2013 College Football coaching carousel

It has been my experience that some guys are NFL coaches and some are college coaches and never the twain shall happily meet. I know Nick Saban acted like a slimeball in the process, but he showed good sense realizing the NFL was not for him as quickly as he did. Gruden's won a Super Bowl. Once a coach does that, it's hard not to view a college gig as kind of a demotion.

 

I feel like every single major college football program has the exact same story about every available top coach in America.

 

I would put Gruden as high as anybody as an example of what you're talking about. He wants his quarterbacks to know 100 different plays for a third-down blitz alone. There just isn't enough time in the college week for the way he wants to run an offense.

 

Well, let's say it ISN'T Gruden. Who's next?

If this has been hit on before, I apologize, but my computer's been MIA and my work computer is a basket of fried ass.

 

I expect them to pursue Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, but not sure they'd get him.

Sonny Dykes would seem like a natural, but he's got La Tech stink on him.

Maybe Western Kentucky's Willie Taggart, but I'm not sure he's quite ready for prime time.

 

Phat Phuc Phil wouldn't mind a return.

 

Charlie Strong seems to be the favorite guess for any SEC opening you care to mention right now.

 

Don't know who is going to be coaching at TN next year, but do know it will not be Gruden.

 

Schools tend to try too hard to "win the press conference." You can find a good coach at a reasonable price if you go back a few years and find guys who have strung together several solid seasons, but may have dipped a bit this year.

I also wonder if an SEC school might look at Sumlin's success and try to find a coach who plays the same wide-open style. That win last week could be quite big in that it encourages more Texas players who want to "stay home" to opt for the SEC over the Big 12.

 

Pretty good track record there.

 

I'd say for a number of reasons:
1) Didn't Gruden just take the MNF gig?
2) He rolls of the Tampa Bay payroll next month.
3) No one wanted the UT job. Between Fulmer tanking recruiting in his final years, to Kiffin running off a lot of holdovers and then several of his recruits in the 2009 class flaming out (via dismissal or academics, etc) - the Vols roster was a graveyard.

One beat writer even said it was a miracle that Dooley had that team in a bowl and had that team in position to actually be an 8-5 club (before losing when they had 13 on the field at LSU and then losing because UNC had 19 men on the field in their bowl game), when it looked like they'd lose to a FCS team in spring ball.

Not saying Gruden is going to happen - I'll believe it when I see it - but I think it's not as far-fetched as some believe.

 

The official SportsJournalists.com style is "dooley_noted1". And fetch me a stout.