Coach Watch Day 16: The waiting is the hardest part.

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Don't let it kill you baby, don't let it get to you
Don't let 'em kill you baby, don't let 'em get to you

I am going to tell you what I have already told you and hope not to have to tell you again.  I say this because I have asked and have been told this over and over again.  

There is not going to be an announcement on the next coach of SMU Football anytime soon.  At the absolute earliest, we are looking at the week after Thanksgiving.  There is a very good chance there will be no announcement until December.  Heaven forbid the search extends beyond the first week of December.

Whether the Orsini/Turner braintrust realizes this or not, the current search will become the longest search in the post-death penalty era.  Cavan was announced as the replacement for Rossley after 25 days; Doherty and Bennett were announced after 18 days.

What is frustrating is the dearth of information coming from SMU.  There is zero hard evidence that SMU has identified any candidates, contacted a single person about the vacancy, or interviewed anyone.  While Barnett may have contacted SMU; SMU did not contact Barnett and SMU has apparently concluded he is not the man for the job.

While I recognize that the Orsini/Turner braintrust does not give a blank what I think, I want to make my opinion on the subject clear:  Nature abhors a vacuum.  While the Orsini/Turner braintrust maintains its silence, SMU fans are left to speculate  what is happening.  While there are those that remain positive, there are many more speculating that things are not going well; that there is not much interest; that there is no plan in place.  
Now, maybe the big donors in the club level and the suites drinking chardonay have some sense of what is going on and are being reassured by the Orsini/Turner braintrust, that does nothing for the rank and file ticketholders who have to sneak their alcohol into Ford Stadium (allegedly).

By maintaining their silence, the Orsini/Turner braintrust is saying, "Trust us.  We know what we are doing."  

Excuse me.  This is SMU Athletics.  Trust went out the window some time between the spontanious combustion of Larry Johnson's scholarship offer and 0-12.  If SMU wants us to be involved, they need to involve us.  Period.

Of course there are very good reasons the Orsini/Turner braintrust might not be saying anything substantive.  Maybe they already have a deal and the guy is under contract.  Maybe the number one target is coaching right now.  But their silence naturally leads to a heightened level of anticipation which can lead to unreasonable expectations.  

(And don't think for a moment you can plan on hiring an NFL assistant and waiting until the NFL season is over.)

I am not suggesting the Orsini/Turner braintrust needs to rush to make a decision; by all means, take the time to get the decision right.  Just let us know what is going on.  Heaven forbid we wake up the first week of December, open the newspaper and read that SMU hired Jon friggin' Tenuta, Defensive Coordinator from Georgia Tech.

It has been over two weeks; update us, please.