announced that Jim McElwain was their 1st choice all along for head coach. That means Hugh Freeze turned them down, and they've come to contract terms with McElwain, as I said earlier today. You can expect a formal announcement within 24 hours. McElwain will probably retain the defensive staff, or at least most of it, including the DC. Florida had no weakness on defense, their concern was that their offense was so weak.
One key for Florida was seeing that McElwain implemented his plan for the program at Colorado State so well. Again, more proof that any Coordinator that is serious about getting a head coaching job needs to have a specific vision and to be bold enough to take on the challenge at places that aren't always the cream of the crop.
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The deal was already agreed to, as I mentioned in an earlier post just above here. What they did last night was sign the final paperwork. You'll see the announcement made today, as mentioned above. It was agreed to before Foley made the plane trip.
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Evidently, the Colorado State President, Tony Frank is reneging on a verbal agreement he made this summer with McElwain. By doing so, Frank might 'win' in the short term & keep McElwain as head coach. But if that occurs, you can be certain McElwain bolts as soon as his contract ends and reminds all the rest of the coaching community just how little trust they can place in the admin at Colorado State. Very short-sighted on Frank's part.
Something else to note - the amount of money Florida is spending on coaching buyouts & contracts.
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Now multiple sources are reporting Colorado State 7 Florida ironed out their differences on the buyout, McElwain has signed as Florida's new head coach, and the announcement will be made officially later this afternoon.
So, the Colorado State President has managed to make public he is not to be trusted by any future head coaches, and negotiations for a replacement for McElwain will almost certainly take an ironic turn when candidates refuse to agree to any buyout terms similar to those McElwain had. Again, lack of vision, short term myopia will always hinder a program in ways that are immeasurable.
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from appearances it looks like a slimey move but do you really blame the guy. CSU has gone through some great talent at head coach and it's a stepping stone position. I'm sure he is tired of the coach search all the time and wants someone to stick. While not the best tactic when it comes to finding your next coach at least it says that they will consider doing what it takes to win. I'm sure the players there would love to have their coach as well.
always 2 sides
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Show Cause doesn't necessarily mean he can't coach, but there may be sanctions against the Nebraska, if he does. I'm not sure that I recall a time that a team/school actually dealt with a show cause condition. It'll be interesting to see what the NCAA does from an enforcement perspective. Given the cluster-F that is the NCAA today, I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happens outside of a fine for Tressel (or something similar).
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Bielema is really saisfied at Arkansas. Scott Frost has been mentioned for Nebraska. He's been the QB guy at Oregon for several years now, and of course, he has the Nebraska bloodlines. Sometimes schools just get too insane about wanting 'one of our own'. Just ask Michigan about Brady Hoke, and Nebraska thought Bo Pelini was 'one of us' when they hired him, too. He'd been DC there and 'embraced our atmosphere', so he was the shoo-in to be hired.
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Coach Riley comes to the #Huskers after 14 seasons as the HC at Oregon State, leading OSU to 93 wins and a 6-2 record in postseason.— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) December 4, 2014
EDIT Hokie_x3_Hi beat me by a few seconds
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The thing is, though, he is already 61 years old. You know he'll get a five year contract that will take him to retirement even if he flops. It will be a lot more than OrState would have paid, too. It's a surprise, but he knew he would always be second fiddle in the state to Oregon, so from that perspective it makes sense on his part. It just doesn't make a lot of sense on Nebraska's part. Good for him, though. Hopefully he is getting paid well, because this is his shot of a lifetime.
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I actually think that's appropriate in regards to football coaches. Spurrier is old but doesn't seem so. Bowden didn't win a title until his 70's (right?). A guy like Riley has at least 10 good years left in him. He looks 45. I guess living in San Diego for a while can do that to you.
Some guys look old, talk old, have old ideas. I wouldn't worry about Riley's age. I would worry about his slightly-above-average career achievements in context of you just firing a 9-win coach.
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I watched the press conference introducing Riley as head coach this morning. I think the appropriate word is - affable. The guy can spin a yarn, for sure. I saw some tweet that said essentially Mike Riley is the kind of guy who starts telling you a football story, and fours hours later, he's still going. He doesn't come across as an authoritative guy at all, but I think that is just his interaction with the press. He seems likable. I really hope he does well. I'd hate to see such a nice guy get crushed for going 8-4 five years in a row.
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That is a surprise for a couple of reasons, maybe three. First, nobody had him even being mentioned that I saw. Second, he is 61 years old. Third, he's been an almost exclusively West Coast/Pacific Northwest guy his entire career.
Well, good for him, and I hope the Nebraska people are finally ready to roll with a modern offense. He's an uptempo passing guy and his W-L record is not that sterling. Let's put it this way - he may be the low key humble kind of coach Nebraska loves, but if he wins 9-10 games a year, it will be the best he's ever done in his career.
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I wouldn't really call it a surprise. Yes to the fans, but the AD seemed to have a plan. Nebraska wants to rebuild out of mediocrity and this is a guy that has been building a 2nd level/little brother program.
But thirdly, I read he was a Pro style Coach and his stats back that up, 39/32 pass/rush plays per game and 70-75 plays total per game averaging 26 pts a game
We should call him what he is, Lil Beamer
Vt
38/36 avg of 23 pts a game
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Cowherd was just talking about this. Apparently the boosters are not entirely happy with him, for whatever reason, but Riley is universally respected. Looks good for everyone involved.
Since Riley has been at OreSt, Oregon has gotten waaaay better, Petersen is at UDub, Leach at WashSt, and now both Arizona schools are good. UCLA is improved a lot under Mora. USCw is probably close to backwith Sark. Stanford is still good. The Pac12 just got really competitive, and Riley wasn't really keeping up anymore.
Good move to all involved.
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The Pac 12 is vastly underrated as a conference. The East Coast bias tends to discount every quality team they have, but they have a lot of depth. Some very quality teams out there.
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Who was it that said a coach should never stay more than 10 years? That seems appropriate for Riley and Oregon State in this instance. Maybe for Pelini as well. Change....is good?
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No, it's been used by several coaches in basketball and football. I think a couple of the Miami coaches subscribed to that philosophy. There's actually a lot of value to that sentiment, although it would take a long time to detail the case for that strategy.
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Long CEO Tenure Can Hurt Performance -
Its a familiar cycle: A CEO takes office, begins gaining knowledge and experience, and is soon launching initiatives that boost the bottom line. Fast-forward a decade, and the same executive is risk-averse and slow to adapt to changeand the companys performance is on the decline.
All this allowed us to arrive at an optimal tenure length: 4.8 years.
because they have more invested in the firm, they favor avoiding losses over pursuing gains. Their attachment to the status quo makes them less responsive to vacillating consumer preferences.
Leg for that very interesting reference. It's interesting how that same theory can be applied to college athletics, and probably professional athletics, as well. I know in my own business dealings with small business owners, the longer they've held the company, the more risk averse they are and the less likely to embrace new facets of growth strategy.
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I know, i think, on here there was a discussion on how CFB is more the CEO than majorly involved in players. With only 100 people below him though, I could still see CFB being more involved with players, but on the sideline he doesn't show it much
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For those wondering, Mike Riley's buyout was $500K. Jim McElwain's buyout was negotiated 'down' to $3M, plus a guaranteed game against Florida in Gainesville between 2017 & 2020 with a payout of $2M, plus McElwain himself will have to repay $2M over an unspecified number of years in the future.
On top of that, Florida faces the payoff over the next few years of $6M to Will Muschamp, and possibly $4M more to their assistants if McElwain doesn't retain them. Expect McElwain to retain most of the defensive staff because of this, thus reducing the payoff.
Nebraska's got Pelini to pay off, but people need to examine the money Florida is committed to because of rash contracts put in place recently. The lack of vision by the Florida AD has cost them a lot of money. That needs to be remembered when people talk about increasing staff salaries at VT considering the end of Frank's tenure rapidly approaching.
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Interesting stuff going on here. Keeping a coach like McIlwain for 10 years is unrealistic if you are CSU, but I can understand the former AD getting fired up about it.
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Except that it is Kansas. Good for the guy, at least he has a shot in a Power 5 Conference. If he can get them to 5-7 or 6-6, they might be pretty happy. If not, he could parlay that into a coordinator job at a good school, or maybe a head coaching job in the MAC, SWAC, MWC, or somewhere like that.
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There are far too many offensive assistant coaches in & around Texas at various schools that have a ton of passing game experience. They won't need to go very far to find someone. There's got to be a dozen more Chad Morrises or Art Briles out there, coaching in HS or at the non-Power 5 level in college that are all just waiting for the phone call.
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Rumors around Twitter and 247 are saying that Michigan is currently testing the waters with David Cutcliffe to see if he would have any interest in taking the job.
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I'm curious to see how he would do coaching outside of the South. I think Michigan should go for a younger coach, but I have a lot of respect for Cutcliffe and I love what he does in building elite quarterbacks.
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The Michigan football program has reportedly been turned down.
NFL.com reported tonight that Duke coach David Cutcliffe turned down Michigan's offer to become its head coach.
Cutcliffe is in his seventh season at Duke, where he is 40-47. The Blue Devils are 9-3 this season and prepare to face Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 27.
Cutcliffe was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Devils to 10 wins and to the ACC Coastal Division championship.
Scout.com also reported tonight that Michigan has contacted the agent of LSU coach Les Miles about the opening, which came a week ago when Michigan fired Brady Hoke after four seasons.
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Wow this is surprising. Cutcliffe is an amazing coach, but I'm pretty surprised UM went after him. He's not much of a "Michigan man", although that whole philosophy is stupid and outdated in my opinion. Not that I've ever been a fan of Duke football or anything, but respect to Coach Cutcliffe. That guy is going places
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I seem to recall Cutcliffe stating that if Duke will have him he would end his career there. I think he likes where he's at and does not want the stress of a job like Michigan. He is no spring chicken after all
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No, actually Cutcliffe is NOT going places, which is his point. Cutcliffe wants to retire at Duke. He is 60 years old, and he does not want another rebuild. Expectations are reasonable at Duke, where at Michigan they want to win the B1G every other season, yet haven't been competitive in well over a decade. Duke pays Cutcliffe well, and he is not one of the 'Plug & Play' guys that wants to hop around everywhere. He'll stay at Duke until he retires, one way or the other.
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No kidding. That's like when Tennessee was turned down by the coaches at Air Force and Utah State. The money these coaches make now has completely changed the landscape. The historic powers are not as attractive as they were even 10 years ago.
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It's even more that way in basketball. When you've got a guy at VCU that refuses to even interview with NC State, Illinois, & even UCLA, that tells you these guys are starting to realize the glitter isn't always gold.
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Shaka Smart's decision is actually a different story. He told the local news recently he was stayed at VCU because he grew up without a father and he had 9 guys on his team that didn't have a father in their life and he remembers when his coach left his team and hew as devastated and he said at this point, he couldn't do that to his guys and he has it pretty good at VCU.
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He also didn't rule out leaving at some point in the future.
WHile he did make the 'father leaving' point, you can be sure that an equal factor was the amount of income he has been raised, and the investment in his program by the university. At UCLA, they've won over 100 national championships in various sports. If Shaka makes the Final Four, he is a legend in Richmond. Case in point... that is also a major factor.
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Yeah saw that headline. Seems like a very odd move. Did not see any details on the $$ involved, but can't imagine Oregon State is throwing around more than Wisconsin.
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Could see Paul Chryst (born in Madison, WI, went to college at Wisconsin and was the OC for Wisconsin for many years) move to Wisconsin which would leave the Pitt job open again...get ready for the Bud to Pitt rumors. Whit, make sure you get that new deal done ASAP.
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Is there any chance that Barry Alvarez goes after Paul Chryst now that he has been at Pitt for a couple of years? If he does, I do recall some link between Bud and Pitt back in 2011. Hopefully Whit gets Bud locked up soon.
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Ha, leg for posting exactly what I'm thinking...Chryst to Wisconsin is a lock in my eyes. Alvarez didn't hire him in the first place b/c he didn't have HC experience.
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Yeah, true. Whoever he hires, he will go after someone who he has a connection to. I remember reading about Alvarez when Bielema left Wisconsin; Bielema was like a son to him. I was kind of surprised when he hired Anderson, but seems to me that Anderson is a very clean guy, something I think Alvarez places a high value on based on what I have read about him.
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Shaw's alma mater was Stanfonrd and he grew up on the west coast...not a chance in hell he lives Stanford for VT. Pep Hamilton would be the better choice IMHO....I remember being really upset when Pep got the job at the Colts' OC, he literally would have been the perfect fit at the OC at VT.
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After Nebraska hired Riley, after Oregon State hired Andersen and after Virginia Tech hired Buzz Williams, is it not clear that there are moves every year that are surprising and elude to motivations unknown by the general public?
I'm always surprised how much this comes up. So and so would never leave there. It happens every year. Frequently. Yesterday, CBS posted an article about who Wisconsin will target. The only thing for certain is that they won't hire anyone on that list.
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This firing at UNC could be the makings of something very big. As I am looking at the articles it sounds like nobody on the defensive staff will be kept. Very Interesting!!!
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Look I don't see how he couldn't be having second thoughts. The coach who recruited him has been with Koenning just about everywhere he has been. To my knowledge, nobody on that defensive staff will survive the firings. This is a big deal and maybe some good karma is coming our way. couple this with the continued information about the scandal and you have yourself a interesting situation. May just be too much going on in a negative way for a recruit to be a part of. Im really optimistic!!!
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Pitt HC Paul Chryst is on way to Madison and is set to meet with UW, sources tell @FOXSports. Chryst appears to be front runner for the job.— Ross Jones (@RossJonesFOX) December 12, 2014
I'm very grateful for the stability VT coaching has had at the top over the last few decades, especially when compared to Pitt.
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Actually that's bad on me. My intent was to refer to playing in a professional stadium, i.e. Pitt, Miami, Tulane, etc. Not sure why my brain latched onto the word municipal, ownership of the stadium is actually irrelevant.
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I'm convinced that a team without a stadium on campus cannot sustain a competitive football program.
Edit: just noticed the convo already started about this. In order to create a fanbase from scratch (or from the depths), you must start with students. It's going to be hard for students to develop an emotional attachment to a team that plays 30+ minutes away. These students are now far less likely to donate to the athletic program when they get older, which hurts the team. IMO teams whose home field is a remote location are at a distinct disadvantage.
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Earlier reports are right. Will Muschamp has agreed to become Auburn's DC. Will be highest-paid college coordinator. More than $1.6 mil per.— Kevin Scarbinsky (@KevinScarbinsky) December 13, 2014
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New to the board. I believe that VT should give Loeffler another year to see if the offense can stay healthy. We all know Beams aint going anywhere yet, so one more year to gauge the staff with a "fingers crossed" healthy team. If by some miracle and staff changes are coming, I would love to have Ricky Bustle back as our OC. Offense was pretty good under him while at VT. He also recruited a player that was pretty good at VT named....Michael Vick
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I'm thinking that Whit's plan is to make sure that he can lock in Bud.
If he does, the coaching staff is intact and everyone comes back for another year+.
If Bud goes elsewhere, I wouldn't be surprised it the other dominoes fall and VT's looking for an entire new coaching staff.
Just my thoughts.
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Missouri DC Dave Steckel, a Frank Broyles candidate for top assistant coach in the nation, has accepted the head coaching job at Missouri State, an FCS school. That kind of exemplifies the market for DC's trying to become head coaches out there these days. It's all about the OC's...
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UVA OL coach is taking the VMI HC job. Wondered if it would affect their OL commits, but all of their commits except one don't even have other BCS offers so they probably all stick.
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For him to be out of the running, he'd first have to be in the running. Considering he's turned them down twice before, I'm not so sure that is the case.
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Once again, it is the Offensive Coordinator that gets the promotion to head coach. Nearly all of college football has evolved to focus on the offensive side of the ball. It is what excites the fan base, it is what entertains the donors, it is what generates TV coverage & revenue.
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Except relying on an elite defense and merely hoping for an average offense have proven to not work. Having an elite defense and average offense is no more advantage than having an elite offense and average defense.
Again, offense creates the allure, as in all the components mentioned above. Also, what constitutes 'defense at a high level' is getting more watered down as the offenses continue to dominate & increase on-field production.
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Alabama's offense is FAR from average this season. And for every exception to the rule, like LSU - who went all of 8-4 this season, there are examples like Oregon, who is in the national championship playoff. Alabama made their way into the SEC championship game by beating Auburn 55-44. Outstanding defense? Or unstoppable offense? Times change.
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i know that this is the general consensus but the real reason i even became a die hard VT fan was our D. our old D of the late 90s and most of 2000s the D that could turn the game and score points. seeing an offense put up TDs is nice but nothing more exciting and game changing when a D can score points. now the O has to back that up some for it to be relevant but i would contend that D is still exciting and can generate TV coverage. just has to be an exciting D. when you force a team 3 and out and then you turn around and do the same you are correct. not exciting. when you score the most TDs on D and special teams in the last decade, exciting. if we just turned 1/2 of the TOs we have created into points and not had so many redzone failures over the last 6 years or so i would say we would again be an exiting watch.
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Bo Pelini played at Ohio State under Tressel, thus the connection. He can improve the program, just as Tressel did way back when, and then either move on to be a DC at a top program, or perhaps move back into a Power 5 conference.
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#Pitt has had contact with Greg Schiano regarding its soon-to-be-vacant head coaching job, source tells the Post-Gazette.— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 17, 2014
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Sciano's a really good recruiter, but his time in Tampa was disastrous. Maybe he is just better suited to college, and maybe the NFL job just went to his head. or maybe he was a bad guy all along.
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Interesting if this goes through, especially since we looked at him for OC last year, and he decided to stay at UGA for loyalty. Maybe if he gets this, this would be a training-up so he could eventually go back to UGA?
News: Mike Bobo is interviewing for the vacant head coaching position at Colorado State, according to UGA A.D. Greg McGarity.— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) December 17, 2014
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Steve Pederson has been dismissed from his role as Pitt AD. That would explain why the Pitt rumors have been confusing, the AD is now gone, the school President or Board will probably make the decision. Unless an AD is hired almost immediately, which doesn't normally occur so quickly.
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In my opinion this is the best hire of the year. I was hoping he would be a future candidate when our head coaching position opens up down the road, but I applaud Pitt for bringing in such an incredible DC as their next coach.
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"Jim has figured out that his style is best suited for the college game. His shtick works better with young guys who are gone after three or four years."
Wow. Whoever said that is a dick. Jim has given the 49ers their best run in quite a while.
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Yeah I agree, one bad year in the NFL doesn't mean you're a bad pro football coach. The injuries to Frank Gore and the injuries and scandals with the 49ers defense hurt them a lot this season.
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Texas AM FINALLY hired a DC, John Chavis, the former DC from LSU. Not often you see a P5 coordinator leave for same job at a school in conference much less in same division of that conference.
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Supposedly Chavis' contract was a complete mess and was part of why he left. As I understand it, essentially if Les Miles retired/was fired Chavis almost automatically went with him. A&M likely gave him more job security and more money. Whoever drew up Chavis' contract should have a nice sit-down with LSU's AD...
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Virginia Tech: Appalachian State offensive graduate assistant Tyler McEntire has joined the Virginia Tech staff as a recruiting graduate assistant, according to his Twitter account.
From coachingsearch.com
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Arkansas OC going to same position at Pitt as per ESPN. They talk of him as being a more flashy throw the ball around type which is interesting cause I see Pitt as a line up and run you into the ground type. We'll see.
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Chaney was one of the earlier practitioners of a spread-style passing attack while at Purdue. He was the OC when Drew Brees was setting all of those records. I think mostly he just adapts to his personnel.
Incidentally, he was Tennessee's OC in that Peach bowl (Chik-fil-a bowl) in 2009.
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Having a few friends in the business and having considered getting into it myself, I can tell you with some certainty that coaches (especially younger ones, not that that really applies here) will generally disregard most college rivalries when looking for a job. The profession is just far too unstable to really be all that picky. You find a place that seems like a good fit and they're going to compensate you to coach football? You're signing on that dotted line, school colors be damned.
Still, I don't see him coaching at LOLUVA any time soon. Some rivalries just go too deep.
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Oh, I totally agree. Coaching opportunities at the FBS level are tough to get into. There's a lot of competition and not many spots available. And even regarding your last sentence, I don't hold anything against a Hokie like Jonathan Lewis for taking a GA job with loluva a couple years ago. He got his foot in the door, and as far as I'm concerned, good for him.
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Texas A&M fired their DC, Mark Snyder.
Sumlin offered Bud the DC job at A&M a few years ago, I'd expect to hear rumors of Bud to College Station during the offseason.
And then hear rumors of Kevin Sumlin's phone spontaneously combusting after Bud tells him to pound sand.
Will Muschamp (sp) is rumored to be their top pick
That could be a giant hot mess in the state of Texas, former Texas DC going to be A&M's DC.
I am in Austin and sports radio here reported the rumor...He would know how to recruit the state atleast
I'm hearing from Texas people that Venebles (sp?), Muschamp, and Foster are A&M's top three. They are "supposedly" offering Foster $1.5 million. Muschamp is expected to leverage A&M for more money from elsewhere. No word on Venebles. TFWIW.
I personally don't buy the Foster rumor tho. He has no experience recruiting in Texas and it's not like he' s known as a hotshot recruiter. But maybe that won't matter at a place like A&M.
Seems Muschamp is highest probable?
http://www.goodbullhunting.com/ranger222/2014/11/28/7304151/a-look-at-po...
Foster isn't going anywhere else to do the same job he does here.
What are the potential OC hires out there. ..
Just curious...
...asking for a friend
Ricky Bustle is currently at NC A&T. Wouldn't be too hard to get him back.
Todd Washington?
Kiffin?
*Runs and hides in a lake to prevent the flames*
It would be great to have Kiffin as a coordinator... Head coach? Not so much
You have to question Kiffin's level of interest. He crashed and burned as a HC in the NFL and NCAA, a unique feat. I think he's content and cozy at Bama.
Seems like he's only interested in high profile jobs anyway.
Saban is the only one capable of keeping him on a leash it seems
Lane Kiffin has the easiest job in America, you get a talent pool of like 5+ straight top 3 recruiting classes and I could make Alabama a national championship
Seriously. Hearing the commentators gushing over his playcalling was hysterical.
"Lane Kiffin is a genius, he's one of the best in the country at finding match ups for his playmakers. See, now he's moved Amari Cooper to the slot."
Wooooooow. He moved the best college wide receiver in years to the slot, and watched him run right past a defender??? Wonder what made him think to send Cooper, the BEST COLLEGE RECEIVER IN YEARS, on a simple one move go route down the field?? Fuckin Genius... how does he come up with this stuff...
Hate that Hack.
C'mon, man... this is TKP. No holding back. Tell us how you really feel.
UNLV coach "resigning",Bobby Hauck.
I don't know what's going to happen after this Virginia win. Like most Tech fans I'd like to see more offense. After seeing that Marshall put up 66 and lost, there is something to say for defense still.
My guess is now Beamer is safe. Will someone try to poach Bud with an offer he can't refuse? Any bets on Loeffler?
My feeling is that Loeffler and Beamer are, right now, a package. So both will stay. I cannot see Beamer heading out after this win and earning another bowl. And I am very skeptical we would attract a good OC given the current state of affairs. Any OC that comes knows Beamer will not be there forever, and he knows that Bud Foster most likely will rise to the HC position. So any OC worth his salt will probably not accept a position with such built-in uncertainty. If Beamer stays, Loeffler stays, that's my prediction. And both will stay. They need one more year to right the ship,
I think it's foolish for anyone to assume Bud Foster will be our next coach. There's just no guarantee that Bud will get the promotion, especially now that Whit is in charge
I've never viewed it as a lock. Muschamp was a hell of a DC, but that transition to HC didn't go so hot. I'd love for Bud to jump in and take us to the next level, but who knows if he's got that in his game.
Especially in this age of pull out all stops on offense.
That said, if Bud doesn't get it, then he'll be an SEC or other big program DC, within 2 yrs of a change of hc at VT.
idk, he likes Blacksburg, I'd like to think if VT offered him somewhat similar money that he'd stay put
So, your thinking that VT has 2 mil per year for a DC?
Ok, so where is the 2 mil number coming from? I'm not aware that any DC anywhere making that kind of money
He's thinking that Bud would only go somewhere else for a HC job but he'd be a DC here. We'd be matching HC pay for a DC to satisfy the previous commenter that we'd match what Bud gets offered elsewhere.
That's a fair point, but that's not what I understood him to mean
I don't think Bud has the temperament required for when lesser journalists than our own guys, Bitter, et al., ask stupid questions.
I see no problem with that.
We would be cheering our collective butts off but the FCC would start fining us when Bud told the field interviewer while trying to get the halftime locker room, to "go F0cc off and get the hell put of the way."
Bud and Sam Rogers would pay a visit to the FCC. The entire organization would mysteriously disappear. Or we just send Bud to Marshawn Lynch for pointers.
I'd think that if Bud and Sam got pissed at some organization at the same time, the rip in the space/time continuum would render my life nonexistent anyway.
If I could afford it, I would pay the fine.
If that were a requirement, Mike Leach wouldn't be a head coach.
Nobody cares about Mike Leach.
Nobody notices anything he says.
Like nobody makes Holts get new dentures, the impact is negligible.
Maybe not anymore, but people noticed/cared when he was at Texas Tech. Those were some fun teams to watch, too.
I just don't buy the "Bud is too rough around the edges to be a head coach" talk, because a) I don't think he's really that rough around the edges. He's obviously an intense dude, but I've heard too many accounts of how different his off-the-field persona is from the one we see on game days. I honestly don't see it really being a problem. And b) guys much more unmannerly than Bud have had success as head coaches.
Agreed, but I could also see Bud going on a Mike Bundy "I'm a man. I'm 40" type rant when defending his players and coaches.
and it would be glorious
you misspelled Holtsth
Watch the Indiana situation. Kevin Wilson, their HC, was a very good OC at OU. And their OC, Kevin Johns I believe, has put up good numbers. Indiana is top ten in the ncaa in rushing this year.
Whit, I certainly hope you keep Bud and the entire Defensive staff happy in this coaching carousel!
IF weaver kept him around this long, I would assume that Whit could do the same.
There are lots of things written in lots of books, but for what it's worth in Beamer's book he says that Bud has told him he stays in Blacksburg as long as Frank does.
i feel like alot of people forgot that in franks contract when he is no longer a coach he is something like the football athletic director or something like that for 5 years or so? or is that not the case anymore? Bud isnt going anywhere but up either in position or pay or both.
No, Frank's title will be Assistant to the Athletic Director, and his responsibilities will involve fund raising & 'general promotion of VT athletics'. No limiting his duties to football. There was never, ever anything in any contract he signed that included anything otherwise.
This will be his severance package. No special title, just an honorary position and salary for eight years at $250K annually. I would imagine there will be no time clock for him to punch, either.
If Dave Baldwin was 10 years younger he'd be a hot candidate right now.
This was just an observation, and certainly not based on any facts other than knowing how CFB tends to operate, but after the game he was asked about what winning this game meant to him and Frank said that he was proud of how consistent the program has been. Reading between the lines, I think Frank wants everyone back for AT LEAST one more year to make another push, or even 2016. Personally, I would like to see them all back next year with a healthy, intact squad and let's see what they can accomplish.
As much as CFB is a class act and would never say so himself, there's a part of me that would love for him to tell his detractors to go to hell.
What a great win!
GO HOKIES!!!
UK's OC reportedly to get the Troy job.
Bo Pelini was just fired from Nebraska apparently. I'll embed a tweet when I'm not on mobile.
EDIT:
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/11/30/4749958/bo-pelini-ne...
I think Nebraska has a false since of how good they are. Callahan was a dumpster fire. But Pelini was the perfect coach for them (and the one they should have hired in the first place). Midwest is a tough place right now with the population shift. Think it will hard for them to get back to the glory they expect.
My thoughts exactly. Our fan base seems to have similar delusions regarding a replacement for FB.
Virginia is hardly Nebraska.
One state has a small, diminishing economy/population, enjoys months of sub-zero temperatures, and must recruit nationally due to a lack of in-state talent. The other enjoys milder weather, a much larger (and rapidly growing) population in one of the most economically significant regions of the country, and in-state recruiting hotbeds that annually produce national top-10 players.
Nebraska may (currently) have a slight budgetary advantage, but not a good comparison imo.
I heartell Omaha is a decent sized city.
~ 400,000
I actually enjoyed my time in Omaha, except for the weather. Couldn't ask for nicer people.
That cheapskate, Warren Buffett, still hasn't forked up that billion he owes me for my bracket!
I hear he hangs out at Dairy Queen.
Nebraska is a good comparison when you think about it. Both have historical bowl records, Nebraska has 48 bowls in 51 years. Both have devoted fans and sellout streaks. In the last 15 years each has played for a National Championship. Both recruit about the same middle of the road. Both conferences are about equal. This year we've each played top 25 teams. Them 3 and us 2. They scored 41 on Miami and we scored 6 on them. Since 2008 when Bo was hired both schools have won 3 bowl games
Compared to Tech who since 2008 is 13-12 against Top 25 teams but loses the games they should win
Since being hired the only difference is Beamer has won 2 ACC championships and Bo couldn't win 1 and Nebraska is wanting change and wanting to win
I've thought about it and disagree.
Going forward, VT will have more resources to pull from, Nebraska will have less. The same statement likely holds true for the respective conferences.
EDIT: but I suppose attempting to analyze something like "fan expectations" objectively/rationally is a mistake.
Nebraska has only one FBS school while we have two, which makes recruiting (theoretically) easier for Nebraska than it does for us (Virginia Tech).
We have three counting ODU. Oh wait, I forgot UVA finally got demoted to FCS.
we also have more than four times their population, so... numbers.
But look what surrounds us WVU, UNC, WAKE, NCSU, DUKE, UVA, ODU, MARYLAND, PITT, ECU, NAVY, TEMPLE. Nebraska like a lot of Midwest schools/teams OSU, UM dominate the TV coverage and fan base in their state and border areas. VT doesn't even dominate TV coverage in VA.
First things first, I don't agree VT doesn't dominate state coverage when they field a great team.
Secondly (and more importantly) even if Nebraska does have an easier job recruiting Nebraska than Virginia Tech does recruiting Virginia... it's still easier for VT to get elite prospects because of the number of elite prospects that come from VT's region. Nebraska just isn't going to get National Title quality players out of their state. Virginia Tech is.
I guess I should accept that folks will never run out of ways to rationalize why VT should be terrible at things and operate like a provincial also-ran.
So I'll just say that I hope Whit Babcock doesn't think like this.
From my perspective, VT is a much more desirable coaching job than Nebraska - for all of the reasons previously stated and more. I think expectations should be higher for VT, but maybe I'm being an irrational fan.
Well...I've been in Neb for a good while, and these fans are freakin' rabid. I mean, the elected their legendary coach Tom Osbourne to senate at one point in time. Nebraska is a desirable program, so much money gets put into it from these crazy farmers.
You are correct in the aspect that expactations should be higher at VT. I see Big Red all day everday, and every Husker fan is irrational about everything Nebraska football. They have 5 national championships here, and have been to a few other NC games, the fans here want championship football every year.
Nebraska recruits a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
No, but it's not a coincidence that the top recruiting programs are historically located in the parts of the country which generate the top recruits. It's way easier to recruit elite talent when that elite talent pops up in your backyard. Is it possible to recruit out of state? Yes. But it's not easy and it's not preferable. Just like it's possible to be a professional basketball player if your under six foot... but it's way harder.
Maybe that's why Tech is 6 - 6 and not talked about on sportscenter during Rivalry Week, Or anytime.
Percent of recruits signed from instate since 2012
VTech - 60%
Clemson - 35%
Stanford - 23%
Auburn - 28%
Wisconsin - 26%
Nebraska - 9%
Ole Miss 44%
UGa - 52%
I'm stating a fact, that annually having high quality recruits develop in your state is a net positive for a program.
How does anything in your above post dispute that?
That modern football is no longer regional. Winning the state of Virginia against UVa shouldn't be our biggest goal. If Sweat was from Florida, or Tennessee or Nebraska would we be as interested in him.
Tech needs an immediate upgrade at offensive line and did Tech target the to 50 O lineman in the country or just those in the state of Virginia
When you were considering schools did you give preference to the ones that were closer to home? Because that's what most people do and that's why recruiting is generally region based. I agree that we should still be interested in Sweat if he was from Florida, but do you really think wasting resources on him when he can go to good schools close to home is even worth it? I'm willing to bet a lot of the Big 12 schools barely put any effort in going after him.
When I looking at schools I was thinking about cost of going to a school, and my future of what the school can get me. Apply that same to football. Scholarship so costs doesn't matter. If you're a top football player you want a coach that can coach you up and a team you can win on.
I think it was during a FSU game the announcers were saying that the last time Winston lost a game was his Sophomore year of high school, or something crazy like that. I think AJ Macaren at Alabama was the same, did he end up with 3 losses and 3 national championships at alabama or was it 4 losses and 2 national championships
In recruiting, its a high effort, high risk, high reward operation. We need to be traveling more, seems like we need to be doing more to get out there. Last year Duke signed more recruits from Florida than North Carolina. So far this season Duke has more recruits committed from California and Georgia each than NC. UNC had only 40% of last years recruiting class from NC
Buzz spent that much time in the 757 to sign the top talent
Comparing the 'hotbeds' Texas, Florida, and California
Big 12 Schools in Texas have Texas. But those outside, like OU have more players from Texas and California than from Oklahoma. In the last 2 years OU has had 10 players from California, OU is 16 - 30 hours away from by car depending on where in Cali. Tech has had 5 players from Florida. Which is 8 - 14 hours away, depending on where in Florida. Dallas is 16 hours from Blacksburg. Tech has 0 players from Texas in the last 2 years
But much of central Florida is a cheap 1.5 hour plane ride away. Flies into Orlando or Tamps/St. Pete depending on the day you fly.
Again, I agree.
That still doesn't mean it isn't easier to recruit those nearer to you, and it still doesn't mean there isn't an inherent advantage to being located in a talent rich region.
Nebraska recruit a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
Straight comparing two states makes no sense. If you have ever driven through Nebraska, not just to Omaha (on the border with Iowa) but through the whole state, you'd realize why I say this. There is literally nothing out there, and this is coming from the guy that lives in Wyoming. You can't recruit that state and expect to win. Hell, you can't recruit that entire state period. It's too big and the people are too spaced out to ever find all the good players. On my drive to Wyoming with my dad we just kept wondering out loud how Tom Osbourne put together such consistently good teams because there is no way anyone could scout that entire state.
the drive on 80 from Cheyenne to Omaha is the worst I have ever driven. Once you get into Nebraska there is not a single turn the entire length. I took this route the first time I drove to VT across country. I drove I40 every other time, just painful. I had to stop at the Cabella's store for a while just to break the monotony and when I was on it I saw at least 6 speed traps.
I feel ya man. I drove out there when I moved and it is easily the worst part of the drive. At least Wyoming has some cool scenery, Nebraska is just flat with not mountains and corn or wheat on either side of the highway. It's funny because when I talk to my friends from back East they always complain about western Ohio, they don't know boring.
I liked driving through NE, IA and MN. My wife is from Sioux City and we flew into Omaha a lot to visit her family and then drove up to Minneapolis to see her parents. I like that kind of drive.
Omaha through to Iowa is completely different than Omaha to Cheyenne. I loved driving through Iowa. I've driven through Minnesota and North and South Dakota before, Montana, Tennessee.. lots of long states, But Nebraska to Wyoming was by far the worst.
I'm really looking forward to Cabela's finally getting to Richmond
I'm kinda lost on this. I am saying that Bo didnt just recruit the state or the region. He didn't just go to the top players in Omaha, or Kansas City or the Twin Cities.
BO recruited for the best players in the country, he could have had an easier time recruiting the region. The top contributing states to Nebraska Footbal were far, even farther than from your drive through.
I wasn't disagreeing with you, just didn't know where to add that post in considering there were so many posts already on the topic so I just picked the last one.
It's a pretty easy argument to make that Bo Pelini acheived about as well as you can at Nebraska now-a-days, while Frank Beamer has spent the past three years fielding teams who are performing almost as poorly as possible. That argument gets even easier to make when you factor in the quality of recruit in Virginia Tech's region vs Nebraska's.
If someone told me that they though Whit could get a coach who could get Tech back into national title contention quicker than Frank Beamer, even if I disagreed I certainly couldn't call them "delusional".
It's not delusional, but it is improbable. Everybody focuses on what the positives could be with a coaching change but not the potential negatives. From a statistical standpoint alone, coaching hires fail more often than succeed. Changing could result in losing recruits or coaches (Bud). Whit COULD hire a coach better than Beamer, but would you bet on it? I most definitely would not.
I think both the positives and the negatives are discussed everytime the possibility of Frank being replaced comes up.
That's a very very debatable point for multiple reasons. One, what is the definition of success? If it's merely "do better than your predeccesser", than I really don't think that coaching hires fail more than fifty percent of the time (considering coaches are usually fired after their poorest performances).
Two, you can't compare the likelihood at finding a great coach to takeover at Virginia Tech to the likelihood at finding a great coach at an average football program. Virginia Tech is in a P5 conference, it is located in a region that produces a good number of high quality football recruits and is in range of some of the best recruiting in the country. Virginia Tech has facilities better than the vast majority of other football programs. Virginia Tech has a history of great fan support and of being the most respected football program in the state. In short, Virginia Tech is in a position to get a high quality coaching prospect... not just some shot in the dark that programs lesser programs have to take.
Third, one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the country is currently on our staff. Bud Foster has a way better than "50/50" shot to be successful at Virginia Tech and they could promote him basically anytime they want.
So is it more improbable for Virginia Tech to find a new successful head coach or for Frank Beamer to reclaim the ten-win magic he used to have? Keep in mind the last three teams Frank Beamer has fielded have been some of the least successful teams he's fielded since the 90's...
I don't know the answer to that question. But I wouldn't dismiss it either.
Excellent points. If Bud remains with the program, I'm optimistic about the future. But, I would bet on Frank getting back to ACC championship football before any coach not named Bud that I would expect vt to get. That's not me slighting our position to get a coach. Its just very few great coaches and its hard to get them if they don't already have an affiliation with the school.
I would agree, if only because of the player/recruit attrition we'd experience with a new non-Bud head coach.
Those Nebraska tweets lower on this thread make me think too. If Frank and Bud were gone, the current players could have all sorts of reactions as well. Whenever Frank's time comes to an end, I think Bud has to be promoted up. I don't see him staying and playing for another coach and losing the lunch pail defense could crush this program in a transition to a new coach. I by no means think Bud is a slam dunk as HC, but the alternative scares me to death.
Sounds like they handled it badly. If I fired a manager, I'd always let the team know in person before any kind of other communication went out. Give them time to react and absorb.
Difference is that Beamer would be retiring, not fired. And it would be expected. I mean, it's not like Nebraska was horrible and everyone had been talking all year about firing the coach. Sort of just happened.
Nebraska was also 9-3, so a coaches firing is completely unexpected.
We're a 6-6 team that has narrowly avoided bowl ineligibility with a last game of the season win 2 of the past 3 years for a program used to winning 10 and competing for conference titles. 4 years ago we were a BCS At-Large. You wouldn't see that big a player revolt because they would have seen it coming here. The team just hasn't been that good.
Bo Pelini has been fired after seven seasons at Nebraska, zero conference titles and an inability to get over the 10-win mark. Nebraska's 7-17 record against ranked teams was also a problem
Losing to an unranked Wisconsin in the Conference Championship 70 - 31, might also help
Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan St. All three have been in talk for the playoff all year. Only FSU has been in the talk for the ACC
Wisconsin, Michigan St, and Nebraska recruit a pretty wide area. Recruiting isn't just about players from the home state. In the last 4 years Nebraska's Main recruiting states - 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Louisiana 4. California 5. Nebraska
Nebraska wants to win the B1G One
Whoa. Thank you for giving us two fine ooc wins, Pelini!
So weird they fired him...They are bowl eligible and they won their last game...He makes them competitive. The days of winning national championships is over for them anyway. Should have stayed in the Big 12 so they could have recruited Texas easier
Nebraska wants to win championships. In 7 years at Nebraska Bo won 0 and Played for only one conference title, and lost 70 - 31 to the 5th place B1G team due to Probation for the top remaining teams (OSU/Penn St)
Nebraska doesn't want to settle for mediocrity
As for recruiting Texas. It's there leading state for recruits, followed by Louisiana, Florida, and California. And then Nebraska
I both understand why Nebraska fired Pellini and expect them to fail in finding a better replacement. It's a call you have to make if you are Nebraska and you want to win titles. But the chance of finding a better successor is pretty low.
That's the predicament of so many fanbases (UGA and VT come to mind).
I read one part of this as "win titties" I got all happy for a sec.
Chad Morris to SMU... Missed that chance.
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/11/30/4753856/chad-morris-...
Not necessarily. I don't think SMU is a long term destination. 1-2 yrs there and he's a HC at a P5 (maybe VT). Similar to Malzan.
Wonder what Clemson will do? Rumor swirling about Dabo to UF.
True, SMU should never be a permanent stop, unless they hire Craig James for comic purposes, I assume his info is still in the payroll dept from when he played there...
And he knows where all the dead hookers are buried
He can dig em' up with the same shovel he used to bury Mike Leach's career.
Somewhat off-topic, but too good not to share. Dabo was indeed in Florida, and he made some new friends.
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/12/7383097/dabo-swinney...
It's about to get crazy on the merry go round!
I don't think Bud will leave VT. Earning 1.5m as a DC would put him about 500k above the highest paid (base salary). LSU and Alabama are highest at 900-950k.
He was offered the Georgia job a few years back, but VT offered an annuity for him to stay.
Bud is awesome as a DC. I am not sure how he would do as a HC. I think he loves what he does as DC and he's one of the best in the country. I hope Babcock does offer him more $$ and I think he will. Some proof is what he did in the basketball program with Buzz.
I think Bud likes Blacksburg, he's been here a long time.
Bud isn't leaving Vt. He's not leaving VT to do the same job somewhere else. I believe his HC time has come and gone as far as going to other schools. He has interviewed before and not gotten the jobs and has been uninterested in others that have showed interest in him. He wants a HC job at a power five program and a decent one at that. Again I think that time has come and gone save for VT. It would have to take something like Alabama to come offer for him to leave imo, and that's not happening.
My pick for OC would be a guy by the name of Sonny Cumbie. He's from the Mike Leach tree. We all remember Lincoln Riley of ECU, same breed. Can win with great recruits or not so great. Proven system. Put that kind of O with our D and bang!!!!
I'd love to have Lincoln Riley
Put that kind of "O" with our "D" and bang...
I see what you did there
Any Nebraska O linemen ready to graduate and move here for post grad playing time?
Or recruits...
Eichenberg is a class of 2016 4* OT (24/7 score of 98, composite 96)
Which means he's a 15 or 16 year-old kid. Of course there will be some guys changing their mind, but it will really depend on who replaces him.
Very true, but it seems the team is also in a fair amount of upheaval. Current players are skewering administration over this choice. Very toxic environment at the moment; we'll see who replaces Pelini. That may certainly change things, but it sounds like a lot of the Nebraska guys had a very personal connection with him.
Nebraska's Players are publicly voicing their frustration:
That's just a handful. I feel bad for the players. Can't believe they fired a decent coach who was so beloved by his players.
I haven't really thought about the outcry if Beamer was let go...... But I'm sure a lot of the same father figure sentiments apply.
I'm sure James Gayle would have some choice words.
[deleted tweet]
Difference between a potential VT coaching change and Nebraska is that Nebraska was actually a somewhat good team this year. Hell, they finished 9-3 and were a top ranked team before Wisconsin had their way with em in the second half. Firing a coach after a season like that is pure shocking, and to have the news broken to the team via the media is absurd, but lets not say we would be seeing the same thing at VT if a coaching change was enacted tomorrow. We're a 6-6 squad who had one of the worst season long offensive shit shows in recent memory that needed a last minute comeback win over the bottom feeding 5 win program of your own division to gain bowl eligibility the week after being shutout by the 3 win bottom feeding program of the opposite division. The only reason a coaching change isn't expected out of us this year is because of the name of the coach in charge. The results speak for themselves.
All valid points.
But I think 01hokie was just pointing out the parallel in the positive feelings the players would have for the fired coaches in both circumstances.
You are correct sir.
That program sounds like it's going to be a mess for a while unless they make a huge splash with the new hire but I don't know who they are looking at.
The entire UAB football program is now available, from waterboy to AD.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/11/30/uab-to-shut-down-f...
I wonder if the NCAA would make a special exception to these kids so they don't have to sit out a year when they transfer
I think they should, just not sure what the precedent is
Yes, they will.
Auburn fired their DC Ellis Johnson.
Apparently they are going to go hard after Muschamp.
Auburn could be very dangerous with Muschamp at DC.
Washington State fired DC Mike Breske per cougcenter.com
Buffalo hiring Lance Leipold, who has won 5 division 3 championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater
Wow, great hire for them. Gonna watch how he does there.
Espn radio on Saturday discussed Miles to Michigan and Richrod to lsu.
How about Richrod to Nebraska?
why leave Arizona? seems like a lateral or step down move to Nebraska...LSU would be interesting but I dont see him lasting there if he were hired
No idea why RichRod would leave Arizona now. He has beaten Oregon twice in two years, they are division champions and going to the conference game against? Oregon. He has Arizona ranked in forever and top ten in, maybe first time ever. I am told the Athletic Department are talking seriously about investments in facilities and pay upgrades. Apparently RichRod has pulled in long time basketball boosters to support the team and he has supposedly made serious in-roads with southern california high schools for 5 star recruits.
I just don't see it and the people I know in Tucson (#sourcesonacactus) say he is there to stay... but this is RichRod. You never know.
Anyway, when I lived there I went to games. It was pathetic. The stadium was half full until mid-2nd quarter when it got maybe 70% and then dropped to about 40% in 4th quarter. Was like that for almost every game I attended. With a student body not just apathetic to football but actively subverting it by holding rallies, greek life events (which are HUGE there), and other things during games.... craziness I said. I was routinely yelled at to sit down and stop yelling so much. Looks like things have changed there which is great. But man did it suck there for a LONG time.
Yeah I trhought the same thing after the asu game this week. I think he would be crazy to leave Arizona now. He's got a good thing going there. I don't think he leaves for at least a few more years and some mediocre seasons.
Michigan really wanted les miles after they pushed out Lloyd Carr. I remember the awesome sign "We want a new Carr with Les Miles"
Been stationed in Nebraska for 11yrs, only one thing is certain: if you aren't "Tom Osbourne", you're expendable. I love the passion of these fans...
Jim McElwain is a leading candidate at Florida and Florida has offered Hugh Freeze $4.2 million. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.
Freeze's rise is amazing, but I don't think he leaves. He seems to be Ole Miss' Frank Beamer and invested to stay there. But... that is A LOT of money.
I agree, I have a hard time seeing him leave. He's from North Mississippi and Ole Miss was probably his dream job. But who knows?
I think Freeze leaves Ole Miss and RichRod* leaves Arizona. The perception is that these are just two middle tier schools who had a good year, much like VT was in 2000 when UNC came calling.
But this isn't UNC coming calling, it's UF (for Freeze) and LSU or Nebraska (potentially for RichRod). Both of those schools can be power houses.
I think Oregon made a jump from Tier 2 job to Tier 1 job about a decade ago (but as we know, Oregon has a unique situation). I can't really think of another Tier 2 job that had a Tier 1 season and stayed there (Wisky maybe?). VT did it for about 5 years, arguably. Maybe Baylor can do it because their system is so unique and Briles seems to not want to leave.
TCU and Patterson are in a similar situation.
*RichRod is unique in that he has already had a Tier 2 job that became a Tier 1 situation for a few years at WVU and jumped for a Tier 1 job only to fail spectacularly. But I doubt he has the humility to not jump again when offered.
sure, anything is possible, both could go, but I don't think this is accurate.
Arizona has been consistently better since RichRod got there. It hasn't been just one a good year but a program on the rise that went through a rebuilding and then into real performance. I think what you see there is just the start of what RichRod can do with it. I can't stress how little Tucson and UofA cared about football when I was there. He seems to have energized the entire city and it's a rich little city.
As for Freeze, I just don't see it. He seems to me to be a commitment type of guy. I think he has his dream job win or lose and moving to UF for money is not something he would do, unless fired from Ole Miss. That's just from what I read about him. But here again I don't see Ole Miss as having just a singularly good year. Freeze has only been there a short time but he has consistently gotten better and better. He also is pulling recruits like never before. I see him staying.
RichRod probably also realizes it is easier to get into the playoffs in the PAC than the B1G or SEC. All he has to really do is beat Oregon and he knows how to do that.
This train of thought comes up a lot. It can even be applied to VT's underground pursuit of Richt, that playing in the (whichever division we are in) ACC is a lot easier than playing in the SEC East.
I just don't see coaches ever making decisions based on that rationale. Maybe it is their ego, that, "sure, winning at Arizona is great but I can win at LSU!" or whatever. Coaches always jump for the bigger job. Sometime because of money, but a lot of time, because of the allure of grandeur.
Yeah, but I would also like living in Arizona a lot more than around LSU. Might technically be hotter, but is a dry heat and there is a kind of serene beauty in that part of the Country.
I like making as much money as possible while working with the most talented people to achieve the ultimate goal. LSU offers that.
I think that you may be underestimating RichRod's hindsight and introspection. He already made the jump to the high prestige job for gobs of money. It did not go well for him, and he seems to be much happier in a job like Arizona where he can build what he wants, the way he wants, and without a ton of pressure from irrational fans, alumni, and boosters. Arizona is basically his chance to do things all over again, this time focusing on what really made him happy the first time.
yes, exactly. To add, don't forget that RichRod needs several seasons to get his type of players into his system. This was one of the biggest issues at Michigan. The pressure there just couldn't wait for him to translate success. Everyone wanted it now, now, now. And then he imploded.
Conversely a place like Arizona that has bottom of the barrel expectations and nothing but time, and is positioned well with wealthy boosters, cool little city and near enough to recruiting hotbed of southern Cal and the magic happens. I would be very surprised to see him leave but then again, he left WVU at it's height of glory under his coaching so maybe that's precisely when he leaves Arizona as well. doubt it though.
It could very well be that he saw the glass ceiling at WVU, being a member of the doomed Big East, etc. Not to mention, Michigan is a legendary program. Sure, they've not been at the top in a while, but they have far more resources than WVU in every way possible, and are in a very comfortable situation conference-wise.
So he learned his lesson about going for greener pastures. I think he stays at Arizona for a while. He can continue to build there, and in a great conference.
I think his problem at Michigan wasnt offense it was defense. He went through 3 different coordinators over three years and he likes to run the 3-3-5 which doesn't work well in the big ten since alot of the teams are power run and its just not fair having a 170 lb CB have to come up and tackle a 200 lb back. As for leaving WVU I dont blame him. He was at the height of his desirability as a coach. People forgot this but Alabama wanted him before they hired saban.
In the B1G, 200lbs is a "scat back". OL's are NFL size or larger so over the course of a season, a 3-3-5 will wear out.
Heard a rumor on Thanksgiving from a Wahoo relative of mine that the reason uva brought back London is strictly money.
They wanted John Paul Jones to foot the bill for a new coach, but he's still pissed they hired London and told them to clean up their own mess. Without his support uva couldn't afford to buyout London's contract and make a new hire.
So I guess maybe we should be thanking JPJ for keeping the time cop around a little longer(?)
Interesting, but was London extended or just kept on his existing contract?
He was kept on his existing contract, which had a tenure provision in it to reward him for staying until Jan 1st. Just like the contract Bud has, he gets a bonus for staying until Jan 1st.
Well we knew that he was kept for this year because of money thanks to the shitshow they had with the university president.
How long is his contract? I have a feeling he'll be around for the duration of that.
His contract currently runs through the 2016 season. His bonus will be paid to him on Jan 15th, 2015. His current income is $2.3M annually.
Ironically, we both might be looking for a head coach at the same time frame.
I found an article about his extension from the Washington Post
Yeah I think his buyout was $5.6 million for this season so that makes sense. However his buyout after next year is a much more affordable $2.3 million I believe which would enable them to hire a new coach.
Money indeed was the primary reason they kept him. I think the another under the radar reason is that the general perception of LOLUVA being a dumpster fire at the moment; with the cultural introspection they're undergoing at the time gives them enough on their plate that they didn't want to pile more on by firing a coach.
All I want to know is when are we hiring James Gayle?
Hoke out!
That's the least surprising so far.
The Administration sited lack of quality wins. Additionally the new AD reviewed the tape and determined IT WAS A CATCH!!! and therefore it was no longer considered a win.
Yep...that Karma...it'll get after ya!
Countdown to Jim Harbaugh....
Supposedly his wife really, really is determined to stay on the West Coast. Trade to the Raiders, then a move of the franchise to LA in 2-3 years at probably 6-7M annually.
That's very plausible. The Raiders' owner has had constant evaluations of a plan move to LA and SF is interested in trading him for players .
Also remember that when Cleveland was discussing trading for Harbaugh this spring before backing away, the price was only two 3rd round draft picks, a bargain for an experienced playoff caliber NFL coach.
Does anyone have the Michigan AD's email address?
Sure. Need a crayon?
Aww, Coach, don't leave! We love what you're doing right where you are!
Rich Rod wins Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
So this makes 3 national powerhouses looking for a new coach this year... Florida, Nebraska, and Michigan
All 3 will likely offer contracts at or above $5M per year.
How would this impact us searching for a new OC or HC in the same year as other major programs are replacing their staffs? Would it be a good idea for us to try and replace our staff (or offensive staff) when this year's proven targets will likely be going to those other schools? I bet Whit will dish out some cash for the next coach but I don't know if he will drop or can drop $5m+ a year given our donor base is miniscule compared to those schools.
My thoughts are that finding a suitable OC would still be possible but if we were going to hire a HC from outside, this would not be the year to try and do it. These are not my opinions on what we should do as far as keeping or firing the current staff, just my opinions on if Whit was planning to make a change, what should be considered.
Its becoming pretty clear that if we hope to truly compete as a football program going forward, we're going to need to significantly dip into our checkbook to bring in a good coach. The way the haves are starting to separate themselves from the have nots, its very likely by the time we get around to hiring a new coaching staff, we better be in a position to pony up $4M a year, or we probably won't even get a callback.
Hugh Freeze agreed to a four year extension of his contract with Mississippi, taking his salary up from $3M annually to $4.5M annually on average. This removes him from the discussion in the Florida job. Coincidentally, Florida then announced that they have a scheduled meeting with Jim McElwain today. Since the meeting was made public in advance, you can be pretty sure the results have already been determined and that McElwain will be the next head coach at Florida. He has SEC ties, having been a OC at Alabammer.
On a side note - for the last few years, the trend when hiring Coordinators to be head coaches among Power 5 conference teams is virtually always to hire an OC, not a DC.
rumors swirling big time that al golden is gone but havent seen anything official yet....has anyone else?
Miami AD Blake James says the rumors are false - 'Al Golden is our coach and will continue to be our coach'. repeating what he has said all along. The internet fan base wants Golden fired, but they don't pay his buyout, nor the salary of the next head coach.
Didn't see it was already posted over here, but I started a topic on the Hoke firing:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/december/2/deadspin-reporting-mic...
Florida has now announced that Jim McElwain was their 1st choice all along for head coach. That means Hugh Freeze turned them down, and they've come to contract terms with McElwain, as I said earlier today. You can expect a formal announcement within 24 hours. McElwain will probably retain the defensive staff, or at least most of it, including the DC. Florida had no weakness on defense, their concern was that their offense was so weak.
One key for Florida was seeing that McElwain implemented his plan for the program at Colorado State so well. Again, more proof that any Coordinator that is serious about getting a head coaching job needs to have a specific vision and to be bold enough to take on the challenge at places that aren't always the cream of the crop.
If anyone wins ten games at Colorado State, they deserve a shot somewhere else.
I was hoping who would be a candidate here but I can't wait to see what he does there if he actually does become Florida's next coach.
Florida and Colorado State coach Jim McElwain are close to signing a deal.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2270453-florida-head-coach-search-lat...
The deal was already agreed to, as I mentioned in an earlier post just above here. What they did last night was sign the final paperwork. You'll see the announcement made today, as mentioned above. It was agreed to before Foley made the plane trip.
Just evolving the news story
How creepy is this picture of Foley in McElwain's home? This is taking reporting the story to another level, and not a good one.
didn't know TMZ started stalking college football
The lights in the front yard are blue? It was a setup all along! #conspiracy, #smellslikearat #moonlandingwasfilmedinarizona
Cue the Jim Ross soundbyte.
Mah GAWD! Mah GAWD! He's broken in half!!!
This is the latest on the Jim McElwain to Florida saga.
http://www.onlygators.com/12/04/2014/the-silver-lining-time-for-florida-...
Evidently, the Colorado State President, Tony Frank is reneging on a verbal agreement he made this summer with McElwain. By doing so, Frank might 'win' in the short term & keep McElwain as head coach. But if that occurs, you can be certain McElwain bolts as soon as his contract ends and reminds all the rest of the coaching community just how little trust they can place in the admin at Colorado State. Very short-sighted on Frank's part.
Something else to note - the amount of money Florida is spending on coaching buyouts & contracts.
Now multiple sources are reporting Colorado State 7 Florida ironed out their differences on the buyout, McElwain has signed as Florida's new head coach, and the announcement will be made officially later this afternoon.
So, the Colorado State President has managed to make public he is not to be trusted by any future head coaches, and negotiations for a replacement for McElwain will almost certainly take an ironic turn when candidates refuse to agree to any buyout terms similar to those McElwain had. Again, lack of vision, short term myopia will always hinder a program in ways that are immeasurable.
from appearances it looks like a slimey move but do you really blame the guy. CSU has gone through some great talent at head coach and it's a stepping stone position. I'm sure he is tired of the coach search all the time and wants someone to stick. While not the best tactic when it comes to finding your next coach at least it says that they will consider doing what it takes to win. I'm sure the players there would love to have their coach as well.
always 2 sides
What's up with Bielema and Nebraska? Will he be a BraskyMan?
I hear Tressel. Bielema said he was all Hog last night.
Tressel has a show clause until 2016, so if they hire him he will not be coaching next year.
Show Cause doesn't necessarily mean he can't coach, but there may be sanctions against the Nebraska, if he does. I'm not sure that I recall a time that a team/school actually dealt with a show cause condition. It'll be interesting to see what the NCAA does from an enforcement perspective. Given the cluster-F that is the NCAA today, I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happens outside of a fine for Tressel (or something similar).
Bielema is really saisfied at Arkansas. Scott Frost has been mentioned for Nebraska. He's been the QB guy at Oregon for several years now, and of course, he has the Nebraska bloodlines. Sometimes schools just get too insane about wanting 'one of our own'. Just ask Michigan about Brady Hoke, and Nebraska thought Bo Pelini was 'one of us' when they hired him, too. He'd been DC there and 'embraced our atmosphere', so he was the shoo-in to be hired.
Well, we're all wrong.
So this happened:
EDIT Hokie_x3_Hi beat me by a few seconds
Is that a downgrade from Pelini?
Much better sideline demeanor and builder of relationships with fans. Good coach. I see this as a positive move for Nebraska.
Ehhhhh. Seems like a lateral move for NU.
I can understand Riley wanting to get further away from Eugene, but this likely won't end well for him.
The thing is, though, he is already 61 years old. You know he'll get a five year contract that will take him to retirement even if he flops. It will be a lot more than OrState would have paid, too. It's a surprise, but he knew he would always be second fiddle in the state to Oregon, so from that perspective it makes sense on his part. It just doesn't make a lot of sense on Nebraska's part. Good for him, though. Hopefully he is getting paid well, because this is his shot of a lifetime.
Age is just a number!
I actually think that's appropriate in regards to football coaches. Spurrier is old but doesn't seem so. Bowden didn't win a title until his 70's (right?). A guy like Riley has at least 10 good years left in him. He looks 45. I guess living in San Diego for a while can do that to you.
Some guys look old, talk old, have old ideas. I wouldn't worry about Riley's age. I would worry about his slightly-above-average career achievements in context of you just firing a 9-win coach.
I watched the press conference introducing Riley as head coach this morning. I think the appropriate word is - affable. The guy can spin a yarn, for sure. I saw some tweet that said essentially Mike Riley is the kind of guy who starts telling you a football story, and fours hours later, he's still going. He doesn't come across as an authoritative guy at all, but I think that is just his interaction with the press. He seems likable. I really hope he does well. I'd hate to see such a nice guy get crushed for going 8-4 five years in a row.
That's a shocker. I thought he would be a lifer at Oregon State.
Nebraska be like:
Goodfellas auto upvote
That is a surprise for a couple of reasons, maybe three. First, nobody had him even being mentioned that I saw. Second, he is 61 years old. Third, he's been an almost exclusively West Coast/Pacific Northwest guy his entire career.
Well, good for him, and I hope the Nebraska people are finally ready to roll with a modern offense. He's an uptempo passing guy and his W-L record is not that sterling. Let's put it this way - he may be the low key humble kind of coach Nebraska loves, but if he wins 9-10 games a year, it will be the best he's ever done in his career.
I wouldn't really call it a surprise. Yes to the fans, but the AD seemed to have a plan. Nebraska wants to rebuild out of mediocrity and this is a guy that has been building a 2nd level/little brother program.
But thirdly, I read he was a Pro style Coach and his stats back that up, 39/32 pass/rush plays per game and 70-75 plays total per game averaging 26 pts a game
We should call him what he is, Lil Beamer
Vt
38/36 avg of 23 pts a game
On the flip side, he's never been at a place like Nebraska so he has more resources (college) than he did at OSU.
Cowherd was just talking about this. Apparently the boosters are not entirely happy with him, for whatever reason, but Riley is universally respected. Looks good for everyone involved.
Since Riley has been at OreSt, Oregon has gotten waaaay better, Petersen is at UDub, Leach at WashSt, and now both Arizona schools are good. UCLA is improved a lot under Mora. USCw is probably close to backwith Sark. Stanford is still good. The Pac12 just got really competitive, and Riley wasn't really keeping up anymore.
Good move to all involved.
The Pac 12 is vastly underrated as a conference. The East Coast bias tends to discount every quality team they have, but they have a lot of depth. Some very quality teams out there.
Who was it that said a coach should never stay more than 10 years? That seems appropriate for Riley and Oregon State in this instance. Maybe for Pelini as well. Change....is good?
i think that's a spurrier quote.
interesting that a hokie fan would use it!
No, it's been used by several coaches in basketball and football. I think a couple of the Miami coaches subscribed to that philosophy. There's actually a lot of value to that sentiment, although it would take a long time to detail the case for that strategy.
Long CEO Tenure Can Hurt Performance -
Its a familiar cycle: A CEO takes office, begins gaining knowledge and experience, and is soon launching initiatives that boost the bottom line. Fast-forward a decade, and the same executive is risk-averse and slow to adapt to changeand the companys performance is on the decline.
All this allowed us to arrive at an optimal tenure length: 4.8 years.
because they have more invested in the firm, they favor avoiding losses over pursuing gains. Their attachment to the status quo makes them less responsive to vacillating consumer preferences.
Harvard Business Review - cool read, pretty quick
https://hbr.org/2013/03/long-ceo-tenure-can-hurt-performance/
Leg for that very interesting reference. It's interesting how that same theory can be applied to college athletics, and probably professional athletics, as well. I know in my own business dealings with small business owners, the longer they've held the company, the more risk averse they are and the less likely to embrace new facets of growth strategy.
I know, i think, on here there was a discussion on how CFB is more the CEO than majorly involved in players. With only 100 people below him though, I could still see CFB being more involved with players, but on the sideline he doesn't show it much
For those wondering, Mike Riley's buyout was $500K. Jim McElwain's buyout was negotiated 'down' to $3M, plus a guaranteed game against Florida in Gainesville between 2017 & 2020 with a payout of $2M, plus McElwain himself will have to repay $2M over an unspecified number of years in the future.
On top of that, Florida faces the payoff over the next few years of $6M to Will Muschamp, and possibly $4M more to their assistants if McElwain doesn't retain them. Expect McElwain to retain most of the defensive staff because of this, thus reducing the payoff.
Nebraska's got Pelini to pay off, but people need to examine the money Florida is committed to because of rash contracts put in place recently. The lack of vision by the Florida AD has cost them a lot of money. That needs to be remembered when people talk about increasing staff salaries at VT considering the end of Frank's tenure rapidly approaching.
Did you read this? http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/24865992/ex-ad-colorado-st-botched-mcelwain-deal-opening-door-to-florida
Interesting stuff going on here. Keeping a coach like McIlwain for 10 years is unrealistic if you are CSU, but I can understand the former AD getting fired up about it.
Sounds like muschamp to auburn by the way which makes them very dangerous in the future.
Texas A&M assistant coach and recruiting coordinator David Beaty is Kansas' new head coach
talk about a promotion! wr coach/recruiting coordinator to HC...yes please...
Except that it is Kansas. Good for the guy, at least he has a shot in a Power 5 Conference. If he can get them to 5-7 or 6-6, they might be pretty happy. If not, he could parlay that into a coordinator job at a good school, or maybe a head coaching job in the MAC, SWAC, MWC, or somewhere like that.
Not as big a school, but Houston's Tony Levine will not return next year. Could open up a chance for a P5 coordinator to get a first shot at a HC gig.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11994815/tony-levine-retu...
Wouldn't be surprised to see them go after Lincoln Riley. They love to sling the ball around.
There are far too many offensive assistant coaches in & around Texas at various schools that have a ton of passing game experience. They won't need to go very far to find someone. There's got to be a dozen more Chad Morrises or Art Briles out there, coaching in HS or at the non-Power 5 level in college that are all just waiting for the phone call.
USF fired both OC and DC, as well as a defensive assistant:
http://www.voodoofive.com/2014/12/7/7351691/the-sunday-night-massacre-br...
Vandy fired DC David Kotulski. Now both coordinator positions are open.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2014/12/08/van...
I've never seen a QB take more punishment than he did in the 98 and 99 VT games, especially 98.
Houston fired their coach after being selected for a bowl game.
Who, exactly, do they think they are?
It's football in Texas. They all think they're divinely gifted to be unbeaten. All of them, at the same time.
Rumors around Twitter and 247 are saying that Michigan is currently testing the waters with David Cutcliffe to see if he would have any interest in taking the job.
Now that would be interesting
I'm curious to see how he would do coaching outside of the South. I think Michigan should go for a younger coach, but I have a lot of respect for Cutcliffe and I love what he does in building elite quarterbacks.
lol
Pelini and Tressell at the same school.
Wow. I really didn't see him going down in levels. I figured he would get a pretty good gig in the FBS
He's from Youngstown. That and I'm pretty sure a phone call from Jim Tressel still holds a lot of weight.
Seems Coaching search says he is in the mix for Wisconsin.
http://coachingsearch.com/coaching-search-ticker
The Michigan football program has reportedly been turned down.
NFL.com reported tonight that Duke coach David Cutcliffe turned down Michigan's offer to become its head coach.
Cutcliffe is in his seventh season at Duke, where he is 40-47. The Blue Devils are 9-3 this season and prepare to face Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 27.
Cutcliffe was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Devils to 10 wins and to the ACC Coastal Division championship.
Scout.com also reported tonight that Michigan has contacted the agent of LSU coach Les Miles about the opening, which came a week ago when Michigan fired Brady Hoke after four seasons.
Wow this is surprising. Cutcliffe is an amazing coach, but I'm pretty surprised UM went after him. He's not much of a "Michigan man", although that whole philosophy is stupid and outdated in my opinion. Not that I've ever been a fan of Duke football or anything, but respect to Coach Cutcliffe. That guy is going places
I think this says a lot more about what Cutcliffe has at Duke. They aren't the doormat anymore.
I seem to recall Cutcliffe stating that if Duke will have him he would end his career there. I think he likes where he's at and does not want the stress of a job like Michigan. He is no spring chicken after all
Yeah Cutcliffe seems to fit well at Duke, I'd be surprised if he decided to go anywhere else.
Miles, however...
No, actually Cutcliffe is NOT going places, which is his point. Cutcliffe wants to retire at Duke. He is 60 years old, and he does not want another rebuild. Expectations are reasonable at Duke, where at Michigan they want to win the B1G every other season, yet haven't been competitive in well over a decade. Duke pays Cutcliffe well, and he is not one of the 'Plug & Play' guys that wants to hop around everywhere. He'll stay at Duke until he retires, one way or the other.
I'm pretty sure he meant he's going places with Duke...
The Duke head coach just turned down an offer from Michigan... Not basketball... football. Who ever thought they'd read that.
No kidding. That's like when Tennessee was turned down by the coaches at Air Force and Utah State. The money these coaches make now has completely changed the landscape. The historic powers are not as attractive as they were even 10 years ago.
It's even more that way in basketball. When you've got a guy at VCU that refuses to even interview with NC State, Illinois, & even UCLA, that tells you these guys are starting to realize the glitter isn't always gold.
Shaka Smart's decision is actually a different story. He told the local news recently he was stayed at VCU because he grew up without a father and he had 9 guys on his team that didn't have a father in their life and he remembers when his coach left his team and hew as devastated and he said at this point, he couldn't do that to his guys and he has it pretty good at VCU.
He also didn't rule out leaving at some point in the future.
WHile he did make the 'father leaving' point, you can be sure that an equal factor was the amount of income he has been raised, and the investment in his program by the university. At UCLA, they've won over 100 national championships in various sports. If Shaka makes the Final Four, he is a legend in Richmond. Case in point... that is also a major factor.
Gary Andersen leaving Wisconsin for Oregon State. Ummmmmm...
Yeah saw that headline. Seems like a very odd move. Did not see any details on the $$ involved, but can't imagine Oregon State is throwing around more than Wisconsin.
Could see Paul Chryst (born in Madison, WI, went to college at Wisconsin and was the OC for Wisconsin for many years) move to Wisconsin which would leave the Pitt job open again...get ready for the Bud to Pitt rumors. Whit, make sure you get that new deal done ASAP.
I could just not imagine a scenario where Pitt could pay Bud enough to leave VT and play Frank every year.
Is there any chance that Barry Alvarez goes after Paul Chryst now that he has been at Pitt for a couple of years? If he does, I do recall some link between Bud and Pitt back in 2011. Hopefully Whit gets Bud locked up soon.
Ha, leg for posting exactly what I'm thinking...Chryst to Wisconsin is a lock in my eyes. Alvarez didn't hire him in the first place b/c he didn't have HC experience.
Yeah, true. Whoever he hires, he will go after someone who he has a connection to. I remember reading about Alvarez when Bielema left Wisconsin; Bielema was like a son to him. I was kind of surprised when he hired Anderson, but seems to me that Anderson is a very clean guy, something I think Alvarez places a high value on based on what I have read about him.
Oh and thanks for the leg. As you already know, I'm new here.
Have another one. Welcome
thanks!
Legs for the new guy!
It could happen but I don't think Paul Chryst has done enough at Pitt to leave for B1G powerhouse in Wisconsin. His best record at Pitt was 7-6.
If I were in charge at Wisky, I'd make a run at Dave Doeren at NC State.
Yeah I didn't know he had Wisconsin ties until recently. All I knew about him was that he was the coach at NIU. He has a pretty solid resume.
Gary Andesen is a guy I had on my post Beamer list. See, there are good coaches available.
Call David Shaw!
Shaw's alma mater was Stanfonrd and he grew up on the west coast...not a chance in hell he lives Stanford for VT. Pep Hamilton would be the better choice IMHO....I remember being really upset when Pep got the job at the Colts' OC, he literally would have been the perfect fit at the OC at VT.
After Nebraska hired Riley, after Oregon State hired Andersen and after Virginia Tech hired Buzz Williams, is it not clear that there are moves every year that are surprising and elude to motivations unknown by the general public?
I'm always surprised how much this comes up. So and so would never leave there. It happens every year. Frequently. Yesterday, CBS posted an article about who Wisconsin will target. The only thing for certain is that they won't hire anyone on that list.
UNC just fired their defensive coordinator.
Well I guess someone has to start the rumor...Bud Foster to UNC
/sarc
Somebody get Paul Torgeson on the line!
At least then he can coach Dalton...(ducks)
Actually, Larry Fedora disbanded defense as a unit because he doesn't believe that defense wins games.
This firing at UNC could be the makings of something very big. As I am looking at the articles it sounds like nobody on the defensive staff will be kept. Very Interesting!!!
I'd have to wonder if Dalton is having any second thoughts right now
I thought the universe would send Byron Cowart our way, to balance things out?
Look I don't see how he couldn't be having second thoughts. The coach who recruited him has been with Koenning just about everywhere he has been. To my knowledge, nobody on that defensive staff will survive the firings. This is a big deal and maybe some good karma is coming our way. couple this with the continued information about the scandal and you have yourself a interesting situation. May just be too much going on in a negative way for a recruit to be a part of. Im really optimistic!!!
Looks like that Paul Chryst-to-Wiscy narrative is gaining steam:
"Paul Chryst poised to return to UW as head coach, according to source"
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/285578791.html
"Pitt coach Paul Chryst's name surfaces quickly at Wisconsin"
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2014/12/12/Pitt-coach-Paul-Chrys...
I'm very grateful for the stability VT coaching has had at the top over the last few decades, especially when compared to Pitt.
Well I think we have some prophets on TKP. It appears the Chryst to Wisconsin rumor is true. Sucks to be Pitt I guess.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12018668/wisconsin-badger...
Pitt has abandoned their football tradition. Sad to see, because they have not always been an also ran.
If a team ever ends up playing in a municipal stadium, someone high up at the university either doesn't give a shit about or has given up on football.
USC? UCLA? Miami?
USC plays in their own stadium on their campus. UCLA plays in their quasi-own stadium, no other team plays there except during the Rose Bowl.
And Miami was specifically who I had in mind as I wrote that comment.
Los Angeles Memorial Stadium is not owned by USC, just operated by them under a contract.
"Municipal stadium" was the key word.
Two of those stadiums are owned (though not always operated) by the cities that house them.
I was wrong about Miami (Sun Life actually has a private owner), but their greatest days were in the Orange Bowl -- a municipal stadium.
Actually that's bad on me. My intent was to refer to playing in a professional stadium, i.e. Pitt, Miami, Tulane, etc. Not sure why my brain latched onto the word municipal, ownership of the stadium is actually irrelevant.
I'm convinced that a team without a stadium on campus cannot sustain a competitive football program.
Edit: just noticed the convo already started about this. In order to create a fanbase from scratch (or from the depths), you must start with students. It's going to be hard for students to develop an emotional attachment to a team that plays 30+ minutes away. These students are now far less likely to donate to the athletic program when they get older, which hurts the team. IMO teams whose home field is a remote location are at a distinct disadvantage.
Official this morning. Has UF named a new HC? Who is left without a HC in P5?
Jim McElwain from Colorado State was announced as Florida's HC two weeks ago.
Bob Stitt to Montana. Should be fun to watch and, hopefully, a springboard to a D1 job.
New to the board. I believe that VT should give Loeffler another year to see if the offense can stay healthy. We all know Beams aint going anywhere yet, so one more year to gauge the staff with a "fingers crossed" healthy team. If by some miracle and staff changes are coming, I would love to have Ricky Bustle back as our OC. Offense was pretty good under him while at VT. He also recruited a player that was pretty good at VT named....Michael Vick
I'm thinking that Whit's plan is to make sure that he can lock in Bud.
If he does, the coaching staff is intact and everyone comes back for another year+.
If Bud goes elsewhere, I wouldn't be surprised it the other dominoes fall and VT's looking for an entire new coaching staff.
Just my thoughts.
Missouri DC Dave Steckel, a Frank Broyles candidate for top assistant coach in the nation, has accepted the head coaching job at Missouri State, an FCS school. That kind of exemplifies the market for DC's trying to become head coaches out there these days. It's all about the OC's...
UVA OL coach is taking the VMI HC job. Wondered if it would affect their OL commits, but all of their commits except one don't even have other BCS offers so they probably all stick.
My dad was very upset to see a uva coach go to VMI.
For years Luigi's Bar in Staunton had a tshirt hanging above the bar that said "Women at VMI? What's Next, Men at UVA?"
Les Miles is likely out of the running for Michigan's next HC according to this article from 247Sports
http://lsu.247sports.com/Bolt/No-Michigan-for-Les-33893732
For him to be out of the running, he'd first have to be in the running. Considering he's turned them down twice before, I'm not so sure that is the case.
Ohio State is losing its OC, Tom Herman, to takeover at Houston.
http://m.chron.com/sports/cougars/article/Report-Cougars-expected-to-hir...
Once again, it is the Offensive Coordinator that gets the promotion to head coach. Nearly all of college football has evolved to focus on the offensive side of the ball. It is what excites the fan base, it is what entertains the donors, it is what generates TV coverage & revenue.
....and it makes defense even more important than ever. The teams that can play defense at a high level and have average offenses, have an advantage.
Except relying on an elite defense and merely hoping for an average offense have proven to not work. Having an elite defense and average offense is no more advantage than having an elite offense and average defense.
Again, offense creates the allure, as in all the components mentioned above. Also, what constitutes 'defense at a high level' is getting more watered down as the offenses continue to dominate & increase on-field production.
Unless you are Alabama or LSU who are known for average offenses and wonderful defenses.
Alabama's offense is FAR from average this season. And for every exception to the rule, like LSU - who went all of 8-4 this season, there are examples like Oregon, who is in the national championship playoff. Alabama made their way into the SEC championship game by beating Auburn 55-44. Outstanding defense? Or unstoppable offense? Times change.
Playoff Teams this year had the 3, 5, 7, and 9th ranked Offensive FEI and the 5, 12, 17 and 18th ranked Defensive FEI.
They had the 1, 2, 3, and 10th ranked Offensive S&P+ and a 1,4,12, and 26th ranked Defensive S&P+
Football Outsiders
Defense will win you games if you have the offense to keep you in them, hence the emphasis on offense.
...and NO ONE plays defense like we (Bud) do! We're not a good defense, we're dominate. Ask anOSU.
i know that this is the general consensus but the real reason i even became a die hard VT fan was our D. our old D of the late 90s and most of 2000s the D that could turn the game and score points. seeing an offense put up TDs is nice but nothing more exciting and game changing when a D can score points. now the O has to back that up some for it to be relevant but i would contend that D is still exciting and can generate TV coverage. just has to be an exciting D. when you force a team 3 and out and then you turn around and do the same you are correct. not exciting. when you score the most TDs on D and special teams in the last decade, exciting. if we just turned 1/2 of the TOs we have created into points and not had so many redzone failures over the last 6 years or so i would say we would again be an exiting watch.
Major Applewhite --> Houston w/ Tom Herman.
cc: french60wasp
I think Applewhite will do well there. He seems to have a future as a head coach.
Thank the lord cc Joe@thekeyplay
Bo Pelni official at YSU with Tressell.
Bo Pelini played at Ohio State under Tressel, thus the connection. He can improve the program, just as Tressel did way back when, and then either move on to be a DC at a top program, or perhaps move back into a Power 5 conference.
Didn't Tressell leave NCAA sanctions behind?
At Ohio State as a head coach, yes, Tressel did get sanctioned. Now he is out of athletics & is the President at Youngstown State.
YSU after Tressel had the NCAA all over it.
He will be a head coach again at a P5 school soon. He better than most P5 HC now.
Sciano's a really good recruiter, but his time in Tampa was disastrous. Maybe he is just better suited to college, and maybe the NFL job just went to his head. or maybe he was a bad guy all along.
Wow. Schiano could be a great fit at Pitt.
Interesting if this goes through, especially since we looked at him for OC last year, and he decided to stay at UGA for loyalty. Maybe if he gets this, this would be a training-up so he could eventually go back to UGA?
Steve Pederson has been dismissed from his role as Pitt AD. That would explain why the Pitt rumors have been confusing, the AD is now gone, the school President or Board will probably make the decision. Unless an AD is hired almost immediately, which doesn't normally occur so quickly.
Michigan State DC, Pat Narduzzi being announced as the new Head Coach for Pitt
In my opinion this is the best hire of the year. I was hoping he would be a future candidate when our head coaching position opens up down the road, but I applaud Pitt for bringing in such an incredible DC as their next coach.
Second best DC in the country
Great hire, but I hope whoever they hire as the new AD is happy with it. Otherwise things are going to be uncomfortable at Pitt.
Jim Harbaugh is expected to take the Michigan job
http://www.si.com/college-football/2014/12/27/jim-harbaugh-michigan-offer
Wow. Whoever said that is a dick. Jim has given the 49ers their best run in quite a while.
Yeah I agree, one bad year in the NFL doesn't mean you're a bad pro football coach. The injuries to Frank Gore and the injuries and scandals with the 49ers defense hurt them a lot this season.
Texas AM FINALLY hired a DC, John Chavis, the former DC from LSU. Not often you see a P5 coordinator leave for same job at a school in conference much less in same division of that conference.
I thought schools could block things like that, just like with transferring students. Maybe a non-compete clause in the contract?
Of course, seeing as how he did it, I guess I was wrong.
Supposedly Chavis' contract was a complete mess and was part of why he left. As I understand it, essentially if Les Miles retired/was fired Chavis almost automatically went with him. A&M likely gave him more job security and more money. Whoever drew up Chavis' contract should have a nice sit-down with LSU's AD...
Best hire might be Pitt getting Narduzzi.
Narduzzi is starting to put together a scary staff. The OC hire from Arkansas was a great hire.
Good news for Hokie fans. Lincoln Riley has left ECU to take the OC position at Oklahoma.
http://www.news9.com/story/27822934/breaking-news-oklahoma-to-name-linco...
Well, that and the fact Shane Carden and Justin Hardy were both seniors, and yeah... that matchup just became a lot easier next year.
Coach Torrian Gray can sleep a little bit easier tonight.
I can not see OK running the same type of offense that ECU ran, not with the
Layers they like to recruit recently.
From coachingsearch.com
nice pull
Arkansas OC going to same position at Pitt as per ESPN. They talk of him as being a more flashy throw the ball around type which is interesting cause I see Pitt as a line up and run you into the ground type. We'll see.
Really? Arkansas ran for 2800 yards and passed for 2200, I think he likes to run it.
Chaney was one of the earlier practitioners of a spread-style passing attack while at Purdue. He was the OC when Drew Brees was setting all of those records. I think mostly he just adapts to his personnel.
Incidentally, he was Tennessee's OC in that Peach bowl (Chik-fil-a bowl) in 2009.
Perhaps he does. I'm just stating what the article said. I don't know anything about the guy.
Former Nebraska OC Tim Beck hired by Ohio State as co-OC/QB coach.
Bit of a head scratcher if you ask me.
Look for things to get dirtier in the 757. Chris Beatty rumored to be joining the Uva staff, leaving Wisconsin.
What does Time Cop have on these people!
Former Nebraska DC John Papuchis is joining the Tar Heels staff. Interesting side note is that Papuchis is a VT graduate but he never played football for the Hokies.
http://northcarolina.scout.com/story/1504748-papuchis-joins-unc-staff
Having a few friends in the business and having considered getting into it myself, I can tell you with some certainty that coaches (especially younger ones, not that that really applies here) will generally disregard most college rivalries when looking for a job. The profession is just far too unstable to really be all that picky. You find a place that seems like a good fit and they're going to compensate you to coach football? You're signing on that dotted line, school colors be damned.
Still, I don't see him coaching at LOLUVA any time soon. Some rivalries just go too deep.
Oh, I totally agree. Coaching opportunities at the FBS level are tough to get into. There's a lot of competition and not many spots available. And even regarding your last sentence, I don't hold anything against a Hokie like Jonathan Lewis for taking a GA job with loluva a couple years ago. He got his foot in the door, and as far as I'm concerned, good for him.
First Chizzik as DC and now a seemingly competent D line coach with special teams coverage acumen?
Damn it, man. Looks like Fedora finally realized there's another facet of the game besides offense.