Coaching Carousel 2020-21 (Special COVID edition!)

[ml wave]

I clearly said they were linked. That’s the point. You’re quibbling about order because that’s what you do

I guess English precedes your time. His stunt with his son cost us a QB who played what a decade-plus in the NFL? It set our program back for years. That’s the point again in case you weren’t around when these “package deals” occur.

It would not surprise to see it disrupt ULM as well. However there in a bad place regardless

Maybe I misunderstood but it seems pretty clear the question you asked was why is RichRod at ULM and the answer you gave was because his son transferred there...which, again, is backwards. If your point was instead that the father/son package was going to submarine ULM football well, then, seems a little weird, but ok.

I don't know that we can actually say Rich was hired first. They could have had an understanding.

Like they did it simultaneously/independently? I think the son would have gone wherever Rich went and the literal timing of it is incidental.

[gerryb323]

I clearly said they were linked. That’s the point. You’re quibbling about order because that’s what you do

I guess English precedes your time. His stunt with his son cost us a QB who played what a decade-plus in the NFL? It set our program back for years. That’s the point again in case you weren’t around when these “package deals” occur.

It would not surprise to see it disrupt ULM as well. However there in a bad place regardless

Maybe I misunderstood but it seems pretty clear the question you asked was why is RichRod at ULM and the answer you gave was because his son transferred there...which, again, is backwards. If your point was instead that the father/son package was going to submarine ULM football well, then, seems a little weird, but ok.

I don't know that we can actually say Rich was hired first. They could have had an understanding.

Like they did it simultaneously/independently? I think the son would have gone wherever Rich went and the literal timing of it is incidental.

No, like they were looking for a place his son would be able to compete to play and ULM told them he would, so then he took the job. I think we maybe agree, package deal.

[long green]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

[tulaneoutlaw]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

[tulaneoutlaw]

Oh and Marshall has hired Charles Huff from Alabama. He's been an up and coming name with a reputation for being able to recruit well. That's probably as good as it gets for them.

[PeteRasche]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

[tulaneoutlaw]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

Well Fulmer is stepping down, but there's a lot of smoke around Kevin Steele, who they oddly hired as DC despite a hiring freeze, as the top candidate. The booster factions are very much running things which is never a good thing for a program. Texas suffers from the same issues

[PeteRasche]

The booster factions are very much running things which is never a good thing for a program. Texas Almost every large "power" program suffers from the same issues

FTFY.

[OGSB]

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I had forgotten this:

A new head coach will have to routinely face those top-tier programs and if he struggles, fans will call for his head. Hell, sometimes Vols fans won't even let coaches take the job before pushing them out. The mutiny over Greg Schiano's hiring led to Pruitt's getting the job, which fans celebrated. How'd that turn out?

The Tennessee Job Isn't As Attractive as Volunteers Fans Think it Is

[tulaneoutlaw]

It's interesting for me when Tennessee does well because of where I live. I have no allegiance to them outside of that. So it kills me when I see UT fans thinking they should be in the SEC championship game every year. That expectation is so out of line with reality and I think a lot of that has to do with 1998 ruining what's perceived as reasonable.

Right now that job is third best in the SEC East from a talent perspective and probably only seventh best in the league overall. You could make a case that Missouri or Kentucky, with their more reasonable expectations are better gigs from a coaching perspective. If Tennessee could their ducks in a row, they'd have a shot at recruiting at a level close to Florida and Georgia and possibly challenging for the SEC title a couple times a decade. Instead they keep finding ways to implode and will be feeling the effects from this for another decade.

FWIW, I don't think Schiano would have been a good hire either. Culturally he's not a great fit and even if he was, the behind the scenes folks wouldn't have let him do his job. But that whole hiring cycle was a joke. Hire Schiano. Rescind offer. AD Currie offers Mike Leach. Before deal is signed, Currie is coup'd by Fulmer. Fulmer hires man-ball Pruitt 'cause Bama! even though he was clearly not capable of running a program. And now we've repeated, rinsed, and lathered (order intentional). Meanwhile as a semi-casual observer, I can't help but look at the stability Stoops brought Kentucky and wonder if Butch Jones and his 9-win seasons couldn't have provided much the same.

[ml wave]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

I'm sure they'll do whatever they can to land his nephew in a couple years. Adam Gase?

[OGSB]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

I'm sure they'll do whatever they can to land his nephew in a couple years. Adam Gase?

They could hire Doug Pederson but tanking in the NCAA doesn't land you better players.

[ml wave]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

I'm sure they'll do whatever they can to land his nephew in a couple years. Adam Gase?

They could hire Doug Pederson but tanking in the NCAA doesn't land you better players.

[TUPF]

Jeremy Pruitt is probably done twisting in the Knoxville wind as of today.

Yep looks like it's done for him although I'm sure there will be a lawsuit. Tennessee set this up to fire Pruitt w cause so they can avoid the buyout.

Now Tennessee gets last pick of the available candidates. Maybe they can make Napier an offer he can't refuse. But until Fulmer goes as AD and they clean house they are going to continue to struggle

I saw a headline that Peyton Manning will be "heavily involved" in the coaching search. FWIW.

I'm sure they'll do whatever they can to land his nephew in a couple years. Adam Gase?

They could hire Doug Pederson but tanking in the NCAA doesn't land you better players.

Perfect. I did a flyby to our Philly condo yesterday just to check up on things. Since our condo is 6 blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell there was a noticeable security presence. Despite all that the only thing folks were talking about was Pederson's firing, the Wentz/Hurts drama, and who would be hired next. Priorities.

[tulaneoutlaw]

Tennessee hiring UCF's Danny White as AD. Not a coaching thing directly, I know, but no way they are hiring a coach without an AD in place. That's honestly a really good move by UT imo. White's been a pretty good AD At UCF and seems to be a strong personality, which might aid in getting boosters in line. With sanctions coming, the team being gutted by the transfer portal, and the general state of disarray the program was already in, it will be a miracle if Tennessee makes a bowl by year 3. New coach will require lots of patience, something a new AD can give.

[Rotorooter]

Tennessee hiring UCF's Danny White as AD. Not a coaching thing directly, I know, but no way they are hiring a coach without an AD in place. That's honestly a really good move by UT imo. White's been a pretty good AD At UCF and seems to be a strong personality, which might aid in getting boosters in line. With sanctions coming, the team being gutted by the transfer portal, and the general state of disarray the program was already in, it will be a miracle if Tennessee makes a bowl by year 3. New coach will require lots of patience, something a new AD can give.

Could Heupel be far behind?

[SlidellWave]

Could Heupel be far behind?

Or Lance Leipold, he hired him at Buffalo.

[long green]

A veteran reporter in Tennessee is claiming that Tennessee is hiring Josh Heupel, who was called a/the leading candidate yesterday.

[Baywave1]

Aresco calls it price for success. Orlando paper reports UT will pay $6.1 million to poach White and Heupel. Maybe more based on assistants who may follow. Shannon is named interim.

UCF will fill AD slot first.

HC there is an extraordinarily attractive slot. Who gets it?

[long green]

I'd take the "extraordinarily" down. UCF is a good job because of Dillon Gabriel having two years left (probably).

[tulaneoutlaw]

UCF should have its pick of some good up and comers. For league purposes I hope they don't hire Leipold from Buffalo who I think is very good. With the late date, it's possible they go internal for an interim. They still need an AD right? If smart, they will hire that person first.

[PeteRasche]

I actually want them to hire someone good. After our conference bowl showing, the AAC can't afford to have the "name" programs drop off.

I just want us to become one of those "names" along with them.

[ml wave]

I'd take the "extraordinarily" down. UCF is a good job because of Dillon Gabriel having two years left (probably).

Plus their last two coaches are now drawing giant paychecks at Nebraska and Tennessee.

[ml wave]

I actually want them to hire someone good. After our conference bowl showing, the AAC can't afford to have the "name" programs drop off.

I just want us to become one of those "names" along with them.

Agreed

[tulaneoutlaw]

It definitely helps the conference if UCF can be a team that pushes into the NY6/CFP conversation. Some more UCF names being mentioned over at the Athletic:

Coordinators:
Tony Elliott - OC Clemson
Marcus Freeman - DC Notre Dame (late of Cinci)
Dan Lanning - DC UGA
Alex Grinch - OU DC
Jeff Lebby - OC Ole Miss (formerly UCF OC)

Current head coaches:
Jamey Chadwell - Coastal Carolina
Sean Lewis - Kent St.
Mike Neu - Ball St. (formerly our QB coach under CCJ)
Jay Norvell - Nevada
Will Healy - Charlotte

The current OC, Alex Golesh, is also in the mix. I'm not sure about all of those coordinators, but Elliott, Grinch, and Freeman are hot names. All the HCs except Neu have been mentioned for other jobs in this or previous hiring cycles, so it's hard to know how serious these are for UCF specifically. Any of them would probably be a good hire. Lewis or Chadwell strike me as particularly good fits from an offensive perspective.