New Coach Speculation

Jimbo Fisher

I tried to start a topic regarding Jimbo Fisher but must have gotten my hand slapped (and the thread removed) since I truly overlooked this thread amongst all of the other ones.

My question was; has he been discussed?
Good offensive mind that was retained once Saban left LSU. Also knows the SEC and surely would be a solid recruiter.

Thoughts?

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Bama Torch in Pcola said:

Two words: Jim Tressel

The argument that you put forth doesn't have much merit.

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Well thanks for your opinion about my argument.

Comparing Johnson to Tressel is hilarious and grasping at straws. Tressel had ties to Ohio State (quarterbacks and recievers coach) before he left for Youngstown State.

He had experience recruiting in-state talent which was proven by Youngstown winning not two but FOUR national championships and being runner-up in two.

Coaching is in his blood. His father coached a division III national champion and he also briefly played for OSU. His father also coached Massillon High School.

Tressel was a perfect fit for Ohio State. The ties were there. His dream was to coach the Buckeyes.

Johnson's ties to the state of Alabama and the University don't even come close.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on prospects here!!!

I'd work for minimum wage before Mal Moore. Spurrier and Saban have alternatives. Just goes to show that ones actions rarely goes unnoticed.

USCBAMA said:

If Mal Moore made this call with Shula without having a solid lead on a replacement in mind then that should seal his fate IMO. It's already disturbing that he apparently did not even make informal overtures to Davis before he signed on with UNC given that Davis had apparently expressed interest in Bama. Implies that Moore still thought Shula would be around at that time (unless contact was made & Davis said "no" - which does not seem to be the case but I certainly would not be privy if it was). I'll certainly wait to pass judgment on Moore, but less than one day into search and the supposed top 2 candidates are turning him down before they even get an official offer. Could be better.

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Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

Well thanks for your opinion about my argument.

Comparing Johnson to Tressel is hilarious and grasping at straws. Tressel had ties to Ohio State (quarterbacks and recievers coach) before he left for Youngstown State.

He had experience recruiting in-state talent which was proven by Youngstown winning not two but FOUR national championships and being runner-up in two.

Coaching is in his blood. His father coached a division III national champion and he also briefly played for OSU. His father also coached Massillon High School.

Tressel was a perfect fit for Ohio State. The ties were there. His dream was to coach the Buckeyes.

Johnson's ties to the state of Alabama and the University don't even come close.

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Ummm....so Johnson would be a poor hire because he doesn't "have ties" to Alabama? That's absurd.

Seems to me Paul Johnson compares quite favorably to Jim Tressel prior to taking over at OSU.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on prospects here!!!

BamaFan1961 said:

That is very clear

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SOS and Saban might be telling the truth stating that they have not been contacted regarding the job. They could even be telling the truth that they have no plans to leave SC and the fins. Here is the reason why, imagine if they are both on the "A" list and Mal meets with them each in secret. Then, Mal puts an offer on the table to both coaches. Lets assume both advise Mal they will accept the position. Now, one of them has to go back to his previous job. Do you think he would have a job if he is actively lobbying for a new job? I would bet that behavior would be grounds to can them w/out paying a buyout... (Conduct damaging to the team/program).

I think if we are patient and allow Mal to do his job we will be suprised and happy with who we get. That came from a source who thinks Mal is pretty much an idiot and not qualified to be a checker at Wal-Mart....

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Rainmaker27 said:

Ummm....so Johnson would be a poor hire because he doesn't "have ties" to Alabama? That's absurd.

Seems to me Paul Johnson compares quite favorably to Jim Tressel prior to taking over at OSU.

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He wouldn't be the best hire. Alabama needs the best. I've stated my case.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

He wouldn't be the best hire. Alabama needs the best. I've stated my case.

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Well, gee, doesn't everybody deserve the best?

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

He wouldn't be the best hire. Alabama needs the best. I've stated my case.

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Arguing that he's not the best we can do is hardly the same as characterizing a comparison of CPJ to a pre-OSU Tressel "hilarious and grasping at straws," isn't it?

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

Well thanks for your opinion about my argument.

Comparing Johnson to Tressel is hilarious and grasping at straws. Tressel had ties to Ohio State (quarterbacks and recievers coach) before he left for Youngstown State.

He had experience recruiting in-state talent which was proven by Youngstown winning not two but FOUR national championships and being runner-up in two.

Coaching is in his blood. His father coached a division III national champion and he also briefly played for OSU. His father also coached Massillon High School.

Tressel was a perfect fit for Ohio State. The ties were there. His dream was to coach the Buckeyes.

Johnson's ties to the state of Alabama and the University don't even come close.

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I'm sorry, but that is a ridiculous argument. Who cares about what your father did? As if it makes a difference. It didn't help Mike Shula.

Ties to Alabama? Which candidate does? NONE.

There is no question that Tressell had a very impressive 1-AA record. Johson was at Georgia Southern for 5 years. He took over after they had slumped into a loser. He won 5 straight conference titles and was in the national championship game his last 3 seasons.

By the way, he whipped Tressell head-to-head to win the title in '99. I guess you'll say he must have been lucky.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Rainmaker27 said:

Arguing that he's not the best we can do is hardly the same as characterizing a comparison of CPJ to a pre-OSU Tressel "hilarious and grasping at straws," isn't it?

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I hate repeating myself. Did you not read where Tressel coached at OSU before going to Youngstown State? OSU knew what they were getting.

Tressel had won more championships in div 1-AA, had experience recruiting OHIO prep players. It was a smooth transition for both parties.

IF Johnson were hired it would be a much more difficult task than the one Tressel had at OSU. And really comparing Johnson to Tressel is unfair. I'm not the one who initiated the comparison.

Do you really believe Johnson, with his triple option offense, would lead Alabama to the BCS Championship in the next five years? If he can't muster a point against Rutgers what makes you think he'll have success against the defenses in the SEC?

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

I hate repeating myself. Did you not read where Tressel coached at OSU before going to Youngstown State? OSU knew what they were getting.

Tressel had won more championships in div 1-AA, had experience recruiting OHIO prep players. It was a smooth transition for both parties.

IF Johnson were hired it would be a much more difficult task than the one Tressel had at OSU. And really comparing Johnson to Tressel is unfair. I'm not the one who initiated the comparison.

Do you really believe Johnson, with his triple option offense, would lead Alabama to the BCS Championship in the next five years? If he can't muster a point against Rutgers what makes you think he'll have success against the defenses in the SEC?

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Maybe so. However, whoever they hire will not have been on the staff at Bama. So if that's the case, what's difference?
Whoever comes in will have to start over with recruiting. So what's the difference?
How do you know Paul Johnson will install a triple option offense? You don't. He will assess the talent and base his philosophy to fit his talent.


If the Alabama staff ties and current state of Alabama recruiting are your criteria, who would be on your list?

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

dabaxter said:

I'm sorry, but that is a ridiculous argument. Who cares about what your father did? As if it makes a difference. It didn't help Mike Shula.

Ties to Alabama? Which candidate does? NONE.

There is no question that Tressell had a very impressive 1-AA record. Johson was at Georgia Southern for 5 years. He took over after they had slumped into a loser. He won 5 straight conference titles and was in the national championship game his last 3 seasons.

By the way, he whipped Tressell head-to-head to win the title in '99. I guess you'll say he must have been lucky.

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Of course it didn't help Mike Shula. His father didn't have strong ties with the University or prep recruiting in the state. Tressel's father had ties to OSU and coached a prep powerhouse in Ohio.

Tressel's success at OSU is due in large part to the advantage he has on in-state recruiting.

And your point that no other candidate has ties to the university and/or state just makes my argument stronger. Since Johnson doesn't have ties he should be on the bottom of the coaching wishlist. There are bigger fish to fry.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Not being able to score against Rutgers doesn't much support your argument. He wins with Naval Academy football players competing against players who do not have to conform to more stringent service academy rules.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

Tressel had won more championships in div 1-AA, had experience recruiting OHIO prep players. It was a smooth transition for both parties.

IF Johnson were hired it would be a much more difficult task than the one Tressel had at OSU. And really comparing Johnson to Tressel is unfair. I'm not the one who initiated the comparison.

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Your right. Your comparison of Paul Johnson to Jim Tressell is not a fair comparison. There is no comparison if you look at a period equal to the time Johnson was a head coach at the 1-AA level. Take this into account:

He has the record for the NCAA home game winning streak at 39, more than Jim Tressel!

He won an NCAA record 52 games in 4 years, more than Jim Tressel!

He won 5 straight conference championships in his first 5 years. How many conference championships did Jim Tressel win in a row?

He's the 4th coach ever to win 50 games in 4 years. Did Jim Tressel make that list? I think not.

Do you think Jim Tressel would have been as successful at Navy? We won't ever know for sure, but I'd bet not!

So you were correct. The original comparison was not entirely fair.

Not only has Paul Johnson been very successful everywhere he's been, but he's been successful quickly, more so than others, hence the NCAA records he set.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

dabaxter said:

Maybe so. However, whoever they hire will not have been on the staff at Bama. So if that's the case, what's difference?
Whoever comes in will have to start over with recruiting. So what's the difference?
How do you know Paul Johnson will install a triple option offense? You don't. He will assess the talent and base his philosophy to fit his talent.


If the Alabama staff ties and current state of Alabama recruiting are your criteria, who would be on your list?

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I want a coach who is well known and a proven winner. I want a coach who can make adjustments in game and have the cajones to take a risk that could result in the big reward.

A championship ring and a long list of former players in the NFL doesn't hurt either.

Bama's got the tradition and the money to bring in just about anyone. Settling for less will more than likely result in deja vu in 3-5 years.

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Yellow Hammer said:

I want a coach who is well known and a proven winner. I want a coach who can make adjustments in game and have the cajones to take a risk that could result in the big reward.

A championship ring and a long list of former players in the NFL doesn't hurt either.

Bama's got the tradition and the money to bring in just about anyone. Settling for less will more than likely result in deja vu in 3-5 years.

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Now that we can agree on. We both want a proven winner. They don't get any more proven as a winner than Paul Johnson. Not many folks have put many 1-AA players in the NFL. I know Johnson put in some from Georgia Southern, including their running back. You know he can adjust or else he wouldn't have such a phenominal track record.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

dabaxter said:

Now that we can agree on. We both want a proven winner. They don't get any more proven as a winner than Paul Johnson. Not many folks have put many 1-AA players in the NFL. I know Johnson put in some from Georgia Southern, including their running back. You know he can adjust or else he wouldn't have such a phenominal track record.

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If Bama hires this guy he'll be lucky to top Shula's 2005 season in the four years they give him. If you think these prep players are going to choose this guy over Meyer, Spurrier, Miles, Tubberville and Nutt you're simply fooling yourself. We've fired so many coaches the past few years we're going to need a coach that has the name to sway a blue chipper our way.

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

Yellow Hammer said:

If Bama hires this guy he'll be lucky to top Shula's 2005 season in the four years they give him.

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You've got to be kidding me. Paul Johnson had no problem recruiting at Georgia Southern. Paul Johnson is the winningest coach in 1-AA history over a 4 year period! Are you kidding me? Paul Johnson is the winningest coach in Navy history in a 4 year period. Are you kdding me? It's obvious. His track record screams that he will win right away with the existing talent. Once he starts winning, the recruits will come in droves. Even so, he's proven he can win with inferior talent at Navy. You just don't make a reasonable argument!! It's certainly not rational!

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

Hopefully he'll be given a serious look

Re: New Coach Speculation (merged; keep thoughts on the topic here!!!

dabaxter said:

You've got to be kidding me. Paul Johnson had no problem recruiting at Georgia Southern. Paul Johnson is the winningest coach in 1-AA history over a 4 year period! Are you kidding me? Paul Johnson is the winningest coach in Navy history in a 4 year period. Are you kdding me? It's obvious. His track record screams that he will win right away with the existing talent. Once he starts winning, the recruits will come in droves. Even so, he's proven he can win with inferior talent at Navy. You just don't make a reasonable argument!! It's certainly not rational!

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Rational? You seem to think that winning at Georgia Southern and beating a few cupcakes at Navy will result in this guy coming to Bama and getting us to the BCS. Do you seriously believe this guy can win a national championship here?

This guy is who we fired Shula for? Give me a break.