This just happened will update with more information as it comes out. Any recruits we might want from there? Any coaches for 10th position coach?
Edit: I can't even keep track of all the stuff coming across on this. Houston Nut lawsuit, college provided phone call to escort service, other redacted phone numbers by Freeze in lawsuit discovery phase.
Edit II:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/7/20/16006850/hugh-freeze...
Freeze had and used a second non-university phone, paid for privately, a source told Godfrey.
And here it goes, second non college provided phone and a "pattern of behavior", no buyout.
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Comments
And here's a source.
And some background.
He made a one minute phone call to an escort service. University received an email about it saying there was information that would be hard to explain.
He was just brushing up his recruiting skills so he could pitch Louisville on hiring him...
Why do I feel like the story goes deeper than that?
Misdial? You don't resign over a misdial.
That's "Miss dial" as in 1800missdial - I'm sure that's an escort service.
Oh, now I get it. I was missing an 's'.
There is going to be more. His good clean family Christian man image is about to get blown up.
Always fun seeing that happen
Ouch, if thats true that hurts. Ive always heard how he was a really morally upstanding guy and that his faith was everything to him. Its one thing to get caught cheating or being in charge of a staff thats cheating, but its a whole nother ball of wax when it comes to escort services type cheating. That sucks for fans of the program that looked up to him as we are prone to do with our head coaches.
I'm in Memphis, there have always been these quiet rumors that he is really really sketchy, and that extends beyond the football team. Whether true or not who knows.
I've never been quiet about what I think of Hugh Freeze. There's NO WAY IN CRACKLIN' CORNBREAD HELL all of those 5 star kids just started showing up in Oxford without something seriously afoot.
You should like this then:
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Article/Self-righteous-Hugh-Freeze-exposed-in-wake-of-resignation-at-Ole-104482816
Life lesson -
Beware of anybody who tells you how honest they are, or how Christian they are.
Or how smart they are.
In all seriousness, when you complain about why VT can't beat out blue blood programs for recruits, remember that the non-blue bloods that win those battles are usually getting those recruits houses or hookers. Remember it.
Don't disagree with the premise that lots of schools break rules (and laws) during recruiting, but I'd nick pick that they "usually" get recruits that way. I'm not sure Alabama or USC or Ohio State necessarily need to do those things to get their 5 star recruits.
Of course, Mississippi is not a blue-blood program by a long shot. So the more I think about it I guess that fact might actually kind of support your point.
At the very least, if the big schools do it, there is much more community support to keep it quiet because of the mutual benefit to the community. When that benefit to crime ratio gets out of wack, see late Bowden era, the locals start chirping. First free shoes, no free hookers.
I agree with the line of thinking. But I also remember the ESPN story on VT allowing players to get low income housing in Blacksburg. I recall FSU was also spotlighted for other curious behavior.
It happens everywhere to a degree. We are not immune, but Tech is at the lower end of the scale for sure.
Probably got a decent group of people that own properties in Blacksburg (any college area really) that keep the rent low and work with athletes. At least it wouldn't surprise me in the least.
I knew a ton of people who found a way to get low-income housing in Blacksburg, and not only athletes. The complexes off South Main and Ellett were where they usually went.
that whole mess of complexes on fairfax road had so many problems with squatters, homeless, and drug dealers breaking into empty units that I'm surprised they didn't just give away housing to legit renters just to take care of the problem.
Bobby Petrino is a perfect example of this theory.
Exactly.
And I agree, everyone does a certain amount of shady stuff. I know at least for a while VT was running a hostess program for football recruits, which is the type of thing that I've always felt uncomfortable about. It's one thing to take pictures on a visit with the cheerleaders. To me, it's another to basically (or in some cases literally, see UT and OSU) tell an attractive 18-22 y.o. girl to 'make sure so and so has a good time this weekend....' (wink, wink). Hopefully that program is carefully and morally run if we still have it.
I had no idea we ran a Hostess program, but sure enough...
I'm not sure its an official thing, though. Certainly not an official organization like it is at Tennessee
Those are just cheerleaders that are told to come and take pictures. After that short time with them in the athletic facilities for pictures, they go their own way.
Right, that's my interpretation of that picture too. Honestly, before I googled to confirm when I wrote that post, I didn't even realize we ever had one. I do now know that there is a twitter handle for the 'lunch pail ladies' that bills themselves as official, and I also happened upon a linkedin profile for a former alumnus who listed being a part of that organization while at VT (interesting take on what qualifies as experience). All that seemed to be from around 2013, so maybe it was a one year thing that someone thought better of?
It is not my interpretation. It is a fact. I know them personally, and they hated these events where they had to pose for pictures.
After doing a little research on LinkedIn, I found a couple connections that were part of the Lunch Pail Ladies. It was a program where the football and team coaches selected 13 female athletes to be a part of the unofficial and official visits. They gave campus tours and answered questions and had to go to a NCAA Compliance Workshop. It was all from 2013-2014 school year, so it looks like a one year thing. I don't think it was anything more than campus tours and being at the football games to talk to recruits.
Thanks for confirming my interpretation then. I was just shocked we ever actually had one in any form.
As I said originally, I don't like that type of program and it was a surprise to me that we had one for even a year. I don't think those programs are ever put in place for the right reasons (it appears the one overriding qualification is good looks) and just furthers an objectifying mindset that needs to be gotten away from in college sports especially. I don't know how I would feel if my daughter called me from school and told me her own coach recommended her for a lunch pail ladies position. Was there a male equivalent from, say, the wrestling team? If not it says about all that needs to be said about the motive behind it. It would probably result in a call to that coach and a long conversation about the family atmosphere I was told to expect in the VT athletic department. This may just be a coincidence, but it would appear that the program was ended pretty much immediately upon Whit taking over. If that's not a coincidence it just makes me think that much more of him.
Anyways, rant over.
VT needs to become a "blue-blood" then... or whatever that means. There's no reason it should accept being second tier as a foregone conclusion.
Difficult with no national titles and success that largely started in the 90's.
Of course it's difficult, but what exactly are you saying?
All things considered, were punching above our weight class
agree to disagree then. I think the program has a long way to go before it reaches a ceiling. And most of that has to do with fundraising and fan support. AD budget should be over 100million next year **for the first time in history** and that's without completing the Drive for 25.
**Edit: Not sure why I felt compelled to state the obvious.
How is "were punching above it's weight class" (past tense) the same as "not reached it's ceiling" (future tense)?
Try it with "we're" and see how it fits
Ok. I'll try it.
How is "we're punching above our weight class" (present tense) the same as "long way to go before it reaches a ceiling (future tense)? Hint: It's not.
Doesn't agree to disagree state that they have opposite opinions? I'm confused.
You agree to disagree on two different opinions on the same thing. Ex: The sky is blue right now. I disagree, it's purple right now.
A statement about the present and a differing statement about the future are two different opinions about two different things. Ex: The sky is blue right now. I disagree, it's going to be purple tomorrow.
Just trying to clarify here. Tjbhokie said that we are currently punching above our weight class. Yak_butter inferred that Tjbhokie was saying we have already reached (or even exceeded) our ceiling and he disagreed with that assessment by arguing we have a long way to go before hitting our ceiling. Just because the tenses don't match doesn't necessarily mean that "agreeing to disagree" is being used erroneously
It shouldnt. But, as long as the fundraising level stays where it is, this is how it will be.
Yea I was shocked to learn not only does fundraising pay for the entire Bama on and off field coaching salaries but boosters bought in cash Saban's mansion. Tech can't even cover scholarships via donations.
I was surprised to learn that WVU has been out fundraising VT by ~$10-$15 million per year the last few years.
Dat opioid money.
Bingo.
I cringe when I see people saying something like this. I don't think VT is buying homes or hookers, but I've caught wind of some would-be NCAA infractions throughout the years. All it takes is one mistake by a coach or booster or player, and all of a sudden the whole college football word is pointing a finger at us.
Don't assault people, sexually or otherwise, don't pay players, don't hire hookers, don't do drugs, don't commit academic fraud and don't beat animals and you're 99% of the way there.
Yea, the 'don't pay players' one is what typically messes things up.
You mean like getting handed the Wake Forest playbook?
Which wasn't used, and resulted in this:
Did he pay with Hardee's coupons?
i laughed out loud. my boss just asked me what was so funny.
Ole Miss? More like Ole Mess amirite??
Take your damn leg, dad.
Ole Miss is the school that supposedly palms $1k Tunica chips to the visiting recruits. Lots of handshaking goin' on.
I guess this is when he gets to learn that a hiring freeze means you're not.
The Ole Miss program has been sketchy for years, but I find it really hard to believe he would step down/be forced out over just a 1 minute phone call. So many coaches have stuck around through much worse. There has to be more to this.
More than one call.
Apparently it is a pattern of behavior/mistakes.
https://twitter.com/BarrettSallee/status/888195658288685056
In before the Fuente 2 Miss panic sets in
Dude that job has Fedora written all over it.
damn that would be strong...
Skrong, even.
Man this would be perfect timing for us. I wonder what their timetable will be like on the next hire.
I want someone to leak that Bronco threw his hat in the ring a la the Fedora to Baylor bit.
LOL... but might give someone ideas. We want Bronco right were he is.
#extendbroncoscontract
Very interesting development. Fedora has a tough decision to make and it could benefit us immensely.
??? Fedora has mostly underachived - both on the field and the recruiting trail.
I'd be more worried that UNC might hire someone who could actually leverage their inherent strengths.
#keeplarryfedora
I'd be more worried that UNC might hire someone who could actually leverage their inherent strengths.
They did. But it turned out to be a professor, and giving out fake grades violated some NCAA rule. Go figure.
I was thinking Lane Kiffin. Those two seem like a match made in heaven.
Saw on r/CFB his last 4 followers are all Ole Miss pages
Maybe you know something about Fedora's personal situation that I don't, but I just can't see the attraction of jumping for the Ole Miss job over the UNC job.
At least at UNC there's just the specter of NCAA penalties, whereas at Ole Miss, that shit is real.
You're never getting out of your side of the conference as long as Saban's locking it down at Alabama. At Chapel Hill there's hope of getting to the ACCG, and with FSU and Clemson showing out, you have a shot at the playoffs. SEC has lost a bit of that shine in my opinion.
Fedora openly said he wanted the LSU job. He'll jump at the first one he's given.
Because he wanted one of the top jobs in the country he'll jump at the first offer?
Ole Miss has similar baggage to UNC. Why would he leave UNC in a pending NCAA investigation for a school is a similar situation?
He put out feelers for the Baylor job, is that a top job in the country? I also wouldn't consider the LSU job at the time of it opening a "top job".
Since Saban brought them to a title, LSU has been a top job. Don't kid yourself
Sure is that why Tom Herman, Jimbo Fisher both turned them down? It's a top 15 job but as long as Saban is at Bama it's not even best job in SEC West. Oregon pay is between 20th and 26th in nation depending on what private schools are paying their coaches. Utah and Louisville among others are paying higher. LSU academic side is in financial distress, LSU hasn't won anything meaningful in the SEC since? Yea it has history but there were better jobs open last year. Texas and I'd argue Oregon because of easier path to playoffs.
I think you could argue that LSU is a top-10 job in terms of national profile, but that two of the jobs above it are Texas and FSU... which is why Herman and Jimbo used the LSU vacancy primarily as a bargaining chip.
Because Texas and FSU are also top jobs? In no way comparable to Baylor or UNC
First Fedora was looking for any job to get him out of UNC, second I read "top job" as in best available, in my book it wasn't. Texas and Oregon were better openings. As for LSU as a top overall job I'd agree it has history and money from SEC behind it easily but same can be said for Ole Miss, they are going to pay a coach 4-4.5 million to come there, they have dumped tons of money into the program and the last 3-4 years both programs have been right around each other in the west. So by top job how do you view it more important? History? Pay? Chance to reach playoffs? To me LSU is a top tier job among best 10-20 in the country but it's not a traditional blue blood and it's taken a backseat in the SEC WEST.
Whenever Alabama starts to decline, whether it be Saban leaving, a couple of coaches down the road, or just the natural cycle of things, LSU is going to be in better position to take the top spot in the SEC West than Ole Miss.
Jimbo is in a great situation at FSU. He doesn't need to leave. He's getting paid a lot, is recruiting very well, is in a competitive conference, and has big time facilities and history. The only reason he was rumored to be considering LSU is because he once worked there.
The rumor all along was that Herman wanted to be at Texas, which has to be a top 5 job in the country.
You could even make the argument Texas is the #1 job in the country.
I think that LSU is absolutely a top 10 job. SEC, they've been competitive, have won a National Title, have a lot of support, and $$.
Bama, USCw, anOSU, Mich, ND, FSU, Texas, OK tier 1 jobs
Miami, Nebraska, Florida, LSU, PSU, UGA tied 1a jobs
I'd rather be at LSU than Notre Dame
Ok. You had a previous post asking why Fisher turned down LSU to stay at FSU...then you have FSU as a tier 1 job and LSU as a 1a job.
Are your tier 1 and tier 1a jobs in order? LSU would be a top 12 job? I'd be ok with that, but I think you could argue that they're at 9 or 10. Right now the one that doesn't fit is Nebraska. I think it used to be a great job, but that program has fallen the last decade.
I didn't ask why I said if LSU was the top job at the time open why would hose two guys turn it down so fast? I know why Jimbo did because FSU is a much better job than LSU.
But he never said LSU was "the" top job. He said it was one of the top jobs in the country. Which it is.
I think UGA, UF, LSU should be Tier 1, not 1a. And/or Miami, Nebraska and PSU should be moved down to 2. I think those three SEC schools are a lot closer to your 'tier 1' schools than they are the other three 'tier 1a' schools.
What has UGA done to move them up? Won the SEC recently nope, national championship nope.
Then what have Notre Dame and Michigan done to keep them at the top tier? How many Big Ten titles/national titles have they won this century?
They have more history and a lot more money giving them blue blood status. ND as at least played in a NC game in last 30 years.
Has LSU not played for a national championship in the last 30 years?
They don't have the history that Mich or ND does and based on what they are paying for their new HC I'm not sure they have as much money either. Also keep in mind LSU academic side is in major financial trouble.
You're changing the criteria for what qualifies as a top job when it fits your argument.
You say LSU isn't a top job because they haven't won a national championship since 2007 (and haven't won the SEC since 2011). Notre Dame and Michigan haven't won titles in the 21st century. Michigan hasn't won the Big Ten since 2004. But they're better jobs because they have more history. And Georgia isn't a top tier job because they haven't won the SEC since 2005 or a natty since 1980.
But Oregon is a better job than LSU, because they've lost a national championship recently and play in a weaker division? LSU has both more history and more recent success than Oregon, so neither one of your arguments work there.
Seems kinda like you're arguing just to be arguing.
Because and this may be a shock there isn't one set criteria for blue blood or top tier programs it's all personal bias. For example I think VT is a top 15-25 job but what would most national analysts say about it? The programs I named are what I consider the top or blue blood programs for the reasons I have, each one is different because no two schools have the same history, funding, national exposure or wins/losses. LSU to me doesn't fit the same level as ND or Mich, the national audience and money those two schools have alone move them above most schools. Oregon to me as a better job when it was open at the same time as LSU not historical notice I didn't add it to the blue bloods. There is a reason LSU seettled formthe coach they got at the price they are paying him.
I never said there was one set criteria. I was just pointing out that you were contradicting yourself in your attempt to convince us that LSU is not a top job. For the record I think all of the jobs that have been discussed are top tier jobs except maybe Oregon and Nebraska. But it seems obvious at this point that you aren't going to agree that LSU is a top tier job so I don't see any reason to continue this back and forth.
Stop. You're using logic. It doesn't understand that.
UGA:
One can rank a school's potential by asking oneself 'if the best coach in college football (aka, Nick Saban) went to that school, how fast would he win a national title?' Presumably, said coach could win easiest at a school with a large budget, in fertile recruiting ground, with an easy annual schedule. I think UGA is up there with the tier 1 schools, probably ahead of Mich and ND.
Good way to look at it
This sounds like something we can settle in NCAA 14.
I think people are confusing "Blue Bloods" with "Powerhouses"
To me, "Blue Bloods" imply history AND some measure of recent successes (kind of like Tom
SeligSelleck in the TV show Blue Bloods): Bama, USCw, anOSU, Mich, ND, Texas, Ok,FSUPowerhouses (but not Blue Bloods) would imply recent successes and continuing to recruit at a very high level: Miami, LSU, PSU, UGA, FSU, Oregon
I'm sure you can add to both lists, but thats kind of my thought
Mostly agree with this, except FSU is a powerhouse, not a blue blood program. Tech can become a powerhouse, but it would take 10x more success to break into the next level.
Did you say Selig?
Magnum PI=Selleck
No, but my point was he said he wanted another job while still working in his current job.
Or Bud Foster.
Bud always wanted to go to a P5 school......
/s
Petrino
That job sounds like a nightmare. No historical prestige, entitled fans, NCAA allegations looming, playing bama and LSU every season. No thanks
Man I hope he was on a recruiting trip...a Mississippi hooker sounds not good.
Even worse a Detroit one.
I'm gonna need Katy Perry to explain what the hell is going on with her Ole Miss program.
Walking around the Grove drinking and looking at the scenery sure is fun.
This must be UF. He was Gator after all.
Gator ain't never been about takin no shit!
Nope - HF said
Means he musta been callin' the DR!
Sounds like he got tired of Ole Miss and just wanted some New Miss
Take your damn leg...
Houston Nutt right now
via GIPHY
I think Ole Miss just made his slander/libel case for him. The damages from that will just be a little salt in the wound.
If they end up with Fedora out of this I think it's a win win for them. I know a lot of us don't like Fedora but I think he's an upgrade from Freeze.
Fedora can't in game change his plans and he refuses to use RB's to their strengths.
Yeah but he can recruit really well.
If they lose him to Ole Miss, they're going to have trouble recapturing the momentum they have been able to carry the last couple years. Especially now that it looks like they're about to hit a bit of a lull on the offensive side of the ball, relative to what they've been used to. Its not like their defense is really capable of carrying a program, so you could see them take a huge step back over the next 5-6 months, depending on how that whole situation plays out.
I kind of hope the Fedora to Ole Miss rumors start up in earnest the next couple weeks and continue through the season. That's the kind of undercutting of UNC that we need to take the NC2VT movement to the next level.
I didn't say he could do any of those things - I just said he's an upgrade from Freeze. His Mississippi ties won't hurt them either. Sure, he refused to change his game plan in the hurricane game but lets not act like Elijah Hood didn't rush for 1400 yards in 2015. He wasn't that misused. Bottom line is I think he's a better coach than Freeze and he's proven he can win with a program with NCAA investigations looming.
But like Gobbler said, a Fedora depature would be great for an already momentous #NC2VT movement.
They also lost to South Carolina and Georgia for the same reason. Against South Carolina he let Hood get them all the way to the red zone and then never ran the ball again. Hood had only 12 carries for 138 yards. Instead he opted for letting Williams throw picks in the end zone. Fedora is too stubborn to adjust his game plan.
Who the hell cares? Fedora leaving would be huge for VT recruiting. I don't see why you all are arguing to me that he's a bad coach.
Also, throwing the ball in the red zone when you have Hood isn't that taboo. Defenses are going to stack the box to stop the run. Not his fault Williams was overrated.
I also think not giving Hood the ball was due in part to Trubisky's talent last season. Might not have made sense all the time, but Trubisky was good too.
I'm sorry you can't appreciate when people have their own opinions on a coach and feel like sharing supporting information.
You realize you are doing the same thing, right? But y'all are missing the entire point of my argument.
Fedora. Leaving. Is. A. Good. Thing.
Fedora can't in game change his plans
For some reason I read this "can't in game change his pants".
Maybe he thought his team had a better chance throwing against a hurricane than running against Foster's D.
Finding your team one dimensional against Bud will make any coach need to in game change his pants...
Not only does it make a lot of sense for both parties, but Fedora leaving UNC would be such a boon to the #NC2VT movement.
PLEASE let this happen.
I am confused, I thought all DIV I programs had escort services on speed dial, how else do they get the recruiticorns?
Maybe he was being denied pussy touchdowns...
Well, I mean, I'm sure Fuente has called our Hooker many times on his phone.
Wait, was he making these calls for shady recruiting purposes or for personal use?
I guess to the administration it didn't matter which. The NCAA might have a word or two regardless.
It's kinda like if he was buying I dunno cocaine doesn't matter if it's for himself or the recruits it's a fireable offense
Well it was his company phone, so one must assume it was for company business. Highly inappropriate to use that phone for personal calls, after all.
How are there no Mr. Freeze Gifs in here? I am sure they apply somehow.
He really left Ole Miss out in the cold
Just when you think things can't get any more bizarre, you start seeing the details. He called the escort service from his university-issued phone, despite having a second, non-university phone paid for privately. Isn't "Use the burner for hookers and blow" the first lesson of SEC Coaching 101?
"Hi there, welcome to the SEC. Here's your welcome packet from HR and your burner phone, the purpose for which is explained in your welcome packet from HR."
I'm pretty sure the first lesson is "Somebody else makes those kinds of calls."
How hard is it to write on the phones "Don't Use for Hookers" and "Use for Hookers"?
Wait for him to resurface as Alabama's new OC - Saban's rehab program.
Best comment on this mess I've seen so far comes from Nathan Warters twitter account, with support from Andy Bitter
Ole Miss on twitter has started following none other than Joey Freshwater himself AKA Lane Kiffin.
that'd be some funny shit
Cause they aren't in enough hot water they want to add Kiffin? All he did was get Tennessee in trouble for recruiting and you want to bring him in to clear up a recruiting violation issue?
Ole Miss if they hire Kiffin:
Scot Loeffler is the man Ole Miss needs to lead them.
You joke he is now anOSU coach in my NCAA dynasty. After leading LOLUVA to 5 winning seasons. (Computer controlled)
He's a super genius. Plus he'll do a good job of putting pieces together that will be properly used by whoever replaces him.
You know the guy that is all over this whole Ole Miss controversy? Houston Nutt? Yeah, Lane Kiffin is following him on Twitter now.
I have a feeling we're going to be hearing about this for quite some time...
Here's a time line for the Hugh Freeze years at Ole Miss.
NCAA investigation Ole Miss
Edit changed up my thoughts.
Lane kiffin would be the most ironic hire other than oj Simpson.
I heard the Browns have already signed OJ to a two year deal to shore up the RB position.
He would kill it out there.
He's pretty old for the NFL now, but I bet he'd take a stab at it.
Probably so, but I bet he will also have a hard time finding any receiver gloves that fit while taking a stab at it.
Glad someone caught the alley-oop.
I heard that RB can be murder on the knees though.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach has a piece explaining how the call was uncovered: http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20145148/ole-miss-rebels...
Probably the most important section of the story:
I'm sure Freeze's reaction looked something like this:
So he knew people were looking, knew exactly *where* they were looking, redacted three other calls and still got caught calling hookers. Mind boggling.
Kind of amazed he was allowed to redact any calls in response to a FOI request. I didn't that was legal.
ESQ's what's your legal opinion on this? When can you redact something requested in discovery?
I don't do any civil litigation but I believe you can redact personal info that isn't germane to the case. If the other side believes you've redacted something you shouldn't they can ask the court to order it be turned over.
This is part of why Ole Miss was dumb to not settle early before discovery.
If I understand it correctly, this was an open records request (Freedom of Information Act), not discovery. They found that number while looking through three days of phone records for a different call - and Freeze had the chance to redact numbers. He just missed that one.
That's my read, too. Totally different ball of wax v. any kind of litigation. Seems like he just did a bad job at hiding his tracks. Especially since he didn't know exactly what the reporters were looking for, seems like the default should be 'better make sure I hide everything, who knows what they're looking for.'
From a professional standpoint, it's this lying/cheating/stealing badly that pisses me off. Yeah, you shouldn't do those things, but for fucks sake, the man has a BS in Math with minors in coaching and sports administration. He's not an idiot. It just never ceases to amaze me the carelessness with which people approach their sketchy shit. Why not bring the same care and concern that you use with your coaching and recruiting to your whore hiring? Secrecy and misdirection are at least some part of the game of football, use at least a fraction of that paranoia in your escort solicitation.
Makes you wonder what the three "personal" calls that got redacted really were.
I hate to be "that guy", but how long before we start seeing Bud Foster to Ole Miss rumors and a 24/7 FlightTracker vigil?
Bud would have to be way less intelligent than any of us ever expected to willingly leave what he has at VT and walk into that mess. If he's feeling froggy, there will be far more attractive HC jobs available in about 5 months.
There are more attractive jobs open every year, and yet he never gets them. Bud's got his age and his status as a defensive mastermind working against him. Bud has made his preferences clear in the past. He wants to be a head coach and he wants to do it at a competitive P5 shcool. Unfortunately for him, the kinds of program he wants to lead tend to hire younger, or more offensive-minded coaches, if they're willing to commit to a first-time HC at all. I'm not saying that he would or should take it, if offered, but you have to admit that the possiblility is intriguing. His window is closing for a HC job, and Ole Miss is such a mess right now that they're not likely to land anyone at or near the top of their wish list. They've got money to spend and need to get someone in that office. A guy with decades of experience in a clean program might be just what the doctor ordered.
I don't disagree with most of the points you make, but what's the appeal of a job where a scholarship penalty or post-season suspension is most likely looming while your window is closing/you're getting older?
I agree that "He wants to do it at a competitive P5 shcool." However, after this scandal unfolds, I can't imagine Ole Miss being anything close to competitive for at least another 5 years. If anything, I'd see it as a job where they're going to hire someone clean to get through the rough patches caused by this scandal and then fire them after predictable struggles and upgrade a few years down the road.
They'll be looking for a smooth talker who can get recruiticorns during a scandal.
Someone who can lie easily. I don't see that being Bud.
Ole Miss, with their SEC money, is going to set their sights higher than Bud Foster
So Bud Foster in Stilettos is an option?
So, thanks for that semi-disturbing mental picture.
They can set their sights anywhere they damn well please (though I'd personally argue that Bud should be at the top of anybody's list) but they're not in a position to be picky. That program and that job are pretty toxic right now. They should be happy with any warm body they can find who's willing to do that job.
There's plenty of warm bodies with lower standards out there, that are still somehow considered "top tier" talents.
MV7 to Ole Miss? is swag kelly still there? he left didn't he?...
Why do we keep saying this. Bud has been in interview after interview where he sometimes goes to the point of tears in joy that Whit/Fuente are so proactive in keeping him around. Bud is to the point where he is an all or nothing VT guy now. I really cannot picture a scenario where he leaves.
I think so, too. I think he'd rather see VT through to a championship.
But we're fans, so we fret. It's like picking at a scab. We know we shouldn't.
I can think of a few million reasons he'd leave, which VT won't give him as a DC (understandably so). Bud has given enough to VT that as much as I hope he stays, I'd wish him nothing but the best if he leaves (for a non rival team).
If you can't picture a scenario where he'd leave, you're not trying hard enough. Even when Beamer, his mentor and father figure, was still around, he interviewed for a couple head coach positions. Without Beamer as his boss, I'd say he's more likely to take one now than he was a few years ago. I think he's at peace with the fact that he's probably never going to get his chance at HC, and that he's still not going to take a DC position anywhere else, but I don't believe he's an "all or nothing" VT guy. I think he'd still leave if a good head coaching opportunity presented itself to him. And while I'd hate the decision, I couldn't blame the guy.
That's possible, but the odds that he'd win a National Championship at VT went up measurably last year.
Heard a rumor that Les Miles is interested in the position. He knows the SEC fairly well, and for all of his quirks I never once heard about legal problems.
I don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard that the terms of Les's buyout with LSU prohibit him from coaching in the SEC. However, if it's a possibility, I think Miles would be just about the perfect candidate for that job. He's an established coach, a known (although somewhat oddball) commodity and he can recruit with the best of them. On top of all that, he's probably only a few years away from retirement, so it shouldn't get ugly when they're ready to find a new coach once they've weathered the likely NCAA sanctions storm in a few years.
Good podcast from PAPN on the Hugh Freeze firing. Also, there's a fun little commentary about Fuente/VT starting at 56 minutes.