Who Replaces Jimbo?

[B1GTide]

If you could con

Amen to that, brother.

Hiring a coach always has a big element of crapshoot involved.

During our walk in the wilderness between Bryant and Saban (Stallings oasis of 1991-94 acknowledged), we had bad fortune with experienced HCs (Perkins, Franchione and Price), bad fortune with inexperienced HCs (Dubose and Shula), and a bad cultural fit with Curry.

Hard to believe now, but even Saban wasn't a sure thing in January of 2007. He had a reputation of alienating assistants and leaving jobs after short stints.

This is another reason why I think you need to be really sure you can hire an upgrade if you fire a coach. The simple emotion of, "Fahr heeuz sorry carcass!" isn't productive. The list of programs who have done that to their own detriment, often not long after signing the recently-fired coach to a highly lucrative long-term contract, is long.

aTm is just the most recent example. There but for personal misconduct goes Michigan State for a similar buyout number. Auburn is the poster child with Bowden, Tuberville, Chizik, Malzahn and Harsin all collecting huge buyouts (Malzahn's was a record until aTm and Jimbo).

At 7-4 and headed into a much tougher league, how does USCw feel about hiring the play-pretty of the day in Lincoln Riley?

The list goes on.

When that sad day comes and we have to replace Saban, assuming I could hand-pick literally anybody, I'd want Kirby or Ryan Day. I might even make them tell me no before going on to others. But there's no realistic expectation that either of them will leave where they are.

So my personal short list among those who might actually come (in no particular order) is Dan Lanning, DeMeco Ryans and Mike Norvell. And yes I know that each of them has his own set of, "yeah, but....." questions.

Agree or disagree with those names. But if you disagree, name someone else who would realistically come and would be better.

I doubt that Ryans would leave the NFL for college football, but if he was willing to do so -

 

[BamaMoon]

As always, your points are 100% accurate.

In this instance, though, I think we're talking about two different things.

You're referring to the sustainability of a program over decades and the relative levels of performance that constitute down times. And you're absolutely right that Alabama has sustained over decades better than any of the Texas schools.

I'm talking about the difficulty in predicting how any specific HC will work out, almost no matter his history.

The exception there was Bryant. He had built the Kentucky program from nothing to a national championship contender, and rebuilt the aTm program to that level. While nothing in life is ever 100% certain, given our downtrodden circumstances in 1957, the Bryant hire was as close to a sure thing as you'll ever see.

And the new, young Bama fan would be shocked how low the program was at the time.

For a point of reference API had just won a NC in '57 so how CPB reversed the state's momentum and starting winning NCs so quickly in the early 60's is simply amazing. The depth we had sunk to under CMS for CNS to fix doesn't even compare to how low it was for CPB.

Never were there truer words when he uttered, "I ain't never been nothing but a winner."

 

[bamadwain]

Amen to that, brother.

Hiring a coach always has a big element of crapshoot involved.

During our walk in the wilderness between Bryant and Saban (Stallings oasis of 1991-94 acknowledged), we had bad fortune with experienced HCs (Perkins, Franchione and Price), bad fortune with inexperienced HCs (Dubose and Shula), and a bad cultural fit with Curry.

Hard to believe now, but even Saban wasn't a sure thing in January of 2007. He had a reputation of alienating assistants and leaving jobs after short stints.

This is another reason why I think you need to be really sure you can hire an upgrade if you fire a coach. The simple emotion of, "Fahr heeuz sorry carcass!" isn't productive. The list of programs who have done that to their own detriment, often not long after signing the recently-fired coach to a highly lucrative long-term contract, is long.

aTm is just the most recent example. There but for personal misconduct goes Michigan State for a similar buyout number. Auburn is the poster child with Bowden, Tuberville, Chizik, Malzahn and Harsin all collecting huge buyouts (Malzahn's was a record until aTm and Jimbo).

At 7-4 and headed into a much tougher league, how does USCw feel about hiring the play-pretty of the day in Lincoln Riley?

The list goes on.

When that sad day comes and we have to replace Saban, assuming I could hand-pick literally anybody, I'd want Kirby or Ryan Day. I might even make them tell me no before going on to others. But there's no realistic expectation that either of them will leave where they are.

So my personal short list among those who might actually come (in no particular order) is Dan Lanning, DeMeco Ryans and Mike Norvell. And yes I know that each of them has his own set of, "yeah, but....." questions.

Agree or disagree with those names. But if you disagree, name someone else who would realistically come and would be better.

I've heard people say no to Kirby but he has the blue print and I would make him say no, and I'm with you on the others as well

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I've heard people say no to Kirby but he has the blue print and I would make him say no, and I'm with you on the others as well

don't underestimate the ego that might make kirby want to win at 2 different schools.

 

[HighlandOak]

I won't.

Who is the big name they're going to hire - and oh yeah, who could they have hired other than Saban or Meyer in 2017 who had the cache and reputation of Fisher?

Fisher won a national championship with presumably less advantages, went to Aggie-ville, and he didn't do as well as Sumlin despite the #1 recruiting class in the country.

The following coaches are the ones still living who have already won an FBS national championship:
John Robinson - he's 88
Danny Ford - he's 75 and hasn't coached in over 25 years
Barry Switzer - 86 and hasn't coached college in 35 years
Jimmy Johnson - he's 80 and hasn't coached college since Reagan was in office
Lou Holth - 86 and long out of the game
Dennis Erickson - he's 76 and flopped everywhere but Miami
Bill McCartney - he's 83, hasn't coached in 30 years, and he's suffering from Alzheimer's
Bobby Ross - 86, a fluke title, and 2 games over .500 in his career
Gene Stallings - 87 and they already fired him once
Tom Osborne - 86 and hasn't coached in over 25 years
Steve Spurrier - 78 and quit in the middle of the season last time he saw an SEC schedule
Lloyd Carr - 78 and lost to App State his last season, out of the game since before the market crash
Phil Fulmer - 73, and he ain't doing it
Bob Stoops - yes, he left Oklahoma after years of not winning a title and has just been waiting to get into the SEC and face angry old folks at his old program.
Larry Coker - he's 75 and inherited his monster, couldn't do jack at Miami later
Jim Tressel - he's 70, an Ohio native, he ain't moving down there

ACTIVE COACHES
Nick Saban - uh, yeah.....amazing he's only a year younger than Fulmer.....
Pete Carroll - he's about six weeks older than Saban and ain't going back to college
Mack Brown - damn, I could see this happening....., but he's older than Saban by about 2 months
Urban Meyer - trust me, he's got better offers than College Station if he wants them
Les Miles - this guy is radioactive and just turned 70; I can see him taking it but why would they want him?
Gene Chizik - uh yeah
Dabo Swinney - Dabo isn't going to a league where he's going to face Saban or Smart yearly and sometimes both.
Ed Orgeron - see Gene Chizik comment
Kirby Smart - you don't leave your home school with a dynasty in vogue and go to the unknown

Jimbo Fisher - the most aTm move in history would be to hire Fisher to replace Fisher and give him even more money.

We have established that about the only coach IN THEORY aTm could hire who has won a title is Dabo, which I don't see happening.

They're gonna hire a no name for this job.

I agree with the reasons for all coaches on the list, but I don't believe hot name has to equate to won a national championship. I think most would agree that Lanning, DeBoer, Riley, etc. could be classified as a "hot name."

 

[Ledsteplin]

Dan Campbell has turned A&M down.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Dan Campbell has turned A&M down.

Texas aTm DOES NOT UNDERSTAND how utterly arrogant it is for them to even entertain the idea of, "Hey, this guy who is coaching an NFL team would leave there and come here!"

They are actually shocked he turned them down.

I keep telling you folks - THIS is what I live with every day (well, when I'm in Texas).
It's the delusional insanity of Ole Miss mixed with some very huge bank accounts.

 

[BigGunn9595]

I believe A TOP tier college program, SEC schools mainly, is a better place to raise a family than any nfl city. Look at the myriad problems in all big cities. Places like Tuscaloosa, Gainsville, Athens, Red Stick, Columbia, even Austin, even Tallahassee, even Nashville are much better than nyc, lax, dca, phl, msp, Ord, IMHO. I lived in Atl, Mia, Phx, Sea, SFO, Bos and think small towns offer much more for any coach who might have children. CNS would probably echo this. If good money is there I see other places a good coach might consider. I don't think the nfl is the pinnacle of the sport any way, except the level of talent of players. I used to think that way in 60's and 70's but do not any longer. I would much rather work for a board of trustees, athletic directors than any club owner.

 

[cbi1972]

The financiers of those programs are a combination of the worst aspects of H. Ross Perot and J.R. Ewing.

Always have been.
Always will be.

If you gave them the choice between:
a) singing "Eyes of Texas" and going 6-7
b) doing away with it and winning back-to-back national titles

Those idiots will always opt for A.

Alabama had this problem of demanding boosters prior to Saban putting a stop to it.
Every coach before him just rolled with it.
Maybe nobody can do that at Texas, but maybe it also isn't 100% necessary.
Mack Brown ran the table at Texas in 2005.

 

[dWarriors88]

When did Texas A&M turn into a premier program? I remember A&M being 4-8 in 2008, 6-7 in 2009, 7-6 in 2011, then a flash in the pan with Johnny Manziel for a couple seasons. But for always and ever in my memory bank A&M has been a mid tier at best football program.

 

[cbi1972]

View attachment 38247

The current sack leader in the NCAA is at UTSA and is plenty good enough to move up

 

[HighlandOak]

I believe A TOP tier college program, SEC schools mainly, is a better place to raise a family than any nfl city. Look at the myriad problems in all big cities. Places like Tuscaloosa, Gainsville, Athens, Red Stick, Columbia, even Austin, even Tallahassee, even Nashville are much better than nyc, lax, dca, phl, msp, Ord, IMHO. I lived in Atl, Mia, Phx, Sea, SFO, Bos and think small towns offer much more for any coach who might have children. CNS would probably echo this. If good money is there I see other places a good coach might consider. I don't think the nfl is the pinnacle of the sport any way, except the level of talent of players. I used to think that way in 60's and 70's but do not any longer. I would much rather work for a board of trustees, athletic directors than any club owner.

Tuscaloosa isn't a great place to raise a family, unless it's a family of alcoholics. Too much of this town revolves around alcohol.

It's OK, but not great.

 

[TideEngineer08]

When did Texas A&M turn into a premier program? I remember A&M being 4-8 in 2008, 6-7 in 2009, 7-6 in 2011, then a flash in the pan with Johnny Manziel for a couple seasons. But for always and ever in my memory bank A&M has been a mid tier at best football program.

They've never been close to being a premier program.

They have a massive enrollment. They have a ton of money due to several alumni being millionaires and even billionaires due to oil, but also other industries. They have a passionate, even if only semi-literate, fan base.

Because of these things, there is a thought process out there that they can or even should be a premier program. But I choose to acknowledge history, facts, etc. And since they never have been, I don't see a reason why they ever would be.

 

[bamadwain]

Dan Campbell has turned A&M down.

No NFL coach is coming to the college game because it's so hard to recruit now with NIL and the transfer portal, I believe Traylor is the leader ( best recruiter in Texas, Sark wanted him on Texas staff) dark horse is Arizona coach

 

[CajunCrimson]

No NFL coach is coming to the college game because it's so hard to recruit now with NIL and the transfer portal, I believe Traylor is the leader ( best recruiter in Texas, Sark wanted him on Texas staff) dark horse is Arizona coach

It’s not hard to recruit with NIL in College Station. See 2022 for evidence to support that claim.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Alabama had this problem of demanding boosters prior to Saban putting a stop to it.
Every coach before him just rolled with it.
Maybe nobody can do that at Texas, but maybe it also isn't 100% necessary.
Mack Brown ran the table at Texas in 2005.

I can't deny we had some booster problems even as "NOT CLOSE" to the program as I was.

Mack Brown was always a DECENT coach. A Pat Dye-level guy, a guy who could beat everyone at N Carolina EXCEPT Florida State. Nothing screamed "this guy is the next Bryant," but he was in the vein of guys like McCartney or Carr or Frank Beamer. But let's note his Vince Young years were about the fodder in his cannon. Even then - he still had blowout losses to Oklahoma.

but then remember this: Mack Brown was their THIRD choice.

TEXAS EXPECTED TO FIRE MACKOVIC, BEGIN TALKS WITH BARNETT (chicagotribune.com)

That information is consistent with the understanding of a source with ties to Barnett, who summarized the Texas situation this way: "It's pretty much Gary's job to turn down. He may turn it down, but I don't think so."


We'll pause to consider the notion of a team that fancies itself a national power going and begging NORTHWESTERN for a football coach.



Btw - aTm boards have the Ryan Day rumor out there because yes - there are idiots there who absolutely believe that could happen.

 

[TexasBama]

No NFL coach is coming to the college game because it's so hard to recruit now with NIL and the transfer portal, I believe Traylor is the leader ( best recruiter in Texas, Sark wanted him on Texas staff) dark horse is Arizona coach

They have a better chance of getting Ted Lasso than an NFL head coach.

 

[Tidelines]

It is better for Alabama and the rest of the SEC if A&M and Texas equally splitting the top HS players in TEXAS. As well as other teams signing some of the top talent. To much talent in that state for one team to dominate recruiting. So I hope they get a coach that can recruit well in state. If it is Traylor , hopefully he can counterbalance Sark at UT.

 

[22Musso22]

Here is the perfect candidate:

 

[SkullDuckery]

Here is the perfect candidate:

I was just about to post this, he’d fit right in with their fan base.