Rich Rod interested in Ole Miss
Thought i would share - insider rumor quotes RR, says he is interested in the job at Miss.
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/features/rumors?date=20111112
Did mention one thing about Michigan:
"I think I have 10 to 15 years left in coaching and I'm hungrier than I've ever been. We didn't get a chance to see it through at Michigan for various reasons."
Kind of a jab, but doesn't give the full context, so I don't know.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:21 AM ^
I hope he gets the job and lands on his feet and does well.
No hard feelings, I think he worked hard, never got a fair chance with the media. However, I am happier with Hoke so it might work out best for both parties.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^
Co-sign.
November 13th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^
Mmmm... trig....
November 13th, 2011 at 3:56 PM ^
I was told there would be no math.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:24 AM ^
I think the ACC would be a better fit for him. I really don't need or want a reason to watch more SEC football.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:32 AM ^
Rich Rod needs to stick to the Big East and ACC until he decides defense is at least as important offense...
November 13th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
just can't micro manage the D like he did here, and let the D-coord do his thing...
November 13th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
It's not just about RR not micro-managing the defense. Many of the issues stem from his blind loyalty towards his assistants, namely Gibson (who this season has shown is just worthless).
November 13th, 2011 at 9:36 AM ^
Every problem he had in the Big 10 would be magnified at Ole Miss. Even harder to recruit, etc.
Though, I think they would give him all the support he needed unlike here.
I think he would be better off in a lesser conference, like the ACC. But I hope he gets a job soon...he is a good coach, deserves another chance to clean his name.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^
Plus, he could oversign like a mother too. Would defo help with the attrition
November 13th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^
I'd be curious to see how he'd handle that situation. I'd like to think that he wouldn't oversign.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
Yeah, no SEC fan base has ever turned on its coach. Just ask Bill Curry, who was 10-1 when he got a brick through the window.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
They would give him more support because going 3-9 in year 1 would be considered acceptable. Not a Michigan, and for good reason.
November 13th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
I'm not sure where people get the idea that SEC fans are somehow more reasonable in their expectation levels than we are. It's the opposite if anything. College football is the only game in town in Mississippi, so if the team struggles, there's nothing else to divert fans' attention. Ole Miss has had 36 coaches in 115 seasons. That's not a long average tenure. (For comparative purposes, we've had 19 coaches in 132 seasons - and 12 in the past 111.)
November 13th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
Completely co-sign. I lived in Louisiana and Tennessee for awhile, and met many fans of all SEC schools. The irrationality of, say, the Ole Miss fan or Arkansas or Tennessee or Mississippi State or even Auburn fan is....surprising. The thing is though, most SEC schools have had some time in the sun, and it's like their fans all think that it is "normal" when they're winning, and anything less than that is unacceptable, at most of these schools. But then you think: in the last 15 years, all of the following have been top-10 teams: Georgia, Bama, Auburn, Miss. State (close) Kentucky (for like a week a few years ago, right? They were like 7-1, I think?) Tennessee, Ole Miss (not ever top 10, but they had Eli Manning and Cutcliffe did pretty damn well and their fanbase was stoked) Florida (duh), Arkansas (2 years ago, plus now), LSU (obv), so...everyone but Vandy? Who was decent around the time Kentucky was decent, weren't they? With Cutler and Earl Bennett? Their fans are bat-shit insane in their expectations, generally. But you can sort of see why: the SEC owns college football, for better or (mostly, in my mind) worse.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:38 AM ^
I have to disagree with most people here--I don't think RR's system would succeed in the SEC. His typically smaller, quicker personnel would get brutalized going up against SEC defenses week after week....especially in the West division.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:52 AM ^
SEC players are big AND fast. Look at the DL sized LB's at Alabama or just about any player on the LSU defense. But, it would be interesting to watch.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
LSU size and speed did a job on smaller fast Oregon, winning 40-27. RR would struggle w/o a good defense.
November 13th, 2011 at 1:55 PM ^
you do realize that the 27 put up by oregon is the highest point total they've given up right? next is WVa's 21. hmmm, both spread teams. next is Fla and Aub at 11 and 10, respectively.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^
I partially disagree. That's how Urban Meyer won so many championships at Florida. He always recruited the smaller quicker guys, but the BIGGEST difference was he had a GREAT defense (coached by none other than Mattison) that had big fast guys. Winning the SEC is accomplished by having the best defense. So with that, yes RR would not do well unless he found a good D-Coordinator. Offensively I think RR could do very well with Florida's offensive style change, he already has good relationships with FL high schools, being at Ole Miss would give him the "You still get to play in the SEC" pitch to those kids. He could recruit an incredibly dangerous offense in No time at Ole Miss.
The question mark is on the defensive side.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^
I seem to remember Florida not having much of a running game outside of Tebow, who was built like a fullback rather than the lithe types RR prefers. Also, Tebow miraculously never got hurt--he goes out and it's a completely different team (as witnessed by the offense last season under Brantley).
November 13th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
Remember they won their first National Championship with Chris Leak, not Tebow. And if you don't remember, they had a guy named Percy Harvin who was pretty solid. Small, Fast guy that was utilized in a spread type offense. And I think Rainey and Demps might argue with you as well about the running game. Take a look at their YPC average. Also look at the 2008-09 season stats where they won, 4 guys that had nearly the exact same yards rushing.
| Tim Tebow | 176 | 673 | 3.8 | 26 (TD) | 12 |
| Percy Harvin | 70 | 659 | 9.4 | 80 (TD) | 10 |
| Chris Rainey | 84 | 652 | 7.8 | 75 (TD) | 4 |
| Jeff Demps | 78 | 605 | 7.8 | 62 (TD) |
7 |
My point was Meyer's offense was very similar to RR in utilizing speed with a running quarterback that succeeded very well in the SEC, but they really won the championships on Defense.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:42 AM ^
His ethics would fit right in down in the SEC.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:43 AM ^
Well since Ole Miss has already been run into the ground, he should do well.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:49 AM ^
Seriously?
November 13th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
If I remembered correctly, RR's Offense got shutdown in the Gator Bowl and Defense can barely stop anything.
November 13th, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^
Arizona is the perfect place for him ! He will be given four years to succeed in a conference that emphasizes offense
November 13th, 2011 at 10:34 AM ^
There conference's defense usually suck ass. All about the O there, but we'll see. I think he'd get demolished in the SEC.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^
Yeah Arizona is definitely the better option I think. His style of play would work well I think in the PAC-12. Once the sanctions kick in USC will be down for a few years and the rest of the PAC-12 south shouldn't scare anyone so there's definitely an opening there for Arizona.
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<br>I also saw somewhere that RichRod might be a candidate for UCF if that opens up at the end of the season. That would be the absolute perfect fit I think, Big East and Florida.
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<br>In any case wherever he goes, the school needs to pay whatever they need to get a real defensive coordinator.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:02 AM ^
I love RR but I am tired of his weekly "we were so close" quotes.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^
Agreed. We are supposed to let it go, and he should too.
November 13th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
We're 8-2 right now and it wouldn't have taken much more to have this team sitting at 10-0 right now. Hard to knock the guy for thinking the team was going to be a lot better this year when it then actually happens. It's also a little irritating to hear people complain that he ignored the defense when the guys he recruited (only RVB and Woolfolk didn't sign or commit to play for RR) are now the #5 scoring defense in the country.
At a minimum, Rodriguez did a fantastic job recruiting and rebuilding this program. The least people could do is say thank you as that fact becomes so blindingly apparent this season.
November 13th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
Yeah he may have recruited a lot of those guys but got nothing out of them, and never would have with his forcing the 3-3-5. I bet if you asked any D player this season if they'd run through a wall for Mattison every one of them would say yes. Then ask RR's guys the same thing and I think they'd say "oh you mean the guy who threw us under the bus every week and said a dead NFL legend couldn't even coach us?'
November 13th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^
You realize that 99% of the defense this year are RichRod's guys, so, in asking every D player this season if they would run through a wall and asking RR's guys the same thing, you would get the same answer because they are one in the same. Sometimes this board gets un-readable when talking about RichRod.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^
im willing to bet he learned from have gerg on his staff that 1)hire someone who has a track record of success and 2)keep your nose out of it.
if so, he would be just fine at ole miss
November 13th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
November 13th, 2011 at 5:29 PM ^
Couldn't have been much better? I guess his Syracuse years were just a bad dream. Cuse fans even warned us he'd ruin our D, but numerous folks on this site pointed to those two rings. Guess I now know who was right.
November 14th, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^
And the debacle that was the Kansas City defense.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^
I'm wondering if Ole Miss will splurge for a good set of coordinators. Maybe not Kirby Smart level (though that would be a coup), but getting Jeff Casteel or someone comparable would be essential to compete in the SEC West.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
RichRod could work with Ole Miss because he can take a bunch of three star athletes and make a prolific offense out of them. He recruits two different types of player on offense: the slot ninja / scat back / smallish option QB, and undersized quick OL. Those are two talent pools that are overflowing. His overbearing offensive coaching style even means he can recruit track stars rather than football players and make slot receivers with little business playing QB into dangerous weapons.
Now, of course he tried to do the same thing with a 3-3-5 defense at Michigan and overloaded the team with a bunch of tweeners that nobody new how to use.
If RichRod gets over himself, brings in a spread coordinator to help and lets a capable d coordinator do his job, he would be a great success at Ole Miss.
Of course, from the quote you posted, I don't think he has done that yet, so let me point out a couple of numbers to him: 261-366 / 11.7 . Thats pf-pa and average margin of defeat for the Big 10 season and the bowl game against a second tier SEC team.
November 13th, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^
November 13th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
You forgot:
"Be the subject of countless threads and flame wars on this board for years."
November 13th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
It makes one wonder how anyone ever got over the unjust firing of Brian Ellerbie, a great man for whom I shall root at whatever job he ends up.
November 13th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^
First off, Ellerbe was an awful coach. Second, if he was such a great man, one would think you might learn how to spell his name correctly.
November 13th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
First off, it was sarcastic.
Second, the "great man" comment is a goof on folks who begin every RR post with "he's a great man".
Third, Ellerbe (how dare I spell his name incorrectly!) left Michigan with a winning record. A certain "great man" did not.
November 13th, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^
Dude. Just...no. I like/liked Ellerbe as a person and am glad he's finally been coaching again, but just...no, man. Talk about having talent on a team and not doing much with it...yeah. After that B10 tourney run, all downhill.
November 13th, 2011 at 2:51 PM ^
Having a winning record in basketball is the exact same as having a winning record in football. Good point.
November 13th, 2011 at 4:07 PM ^
dahblue - is it just me, or are some missing the point?
Guys - It has been almost a year. It is time to move on.