I think the Vols are either going to go for a hire that comforts the Vol Nation (Cutcliffe) or a try for a splashy hire (Leach, Cowher, Butch Davis, etc) before they dip into the assistant coach market. Even a red hot assistant like Will Muschamp would be well down the pecking order of phone calls for Vol AD Mike Hamilton.
As I said yesterday, the Vols haven't opened a formal football head coaching search since 1976, and they've only had a non-alum leading their team for about 14 total years since General Neyland retired in 1952.
The idea that they would hire a West Coast guy like Lane Kiffin seems wildly implausible. Talk about a culture clash. The idea of hiring Jon Gruden is also laughable. Gruden makes over $4.7 million per year, and his contract runs through 2011.
Tony Barnhart thinks the Vols likely won't get the rock star coach their fans want. One name that Tony threw out was Butch Davis. Unfortunately, Davis would be the perfect hire for them, and the one guy I'm hoping they don't land. The good news...Davis turned down his alma mater (Arkansas) and their pile of cash to remain at UNC. Granted, the UT job is better than the Arkansas job...but mama is mama. Davis's health (he's a recent prostate cancer survivor) may also be an issue in his or UT's evaluation.
Cutcliffe is an exceptional offensive coordinator. However, his recruiting as a head coach at Ole Miss was atrocious. One recruiting guru told me that outside of Eli Manning, Cutcliffe was bringing in recruiting classes at near Wake Forest talent levels. Given the lack of an elite in state recruiting base, you must be an exceptional recruiter and coach to win at UT. Over the long term, Cutcliffe doesn't scare me as head coach there.
Who do you think they land?
See Also:
-- Candidates List - WRCB
-- I'm not a candidate - John Adams / Knoxville News
-- Fulmer's dismissal resonates at Auburn - Huntsville Times
-- Recruits left wondering - Clarksville News
-- Fulmer's Good. Others Great - AJC
-- Gruden won't Volunteer - Orlando Sentinel
-- 5 Candidates - Commerical Appeal
-- Following Fulmer will be hard - Tennessean
-- The Next Guy's Tough Task - Commerical Appeal
-- The Phil Fulmer Farewall Song - John Radcliff (AOL Fanhouse)
PWD
29 comments:
Read the 5th headline down on this College Football News article. I don't think its even plausible at this point, but its interesting that CMR joining the ranks of Fulmer and a soon to be canned Tubby, would even be muttered just yet.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/808089.html
CollegeFootballNews is the single most useless football site around and Pete Futiak (sp?) is a worthless read.
You'll never get the 5 minutes of your life back from reading his stuff.
Not advocating or saying I agree with the principle, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that Richt could hit that point down the road without a national championship and perhaps only a handful of overall East/SEC crowns, even if 9-10 win seasons are the norm.
There's too much money involved these days.
Just one man's thoughts.
Tennessee will just get someone to cover their ass for the next 10 years or so, then Peyton Manning will retire and head straight to the head coaching position...
that's a very plausible situation..
Dawgsports did a pretty indepth evaluation of why it won't be Cutcliffe. I'd link it but HTML is foreign to me.
I think the Vol fans still have a boner for Cowher and Davis would be an idiot to leave Carolina.
Isn't Davis at UNC? I'm confused.
This is going to go two ways for UT:
1. They get a coach who rocks. Tennessee improves rapidly.
2. They don't get a coach who rocks. They remain status quo for the foreseeable future.
I think option 2 is quite realistic.
Is Muschamp's stock going to slide? His defense has given up a lot of points and yardage.
Fans think their school is the greatest and that all coaches want to work there. I have never heard UT being a top job.
As for Butch Davis, I think he is in a great situation at UNC. It is a very good (great?) academic school located in a fantastic area with access to recruiting from Boston to Atlanta and because of his Miami experience into south Florida (and even the rest of FL). He is in a conference that he can win regularly in a year or two.
If UT considers Kiffin, it might want to look at Ogeron.
I cannot see Cutcliffe returning to UT. I think Duke is a low stress job. I also think that he can win enough to keep Duke fans happy and excited. He can "coach up" kids. Also, a coach who won 75% of his games just got fired from UT. If Cutcliffe wins 75% they will name streets and buildings after him and put a bust up (not as big as Coach K's).
Sometimes splash is bad. UW made a splash when it got Willingham (as did ND). USC hired Carroll and that was not a splashy hire--a buddy of mine, a UCLA fan, remembered it being lambasted as a bad hire at the time. Richt was not a splashy hire either to me. In fact he seemed pretty safe--many years of experience at a high level from a successful program.
If Cutcliffe leaves Duke to go back to UT it will put as "Petrino-like" in the minds of most. I mean hell, he's only had Duke for one year.
In order to send recruits a message that he doesn't jump ship often, they'll have to throw scads of cash at him and lock him for the long haul. Cutcliffe has been steady as a rock for UT and Ole Miss while he was around, but the sudden "I'm a Duke man" to "I'm a UT man" would probably sour his image a bit, even if he was going back to the place that made him famous. I'm selling the move.
UT doesn't have the money on hand to hire the rockstar they're looking for, but if they can get a steal (kind of like when we got Richt), then you're looking at an up and coming head coach with a BOATLOAD of new facilities to recruit with. Sounds like someone could get off to a good start if they breathe some life into the program.
Me personally, I think they do not go the Nebraska route and get the "best" coach available, but go with someone who can make them competitive with the talent they have from the get-go. Who that is, hell, I don't know. How many good coordinators are out there?
What'd be funny as hell would be if they got Tommy Bowden in a steal. I hear he's looking for work. And yes, I am kidding.
Hobnail,
It was a poorly constructed / misleading sentence.
Butch Davis is at UNC. I attempted to make the wording more clear above.
If UT is smart, they'll go after Brian Kelly. I'm certain Michigan is wishing they had now.
Anyone who believes CMR will be on any kind of hot seat if things continue on like they are, ie SEC Championships every few years, top ten finishes, BCS bowl games every couple of years, etc... is a damned FOOL.
Oh ok, thanks for the clarification.
I'm very surprised that Chip Kelly, Oregon's OC, has not been brought up. Trooper Taylor is now co-OC at OK State and was Fulmer's biggest recruiter.
jaytee, Tennessee won't hire Trooper Taylor for the same reason the tailback in Varsity Blues never got in the endzone.
What about Tubbs leaving Auburn for the Vol job?
1) Successful in major conference -check
2) Not a hated foe in conference - check
3) Sick of meddling alums at current job -double check
4) Can he beat Alabama? Six checks
Houston Nutt went from Arkansas to Ole Miss under very similar circumstances. I ain't sayin, but I'm just sayin.
Tubs to UT seems possible to me. Wonder if anyone can think of a reason why not?
Anybody else read about that Gator kid beating up his girl?
If not, here ya go. (This comes from a Dawg who's tired of hearing about UGA's arrests.)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/ncaa/11/04/rickerson.florida.ap/index.html
Brian Kelly or Bronco Mendenhall (BYU), they'l top the list
Butch Davis will "top" the list as he ought ANY list...but that won't happen, that's why i say bronco or BK
Put Boise State's Chris Peterson on there too.
What about Texas Tech's Mike Leach? I think it's a stretch, but with what Leach is doing this year, he could be a sexy hire.
CHAN
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CHAN
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CHAAAAAAAN
GAAAAAAAILEY
Anon 2:44, with Bama on the rise again and Florida likely not going anywhere, you don't think that UGA fans will demand (if they aren't alread doing so) a national championship at some point?
If Florida wins another and/or another SEC school adds one or two without UGA doing so I don't think it's out of the question that the UGA fanbase ($$$$$$) would demand change at some point.
Again, not saying I advocate it or agree with it, but I don't think you can bury your head in the sand and say it will never happen.
Hobnail & PWD,
Actually when I read Hobnail's comments, I thought it was a jab at the whole which Carolina is the REAL CAROLINA.
Doug,
Yes, and YES!
Ludakit,
What?! Petrino is the new Vol coach? Huh?!
First of all there is only one Carolina and that is North Carolina. South Carolina is a dump and always will be, trying to steal away Carolina and USC.
Secondly, Davis denied any speculation of leaving UNC after practice today. He has a solid recruiting base in NC parts of GA, Fl, Sc, and VA. With John Blake he can go after a select few national recruits. Secondly I think he knows he has a better shot of consistently going to BCS bowls at UNC then at UT. He would constantly want to play UGA, UF, Scar, Auburn, LSU, Bama, mixture of teams each year? Finally, he has a top 20 team at UNC this year with very few seniors and a strong recruiting class coming in, leading up to a probable top 15 team, potentially top 10 team next year.
As BMFD told a recruit last year "UNC is on the way up, while Tenn. is on the way down."
Davis is at UNC. Period. I can't see him leaving there for Tennessee. It's a lateral move all things considered.
I think Chris Peterson - if he leaves Boise State - would be a better fit at Washington. And, I think Washington is a better job where success can come a lot more quickly. Who would you rather inherit? Jake Locker or Niel Stephenson?
Why is no one mentioning Turner Gill? How is he not THE hottest prospect right now? He's simply winning at Buffalo. Buffalo. He comes from tradition rich Nebraska where he paid his dues as an assistant and now he is - again - winning. at. Buffalo.
In my dreams, I'm hoping UT goes for the NFL re-tread hire so that they don't pull a Bama and shoot right past us in the national spotlight.
On Richt, if the 2-6 vs UF trend continues, he'll have to answer for it at some point. Period. Just my thoughts.
As for CMR, UT just fired a guy who has won 75% of his games and a national title and whose team played for the SEC title just last year. That coach also was an alum of UT!
I think anonymous is naive if he/she thinks that any coach (especially in the SEC) is safe. If Richt goes 5 years without an SEC title, I guarantee there will be calls for a change. At some point winning 10 games a year becomes old hat and fans start to believe they should be getting more especially if recruiting classes are ranked as highly as they have been. I also think there are people in the UGA football world who believe UGA has some sort of God-given right to be ranked in the top 5 every year. When that stops happening, there will be calls for the coach's head.
Then there is the issue of new presidents. New presidents have a tendency to want to change things and coaches sometimes can be high on the list of changes.
If a coach stops winning at some level, then the natives will get restless. Then there is always the potential for some scandal--and sorry, but no program is immune from a scandal no matter who is at the top.
As for coaches, I cannot see Peterson being a good fit in the SEC. Not from Xs and Os but from all the other stuff. I am thinking he has far fewer off the field demands than a SEC head coach.
Turner Gill would be an interesting hire. I see the same problem as above. But a black head coach at a school with a solid football tradition could be a recruiting boon especially in the Atlanta area. I gotta think black parents would really like Gill.
I cannot see Tuberville leaving Auburn for Tennessee. Mainly I cannot see UT hiring him after this season--a season that has been about as bad as UT's. Can you see the UT fan base getting excited about hiring Tuberville coming off this season? Also, UT would have to buy out Tuberville, pay him while also paying off Fulmer. That is a lot of money. I see either a coordinator or coach coming from a smaller school that would not cost them a lot of money.
I also predict that the next coach will have strong SEC ties. The coach might have gone somewhere else, but he would have an SEC pedigree. Knowing high school coaches is critical in football recruiting. I think basketball coaches matter less since AAU basketball is more of a factor than high school basketball. If the coach does not have strong SEC ties, then he will fail.
Here is a name that should pop up, but I fear it will not: Charlie Strong. I fear is that UT is going to want some sort of offensive innovator and not a "defense guy". I find this argument pretty silly. Wasn't Bob Stoops a "defensive guy"? Wasn't Richt an "offensive guy"? Yet look at their teams. Defenses have been very good (until this year) under Richt and under Stoops the OU offense has been very good. Add Spurrier to the list as well--even at UF the defenses were very good although the offense got all the publicity.
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