By now you all have heard the news… Coach Watch Day 72.

That is right. It is true. General Joe’s Chopstix on Mockingbird is shutting down for good. General Joe’s chicken was a staple of mine on Sundays throughout the early 1990’s. In its place will be the finest coloring book collection this nation has ever seen.

Oh, and SMU hired a football coach!!!



The story broke in the weirdest of ways. The Honolulu Advertiser had an article that said Jones stopped taking calls late last night, which was linked to on the ponyfans message board. Then, all of a sudden, at around 10AM, the article changed to “Jones takes coaching job at SMU.” I called Brad Sutton, SID at SMU and he didn’t know what I was talking about. He looked at the website himself and said he would go find out. Turns out Jones’ assistants that were asked to come to SMU spilled the beans. And the rest is history.

One must say that in the last twenty years of SMU football, this day is pretty high on the list.

Press conference video

Press conference summary

Press conference quotes

Ticket interview summary

The press conference was packed with SMU fans. Easily ten time the people that were at the Matt Doherty press conference. They even had an overflow room. And they needed it. There was a lot of excitement in the room. It was nice to feel optimism among the SMU crowd. I can’t think of the last time I felt that kind of optimism. Certainly not in the last twelve months. Turner and Orsini were positively giddy. OK. That isn’t fair. We all were.

Anyway, this is my first impression of Jones. Jones has complete confidence in his abilities, his system, his assistants. Far more so that Bennett ever showed in his first press conference. You get the sense that June Jones is here to turn this thing around and there is absolutely zero possibility that he will fail.

I still maintain that at some point over the last 72 days, the search was not going well. It would be interesting to know exactly who was spoken to about this job. Somehow, I doubt we ever know. I said all along that just because the search may not be going well, it doesn’t mean that SMU won’t get a great coach. In the end, I should have stuck to my first comments about the search. At the end of the day, with everyone wondering who will take this awful, awful job, just like the athletic director search and the basketball coaching search, the answer will be someone better than any one of us have a right to expect.

Weirdest person in attendance: Channel 8 film critic Gary Cogill. Cogill apparently grew up with June Jones. Who knew?

One does feel for Hawaii under the circumstances. They don’t want our pity; they want somebody’s head on a stick. And it appears that Hawaii athletics director Herman Frazier will soon have his head lopped off.And with good reason. Jones is at SMU because this guy apparently doesn’t know how run an athletic department and Steve Orsini does. Think about that. One of the most inept programs over the last twenty years stole the master of one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history from his alma mater.

University of Hawaii President went so far as to apologize:

Finally, I also want to apologize to our fans and all of Hawaii for matters getting to this stage in the first place. Exceptional performance deserves exceptional recognition, and your University was slow to step up.

Dude. Obviously, this was important to Hawaii. The Governor got involved. I kind of feel bad. Maybe SMU should offer Herman Frazier a job or something. We owe him a lot.

Questions we all have:

1) Staff. Jones extended invitations to all of his staff to join him at SMU. It is unclear how many will take those offers. At least three have already accepted: DC Greg McMackin, QB Coach Dan Morrison and running backs coach Wes Suan. There is some talk that linebackers coach Cal Lee will be named as head coach of Hawaii (he was one of five coaches suggested to Hawaii by Jones). At some level, one would want Texas people to have some of the jobs and Jones said as much.

Ramon Flanigan was at the press conference. He has been an offensive coordinator before. He was a running QB in a run and shoot offense. I wonder if there is a place for him on this staff. Certainly could do worse.

2) Recruiting. It appears that Defensive Coordinator Greg McMackin is in town and will stay for the time being. Greg McMackin was former Big XII recruiter of the year of Texas Tech before going to the 49'ers and then to Hawaii. There was a report that a Hawaii radio station spoke with one Hawaii recruit who stated that he intended to go where June Jones went. At least four of Jones current Hawaii commitments are from Texas. Presumably, the first priority is to shore up current SMU commitments and then Hawaii commitments, then former SMU commitments, and finally non-committed players.

2A) Recruiting standards. I handed off my question to Kate; we will see if she asks Coach Jones about his 2003 comments on the SMU job. In the Dallas Morning News on November 13, 2003; June Jones said the following regarding Phil Bennett:

"I think Phil is on an island sometimes," Jones said. "He's going through some unfair requirements over there. He's not on the same playing field as the rest of us."

At the press conference Jones, Turner and Orsini said standards were nationally competitive. I have said for a while, I think standards are being used in part as an excuse. We will see. Let's start with the kid that already wants to switch his commitment.

3)Money. I don't know who is in the "Circle of Champions," but I bet they have good seats. Widely reported that it is 20 boosters that have committed $100,000.00 per year over the next five years. That is a big commitment and seems to be the focus of most of the media to this point-SMU got Jones because it threw a lot of money at him. Some SMU fans are taking umbrage at that. Why? SMU is a small school with a rocky past. You use your resources in the best way possible. That was done here. Never apologize.

4)Spring Game. Dude. Give it a rest. The Spring Game will probably be near the end of March and you should plan on attending. It should preview what I have to assume will be a record-setting year for SMU passing statistics. Barring injury, doesn't Willis have to set the single-season SMU passing record?

You, too, will be asked to "pony up." Walking out, I was handed a flier on season tickets for next year. You will get a discount with a Mustang Club contribution. (Typical SMU mind of mine immediately started thinking of the tax consequences of that benefit.) Probably a smart way of getting the rolls up and then they will hit us all up for larger contributions in later years. I am trying to find fault with this plan, but it seems pretty savvy at first look.

Finally, I don't know if Steve Orsini thinks I owe him an apology or not. Actually, I should not flatter myself to think he cares. I don't personally think I owe him one for anything I have said in this blog. But I do owe Steve Orsini an apology for losing faith somewhere between Day 1 and Day 72. Steve Orsini got SMU a great coach. This is Steve-O's day. So here is to you, Steve. Soak it up. I am sure we will find something to complain about soon.

Someone else can make it official, but I think it is a done deal.

Be very wary of AP news stories like this one. AP doesn't have its own reporters. This one is written by a Hawaii reporter. Just as likely that the Dallas Morning News story could get picked up next. Pay attention to the Dallas Morning News. Pay some attention to the Hawaii papers.

Jones was in Dallas meeting with SMU officials and the search committee that has been working since late October to hire a replacement to Phil Bennett. Meanwhile, the folks on the island were doing all they could to get him to say no and continue leading a program he has guided to national prominence.

I will say this, if the above linked article is accurate and Jones met with the search committee, it is all but over. SMU wins; Hawaii loses. Orsini would not have let Jones meet with the search committee unless it was a done deal.

I was told Friday, by one guy that June Jones was a 99% done deal.

I was told by another guy Friday that it looked promising.

I never posted anything, because I was waiting to hear from a specific person, who has still not contacted me yet.

On Saturday, I spoke with someone not associated with SMU but works in college athletics and knows quite a bit about coaches and coaching searches. He said, "You get June Jones on a plane and he is yours. The challenge should be getting him on the plane. I would have somebody escort him if I were you."

So today is Sunday and I know no more than you. I can say with 99% certainty that the first official word will be here.The other one percent: here. I have no desire to screw this up and be wrong and doubt I am going to hear anything before you.

Just my thoughts.

June Jones says Thank You to the Warrior Nation...

Thank you for supporting our outstanding student-athletes during our 12-0 regular season, Western Athletic Conference Championship, and our first-ever appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game, the 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl. These young men worked tirelessly during the course of the 2007 campaign in order to represent the entire state of Hawai`i in first-class fashion and I certainly could not be more proud of them.

It was my great honor to be associated with such a quality group of coaches and players. They demonstrated teamwork, sacrifice, grit, determination, unselfishness, humility, and an unrelenting commitment to success. Meanwhile, they were superior individuals off the field and represented Hawai`i with class, dignity, and honor.

I want to extend a special mahalo to the fans of Hawai`i. You were there for us during the course of the season and traveled with us in great numbers to New Orleans, making incredible personal sacrifices. That really touched our hearts in ways that can never be accurately communicated. The level of energy, excitement, and passion you demonstrated truly helped make this a wonderful experience for everyone involved.

Mahalo,

June Jones
Head Coach

Notice what is missing? Any reference at all to next year. Also notice every reference to Hawaii football is in the past tense.

Just saying.

The Chancellor of the University of Hawaii says an offer is on the way.

But will it come in time?

This is from a release from UH today. The speaker is Manoa chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.

“I know that there is a great deal of interest in ensuring that June Jones remains here as our football coach – and that is definitely our goal as well. We truly appreciate his outstanding efforts in leading us to the Sugar Bowl and producing successful student-athletes. It has always been our intent to make Coach Jones a firm offer that will keep him here, and I want to assure everyone that Athletics Director Herman Frazier is moving expeditiously to do just that,” said Hinshaw.

Reading the Hawaii message board, one gets a sense that Hawaii fans really hate this AD Herman Frazier. I am just dumbfounded that Hawaii doesn't seem to have anything in place yet.

Coach Watch Day 67: First and last.

After winning the Fiesta Bowl, Bill Stewart will be named head coach of West Virginia.  That means that SMU, the first school to announce it was making a change will be the last school to actually hire a coach.

Unbelievable.

Read this to see how tense things are getting over at mustangmaniacs.com: http://smu.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2350&tid=109269702&mid=109269702&sid=1174&style=2

I still maintain that the SMU coaching search is going badly.  I also still maintain that SMU can still get a great coach.  However, I will neither blindly proclaim the next head coach to be a great coach nor whitewash the process if SMU does get a quality coach.  But until told otherwise, like everyone else, I will keep my eyes on the Sandwich Islands and the head coach of the University of Hawaii June Jones.

When I read things like yesterday’s New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/sports/ncaafootball/03colleges.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin] and the inability for June Jones and Hawaii to get basic football needs filled, I start to wonder if Hawaii even has the ability to keep him.

The major lingering issue for Jones’s future at Hawaii is not his salary, which is $800,000 a year and could be expected to increase. It is whether Hawaii, now that it has begun to benefit from playing big-time football, will commit to investing heavily in the program. The program’s football budget — $2.2 million — is more than $1 million less than that of its chief Western Athletic Conference rival, Boise State.

The Hawaii football facilities were described as “condemned” by quarterback Colt Brennan, who had to campaign through the news media to get soap in the locker room earlier this season. The Hawaii team videotaped practice for four years from a hand-held camera that Jones won at a golf tournament.

It isn’t that Hawaii isn’t capable of matching or coming close to matching any SMU offer (they may not be able to, but they may not have to).  It is that aside from the salary, it is the refusal to run Hawaii football like a top 25 program, whereas Steve Orsini wants SMU to be “top 25 in everything [it] does.”  Hawaii is capable of providing video equipment for the locker room, soap for the shower, a recruiting budget over $50,000.00, but they have achieved their success without it and the administration may not believe they have to.  To give June Jones the salary he deserves and the budget his program deserves, may be more than Hawaii thinks it has to do to be successful and Hawaii may ultimately balk at the price tag.  They may need to lose June Jones and lose a lot of football games before they think otherwise.

Another excellent article can be found in the Honolulu Advertiser [http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080103/NEWS01/801030366/1001/NEWS01].

It confirms that today, June Jones is in Hawaii.  It also provides this money quote:

"In my opinion, and this is speaking out of turn, but June, to me, has to do what's best for June," UH offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said. "He has given so much. He basically saved a program that was floundering in the water, that was on life support in the life raft. He brought it to the summit of national prominence. It's a name. It's a logo. It's a school that people recognize.

"I know the way he's thinking and feeling and agonizing over this decision right now, that this is where his heart is. But at the same time, from a business standpoint, when you're talking money and a challenge, sometimes a competitor loves a challenge. I know it's going to be a tough deal, and a tough decision."

Listening to the radio this morning, it was the first thing discussed on the Ticket at 6AM.  They seem relatively astounded that SMU could land June Jones.  Stewart Mandell at CNNSI.com understands what SMU sees in Jones but not what Jones would see in SMU.  The same can be said of basically every national college football sports writer in the country.  The people on the message board or around Dallas that would not be thrilled with a June Jones hire should be beaten with a stick.

Maybe June Jones is serious about SMU, but maybe he is just using SMU to get all of the Sugar Bowl payout money devoted to football.  I don’t know.  Today I will be positive.  I ran this morning with my iPod on “shuffle.”  “Peruna” was the first song it played.  It is a sign.  As I was coming home, “Pony Battle Cry.”  It is a sign.  Good things are going to happen today.

Coach Watch Day 66- Post-New Year?s Day Edition

Well, now that June Jones doesn’t have a job to do, we can start watching planes again.  If it isn’t Jones, I assume it has to be a hodgepodge of readily available coaches, former coaches and assistants.  I still have a hard time believing June Jones is leaving Hawaii, but I will put that aside for a moment.

Hawaii got rolled in the Sugar Bowl.  Would it have been cool if Hawaii won and June Jones became the SMU head coach?  Sure.  Does the loss mean anything?  No.  The Hawaii 31 point loss to Georgia wasn’t the biggest blowout of this year’s bowl season and wasn’t even the biggest point disparity of New Year’s Day.  I would have liked to have seen Hawaii be more competitive, but so what?  June Jones did what only Urban Meyer and Chris Petersen have done: taken a non-BCS team to a BCS bowl game.  Heck.  The list of coaches that haven’t taken a team to a BCS bowl game is pretty long and a lot of those coaches have been routed in bowl games, too.

June Jones now appears to be contemplating his future:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/NEWS01/801020394

From the above article, there are a few things you should take away.  

First, June Jones’ contract has now expired, which is significant for a couple of reasons.  Coaches in the last year of their contracts is virtually unheard of in college athletics; the mere fact that it has gotten to this point between June Jones and Hawaii should raise questions about the true extent of the relationship between June Jones and his alma matter.  Also, because June Jones is no longer under contract, there is no buyout; June Jones can walk away from Hawaii for nothing.

Second, related to above, Jones and Hawaii haven’t even discussed a contract.  As much as Jones has complained about facilities, commitment, carpet in his office, pay for his assistants, can June Jones effectively negotiate a contract with a state school for both a raise and resolve these other issues?

Third, “Jones has said he will "disappear" for a week to contemplate his future. The team returns to Honolulu this afternoon, and Jones said he will spend time in Kona.”  This is both good and bad.  Bad in that Jones has, apparently, returned to Hawaii.  Logic dictates that June Jones isn’t going to take the SMU job without seeing the facilities.  While it is true Hawaii has played SMU in Ford Stadium while Jones was coach, that was in 2001.  It is good in the sense that he will spend some time away from the team to get this resolved.  The fact that this could also take another week to resolve itself is depressing.

Nearing the end if only because of the inevitability of it all-Coach Watch Day 64

Sorry for the lack of posting this last week.  I kind of missed most of the Junes Jones development or lack thereof.  Well, I am not really sorry.  I am just about sick of waiting.  I can either post vitriolic rant or play with my kids.  I choose kids.

SMU will have a coach soon.  SMU will not be coachless as it enters the next contact period with recruits just as it will not be coachless as it enters Spring practice or next season.  That means SMU will have a new coach at the end of this week or perhaps next week.

The next full contact period begins January 13^th.  I refuse to entertain for a moment the idea that a coach won’t be hired by that date.  You could also note that recruits can visits the weekends of January 4^th and January 13^th, but the idea that a coach can get be hired one day and turn around and host recruits the next day borders on the absurd.  Again, I will point out that aside from there not being a head coach, there is NO COACHING STAFF.  If SMU goes in any direction other than a coach that is currently a head coach, putting together a staff will take time.  That time and energy will also take away from the time and energy that needs to be devoted to recruiting.

Of course, the whole notion that it is OK that SMU doesn’t have a head coach because recruiting is in a “dead period” is ridiculous.  While it is true that during a dead period, no one associated with SMU may contact or evaluate prospects on or off campus, coaches may still write or call prospects.

If SMU essentially has no recruiting class in 2008, it will affect SMU for years.  Those players will, in effect, never exist and never be replaced on the roster.  SMU has historically come close to offering the limit of 25 scholarships every year through graduation and attrition anyway.  If there is an “empty” class, even though only half of those athletes might pan out, those athletes won’t redshirt, they won’t play, they won’t make the two-deep roster.  It will harm depth.  It will require more athletes to burn redshirts in the future.

A few thoughts on June Jones and Jon Tenuta, since their names came up in the last week.

June Jones is the head coach of Hawaii and an offensive genius.  I would hire June Jones any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  I would wait until January 3^rd to hire June Jones; he is worth the wait.  I would not wait until January 3^rd to talk to June Jones.  All signs say June Jones isn’t coming to SMU and most pundits say that if he did, he would be nuts.  Most likely, SMU is the only school dumb enough to chase June Jones and he intends to use Orsini to get himself a raise and new carpet for his office.

In the Dallas Morning News on November 13, 2003; June Jones said the following regarding Phil Bennett:

"I think Phil is on an island sometimes," Jones said. "He's going through some unfair requirements over there. He's not on the same playing field as the rest of us."  

Now, does that lead you to believe that Jones would even consider coming to SMU four years later, when little more than the name on the AD's door has changed?  That being said, if June Jones did take the job, it would go a long way towards restoring some credibility to SMU because he obviously would not come unless he thought he could win.

As for Jon Tenuta, his name has unfairly become a punchline for me.  The cruelest thing you can say about Tenuta is “Jon Tenuta is Phil Bennett without the personality.”  That isn’t really fair, because Tenuta is a heck of a defensive coordinator and has a better resume than Phil ever did as defensive coordinator.  However, Tenuta has wanted a head coaching job for years, rarely even gotten an interview.  Many think he lacks the personality to be a head coach.

There is a widespread rumor that he had a special deal at Georgia Tech where he did not have to recruit.  Seriously.  Even if it isn’t true, the mere fact that it is out there gives me pause.  He is a college football coach.  College football coaches recruit.  It is part of the job.  I can’t imagine any self-respecting coach allowing such a rumor to even get out there.

Tenuta will not sell tickets.  Tenuta will not sell SMU.  Not to alumni.  Not to Dallas.  Not to recruits.  End of story.

My new fear is that SMU will hire someone like Tenuta and use his current role as interim head coach as an excuse for the ridiculous delay.  "Hey, he was the interim head coach, we couldn't hire him a month ago."  Or, "He was coaching the quarterbacks for the [insert NFL team here], we couldn't hire him."  If they tried that, it would be a lie.  A lie. An untruth.  A falsehood.  Coaches have left their current teams; coaches have been announced as leaving and stayed to coach the bowl game or the rest of the NFL season.

Coach Watch Day 54: Fran and stuff

Yesterday was Franchione day, which followed Coker day.  It appears that there is no new news today.

I was surprised by the Franchione story.  Like many, I am not entirely sure how this and the Coker story came to light.  The Dallas Morning News never actually says Franchione interviewed or when the contact/discussion takes place.  I said a long time ago that Fran was trying to contact SMU.  The Dallas Morning News only says that ESPN says Coker interviewed and has no other information, including when such an interview took place.  I think logic would tell you that the Coker interview took place recently.

Despite being a former frog and former aggie, I don’t have near the animosity towards Fran that I do Coker, though I vaguely recall cursing his name on a cold rainy night at Ford Stadium in November 2000.  Coker’s Miami team was worse when he left it, though I realize it couldn’t have gotten any better.  They trended downward every year and there is no evidence he was capable of disciplining his players.  He led a team that ended up being an embarrassment on and off the field.  Fran, on the other hand, put together great staffs at New Mexico and TCU.  He built up New Mexico and TCU; people forget he won 10 games at Alabama and I am not that turned off by his coaching performance at A&M.  The next paragraph will annoy some aggies (Sorry, aggie pals).

A&M is a school with high expectations, but people forget that A&M has been trending downwards since 1998, which coincides with the arrival of Mack Brown.  R.C. Slocum’s last season was a disappointing no bowl 6-6 season in 2002. A&M was solidly behind OU and Texas in the Big XII South; lost to Tech two years in a row, the last years of RC in conference were 7-1, 5-3, 5-3, 4-4, 3-5.  While Fran had two sub .500 years at A&M, where is A&M today?  Arguably a little better, but A&M is not worse off today than it was under Slocum.  .500 in conference, two consecutive victories over Texas and still can’t beat Texas Tech (but that is a problem they have had for over 10 years).  I know that is faint praise:  “Fran didn’t make them worse,” but I think it is accurate.

The VIP newsletter doesn’t concern me.  It is the kind of thing nobody cares about when you are 8-4, but when you are not living up to expectations, it is a real issue.  

I still think Fran can recruit and put together a staff.  Fran, of all the mentioned candidates, in my opinion, is in the best position, to do good things at SMU.

A couple of follow up notes on my most recent posts.  Apparently, Coker only had three players die while he was head coach:  two car accidents and a shooting death, though at least one of the car accidents was alcohol related, there was another accidental shooting of a player by another player and an indicted felon was signed to a letter of intent (albeit the trumped up charges related to an incident at another school’s recruiting trip).  The “bludgeoning” took place while Butch Davis was head coach and Coker was offensive coordinator.

Also, I forgot to mention something else about recruiting.  It takes more than a head coach to recruit.  It takes an entire staff.  You can’t reasonably hire a coach, especially a coach like Coker who has been out of football, and expect him to have an entire staff immediately and ready to recruit.  That is one thing that the other two available jobs have over SMU in this process-both are bowl teams with staffs in place where some assistant coaches hope/expect to be retained.  At SMU, the entire staff was fired; they are gone.

I am working on a "What I would do if I were Orsini" post.  I am sure everyone is waiting with baited breath.  I halfway expect SMU to hire a coach before I am finished.

Coach Watch Day 53

As far as I am concerned, there are only two opinions one can have on the SMU coaching search. The first is that the SMU coaching search is going badly. The second is that the SMU coaching search is not going badly. I don’t think you can rationally argue the search is actually going well as it reaches day 50. This post is to officially inform you that I have changed my position from the latter to the former. The coaching search is not going well and the evidence is all around us.

When I started blogging again, it was with the assumption that the coaching search would take around a month. And I also thought I would be blogging about, you know, news. So now we are in week eight and there is no coach in sight and there has been very little news.

I have been thinking about this for a week now. I have reread every article on the SMU coaching search. I then saw something in Kevin Sherrington's column that I had missed earlier and that crystallized things in my mind.

Orsini says he hasn't offered the job to anyone, not even Navy's Paul Johnson, who opted for Georgia Tech. Orsini says coordinators could be candidates, though he prefers head coaching experience.

We are considering coordinators now? I went and reviewed the Orsini press conference after Bennett was let go. When asked what he was looking for in a head coach, the first words out of his mouth were "head coaching experience." Orsini does hedge his comments later, but it was clear head coaching experience was key.

Unlike many at SMU, hiring an assistant suits me just fine. Hiring a lower division head coach suits me fine as well. But it seems to me that if Orsini is widening the net, it must be because he isn’t catching any fish.

I used to believe that if the SMU search was going badly, we would know it. There would be a lot more reports like the one that said Paul Johnson was going to Navy, Steve Kragthorpe had no interest in the job or Air Force’s Calhoun publicly declining to interview. I also used to believe that SMU and Orsini’s silence was a mistake. I have changed my mind on both counts. If not for Orsini’s lockdown on all information related to the search, SMU fans would know just how badly the search is going.

On November 30th, President Turner said he hoped a coach would be hired within a week. That was over two weeks ago. Turner, Orsini and everyone involved know the search has gone on too long.

When Orsini was on with Norm Hitzges last week, Orsini made a point to mention that a dead period for recruiting began today which extends through January 3rd. A full contact period does not begin until January 13th. This is true. However, it is also true that national signing day is February 6th. There are now just 21 full contact days between now and February 6th.

While it is easy to say SMU doesn’t need a coach for recruiting when a coach cannot meet with recruits personally, that ignores the bulk of the recruiting process. Coaches can write or telephone prospective student-athletes during the dead period. More importantly, coaches can assess needs, evaluate film, target players. It is important to note that none of this has been happening in any real or meaningful way since October 29th (and really, long before that). You simply cannot hire a coach in January and expect him to hit the recruiting trail running.

Furthermore, signing day for midyear junior college transfers is December 19th, which, for those of you keeping score at home, is Wednesday. You are blind if you don’t think SMU needs help on both sides of the ball immediately.

If you don’t think the search is going poorly, you have to have blind faith in Orsini, because Lord knows you can’t have faith in SMU. Some people assured everyone that SMU had a deal with a coach and it would be announced after SMU’s season was over out of respect for Bennett. When that time passed, some said SMU clearly had a deal with a coach and it would be announced after the coach had finished his season because he had another game to coach. When that time passed and Paul Johnson went to Georgia Tech and silence has since followed, some people now say SMU has a deal with a coach and it will be announced after the coach has coached his bowl game or maybe it is an NFL coach or assistant that has to finish his season.

At other schools, current NFL assistants (and even an NFL head coach) have been hired. Schools with bowl games to play have lost their coaches and assistants in the shuffle as recently as last week. It is possible that a particular coach that interests SMU has said they preferred to wait out the season, but that certainly isn’t likely. Any coach knows the value of recruiting and knows that they needed to be out on the recruiting trail for their new school if they were taking another job.

There are no deals in place and if there are deals, they are worth no more than any deal SMU ever had with Paul Johnson who is currently house shopping in Atlanta. While Orsini claims he never offered the job to Paul Johnson, that statement is only true in the technical sense. You can find Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech contract here. Reading the document, it is clear the contract is not technically “offered” until all the terms are agreed to. I am sure Johnson’s agent has a similar “memorandum of understanding” from SMU in a file in his office (or perhaps a trashcan).

Here is a list of the coaching changes last year. The longest search was Alabama’s, which you will recall lasted seemingly forever. It actually lasted 38 days. SMU is on day 50 with no indication that it will end soon. There has never been a search like this one that I recall. Never.

And then we found out that SMU interviewed Larry Coker. I have already said I think Coker would be a bad choice. For now, that is beside the point. Coker is exactly the kind of guy I thought SMU was not considering. Even more troubling, SMU could have hired Coker 51 days ago. If SMU had any real interest in Coker, it could have set up an interview with Coker for right after Thanksgiving and the SMU season ended.

It doesn't make any sense if things are fine. None of this makes any sense unless you take a step back and look at it for what it is. This is what a coaching search that is not going well looks like. The complete silence from the administration and boosters, who otherwise would be excited; the lack of public speculation; the length of time. Someone pointed out to me that Ohio State hired Jim Tressel in Mid-February; yes, but Ohio State didn't fire John Cooper until January 2, 2000, either. Coaching searches that are going well don't last this long. Did you know the longest coaching search in NHL history is 27 days? I believe the modern day NFL record is 39 days. Maybe it will end well, and I hope it does, but it isn't going well.

If SMU had hired somebody quickly, I woud have just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Hey, Orsini got his guy. What can you say? Let Orsini be judged by what the guy accomplishes." Now, things are different. Now, I have to judge Orsini's choice against the myriad of other coaches SMU could have/should have/would have/did consider. We are also going to have to examine Orsini's process and what went wrong.

I don't fault Orsini for aiming high and trying to get a coach that ESPN gave Georgia Tech an "A" for hiring. Personally, I still don't think Paul Johnson is what Georgia Tech needed and was surprised they pursued him. I do question why there was apparently no backup plan in motion as soon as Paul Johnson left for a second interview with Georgia Tech.

I have been languishing over posting this for a week (I am sure it doesn't show, but hey, any idiot can blog). I shared it with a couple of people before I posted it. Both agree. One was surprised it took me this long. The other just said it depressed him to see me write it because I have previously been positive.

Just because the search isn't going well, however, doesn't mean SMU can't still get a great coach. Maybe I am an ungrateful dolt and don't appreciate that Orsini is busting his tail every minute of the day to find SMU the perfect fit. Ultimately, it may come to pass that SMU hires a great coach. And if that happens, I will be wrong and rightfully and gladly so. God, I hope so.

Oh, well. Back to Guitar Hero III.

Coach Watch Day 52: Coker shows up

So some show on ESPN2 says former Miami head man Larry Coker interviewed for the vacant SMU head coaching job.  If you read the message boards, you found out about it early yesterday; if you don’t, you can read about it in today’s paper.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/121807dnsposmucoker.2fe9925.html

At his press conference IN OCTOBER, Orsini listed four criteria that he would use to evaluate candidates: (i) past success; (ii) academics; (iii) conduct of his players on and off the field; and (iv) ability to sell SMU.

During Larry Coker’s tenure, there was a well-publicized melee during a game between Miami players and the players of Florida International.  As someone reminded me, the fight started when a Miami player took a bow in front of the fans after scoring a touchdown.  After the fight, Coker remarked:

"I think that it will affect the image of our program greatly, but in a positive way," he said. "I think that when they see the video and they see how it was handled they will be impressed with our players." Additionally, he was quoted in the Miami Herald as saying "I think you've got a lot of players from their team frustrated because they're not here, and maybe were not recruited."

To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, “You stay classy, Larry Coker.”

At this time I would also like to point out that during Larry Coker’s time as head coach of Miami, four players died and none were by natural causes.  Tow died in car accidents.  One was shot and killed.  A fourth was “bludgeoned” to death.  That is right.  I said, “bludgeoned.”

In his first season after Butch Davis left for the Cleveland Browns, Larry Coker’s team went undefeated and won a national championship.  His next season, Miami lost in the national title game.  The next season, Miami lost two games.  The next year, Miami lost three games and again three the next.  The next and final season, Coker’s Miami team lost six games.  That is called a trend in my book.  Take the number 1 team in the country when you take over and get it knocked out of the top 25.  And make no mistake, that was the number one team in the country before Coker got there:  One of my clearest memories in 2000

Oh, and the word on the street is Coker loathes recruiting.  One of the things that people say did Coker in at Miami was his inability to effectively recruit South Florida …in Miami!  He lost too many players to Florida, Florida State and USF.  Miami's recruiting class were consistently ranked lower and lower each year.

Did I mention the guy is 60?

In case you can’t tell, I have no interest in this guy.  I said it a long time ago:  too old; too many issues.  More importantly, I am angered that this guy got an interview and others apparently have not.  I view this guy as every bit as untouchable, if not more so, than Gary Barnett, Dennis Franchione, Rick Neuheisel and Terry Bowden.

Coaches SMU is apparrently not considering 3

Chris Hatcher is a genius and will be a head coach in Division I-A sooner rather than later. Again, he is young and not quite a man according to OSU coach Mike Gundy. He was the head coach of Division II Voldosta State and is now the head coach of Division I-AA Georgia Southern.

In seven years at Voldosta State, he posted an .864 winning percentage;registered a 68-7 mark in the regular season, was 56-6 in conference play, had 60 All-conference selections, coached 16 Division II all-american selections and won a Division II national championship.

In his first year at Georgia Southern, he coached a player to the Walter Payton Award (I-AA Heisman). He was a finalist for I-AA coach of the year. He turned a 3-8 team into a 7-4 team.

He interviewed at Georgia Tech this year. Again, we aren't looking at lower division head coaches. And yes, I know Mike Cavan coached at Voldosta State; is that really a reason not to consider a coach? I said this before but I believe that sometimes it is better to find a good coach yourself than overpay to hire a coach away from somewhere else.

Bowdenheisel!

Coach Watch Day 44

Orsini speaks!!!!!!!!!!! Out of deference to the ponyfans website, I am linking to a summary rather than reposting here. That way they get the ad revenue. I don't get ad revenue so I don't care.

Orsini also made a blog entry.

I know some of you may be frustrated with the lack of news and information out there, but a coaching search is unlike anything else we do. It has always been my experience that these searches are best conducted quietly. Again, I know that may frustrate the message boards, bloggers and even the DMN, but right now I can only focus on getting the best available coach to the Hilltop.

If that was directed at me, then I will take it. I still think Orsini can be more open than he is being. That won't change until a coach is hired. Note that I have never said, "Orsini needs to hire a coach now!" Orsini knows the stakes. I have only said Orsini needs to be aware of the mindset of the SMU fan today as the longest coaching search in the nation and school history drags on. He also needs to realize he controls the news only at one end and most news that he doesn't control, if it gets out, is bad (Johnson going to GT, for example).

Listening to the radio on my way to lunch, a friend said we learned nothing from that interview with Norm Hitzges. I corrected him. Yes, we did. We learned SMU isn't going to hire anybody this week.

Coaches SMU is apparently not considering 2

Will Muschamp



Will Muschamp is the youngest and hottest coaching prospect without a head coaching job in America. While young, he has the rare resume that includes coordinator stops in both the SEC (twice) and NFL. He is only 35. He was an assistant at LSU and Saban took him to coach the Dolphins. He left the Dolphins ahead of Saban and went to Auburn.

He has been interviewed at Georgia Tech and Arkansas. He turned down the opportunity to interview at Louisiana Tech last year.

If Will Muschamp were hired, I will be thrilled. And not only because I will print 500 "Boom! Motherf**ker!" T-shirts. I genuinely think the guy can coach. Muschamp is the Defensive Coordinator for a team with an offensive-minded head coach.

Again, we aren't looking at first-time head coaches. Personally, I believe that sometimes it is better to find a good coach yourself than overpay to hire a coach away from somewhere else.

Bowdenheisel!

New Feature: Coaches SMU apparently isn't considering

I have decided to annoy you. Congratulations. Rather than scream "Bowdenheisel!"© 500 times, I am going to suggest other coaches SMU is apparently not going to consider. Unlike Bowdenheisel (tm), I am going to suggest coaches that other schools that haven't been looking for coaches as long as SMU are considering.

Today:

Larry Fedora (OC Okie State)

http://www.okstate.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=1419&SPID=143&DB_OEM_ID=200&ATCLID=106409&Q_SEASON=2007

Larry Fedora is a man and he is 40 (actually 45, I think). He is also a very well respected offensive coordinator and recruiter. Some will tell you he is a genius and if they don't, he will tell you he is a genius. Before becoming the OC at OSU, he was Zook's OC at Florida and Zook offered him the same job at Illinois but Fedora took the offer at OSU. He is a Texas native and went to Austin College. He also coached briefly in the HS ranks in Garland, Texas. Plus, I think he has a cool name.

He is expected to be named the HC at Southern Mississippi any day now. They are arguing over his budget for assistant coaches. SMU could have him if they acted assertively.

But, alas, we aren't looking at first-time head coaches. Personally, I believe that sometimes it is better to find a good coach yourself than overpay to hire a coach away from somewhere else.

Bowdenheisel!

What makes a good job opening? Money, tradition to start

For the next post, please read this:

What makes a good job opening? Money, tradition to start.

ESPN's Bruce Feldman lists the 10 biggest factors on what makes a great coaching job. Let us examine SMU and how it measures up on all 10.

1. Financial commitment: Depends. Seems like there is a financial commitment to bring in a head coach. But what about assistants? What about a recruiting budget? I think the money is there to accomplish anything; the nut just needs to be cracked open. To crack that nut, all a coach has to do is win!

2. Tradition: A Negative. You have to break the tradition into pre- and post-death penalty. pre-death penalty, the tradition is solid. Post-death penalty, tradition is effectively nonexistent. You could argue that the pre-death penalty success is a detriment to future success.

3. Conference appeal: A negative. Not BCS and that is all that matters. Conference USA is terrible. It was gutted in the most recent conference realignment. On the other hand, if not for that realignment, SMU wouldn't be in it. Also, SMU has the most bowl tie-ins of the non-BCS conferences and as good a TV deal as any.

4. Recruiting base: A positive. Sure, SMU could take better advantage, but the recruiting base in Texas and the metroplex is there.

5. Stability of the administration: A positive. Though the slow plodding leadership of Turner can drive you nuts and the coaching search could be going better, you cannot accuse SMU leadership of being rash or unstable.

6. Facilities: Depends. No practice facility and no room for one, but the on campus stadium is a gem.

7. Admissions Flexibility: A negative. That is all I am going to say.

8. Campus feel: A positive.


9. Fan sanity: A positive. The current search aside, this is a positive. SMU is desperate for a winner. The next coach that gets SMU to a bowl is going to get a statue built in his honor.

10. Climate: A positive. Short or Southern California and Florida, I am not sure where you are going to find a better climate. My cousin realized this one year when we played golf on Christmas Eve.

Coach Watch Day 43

I believe I said that if the coaching search drifted much beyond the end of the season, I was going to panic. Or somesuch.

The fearless beatwriter chimed in and said that Southern Miss's Jeff Bower and Terry Bowden have still not been contacted.

Update: I figured there would be an article in the DMN on Tuesday, focusing on the recruiting angle. If there are any nuggets it is that Glenn Mason, the former Minnesota coach, hasn't been contacted either.

Orsini said Monday that he remained pleased with the search.

...

Orsini said the search is his highest priority.

"I'm doing what I need to do," he said.

I wonder what the SMU fan would have thought of Bower had he not been fired. Would the prospect of a coach from a perrenial bowl contender in-conference be appealing? Alas, he was a coach under Collins at SMU pre-death penalty; doesn't that automatically disqualify him (albeit probably unfairly)?

I am now going to perform a braindump on the Big Four of Former Coaches.

Bowden is Bowden and Neuheisel is Neuheisel and Barnett is Barnett. Oh, and Coker is Coker. I personally have little interest in all four. I concede Bowden probably is unfairly mixed in with the other three and Coker probably shouldn't be mixed in with Barnett and Neuheisel. They are coaches with baggage. Some's baggage is nicer than other.

Bowden's is nine years out of coaching, which seems like no big deal to some people but is a huge deal to me. While I recognize there are coaches that have been successful after a layoff; I still don't trust it and don't trust the motives. I admit I could be wrong. At least Bowden is still relatively young and only had one year sub .500 as a head coach.

Trouble has followed Neuheisel wherever he has gone and people should not deny it. The trouble that Barnett, age 62, got in was partially Neuheisel's doing. I believe both can coach, but they are pariahs. Barnett may have the most impressive turnaround resume, but his Colorado firing had as much to do with performance as anything. At one time, I was somewhat fond of Neuhiesel because some people hate Neuheisel, which I think is cool. Be nice to be hated; at least they would be talking about SMU.

I have no interest in Larry Coker, age 60. Miami went downhill in his tenure and he lost control. Maybe he can coach an offense, but I don't let the man run my team.