rssBlog EntriesComments

CigarSmokinFootball

Cigars & Football – A Simple Blend

Coaching Changes

As we approach the end of the season the inevitable coaching carousal happens. There are few that didn’t wait until the end of the season;- Oregon State, Florida, & Tennessee we’re looking at you, but it could be anybody but Alabama.. CigarSmokinFootball.com has some Oracle knowledge on the subject….it’s called our opinion. Now, without further ado, – and there is no need to sacrifice a bull upon the altar to get the Oracle insight on the future – we give you ‘on the road again’ – and who would be good candidates for each school.

Oregon State:

Gary Anderson just never fit in and his system did not appeal. Conomikes said the last question you should ask yourself before a hire is, “Do they fit?” No, he never did. Possible hires include :

Les Miles, Former Head Coach LSU- While he was at Louisiana he won one national championship but has been hounded since then that he only won that title because he had Saban’s players. With his own players he was able to make it to the National Championship again but got beat by Saban’s players. He was a good coach at LSU and any other school would love to have his record, but would the Mad Hatter be a fit in the Northwest? – Good

Ken Niumatalolo, Navy Head Coach- Last year he was in the mix for the California job and he has strong west coast ties, he is from Hawai’i. He wants back on the West Coast but will he be able to perform outside Academy life, like recruiting and different style of offense? He’s questionable but still ranked as Better

Alex Grinch, D-Coordinator Washington State  – Rising Star in the PAC-12 after taking an undersized defense and making it one of the best in the conference. He fits, but nobody outside Pullman, Washington knows who he is. Oh, and one lonesome cowboy in England.  Best

 

Florida:

Jim McElwain could never find a quarterback to run his offense;-  oh, wait, he had one, but he used Performance Enhancing Drugs. Now he performs for West Virginia. McElwain is also a grouch. Possible Hires:

Scott Frost, Head Coach Central Florida- He has turned around UCF in two years, they are undefeated and going strong, he already has recruiting ties in the state of Florida, but the Gators don’t seem too keen on him, and in CSF’s opinion, that is Stupid. Good

Dan Mullen, Head Coach Mississippi State – Dan was an assistant in the Glory days of UF and was the QB coach for Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, he’s also done a pretty good job with the Bulldogs. Cons are he is known to be hard to deal with. Also he’s already a head coach in the SEC and jumping to another team within the conference is WRONG! But Florida doesn’t seem to care. The Florida AD was AD at Mississippi State and doesn’t like Mullen. Someone doesn’t fit here. – Better

Chip Kelly, ESPN analyst – He did a fabulous job as the Head Coach of Oregon but he left them with NCAA violations that have hurt the team. He was terrible in the Pros but that shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Gators appear to betting everything that they will land Kelly, and he just might do wonders with them. Best

 

Tennessee:

Butch Jones was never going to live up to UT’s expectations, he spent a career coaching under Brain Kelly, and following him, should have stuck with that.

Kyle Shanahan, Offensive Coordinator Atlanta Falcons – He comes from a coaching pedigree, he appears to have done great in the Pros and is considered an offensive mastermind. But UT tried the coaching pedigree before and it didn’t work. Long Shot –Good, probably actually Poor

Mike Norvell, Head Coach Memphis – He has done a great job at Memphis, which, if you know about the school and their past football woes, one can truly appreciate his efforts. He is already established in the state of Tennessee with recruiting ties. This hire would make way too much sense but UT is betting on someone else (in their flawed thinking) – Better

Jon Gruden, ESPN Analyst – Gruden has long been tied with the University and has stated that it would be his dream job. He had success in the NFL taking two teams to the Super Bowl, winning with Tampa Bay. But does that equal success in the college ranks? Also, would it be possible for him to live up to years and years of expectations by the fans?  He also seems very comfortable working for ESPN. The Vols are betting everything they have, that this is their man. I’m betting that it ain’t gonna happen.- Best  

 

Ole Miss:

The Rebels are hurting, they had a good coach and they were winning, but they aren’t even the Rebels anymore, or are they part-time Rebels? I guess you could say that they’re floundering. They need to make a good Coaching Hire, it’s now or never, so swing for the fences.

Les Miles, Former Head Coach LSU- This move would make sense, he’s already coached in the SEC West, and he already knows what the grass at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium tastes like. Plus he already has recruiting ties in the State of Mississippi from his time at LSU. It’s just a matter of how high is Ole Miss willing to reach? Good

Mike MacIntyre, Head Coach Colorado- I can hear the Southern voices from here, “What, bring in a West Coaster?” Hold on! From 1999-2002 MacIntyre was an assistant at Ole Miss, coaching receivers and then defensive backs, his dad was a Head Coach at Vanderbilt and he grew up in the South. It’s just most of his coaching career has been out west. Also, he has one hellava reputation for building programs into winners. But he can’t get them over the hump to Championships. Ole Miss needs to swing hard and hit a home run, this would be a long double, maybe a triple. –Better

Mike Norvell, Head Coach MemphisFor those that are terrible with geography, Memphis is only an hour and 15 minute drive from Oxford, MS, but it can be accomplished in a shorter time;- trust me, I’ve done it. This move would not require that much of a change for the Norvell family, and he’s already established a name for himself in that region, recruiting would be SO much easier for him. But he’s only been a head coach for two years. Would that be enough to scare Ole Miss off? – Best

 

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers rolled the dice with Mike Riley and it has come up craps. At the end of the season it is highly suspected that Riley’s time in Lincoln will end. We’re going to believe that, so here are some choices.

Bob Stoops, Former Head Coach OklahomaDoes anyone actually believe he’s done coaching? We don’t either. No question he was a success at Nebraska’s former rival. What he could do with Big Red would be nothing but winning, and it wouldn’t take him long to turn them around and make them winners. But he is a huge question mark, nobody knows what he’s doing. Good

Scott Frost, Head Coach Central Florida- Everyone that is anyone, believes this is the heir apparent. He’s from Nebraska, he played there and won a national championship, isn’t this the definition of “Momma Calling”? She might be, but the word is that Frost is very happy at UCF and that he doesn’t want to leave the South where it’s easier to recruit quality athletes. So this is not a slam dunk sure shot. Better

Craig Bohl, Head Coach Wyoming –  This is another Cornhusker Alum, he played there from 77-79, he was a graduate assistant  in the early 80’s and was Defensive assistant in the late 90’s. Then he left and took over North Dakota State who he put on the map. He has a longer and more successful record as a head coach. He knows the area, he’s recruited in the area, and he knows the culture from a fan aspect, a player and a coach. He could wreak havoc on all the teams up North. It’s not like he hasn’t already beaten them when he was at North Dakota, and he’s only 59 years old, which is a mere seven years younger that Saban and only 19 years younger than Snyder. Best

 

Texas A&M:

The Aggies have caused The Daughter enough heartache and it’s time for a change. It doesn’t matter what happens from now on, the writing is on the wall and Coach Sumlin is on the way out. He just couldn’t hang with the rest of the SEC.

Jimbo Fisher, Head Coach Florida State –  I would not be the biggest fan of this hire but it appears that A&M is already trying to test these waters. His time at FSU has been mostly a success, he has one National Championship and until this year they’ve mostly won. BUT he does not come without controversy. The way he handled situations in Tallahassee would not fly very well at College Station or the rest of Texas. Besides that, he’s an asshole. – Good

Matt Campbell, Head Coach Iowa State – This guy has spent his entire life above the Mason-Dixon line so for him to be pulled down to Texas might take some doing. But then the culture at A&M is far different then ISU. When he became the head coach of the Cyclones everyone thought well, his career has stalled. Not so, in two years it’s amazing what he’s done. They have upset two top ten teams and will have a winning record. How long has it been since ISU was looked at as a threat. His attitude and the way he coaches would fit like gloves at A&M. The downside is that he only has two years at a major program. – Better

Dave Clawson, Head Coach Wake Forest – This would be an out of the box hire but it would be a brilliant move. Clawson has yet to be hired at a program where he didn’t turn them around and make them into winners. He’s won at Richmond, Bowling Green, and Wake Forest. Anyone that can turn Wake Forest around and make them winners should be given a long hard look. A&M is not that far off from challenging for the SEC West Title, he could just be that spark that pushes them over the hump and makes them hardcore winners. – Best  

 

Arkansas:

Jeff Long took a long shot when hiring Bret Bielema away from Wisconsin, and it has ultimately cost him his job. Bielema has yet to be fired but that’ll more than likely happen at the end of the regular season. (not unless a new AD is already on board)

Blake Anderson- Head Coach Arkansas State – ASU has lately been a farm for coaches to grow into their own. Coach Anderson is no exception. He has actually lasted longer with the Red Wolves than most people thought he would. The last two years were his best with ASU winning everything in their conference. This year has been a bit of let down, but they’re still not losing. Arkansas is not that big a state so everywhere that Bielema went, Anderson went, too, and he hasn’t done badly with the left-overs from the University of Arkansas recruiting trail. The biggest downside would be that he has spent most of his coaching career with smaller schools except when he was at North Carolina. – Good

Chad Morris, Head Coach SMU- Coach Morris has done an incredible job with the down-trodden Mustangs. He hasn’t quite turned them around but just by watching their games it is obvious that this team is far better than they were before the last two years. He appears to be building them the right way, and he better because we know what happens at SMU when they cheat. Most of his coaching career has been in the High School ranks, until 2010, when he made the step up, so he might need some more seasoning and we’re not sure he wants to leave the state of Texas. Who can blame him for that? – Better

Bob Stoops, Former Head Coach Oklahoma- something tells me that should Coach Stoops get a chance to coach within the SEC he would take it. He’s always talked down about the SEC but his entire career he was dogged by the fact that the SEC was a better conference and that people doubted he could survive the grind. This is why whenever he beat a team from the South, and he did beat several of us, he would make a big deal about it. He would have no problems bringing the Hogs back to life and this just might the ideal situation for him to come back. Besides, Arkansas only borders PART of Oklahoma.– Best

 

Auburn 

Now this one is tricky, Gus Malzahn entered the season on the hot seat, but the flames appear to have calmed down. Not quite;- the reports are that if he doesn’t beat Alabama this year, he’s gone. Of course, if he does beat Bama this year, he can stay for another year. So as an Alabama fan I’m going to be optimistic that he loses the Iron Bowl.

Mike Hudspeth, Head Coach of Louisiana-Lafayette- When Coach Hudspeth was the head coach at North Alabama he produced nothing but winners. They made it to the playoffs every year except his first and second year. He didn’t win a National Championship there but still did really well. Then he moved to Louisiana-Lafayette where he turned the Cajuns around from the get go, and turning around Cajuns is one heck of a job. They’ve fallen a bit in the last two years and that’s why he’s not higher on the list. – Good

Neal Brown, Head Coach Troy – has done an incredible job with Trojans. Whenever they play a team within the higher ranks of Division I, they are always a threat to pull the upset. He spent plenty of time as an assistant at Troy, so he is very comfortable there. This would fit right in with him moving down the road to Auburn. It’s less than a two hour drive away from where he lives now. The past years he has been recruiting at smaller schools and getting less ranked players within the state of Alabama and look what he’s done! If he’s able to recruit in the same areas wearing Auburn gear there is no telling how well he would do. – Better

Brent Venables, Defensive Coordinator Clemson – Everywhere this guy has coached he has been a winner. He started off as a Graduate Assistant at Kansas State, learning under Bill Synder, and if there is a coach to learn from, that’s the one! Then he coached Defenses at Oklahoma, where he was very good. Then for a change of scenery, he took the same position at Clemson and now he has a Championship ring, (it was an illegal pick play!). He has been an assistant for the past 21 years and he’s only 46 years old. He has been offered head coaching jobs in the past but he appears to be holding out for the right one. This just might be it. – Best

Bonus Pick  Butch Jones, Former Head Coach of Tennessee – This would be the best choice for Auburn. He has a proven track record of not being able to handle the pressure of the SEC and he was not able to develop any of the highly recruited talent that came to Tennessee. BUT he can coach these players to become Champions of Life. How can Auburn turn him down? This would be a dream come true for all Alabama fans. – BY FAR THE BEST PICK  

Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Response

Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.