OT: Best Coaching Hire So Far This Season?

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

Michigan won the coach-hiring sweepstakes last season. Who's winning so far this year? My top 3 are:

1. Virginia (Mendenhall)

2. YT Miami (Richt)

3. Maryland (Durkin)

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bacon

December 5th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^

I disagree with this. Kirby smart is the latest in a string of defensive coordinators from the Nick saban line to get a head coaching job. Sure, he's probably a great Defensive guy, but when you've got Nick saban, really you've got a tremendous defensive mind above you and if you f' up, he'll straighten it out. Durkin was a DC in that situation under Muschamp, but in coming to Michigan he showed he can run his own defense without the safety net of a defense minded HC. Also, it was brief, but Durkin was the interim Head coach at Florida for about a month. He prep'd like a head coach, game planed like a game coach, led practices as a head coach and even coached a bowl game as a head coach. Not that it's a lot of experience, but Smart has never done it. That said, you're dead on about Maryland being a much worse job than Georgia.

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HAIL-YEA

December 5th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^

Why don't you go ahead and list some of these Nick Saban DC's who left for head coaching jobs. I'll save you some time, here is the list.

1. Kirby Smart DC 2008-2015

 

I don't kmow who will be the better head coach but as for who was the better DC, it was Smart and it's not even close.

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bacon

December 6th, 2015 at 9:01 PM ^

When Saban was the head coach of Toledo in 1990 and at MSU from 1994-1997, his DC was Dean Peas who left MSU to become Head coach of Kent State. When Saban was at LSU, his DC for 3 years was Will Muschamp, who was subsequently a head coach at Florida. He did serve other places after LSU, but he was well thought of at LSU and should have been able to get a head coach position after LSU. Instead he followed Saban to be the assistant head coach at Miami. As you mentioned Smart has been the DC under Saban since his second year at Bama. My point was that if he was viewed as a sure fire head coach candidate, it wouldn't have taken him from 2008-15 to get a great head coaching offer. Bama won 3 national championships with him as the DC. IMO, that suggests that there was a question about whether he could hack it without Saban.

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MichiganStudent

December 4th, 2015 at 10:31 PM ^

Virginia with Bronco
Miami with Richt
VaTech with Fuentes

Durkin deserves no mention at all as he is a complete unknown as a head coach.



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Dunder

December 5th, 2015 at 7:00 AM ^

Maryland should make? If he turns out to be the next great head coach, they'll have him for 7 or 8 years before he heads to an elite program and they will win way beyond expectations. If not, they aren't any worse off.

For that matter, shouldn't Michigan have made that type of hire instead of Brady Hoke, if no top 10 options were available?

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SalvatoreQuattro

December 4th, 2015 at 10:38 PM ^

Durkin is a complete unknown at this point.

Rutgers and South Carolina are looking like the clear losers at this point. Spurrier's midseason departure still has not made it easy for SoCar to find a coach.

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BursleyHall82

December 4th, 2015 at 10:41 PM ^

Obviously Durkin is an unknown as a head coach, but I put him third on the list because Maryland is a nobody as a football school, and they got a young, proven DC from Michigan and Florida. It was probably the biggest splash that a nobody school like Maryland could make.

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treetown

December 4th, 2015 at 10:43 PM ^

Fun to speculate - but like drafts, how things look in 3 years is what matters. Ahem, we unfortunately have seen that the initial period or 1st season is not really a great predictor.

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LSAClassOf2000

December 4th, 2015 at 10:52 PM ^

Mark Richt at Miami seems like a great move for the Hurricanes really - I would think he'll have the program doing some nice things in very short order, and if the staff he assembles is as good at recruiting as he is, that can only help.

Mendenhall going to Virginia was actually a bit of a shocker to me, but he now gets access to some great recruiting grounds and I think he has the acumen to take Virginia to places that London simply could not. 

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Wolfman

December 4th, 2015 at 10:52 PM ^

but for next year I think it will be Richt at Miami. They are never going to return to their "militant" gangsta era of dominance and probation and he is the perfect candidate to instill the values important to life after fb in that talent rich city. Hell, if he recruits that city alone, his football knowledge will take them to 9 - 10 victories a season w/in a short time. Damn good hire.

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michfn2

December 4th, 2015 at 10:53 PM ^

The Colts with Nick Saban

The Browns with Urban Meyer

The Giants or Eagles with Brian Kelly.

/s
Highly doubtful, but you can always hope.

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Ty Butterfield

December 4th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^

I think some people are excited about his athleticism and how nice it would be to have a mobile QB. HOWEVA, I think it would be great if O'Korn could win the job and be at least as good as late season Rudock. JO'K will have had all this season plus spring ball to work out timing etc with all the WRs and hopefully Jake Butt. All this time learning Harbaugh's system has to help JO'K. It would be great if Michigan could actually have an experienced QB return for his Senior year. Edit: If JO'K starts in 2016 and wins the job in 2017 he will be a redshirt senior.

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