New Coach Speculation

[dabaxter]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I hope so. The other candidates just don't stack up. The only guy I could realistictly see them hire Paul Johnson would be Steve Spurrier, if they do their homework. If they look at age, likely length of tenure, etc., then Spurrier should be out. If you just look at number of national championships alone, Paul Johnson should win this job by a land slide. If Spurrier didn't get a rematch against FSU right after losing to them, he wouldn't have won a NC.

 

[Yellow Hammer]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I hope so. The other candidates just don't stack up. The only guy I could realistictly see them hire Paul Johnson would be Steve Spurrier, if they do their homework. If they look at age, likely length of tenure, etc., then Spurrier should be out. If you just look at number of national championships alone, Paul Johnson should win this job by a land slide. If Spurrier didn't get a rematch against FSU right after losing to them, he wouldn't have won a NC.

I'm looking at it like Bama is on life support and they need the best doctor money can buy to revive them. Spurrier is my top choice and i'm pretty confident he'll stick around for at least 6 years. That will be plenty of time to get this program turned around with a future that isn't as uncertain as it is now.

I'm not saying Johnson is a bad coach. He's a proven winner in the minor leagues but that doesn't always result in success at the top level. I want certainty. We, as fans, have been through enough uncertainty for a lifetime.

Regardless of who is the next coach i'm going to support them and the team to the fullest. RTR

 

[dabaxter]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I'm looking at it like Bama is on life support and they need the best doctor money can buy to revive them. Spurrier is my top choice and i'm pretty confident he'll stick around for at least 6 years. That will be plenty of time to get this program turned around with a future that isn't as uncertain as it is now.

I'm not saying Johnson is a bad coach. He's a proven winner in the minor leagues but that doesn't always result in success at the top level. I want certainty. We, as fans, have been through enough uncertainty for a lifetime.

Regardless of who is the next coach i'm going to support them and the team to the fullest. RTR

He's also a proven winner at the D-1 level. Paul Johnson is a slam dunk.

What makes you think Spurrier will stay for 6 years If he's going to bail on SC after 2?

 

[RobK]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

Has Johnson ever recruited at the top-tier Division 1A level? I don't think so. Has he competed in living rooms of top-caliber athletes against the likes of Spurrier, Tuberville, Urban Meyer, and Fulmer? No.

Recruiting to places like Georgia Southern and Hawaii is very different than recruiting in the SEC. And recruiting to a service academy is very, very different. He may be sharp on the X's-and-O's and in maintaining team discipline (which really shouldn't be that big of a deal at a place like Navy), but I fear he might be a little out of his league when it comes to recruiting and the PR demands of the rabid in-state media and fans.

A coach like Johnson might fare well at a place a little off the beaten path like Mississippi State, Kentucky, or maybe even NC State, but a tempest like Bama is a whole different ballgame.

 

[dabaxter]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

ok. Fair enough. If you take Spurrier and Saban out of the equation, who fits your "recruiting" criteria with championships on their resume?

 

[TexasBammer]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

For those of you who think Spurrier or Saban are coming....

 

[J.Will]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

Has Johnson ever recruited at the top-tier Division 1A level? I don't think so. Has he competed in living rooms of top-caliber athletes against the likes of Spurrier, Tuberville, Urban Meyer, and Fulmer? No.

Recruiting to places like Georgia Southern and Hawaii is very different than recruiting in the SEC. And recruiting to a service academy is very, very different. He may be sharp on the X's-and-O's and in maintaining team discipline (which really shouldn't be that big of a deal at a place like Navy), but I fear he might be a little out of his league when it comes to recruiting and the PR demands of the rabid in-state media and fans.

A coach like Johnson might fare well at a place a little off the beaten path like Mississippi State, Kentucky, or maybe even NC State, but a tempest like Bama is a whole different ballgame.

With all due respect, recruiting D-1 (no matter what tier) level players to come to a service academy is the toughest sell in sports. I think he could get the job done here, and too be perfectly honest. I don't think we have a legitamate shot at anyone better.

 

[drjamesm]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

To be honest, I really don't know who will be the next HC.I do think everyone should just take a deep breath and wait and see. I agree with Cecil Hurt it may be a week or longer and thats not exactly a bad thing.We do not need to rush into this hire and now that we do have a job open lets see who throws their hat in the ring.

 

[RobK]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

ok. Fair enough. If you take Spurrier and Saban out of the equation, who fits your "recruiting" criteria with championships on their resume?

If lower division championships are to be the criteria, then perhaps we should look at Jim Donnan, Hal Mumme, or Bob Pruett.:eek2:

Lower-division championships are a big plus, but I would prefer a record of sustained success and a successful recruiting track record (either as a head coach or as an assistant) at the major conference level.

 

[RhodeIslandRed]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

To be honest, I really don't know who will be the next HC.I do think everyone should just take a deep breath and wait and see. I agree with Cecil Hurt it may be a week or longer and thats not exactly a bad thing.We do not need to rush into this hire and now that we do have a job open lets see who throws their hat in the ring.

I liken all this passing "interest" from prospective head coaches of several weeks ago to now, kind of like the interest a man has when he walks through a bar. He spots a pretty girl and says, "I'm interested in marrying her." We all know what that means, and it usually doesn't end up in a vow or contract...

 

[dabaxter]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

If lower division championships are to be the criteria, then perhaps we should look at Jim Donnan, Hal Mumme, or Bob Pruett.:eek2:

Lower-division championships are a big plus, but I would prefer a record of sustained success and a successful recruiting track record (either as a head coach or as an assistant) at the major conference level.

National Championships, Conference Championships?

Paul Johnson has 2, plus a runner up. He also has 5 straight conference championships!

Can you say dynasty?!!

 

[bamma dadda]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

Personally, I believe if we can get Bobby Petrino pair him up with Joe Kines, that would be a great start to top notch coaching staff.

 

[Hawk324]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

For those of you who think Spurrier or Saban are coming....

Yeah, i don't think they are coming either. After hearing what Saban said today, I think he's pretty aggrevated at the way Bama handled this whole firing deal. He said he's a friend of Shula's and said we should have given him more of a chance. And I never thought Spurrier would come to Bama. He's just now getting things turned around at SC and (to him) I think that's a bigger challenge than winning at Bama. So he''ll probably stay put.

Paul Johnson would probably jump at a chance to come to Bama. He's a pretty good coach imo, but you have to know that you'd be getting a coach who likes to pound the rock.....a lot. While I love the running game, even I realize you have to be more balanced in the SEC. The option might work here if you have supermen on the line. We dont. :biggrin2:

I'm still curious about Bobby Petrino. I think he's a good coach. i dunno if he would leave Louisville, but he'd win here. Still, if he came here....would he stay?

Jim Grobe scares me. When he was coach of Ohio from 1995-2000, he ended up with a 33-33-1 record. His all-time record hovers around 50%. He's doing well at Wake now, but what has he done prior to this? What happens when miami and Fla State return to the powerhouses they once were? No, i'm afraid of Grobe.

Rich Rodriguez might be one that would do a good job here. He pretty much came up with the spread option and I love that offense. But he's coaching at his alma mater and he may not want to leave. Its not unheard of for Bama to be turned down by coaches who wanted to stay at their alma mater.

(And i still like Frank Solich)

 

[RollTideHG]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I am almost enraged that none of you are mentioning the best name left, and that is California's Jeff Tedford. He built Cal back from the ground up, has no apparent discipline problems, and is just as good as Shula at coaching quarterbacks. Plus, I have heard that he has been complaining about the poor facilities at Cal (as compared to ours, which are nigh second to none). He is a proven winner in a strong conference. I believe that the Tennessee game was a fluke, and they have gotten better every game this year. He is a better hire than any others left on the board including Paul Johnson.

 

[WPtider]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

Someone I think we're overlooking is Gary Patterson. Regardless of what some may say about another TCU coach he can run the ball and coach defense. That's good enough for me.

 

[Hawk324]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I am almost enraged that none of you are mentioning the best name left, and that is California's Jeff Tedford. He built Cal back from the ground up, has no apparent discipline problems, and is just as good as Shula at coaching quarterbacks. Plus, I have heard that he has been complaining about the poor facilities at Cal (as compared to ours, which are nigh second to none). He is a proven winner in a strong conference. I believe that the Tennessee game was a fluke, and they have gotten better every game this year. He is a better hire than any others left on the board including Paul Johnson.

This is so funny because i just read about Tedford only a few seconds ago! :biggrin2: :biggrin2: Christopher Walsh mentions him in his article here.

Yeah, that is one name that would definately get my interest. What do the rest of you guys think about Tedford? Would he truly be interested in coming here? Would he do well here?

Like you, i think he might be a very good hire and I think he'd have a wisde open offense. Yes, UT beat Cal this year, and i dont know if that was a fluke, but I think he'd be more competitive at Bama (assuming we continue getting good defensive coaches).

Tedford and Kines? Could that work?

=)

 

[MLD117]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

I have just updated myself on the information on all of the boards out there. Apparently, we have offered our HC position to Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Houston Nutt, Bobby Petrino, Rich Rodriguez, Norm Chow, Bobby Ross, Dom Capers, Bob Stoops, and Butch Davis. Forgive me if i have left anyone off. Apparently from people who are in the know, several of these have already accepted the position...here are some of the rumors...

Bobby Petrino has been offered the job and accepted it. He wanted to wait until after the weekend to be announced as our new HC, but a Louisville recruit has apparently found out that Petrino has accepted an offer from us. That has forced Petrino to set up a team meeting tonight with his players to annonce his intention before news gets out too quickly.

Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban have been reported to have been offered the job. Official reports have been made that both have declined to approached about the head coaching position, but people are reporting that behind the scenes Saban wants to get out of the NFL (and if the money is right, he might come back to the college game), and rumors are that Spurrier has still been offered the job (and after hearing the $$$ amounts) is very interested in the job.

Butch Davis even though he has verbally accepted the North Carolina job had dinner with an Alabama alum last night. Supposedly, he is reconsidering his options.

Rich Rodriguez and Norm Chow have also been offered the job. Chow will accept the job on Wednesday, and Rodriguez will accept the job either later on this week or will wait until after the weekend.

Bob Stoops, according to people, is not happy in Oklahoma and is very interested in the Alabama head coaching position.

Bobby Ross (who won a NC at Georgia Tech in 1980) and Dom Capers are some names that have just recently surfaced.

It sounds like we might be loaded at the HC position this next year, and in total we might be paying $25 million in total to all of these coaches next year. I hope I do not get on anyone's nerves, but I am finding all of these rumors interesting and wanted to put them all out there at the same time. Feel free to add more to my list. All of these guys are good candidates, along with others (Groebe, Gailey, Johnson). I am encouraged to see that MM is going after some of the bigger names in College Football. In the end I believe we will have a very accomplished coach. It might not be the coach that everyone is wanting, but I hope it is someone who the BamaNation can rally around.

 

[CrimsonChuck]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

National Championships, Conference Championships?

Paul Johnson has 2, plus a runner up. He also has 5 straight conference championships!

So did Bobby Wallace.

 

[RobK]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

Bob Stoops, according to people, is not happy in Oklahoma and is very interested in the Alabama head coaching position.

I spoke with a reporter friend today who covers the Big 12. He has no real inside dirt, but he felt strongly that Bama should make a hard run at Stoops. He thinks Stoops has about maxed out at OU, may be looking for a new challenge (given the right amount of money), and we probably have a more realistic shot at getting him than either Saban or Spurrier (and his track record is as solid as either of them).

To me, Stoops is the total package: D1A national title, understands coaching at a traditional power, SEC knowledge/background, ace blue-chip recruiter, solid defensive background (yet runs an exciting offense), hires and keeps outstanding assistants, etc. And he dug Oklahoma out of a similar situation to the one we're facing today.

The only downsides (as Jess pointed out in his column a day ago) are the talk of a few potential NCAA violations and purported NFL interest (though he has turned down more NFL overtures than most coaches will ever dream of getting).

I see Stoops as our most realistic shot at a true slam-dunk hire.

 

[Rainmaker27]

Re: New Coach Speculation (ALL THOUGHTS ON COACHING PROSPECTS GO HERE!!!

So did Bobby Wallace.

Yeah, and Bobby Wallace took a dead-end job. Don't think it was that the man couldn't coach. NOBODY can win at Temple.