In the spirit of another thread most of us realize its time for Mack to be axed. He simply is not a top 20, maybe not top 50, D1 coach in terms of game day preparation or managing a team as a team. He is a top 5 recruiter, but gone are the days where you can hog all the individual recruits and produce a NC caliber team on that alone. I don't want to hear "fire all the assistants but keep Mack" refrain either (like were heard with RC that delayed the inevitable A&M change for a few years), he has had ample time to put in better assistants and let them make all the key calls on game day he seems to either fumble or have the other coach be two steps ahead of--he simply has consistently put his pride and loyalty ahead of the progress of the team, it has to fall on him now. Let's look at criteria and possibilities for the next UT coach: 1) Must be outstanding in game preparation, management and mid-game adjustments 2) I'd look at guys who have been very successful for multiple years and multiple situations 3) bonus if done after those programs had been struggling (turned it around) 4) bonus if on the young, energetic and intense side. 5) bonus if he has played in a major conference, rather than mopping up on midmajors. Guys with all the criteria as best I can tell: -the Iowa guy, -Mike Belotti -Jim Tressel Guys with most criteria, but maybe not #4: -Freiden (sp?, Maryland) -Tiller -Alvarez -Snyder Guys with most criteria but some questions still: -Mason (has bad a great year at Minnesotta, but not sure of his overall track record) -Richt (not sure what was Jim Donnan's work and what was Richts, may be hard to recruit anyway) Wildcards: -Steve Spurior. I am not as high on him as I would be with the Iowa guy, Tressel or Bellotti. He wasn't as impressive his last year or 2 at UF--I think Miami and FSU had surpassed him in recruiting--and obviously wasn't that good at Wash. But he is an intense normally free wheeling guy, maybe his batteries would be recharged after a year away from Daniel Snyder. -Another NFLer? Pete Carrol, Dennis Erikson and a few others have done great in the college ranks after being less than impressive in the NFL Note: I probably shouldn't mention Tressell becuase like those I didn't mention--Bob Stoops, Saban or Carrol--I just don't think they would leave their situation even with the pull of UT. But I did mention Tressell anyway, because if anything he shows what you can do if you put the aggressive, disciplined, intuitive and smart coach with the talent a Mack Brown or John Cooper has brought in. Thoughts? Other coaches to put in the mix?
I am treating this in the same manner I will treat the 2004 Presidential Election. For UT Football Coach in 2004-05 (and beyond) I vote for ABB: Anybody but Brown
Is it wrong that I enjoy whenver UT loses? Listening and reading about pissed off Longhorn fans brings a smile to my face for some reason... Fire the coach and everything will be fine...whaddya think this is, a Houston Rockets board?
And he would be my choice. He's been overachieving with that team for 2 years now. Imagine what he could do with a roster full of Texas high school football players. Sadly, I think this thread is obsolete. Mack isn't going anywhere.
I would love to get Ferentz - that would probably be my top choice in all of college football (of the guys that might be available). What he's done with Iowa is great. At first, I thought it was mostly Brad Banks (similar to Iowa State), but this year, he showed a lot more. Tressel's not going anywhere - Ohio State is about as good a job as you can get. It would be a lateral career move for him, and he's loved in Ohio, so why move. Belotti is the Oregon guy, right? I'm not sold on him - they seem to be consistently good, but rarely great. We've been there, done that. Another guy I would love to get is Cal's coach - Jeff Tedford. What he's done with that program is amazing. Plus, he knows how to develop QBs - something that has been woefully lacking the last several years. But alas, we are stuck with Mack.
I would put Gregg Williams name up there, with Jerry Gray as his defensive coordinator. He could make a similar move to Pete Carrol, hire a top notch offensive coach, and he'd kick ass. Also the miami d-coordinator, I forget his name, he's good too. Brent Venables. On a final note - Carl Reese is going to retire this year. Jerry Gray is a top notch defensive coordinator just sitting there waiting for us to hire. He's a Texas-ex, and his Bills teams played stout defense. If we walk away from this offseason without Jerry Gray on the staff in some capacity, I'm going to burn something.
To play devil's advocate here: Isn't that what UT fans said about Mack Brown when he was with North Carolina? Think about it: Brown was 10-1 and 10-2 with UNC 2 years before coming down to Texas. Ferentz went 10-3 this year and 11-2 the year before that. Ferentz is 32-29 with Iowa. Brown was 69-43 with North Carolina. (Yes, I know the Big 10 is much harder.) I'm not defending Mack here. The dude needs to be canned, like, yesterday. I'm just saying to be cautious with coaches, because you might end up with... another Mack Brown.
Interesting choice. Pete Carrol would be my vote. Living near Buffalo, you'd think that Gregg Williams is the worst coach ever.
Bellotti is one of the top 5 coaches in America, imo. He has little to no in-state talent in Oregon, and still consistently wins. He's not a great recruiter, since his personality isn't really fiery, but UT has a program that should/could sell itself, without needing a top-notch recruiter.
I remember what the UNC fans told us as awell. "Good recruiter, but he'll break your heart. Can't win the big game."
That would be Randy Shannon and I think he would be an excellent choice, but then again I am biased. Here is a question for you Texas fans: If you had a choice, would you rather 1) get a guy like Shannon or Ferentz or someone else similar as your coach NOW Or 2) let Mack coach next season and then sack him and bring in Spurrier?
i think if mack doesn't can any of his staff, then i think he'll retire next year, and spurrier will be brought in. there were reports earlier in the year that some boosters or somebody had contacted spurrier after the OU game i believe. i don't think things will get any better at UT until a new coach is brought it, mack has done all he can.
Well, at least in bowl games, Mack won 3 straight bowl games right before coming to Texas. In the regular season, he did lose a lot to great teams (like Florida State, over and over again). In Ferentz's case, since 1999 (when hired), he's gone 3-8 against teams which posted 10+ wins at the end of the season (including bowls). Brown has a similar 4-9 record with Texas over that time (from 1999 on). (That includes Brown's latest futility against WSU.) Is Ferentz that much better? If we gave him the roster of Texas (instead of Iowa), would he take UT far?
You have to consider the talent involved - Ferentz took over a team with nothing on it, and went 1-11 or something his first year, and built that team into a ten win team based on good coaching and fundamental play. Give Ferentz Texas' talent, and we're a title contender. However, I believe that Ferentz will only leave Iowa for a pro job, or maybe Penn St.
Mack Brown wasn't a bad choice at the time, he did recruit some great classes and at least helped restore Texas as the clear cut best program in the state. But he has proven over and over again he puts loyalty over putting the best personelle in key coordinator positions, he is a poor game plan coach, and a poor game day (adjustments) coach. He consistently gets beat when his team faces an opponent whose own talent is equivalent, and loses one or twice per year against inferior but much better coached talent on top of that. Those of you that think us UT alums are crazy to want Mack Brown fired are either too young to realize it is no special feat for Texas to be the elite Texas college football team (A & M being better from the mid 80's to early 90's was an anomolie due to really sucky Texas coaches put in by a narrow minded, group think, AD's office) or don't watch Texas enough to see the negative predictable influences that play out in Texas's football games. It is quite possible another coach wouldn't do better, but it is also quite possible another coach takes the talent and momentum he created at produces an elite program on the field and a national championship. That is what Tressel did (post Cooper), Fulmer (post Johnny, can't beat Bama Majors), and maybe what Richt (post Donnan, though I am not sure Donnan couldn't have gotten it done) will do, and even Larry Coker has been able to maintain his team. Major you are right, I like Tedford. I might put Ferentz and Tedford as the two best realistic choices. I agree Tressel like Saban, Carrol or Stoops isn't going anywhere because they arleady are at about paralell college programs who would pay as much as Texas so why bother to start over. Plus, in Tressel's case, he is an Ohio boy. But the Cooper-Tressel scenario (elite program with great national recruiting advantages who just can't get the team to play like the sum of their talents) is so comparable to the Brown--xxxxx scenario it must be talked about. So I have Ferentz & Tedford as my first targets, with maybe Freiden, Belloti or maybe Tiller as finalists. Then throw some big bucks at some NFLers as coordinators to introduce some new ideas and schemes. I'd prefer a guy tearing it up with what he has in college and with existing recruiting networks than starting with an NFLer as head, though I know Carroll and Erickson obviously shined in the transition. As for Spurrier I'd make him interview with the likes of a Ferentz, Tedford, Freiden or Belloti, unless Spurrior really showed the passion he had 5 or 10 years ago and wowed in the interview process I would not take him over the these guys.
