Virginia Tech: Sources tell FootballScoop that Whit Babcock considers Larry Fedora a strong candidate at Virginia Tech. We are also of the understanding that Rich Rodriguez will not be a candidate for this position.
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Waiting for Hokie Fireman's and French's celebratory gifs...
For me Fedora is a good hire only because Rich Rod would be the WORST hire. Fedora has never put together 9 win seasons.
Edit: Just read this again, what I mean is Fedora has not had two seasons in a row with nine or more wins.
wow. huge foot-in-mouth moment pending...
In what way? He has 9 wins this year I don't think he can do it next year at UNC.
Southern Miss went 12-2 in Fedora's last season there.
Correct which he parlayed into the UNC job. I'd like to see the new coach have more success than one season at each stop, last season UNC went 6-7 last year. I think he is a good coach he will keep any team he coaches at 7-9 wins every year but I don't see him putting multiple 9/10 win seasons in a row together.
With their current roster I wouldn't be surprised if they had another strong season next year because of the age of the players. The more telling scenario would be in two years when many of the starters now have cycled through. Unfortunately that will be after we have completed the head coaching search.
He loses Williams after this year. I think that effects him a lot. They also play a harder schedule next year with FSU and UGA on it.
Their backup is legit. Don't expect to much of a falloff when Williams leaves
"Kendall, how good is Mitch Trubisky?"
Respectfully disagree here. I think this year has shown that if he can find a good DC, he can have success. His teams are almost always good on offfense, but weak on defense. If he can keep our defensive staff in place, I think a guy like Fedora can be very successful at VT. If Foster isn't willing to stay around to work with Fedora, then I'll gladly withdraw my support, but I think he could be a very good hire.
Plus, pissing off the Tarheels is always a bonus in my book. I'd love to dangle the "You couldn't poach our coach, but we could get yours" taunt at those smug little cheaters.
Even if VT doesn't hire him.. I don't think he will stay at UNC with all the openings out there..
Yes, but Fedora?
via GIPHY
Oh, don't forget about me.
...at least about the RR part anyway.
I feel a little like I was snubbed by this comment...
Have a bro hug.
So Fedora is going with the "if you can't beat em join em" thought?
Well technically until 3pm Saturday, we don't know that we can't "beat em"
Eh Bud's held him to 2 of his worst offensive performances and UNC. If he is unhappy there and can team up with Bud I could see that having a lot of appeal.
right, totally read your first comment as we were joining them. now I see I was wrong.
Whit is about to do what UNC couldn't in 2000 (I hope.)
Also, how many TKPers are gonna fill out an application for the DC job at Arkansas at Monticello?
Them boll weevils will get after ya
I wouldn't be upset with a Fedora hire, but he is definitely not my favorite. In my opinion this hire would also not be the typical "Splash" hire that Whit is known for.
This update puts me at an emotional crossroads.
Yay! No RichRod!
Boo! Larry Fedora!
This will never end until we announce a hiring. Please hurry.
fedora is beamering unc.
This is what I am thinking. Fedora is having the best year UNC has seen in a long time so his agent starts the rumor to get an extension and a raise
This^
Either that or he is Pete Carroll-ing/Ron Meyer-ing UNC.
He's had a preseason ranked team for most of his seasons, and hasn't been to an ACCCG yet. Yeah he might make it this year, but that's on the back of a weak schedule and a QB that he took 3 years to fully develop.
Turn a bout is fair play!
If Fedora is the price we must pay to NOT have RR, that is a price I will gladly accept
Fedora would a great hire. Dood can recruit and is a good offensively minded coach. Him + Bud = many ACC championships.
Who has ONE season prior to this year with more than 8 wins.
Well he finally has a good defense now. Was smart enough to realize that and hired Chizek. Bud is a better coach than him too
Who is your choice for the next coach?
A choice between, Herman, Fuente, Morris to name my top three that I think VT could get here. Rich Rod and Kiffin are the only people I think should never under any circumstances be hired at VT. Others like Fedora are not bad hires I just think VT can and should get better.
I have Herman at my #1 fwiw, but doesn't sound like he is interested in coming to the Burg. I could get on board with either Fuente or Morris if they keep Bud.
where is this coming from?
Optimist VPIhokieME thinks this could be a PR move by his people and Whit's to throw the hounds off the trail. He's already agreed to a deal with Whit and now he's playing the "not interested" card until after the season. Then he'll be announced as the next Head Hokie.
Realist VPIhokieME is skeptical of any information regarding a coaches interest level in the VT job and is just waiting to see what happens
Pessimist VPIhokieME sees this and knows VT never really had a shot at Herman anyway
I imagine it is coming from the 247 insider, CZY.
I haven't read his paywall updates on the coaching search, but it seems like this rumor appeared after his most recent update.
Stopped paying much attention to him after his Korren Kirven implosion.
Is that pronounced " Kevin"?
#sources on TSL
Fuente is the only person on your list who has more than one season with 8+ wins
Most of the ones on my list haven't been a HC for more than a few seasons. But I think their upside is greater than Fedora who does have a proven record of not stringing together 9 win seasons.
It's true that he hasn't put together back to back 9 win seasons, but it feels like you're just ripping the context from it.
What context? I don't feel like Fedora has a huge upside to him. I'm not the only one who feels like that, French who knows WAY more about football schemes and plays than I ever will also feels like Fedora isn't that great a coach. What has he done that says to you he is the best candidate to get the job?
I don't think he's the best guy for the job, but I think he's a legitimate candidate. It's not like Fedora just got lucky twice. He built Southern Miss and UNC up to the point where they were a contender. This isn't Will Muschamp having a random 11-2 record in year #2 at Florida. I think if he had stayed at Southern Miss, he would have continued to reel off 10 win seasons. I think if he stays at UNC he'll have many good years.
It took Nick Saban 11 years as a head coach to notch back to back 9 win seasons. Not because he wasn't good, but because he was in the position where he was building + he changed jobs twice which meant starting over.
I just don't think taking Southern Miss to its best season in about 30 years, then taking UNC in its best season since 1997 is a coincidence. But we can disagree on that. He's not my #1 guy, but I think he's in the mix with a bunch of others.
If we lost Bud over this at least we could get Chizik?
Probably not, and almost certainly not for long. If Fedora bolts, Chizik would have to be a leading candidate for the UNC opening. He's got head coaching experience and has worked miracles with a putrid UNC defense. Even if Fedora stays put, I would not be surprised to see Chizik land a head coaching gig somewhere this year, given the high volume on the coaching carousel this year.
Sooo...should I want Fedora to beat us this week to prove how good he is?
But if we beat him, does that make me think he is not good enough to be our next coach?
Ehhhhh....
RichRod not in the running is fairly plausible, IMO. Fedora being a "strong candidate" is not fairly plausible, IMO.
Unless by strong candidate, he means like "Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Bill Belichick are also strong candidates"...
Yes Fedora is certainly in the same group as them
If by in the same group, you mean "not realistic hires" then yes, he is in the same group.
Get it now?
LOL really? are you off your rocker? Fedora might not be the most likely candidate but he's not even close to as unlikely as Urban, Saban, Belichick. You must be insane to group Fedora in with those guys...seriously
Good grief...I'm saying that Fedora coming to VT is about as realistic as Meyer, Saban or Belichick coming to VT...
If Fedora leaves UNC, it's not going to be for the VT job. This is purely a move by his agent to force UNC into a nice contract extension.
I can buy that Fedora's agent is fanning the flames on this rumor to build leverage for a contract extension with UNC. That's plausible. Fedora might also want to legitimately get the hell outta Chapel Hill because that whole "institution" is loaded with internal issues and potential scandals. If he could get a different job in a much more stable environment, why not?
I don't believe Fedora will be the next HC at VT but I think it's completely asinine to group him in with the "untouchables' group of Meyer, Saban and Belichick. At least a decent argument could be made for Fedora to jump ship for VT. You're crazy if you think he's locked down to UNC in the same manner as the other three guys.
It may not be asinine, but it is a massive stretch. And VT is a more stable environment? With a fanbase who just chased out a coach who hasn't had a losing season in 23 yrs and record during the last 4 yrs that's barely worse than Fedora (and only because UNC is 9-1 this year)?
Even if Fedora doesn't get what he wants from UNC (more $$ for him and his assts), he isn't going to make a lateral move during/after what could be a top 15 season (if not better). He might go somewhere, but it's not VT. And if he can piece together another decent season next year, you can bet there will be at least 1 or 2 top tier jobs opening next year that could come calling.
It was time for Frank to retire. He coached for TWENTY NINE years with very little staff turnover.
VT has been an extremely stable environment.
Has been...past tense. It's no longer a selling point for the reason I spelled out and others. Unfortunately a substantial fraction of the fanbase has become as delusional as with other unstable environments.
Show me a non-delusional fan base and I'd bet that school isn't sniffing contention in their conference. All fanbases are crazy in their own special way.
The argument could be made that Frank should have retired a few years ago. It was time. ADs need to make head coaching decisions based on the future, not past performance. A 69 year old coach that is overseeing a team with slipping performance on the field and mediocre recruiting needs to be on the hot seat, no matter who they are.
Should have been more turn over just because of some bad hires / appointments. Know what I mean?
yeah. Much more. We don't have a cloud of NCAA sanctions. We don't have a cloak and dagger administration that will cover up anything that makes the university look bad. We prioritize football over basketball. You're going to have crazy fans at every single institution, especially those who regard themselves as top notch football schools. I think your argument that VTs fans are too mean is really weak. If Fedora leaves UNC for your "somewhere" that isn't VT, that "somewhere" is going to have just as many (probably more, honestly) rabid fans than VT. That argument makes absolutely no sense to me.
Why wouldn't Fedora leave UNC for VT? We are a football school first, as opposed to UNC, plus we have better facilities, fan support and as much money to spend. Did you see how many people were in the stands for the UNC/ Miami game last weekend? He would get a huge raise coming here (or pretty much anywhere else). I have no clue if we hire him, although I have him as my realistic #2 behind Herman, but to say there is a good a chance of him coming here as Meyer, Saban or Belichick is straight retarded.
I'm not sure how realistic Herman is, sadly. He's my top choice. VPIhokieME does not often get nice things :(
plus all those rumors that Herman isn't interested. Which Optimistic VPIhokieME is just hoping is a smoke screen to cover up the fact that he and Whit have worked out a deal but they're trying to keep it under wraps until Beamer is properly sent off in style.
+1 hope you are correct about Herman!!
Herman is coaching an undefeated team. If he was the hire, I wouldn't blame him for saying nothing until his season is over. But I don't think that's the case.
Don't forget Mike Tomlin!
Found it interesting how Bill O'Brien is interested in the UMD job
I think that's more Bill O'Brian is interested in landing in a HC gig if the Texans shitcan him. Which they shouldn't. Rick Smith (the GM) is the problem in Houston.
does he have family ties in the area? UMD is not terribly far from Penn State
He went to Brown. From MA.
Maybe we can retain Deablo this way since UNC is his other school and we can get JayJay McCargo?
I'm down with Larry.
Interesting that this tidbit comes on the week of our game against them. Whit said that there is a reason for each and every rumor we hear.
Could this create doubt in the UNC locker room?
No matter the reason for extending this rumor I have to think that this is absolutely the case. Since this coaching search has started we have heard from "#sauces" that our next coach was probably going to be Rich Rod, then Richt, then Morris, then Fuente, and now #sauces are saying that Fedora has a good chance. Honestly I think Whit is just playing the role of Moriarty and masterminding all of this to gauge the responses of the fans and potential coaches. He's the quintessential puppet master (que Metallica meme/gif) watching us and playing us like a fiddle. At this point I feel that we have absolutely no idea who the next coach is going to be and I think that's exactly how Whit wants it.
Whit's reaction to each rumor he puts out....
I don't. Whit warned us that this happens. "Don't believe what you read," he said. He also said that VT would not play those games. I'm sure most of these rumors are being unearthed by agents of coaches rather than VT admins.
This part may be true but I don't think Whit orchestrated it. He's just a benefactor of a crazed fan base in a gossip frenzy. I'm certain he has his ear to the ground and he's in touch with how the fan base reacts to each name that pops up, though. I'm not saying that he won't take advantage of this clown show. I just don't think it's his style to put on the show.
Good point. I forgot he had said that.
Whit isn't going to fully reveal his strategy. I took those comments with a massive grain of salt, if he feels its beneficial to leak things he'll do it.
Its an AD's version of coach speak if you will.
If I was Fedora, I'd be playing that hand too.
I'd go for Bill O'Brien in a second. That dude is a no bullshit type of coach and I think he could get kids fired up about playing for VT.
Eventually you tune the guys who cuss every three seconds out. It is fine to get mad. That guy was intolerable on Hard Knocks.
Agree 100%. After watching Hard Knocks I just cannot see what others see in O'Brien. He just came off as a meathead, not some offensive genius. Everyone who wants him should be forced to watch the entire season and tell us what they see in him.
Having said all of that, as putrid as the AFC South is, they have a legitimate shot at making the play-offs. Win a couple of more games and he won't likely leave Houston, voluntarily or otherwise.
Okay, maybe i'm the only one but I thought the whole "practicing not answering questions in interviews" bit was hilarious and awesome.
I had no problem with BOB in hard knocks, but the way he handled the QB situation early in the season was atrocious. For that reason alone I'm not interested.
Does this mean I have to buy a sweet hat for next year?
Cause I will totally do that. In fact, if he's hired, Hokie Fedoras need to become a thing
You mean like this?
"Hokie Fedoras need to become a thing"
Pretty sure John Boyer has you covered on that one
Fedora isn't really an exciting hire for me. I hope I am wrong but I don't see him taking us to greatness.
I'd really like to see how the rest of the year pans out for Fedora/ how he fares against Clemson in the ACCCG.
I'm worried that a weak Coastal division is making him look like a better option than he really is.
We'll find out Saturday.
Well they certainly pass the eye test. I watched that Duke game and UNC just steam rolled them, and then turn around and do the same thing Miami.
I'm a little worried, this is going to be a really tough game for us, I'm hoping our front 7 can play like they did against GT.
What worries me is that our front 7 knew that GT would run the ball 95% of the time. UNC is more dynamic and will be a challenge.
Everyone- go back and watch that USC-e win over UNC. If you watch that, with a good eye for football, there is absolutely no way you would be excited about a Fedora hire.
I will give him credit. Fedora has built perhaps the most talented offensive team in the ACC. But, I wouldn't trust him to win a big game against a team with equal talent, ever. He is a doofus. If you think Loeffler is a doofus, go watch Fedora not give Elijah Hood carries inside the redzone after he averages 14 yards a run between the tackles and then try not to drink heavily.
THANK YOU
I agree with that, and I criticized his boneheaded play calling during the game. However, every candidate Tech has on its board will have flaw(s). Fedora's is he can't get out of his own way at times. I think the pros outweigh the cons though. Fedora puts productive offenses on the field. He has plenty of head coach experience. He recruits well enough and has experience recruiting areas Virginia Tech will need to recruit in order to be successful. If Bud Foster is retained, Fedora's offense paired with Foster's defense could be potent.
So he's RichRod with less success and far worse NCAA violations...
Are you talking about the ones that happened at UNC before Fedora got there?
He may be talking about the no show degrees.
EDIT: Mixed up the dates, I stand corrected, my mistake.
Correct. Even if they don't get punished for it, it's still an embarrassment to the school and something a decent coach should have no part of.And Fedora had no part in it. The paper classes started out in 1992, 20 years before he was hired. The scandal blew up in 2011, at which point Butch Davis was fired. Fedora was subsequently hired. To suggest that Fedora is tied to the fake classes is, to this point, unfounded. He has made some statements to recruits that I don't like (assuring them that UNC would be fine, no sanctions, etc.) but the NCAA issues here come from previous coaches and (more to the point) the reputation of the University itself.
Yep. Fedora had less than nothing to do with this. Even uttering that in the same sentence as his name doesn't make sense. He has done incredibly admirably given what he is dealing with from the administration. Have talked to some UNC people that hypothesized he would leave just because of all the crap he has had to deal with.
EDIT: Confused my dates and did not notice the scandal being blown up the year of/before he joined. I had only really heard about it this year and didn't know it went back so far. My mistake.
He had to have known it was going on when he went there. He knew about it the whole time he was there. There's no way something like that just goes under your nose. From what I've heard he wasn't directly responsible, but as a coach you're in charge and have to take responsibility when one of your main purposes for being there is compromised. He was complicit in every part of what should have been a program toppling mess. You think there's any chance something like this happens on Beamer's watch?Fedora accepted a job at a program that had been hit with sanctions. He accepted it knowing he had a postseason ban. To say Fedora was "complicit" in the scandal is absurd. Saying he "had to have known it was going on" means nothing; sure, the news had broken about the problems they were having, but that in no way reflects poorly on Fedora. Al Golden oversaw a Miami program that got hit with some sanctions, too, and he accepted it and tried to right the program. Does that make Golden "complicit" in the Nevin Shapiro scandal, too?
yeah I really don't understand this vitriol towards Fedora. He doesn't know how to defense so unless he brings a solid DC with him or figures out a way to retain Bud I don't think he'll be super successful. But to slander him with all the goings-on at UNC is just wrong. UNC has deep rooted issues that shouldn't be laid at Fedora's feet. If anything, the turmoil at that "institution" would be enough for him to jump ship for something a little more stable. I don't think it's fair to proclaim he's done everything wrong.
Nailed it. I have some antipathy towards UNC for the academic scandal. I have some reservations about Fedora and he would not be my first choice. But those two thoughts are mutually exclusive. The guy doesn't deserve to be lumped into the mess going on at UNC. He has never been named in any allegation or report about the misconduct at UNC. Butch Davis and John Bunting were the football coaches that were complicit in the scandal, and Everett Withers was noncompliant with the NCAA. Fedora was left with their mess.
Like I said above, Fedora + BF would be pretty diesel. He can recruit, knows our team and league and has a good offense. Imagine him bringing Lawson along over the next 3 years...
What are Tom Herman's flaws? Just curious. He's been at the top of my list since Frank announced. Besides his somewhat limited HC experience (which, by the way, has been pretty okay IMO) I don't really know what other flaws he might have. I'd take a less experienced Tom Herman over Fedora 100 times out of 100
I'd say he biggest flaw is that he is not interested in VT!!?!?
that whole "has coached 10 games in his career" thing is a pretty big flaw.
yeah, I cited that as potentially the only flaw he has. That being said, having coached all of 10 games (he's 10-0 BTW) I'd take that flaw over "can't get out of his own way"
I think it could be argued that Loeffler "can't get out of his own way" at times. Loeffler and Fedora have more in common than you might think.
Edit: Also want to add that he's coached 10 more games than Bud Foster. So there's that.
Agreed, that's one of Loeffler's many flaws. I prefer Herman to Fedora, but I'm seeing more of this "Herman isn't interested in VT" thing going around. That has always been an issue we need to contemplate, there will be a few candidates that just aren't interested.
Regarding the experience thing, we seem to be getting a lot of coaches w/out experience vs. coaches with experience but aren't Nick Saban. The value of experience is in the eye of the beholder, but I would imagine that majority of people who don't value experience are in their mid 20's or younger. That's normal, most people think upside is more important than experience at that age. Wait 15 years and it may change.
I go back to Kirby Smart as a legitimate candidate if you are looking at a coach with less experience. He's apprenticed under the best. On a scale of 1-10 of how strong an assistant coach is, he's a 10. Herman was a 10 last year. Morris was probably a 9 as an assistant. Fuente was probably an 8 or a 9. Bud is probably a 9 (docked a point for never being a strong recruiter).
If you think Kirby Smart is a legitimate candidate with 0 games of HC experience but Herman's limited experience of 10 games is a pretty big flaw then I'm not really sure what you're saying.
Either way, if Herman isn't interested he isn't interested. That's not a flaw, that's just Herman not being interested. If that's true then I'll have to live with that. I'd love to have him in Blacksburg because I think he's going to turn out to be a hell of a coach.
I said if you go down the route of a less experienced candidate, I see very little difference between Herman and Smart. 10 games is nothing, whether you are 10-0 or 1-9. Both Herman and Morris inherited someone else's players. Their record is quite irrelevant in the macro.
I like Herman, but if he's not interested, so be it. 10 games of experience, which in my book is basically no experience, is a flaw. It's not a show stopper for me, but I group these guys in Experience Tiers:
Experienced: Richt, RichRod, Fedora, Shaw, Fitzgerald, Jones, Miles, Malzahn, Strong, Addazio, O'Brien
Minimal Experience: Fuente, Harsin, Rhule, Babers
Inexperienced: Bud, Herman, Morris, Brohm, Smart, Bobo, Meacham
If I was Whit, I would have a matrix and rank everyone on the following categories:
- Offensive-centric (10 possible points) -- Defensive coaches earn points with good offensive plan
- Recruiting oriented (10 possible points) -- Proposed staff & ability for HC to close
- Experience (10 possible points) -- Not just HC experience, quality assistant experience is important as well
- Fanbase Uniter (10 possible points) -- Critically important
- Face of the Franchise (5 possible points) -- Handles donors, marketing, communication skills
- Keeps Bud (5 possible points) -- Important for overall budget, buying out Bud is expensive
I know you and I have disagreed on the candidacy of Smart. I know I'm not going to change your opinion of him. I'm concerned he's Muschamp 2.0. You disagree. Fine. I'm in "wait-and-see" mode with him.
I get what you're saying about experience. I'm generally okay with that but at some point you have to take a shot with somebody. One of the things that bugged me when I graduated college was that most of the jobs I was interested in were looking for candidates with a minimum of 5 years experience. It seems all employers want somebody with a certain amount of experience. Well, we have to get their experience somewhere, right? How do you get a job if every single job requires something you can't get without a job? Catch 22.
I think we're in a pretty good position to take a shot at a younger guy with a lot of upside. VT has a lot to offer and I think I'd rather give a guy that chance. We'll look foolish if somebody else takes the risk on one of the younger guys and they turn out to be a rock-star and we're chugging along with a guy who is experienced. My nightmare scenario is VT getting Richt and UVA getting someone like Herman or Fuente. Richt will have VT winning 8-9 games year in and year out but there's always that chance UVA will start winning ACC titles and getting playoff berths. And reclaiming the cup for extended periods of time. How bad would we feel if that happened?
Make the hire that's best for you. UVA will end up with a good coach, that should be assumed.
You seem to put a lot of faith in young coaches succeeding and not failing. Sometimes upside fails. Experience is valuable. Sometimes you get better at your job as you get older.
Would you have hired Urban Meyer at Florida with only 4 years of HC experience? That worked out for them. I realize that it doesn't happen very often. And yes, failure happens more often than not (London) but I have to believe Herman has what it takes to be a great coach. Somebody else will see that and take a shot and I believe they'll benefit from it greatly. I'm willing to bet money that Herman will win a championship somewhere before any of the other coaches on your list. Including the experienced ones.
Unless you think that Saban's magic pixie dust has surely effected Kirby Smart it makes no sense to hire him over Bud Foster. Guaranteeing that Foster will not be in Blacksburg doesn't seem like it would be high on Whit's list of things to do.
Smart over Foster is a simple comparison of values.
Smart = Recruiting
Foster = Consistency
I don't place a high value on maintaining the VT culture. It needs to change. I do value recruiting and offense. Bud and Smart may have a very compelling case that their offenses will be as good as the offensive-centric HC options. I could buy that. I can't buy that Bud can recruit as well as Smart. I've been following VT recruiting and Bud Foster for too long to think he can recruit as well as Kirby Smart.
That said, if I was Whit, I would interview both and let them make their cases. Both are valid candidates.
Is there any reason to believe Smart is any better of a recruiter? Results at Alabama under Nick Saban don't mean a whole lot. He's a toss-up with some upside in terms of recruiting.
Kirby Smart is recruiting Alabama.
Bud Foster is recruiting Virginia Tech.
Is it really fair to compare the two?
It's not a hard google search to find anecdotes about the strength of Smart as a recruiter. He also has eight Rivals 5* recruits that he has been the leader recruiter on in his career at Bama. Foster isn't expected to land those 5* recruits, but Foster should be expected to land a similar number of 4* recruits. If there is an argument for how strong of a recruiter Foster is, please post. Here are some thoughts on Smart as a recruiter from a Bama writer:
You left out Narduzzi.
The question is has he learned over the season. I think so, Hood is getting a lot more carries.
Frankly, in general, UNC is inherently a more attractive destination for recruits than VT -- and that's even assuming that there's no hanky panky going on there. Yet Fedora's recruiting has been roughly the equal of VT's during Fedora's tenure while recruiting much of the same territory.
I'd see him having a nominal impact on VT recruiting overall. And even though folks don't like to acknowledge it, Beamer's overall philosophy and field position control approach has benefited Foster as much as the other way around. A Fedora offense running 80-100 plays a game would put considerable extra real and statistical pressure on a Foster defense that might also have to make due with less talent due to the increased offensive emphasis.
Honestly I think the discussion is moot, because I believe Fedora's people are likely the source of this info. There's nothing better for getting a nice contract extension than getting the peanut gallery nervous right in the middle of UNC's best football campaign in ages.
Are you arriving at this conclusion based solely on their extremely recent success or do you have any other reasons? Just curious...
Definitely has nothing to do with recent success. In fact, I would say, if anything, UNC's lack of recent success other than this year is its biggest recruiting detriment.
Make a pros and cons of the two schools from a 17 yr old's perspective - particularly one who lives in the places VT and UNC recruit. Take off the O&M glasses when doing so.
Then tell me which one you think is -- more than not -- going to be the more attractive destination to 17 yr old.
I honestly think in retrospect folks are going to be surprised how good a job Beamer & Co did in recruiting.
Q:
what's the M/F ratio at UNC? As a 17 year old male football player, that is going to be high on my list of questions.
A:
it's almost 60-40 F-M. Taking my O&M glasses off and all other things being equal, I'd sign with UNC every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Based on this logic any school on this list that has a football program could be National Champs in no time if they only knew how to market themselves
http://www.collegexpress.com/lists/list/co-ed-colleges-with-the-highest-...
60-40, 40-60...
If I'm a football player, I'm gettin' mine.
sarcastica
Going to need an in depth study of the co-ed scene......
You guys clearly understand the 17 yr old mind
https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/hottest-girls/
http://www.brobible.com/college/article/colleges-with-the-hottest-girls/
http://socawlege.com/the-100-colleges-with-the-hottest-girls-in-2015/
Well in these extremely scientific* studies on the campus' with the hottest ladies, the rankings are as follows...
VT -- 88th, unranked, and 62nd
UNC -- 26th, 27th, and 27th
*/s
Well here's my best attempt at an initial list from my 17 year old self (assuming I was a football player)...
VT
PROS: Football school (priority wise), awesome food, located in the mountains, big football legacy and reputation, small college town, competitive in their conference (at least traditionally), above average money in the football program, beautiful campus
CONS: Lame colors, cool weather so ladies have to wear more clothes
UNC
PROS: Major sports history (ie. basketball), good looking women, not too far from the beach, high quality/reputable education, beautiful campus
CONS: Basketball school (priority wise), lame colors, located in a city, not a major football legacy/history, not competitive in their conference (at least traditionally)
Now I know this list contains plenty of bias, partially because I know more about VT after graduating from the school, but from where I'm sitting I'm still seeing VT as the more attractive option, especially for a football player. Heck while I didn't list a ton of cons I honestly couldn't think of many pros for UNC either.
PS: Please don't kill me for the VT cons as I am obviously no longer my teenage self (ex. 90% of my wardrobe is maroon and orange)
This. This. This. This. This. I do not want Fedora. Give me Bud, or give me a young gun (Herman, Fuente, Morris)
I'm still undecided on Fedora... He managed to turn around Southern Miss and now he's turned around UNC. He's a good recruiter too, but for whatever reason I'm still skeptical. Maybe it's because his first 3 seasons weren't spectacular. Or maybe it's because his last name is "Fedora."
Fine RR is out!! Thank god but this Fedora business is just
Number 2 best job in the country and your giving me Fedora... I'll wait!
Whit is better than this!
My thoughts exactly.
Same.
I think we should go with Arians as head coach and Sean Payton at OC keep Bud as DC and boom back to back to back natties
it could have been worse by saying Al Golden was a strong candidate.
I think I just vomited a little from the thought of that
He's #2 on my board right below Lane Kiffin
wow. i mean i am not a golden fan at all but he is not even in the same stratosphere as Kiffin in terms of coaches I do not want. Chinballs would be 2 on my list. And even he is the hemorrhoid on the orbital ring of Kiffin. Golden is not even close.
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I still think it will be no one we have thought of, who honestly predicted Buzz before he was announced?
I had that thought when names started flying around. At the same time, though, most of TKP is probably more in touch with football than basketball; there are also a lot
lessfewer football coaches than there are basketball coaches. The chances of us hiring somebody nobody had thought of were a lot better for basketball than I think they are for football.edit: cuz..grammar
*cough*fewer*cough*
good catch..fixed
Stannis?
Just because roundball season does not start till after the Superbowl does not mean we are not fans... ;)
I seem to recall hearing Buzz's name thrown out several times during our squeakyhoops coaching search, but the rumor never gained traction because "Why would he leave Marquette to come here?"
Here's a name that I haven't seen floated around and could be very interesting...Peyton Manning!! At the very least, as the offensive coordinator.
0% chance he would consider coaching for us before Bristol. Dude's mug is all over every damn billboard in Knoxville endorsing their weird shade of orange. Also Tennova Healthcare.
QB coach.
I wouldn't be able to contain my excitement if Peyton Manning became our QB coach. Not because I love Peyton Manning, but because every Vols homer would have an aneurysm and poop themselves.
Yea I can see Payton Manning's playbook now
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......and everyone thinks SL's offensive playbook is difficult to learn...
The Linguine Arm himself
No RichRod is good news, but Fedora is far and away the worst candidate of everyone who has been mentioned. He doesn't have the potential of upside of a Herman/Moriss/Fuente, doesn't have the pedigree of a Richt, and doesn't have the VT ties and fan support of Bud. He's RichRod with less success. It would be extremely difficult to get behind this hire. Pass.
And that's all without mentioning the fact that he allowed the no-show degrees on his watch, a complete embarrassment with or without resulting sanctions and a slap in the face to Beamer's legacy of doing things the right way and mentoring kids as people, not just as athletes.(This part was proven false. Rest stands.)Blaming Fedora for UNC's cheating scandal is like blaming Randy Shannon for Boatz'n'Hoez
I really don't think Fedora had a hand in the UNC scandal(s) and he just came into a bad situation that blew up with Butch before he was hired. Fedora may have said some questionable things to recruits (like, "we're not going to be hit with sanctions, don't worry about it, come play for us") but I don't think he's that shady of a character.
That being said, I'm generally in agreement with you. Hiring him wouldn't be very exciting for me. But I'm starting to come to the realization that we're probably not going to get a coach from my top 5 wishlist. It's called a wishlist for a reason and let's face it, we're not Alabama. We're not going to be able to get the best of the best.
Whoever Whit ends up hiring is more likely than not going to be somewhat disappointing for me. That's what happens when we set the bar unrealistically high. I'm sure he'll hire someone between Saban and London. We're going to be okay but I wouldn't expect 10 win seasons and ACC championships for a few years
Here's where you're wrong. Teams at the top of the game aren't looking to hire new coaches. They are fine with their current setup or they can't afford to change it. This off-season, as it currently stands, has us as one of the top positions available, as we've stated several times. Argue whether we are 2, 3, or 4, we are still in a prime spot to get a good coach. When you don't have a coach, you have the pick of the litter and the only obstacle is how much you are willing to spend to get that coach. Some are attainable, some aren't. Everybody has a number though that will get them to move from where they are. I hope to God we aren't going to flash ridiculous numbers, but we will have the opportunity to pick any coach we want. Don't think that your wishlist is unrealistic.
Yeah, I would be shocked if we don't get someone from VT's top 5 wishlist. If we don't get someone from one of our fan's top 5 wishlist, that just probably means that fan doesn't value the same things that Whit values.
I have tried to base my expectations on what Whit will value. It's a business decision. Whit has also provided a lot of hints about his values. He has said offense and recruiting is important. He has previously hired guys with lots of experience. He certainly wants to unite the fanbase.
these up and coming head coaches are like juniors contemplating declaring for the draft. You pretty much know what teams will have what needs but they have to judge whether or not their stock goes up in another year where they are or if there are better fits available for next year. Sure, we're the #2 job this year, but what if every one of the up and comers mentioned believe that another year coaching where they are will make them more valuable? What if they don't like any of the positions available this year? Being #2 doesn't help in that case. None of these guys HAVE to leave their current positions, but we HAVE to hire a coach this year. I'd say we're at a disadvantage as far as that goes.
Another thought: Buzz decided that he had gone as far as he could at Marquette and . Have any of the up and comers mentioned reached that point?
He had to have known it was going on when he joined, and certainly knew about it the whole time he's been there. He may not have been directly responsible, but he was in charge as it happened and allowed it to continue.
Allowed it to continue? Where are you getting this? There is no indication from anything published that problems persisted under Fedora's watch. You're just on a witch hunt at this point.
Not a witch hunt at all. I was under the impression this was going on while he was there. Looking at it again it seems that the allegations were made the year he joined UNC and I had my dates mixed up, so I stand corrected.
He's still the worst option available due to football reasons, but it seems he wasn't involved in the scandal at all, so my apologies on that.
RichRod news:
Fedora news:
I don't know much about Fedora as a person but he has put out some good offenses. He has experience and has shown he can recruit. He has improved UNC since he has gotten there despite the gloom of NCAA issues he had nothing to do with and it being a basketball school.
I wouldn't mind him paired with Bud. Hiring away the division champ's coach of a program on the rise who if they beat use could be in the top 10 next week would be a splash to me.
I don't hate the idea of fedora. It does feel weird though when looking at other coaches in conference. On one hand, we would be able to say haha we got what you had. On the other hand, we are saying we want what you have, which goes against the fan bias in my DNA.
I also stick with my belief that the only way we don't promote Bud is if we know for certain he stays for the next coach. If he is going to bolt, I absolutely give him a shot.
That's a horrible guess. Someone should tweet this thread to Kirk.
To someone who has 0 knowledge of what is going on and the rumors and discussions and admitted it was a total guess, it isn't a ridiculous thought. If I didn't read this thread that Rich Rod was not considering then I would not know. Given his connections to Whit and all the reasons we thought he was a candidate are the same the outside world knows. 48 hours ago that is a pretty good guess on this board too.
I was saying it more in jest than out of anger. Guess I forgot the /s.
I'm glad Herbstreit isn't our AD
me too but it doesn't mean he thinks thats the right hire. I mean I can understand why the national speculation might be that we hire rich rod. I mean the connections are there doesn't mean it will happen but you'd have to be crazy to believe the rumour doesn't make any sense. I dont hate Herbstreit and I think he catches a lot of unnecessary flak sometimes
Digger Phelps? Hey a coach is a coach!
That Swahili Rosetta Stone you bought went to waste. You've only lost your first gameof the season. You're ranked when you play your biggest in State rival at home, and no one shows up.
We're 5-5 and have been irrelevant for years, but we sell out our stadium for our beloved coach.
I'd want to jump ship.