I doubt Franchione leaves.......Nobody's talking about Ralph Friedgen. They should also go after Erickson and Belloti....
DCkid: Your assertions pertained to Aggie performance versus UT. Specifically in the last 5 years, Aggie recruiting has fallen and UT recruiting has become better. I don't give a **** if your recruiting is the 2nd best in the nation. Vis a vis UT, it's slid. That's all I'm concerned about. Since Mack's first class is just now in its final season (for the redshirts), its' only going to get worse.
Source: Franchione agrees to new deal with Tide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama coach Dennis Franchione declined comment on the Texas A&M job Tuesday after arriving on a long flight from Hawaii. It appears, though, that Franchione is not going anywhere. A source privy to communication between Alabama officials and Franchione told ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel on Tuesday that Franchione promised the university's board of trustees that he would sign a new contract offer, and that he agreed with all aspects of the deal. Franchione reportedly has been offered a new 10-year deal for about $15 million. Franchione, though, was not talking Tuesday. "I've been traveling all night, and haven't had any sleep," he told The Tuscaloosa News. "There's nothing to report. I'm going home and going to bed." The media relations office with Alabama's athletic department said no statement from Franchione was scheduled. The Crimson Tide returned Tuesday morning from Honolulu, where it ended its season Saturday night with a 21-16 victory over the University of Hawaii. News reports in Texas have said Franchione is at the top of a list of candidates Texas A&M officials are pursuing to replace R.C. Slocum, who was fired Monday. Franchione, who is 17-8 at Alabama after two seasons, is under contract with Alabama through 2007 at $1.1 million per season plus incentives. University of Alabama Interim President Barry Mason said Monday the contract extension wasn't signed in recent weeks because Franchione "didn't want to be distracted" during the season. Mason also said he believes Franchione will remain with Alabama. "He said he will be with us. He told us he would stay," Mason said. Alabama is under NCAA sanctions, including a ban on bowls this year and next, because of recruiting violations that occurred before he took the helm of the Crimson Tide. Prior to the Hawaii game, amid reports that he was a candidate for the Texas A&M job, Franchione was asked if he would guarantee returning to Alabama next season. He replied: "I have never wavered on that. It's been my full intention."
From Tuscaloosanews.com UPDATE: Franchione says no contact yet from Texas A&M By David Wasson Executive Sports Editor December 03, 2002 TUSCALOOSA | Noticeably tired after flying all night from Hawaii, Alabama foot-ball coach Dennis Franchione stepped off the first of four team buses Tuesday morning and directly into what has already become an intense swarm of speculation about his professional future. The 51-year-old Franchione, accompanied by his daughter Ashley, wife Kim and several other family members, didn’t make it to his waiting car before being asked whether he had been contacted by Texas A&M about their vacant coaching position. “I’ve been traveling all night, and haven’t had any sleep,” Franchione told The Tuscaloosa News with a weary smile. “There’s nothing to report. I’m going home and going to bed.” While Franchione indicated he hasn’t had direct contact with Texas A&M, several media outlets in Texas reported Tuesday that Franchione is atop the list of candidates the Aggies are pursuing to replace Slocum. At a gathering of state leg-islators Tuesday morning in Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama Interim President Barry Mason said he believes Franchione will remain at UA. Mason said Texas A&M officials have not contacted either his office or Athletics Director Mal Moore. “He said he will be with us. He told us he would stay,” Mason said. Franchione is under contract with Alabama through 2007 at $1.1 million per season plus incentives. Franchione and his representatives have been negotiating with Alabama officials on an extension that would make his contract a 10-year deal worth $15 million and raise his buyout clause from $1 million to $2 million. Mason said the contract extension wasn’t signed so far because of the just-completed season. “Clearly during the season [Franchione] didn’t want to be distracted,” Mason said. The president said in his view, the 10-3 season was “phenomenally successful.” Published reports from two Texas newspapers last week put a possible Texas A&M offer to Franchione in the neighborhood of $14 million over five years — close to $2.8 million per season. Sources close to both Alabama and Texas A&M said Tuesday that the $14 million figure is substantially too much, and that an offer to Franchione would not exceed $2 million per season. Moore had returned to Tuscaloosa from Hawaii, but was not immediately available for comment. Franchione recently completed his second season at Alabama, a 10-win season despite being under NCAA probation. The 20-year coaching veteran has a 155-73-2 overall record. Franchione said on his Web site, coachfran.com, last week that his speaking schedule was to begin Tuesday night with a booster group in Selma. Franchione will be in Atlanta and Columbus, Ga., today, Montgomery on Thursday night and at Daytona Beach, Fla., on Friday afternoon. He is scheduled to attend the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame cere-mony in New York City, and then make appearances later in the month before booster groups in Macon, Ga. (Dec. 16) and LaGrange (Dec. 18), sandwiched around the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Birmingham (Dec. 17). Franchione’s attorney, Craig Kelly, reportedly met with Alabama officials Nov. 26 to continue negotiations on a 10-year contract extension reported to be worth $15 million, but Kelly left without any resolution. In addition to Franchione, possible Texas A&M hires include Denver Broncos assistant coach Gary Kubiak, Oregon coach Mike Belotti, Auburn coach Tommy Tuber-ville and former Dallas Cow-boys coach Jimmy Johnson. The San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday that A&M has offered the athletic director job to Bill Byrne, who holds a similar position at Nebraska. An announcement may come this week. David Wasson can be reached at david.wasson@tuscaloosanews.com. Dana Beyerle contributed to this story.
Why doesn't Franchione come out and say "I will not go to Texas A&M"? All he's saying is a deal will get done at Bama. He said the same thing when he was at TCU. A deal with who? A&M? The plan was Byrne and Franchione once Gates cleared up the Slocum mess. Byrne will be announced tomorrow. Franchione soon after.
Same thing I was thinking. Why doesn't Franchione just say that he will not be at A&M next year? I heard on ESPN Radio today that when they interview him about if he was going to go to A&M his reply was, "No commit". That tells me, that he is in fact leaving Alabama and going to A&M because all he had to say was, "I have no plan on leaving Alabama."
i think he won't come out and say it b/c he wants to use the fact that A&M is courting him as leverage to get a huge contract from Alabama. Or it may be the other way around and he doesn't want to officially and publically sever ties with Alabama so as to parlay a big payday from the Aggies. Its all about the benjamins.
Maybe he just hasn't made up his mind. Bama has better tradition, and is probably a more potent base. TAMU doesn't have those nasty suspensions and is in Texas. I can see how he'd have some trouble deciding...
This is exactly what he did when he left for Bama. I think realistically he wanted to stay at TCU if the money was right, and the same goes for Bama, but he will bolt if they do not meet his demands.
I don't see it saing he signed it anywhere in that article Major. Yeah - I need to learn to read the articles along with the misleading headlines.
Franchione is going to A&M. Everything else is BS. Official Statement from Alabama A&M has contacted Franchione http://www.rolltide.com/AthleticDepartment/7164.asp
What did Sam Jackson say on Star Wars? "This party is over." Until I hear Fran say "I love it here and I won't leave," I will still think he's headed to atm. Heck, everyone remember what Mack said before he left UNC?
good god, do any of you people actually bother reading the articles you reference? nowhere does it say A&M has contacted him, but that they've asked permission to contact him -- first step of many. come on, people! READ! it's so maddening, you've driven me to break out a smiley:
My bad, A&M has asked for and received permission from Alabama to contact Franchione. Logically one could conclude since Alabama will not impede in their way, they'll contact Franchione
"Contact" in a formal sense, maybe they haven't. But, I'm sure friend of a friend negotiating has been going on for weeks. Smoke, fire. Don't be naive. This has been rolling. Unless Bama comes up with more money, he's gone. I think he's gone regardless, but that's me.
Source: A&M moving toward contract with Franchione 12/04/2002 By AL CARTER / The Dallas Morning News COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M officials are making rapid progress on the details of a contract that would make Alabama's Dennis Franchione the Aggies' next football coach, an A&M source close to the situation said on Wednesday. Discussions between Franchione and A&M representatives have reached a fruitful stage, the source said, and an announcement on Franchione's intentions could be made before the weekend. Alabama athletic director Mal Moore said Wednesday afternoon that A&M has been granted permission to talk to Franchione. The A&M source said Franchione wants to leave Alabama for A&M and that A&M officials have presented Franchione with contract terms for the purpose of negotiating a deal. The source said negotiations were moving in a positive direction but some significant details still had to be resolved. Franchione, who coached at TCU before taking the Alabama job three years ago, is under contract at Alabama through 2007 at $1.1 million per season plus incentives. Alabama officials have offered Franchione a contract extension, reportedly for 10 years at $15 million. The Aggies are seeking a replacement for R.C. Slocum, who was fired on Monday after 14 seasons at the A&M helm. www.dallasnews.com
