Semi-OT: Charlie Strong out at Texas At End of the Year

Submitted by boliver46 on

Speculation and rumors running rampant about the job security of Charlie Strong at Texas:

Just days after reports after athletic director Mike Perrin said coach Charlie Strong’s Texas program would need evaluation but not immediate wholesale changes, Sports Illustrated is reporting that Strong will be out as the Longhorns’ coach at the end of the season.

If this seems a little odd...it is.  The impact to the current team and any recruits would be tough:

If Texas has indeed decided to part ways with Strong, waiting until the end of the season, especially with at least eight games remaining, seems ridiculous. Anything could happen in those eight games. Texas hasn’t had a winning season since going 8-5 in 2013. The Longhorns could sweep the rest of the season or it could be mediocre. Either way, it’s now out there that Strong is a lameduck coach, which will no doubt have an effect on the way the Longhorns play.

From another article, it is ramping up to be an amazing number of high-profile programs likely looking for coaches:

With Strong expected to be gone at the end of this season, the stage is set for one of the most robust coaching carousels in the past decade. There's an expectation that jobs could open at Texas, Auburn, USC and Oregon to join the opening at LSU. (There's still a chance Penn State could move on James Franklin, but athletic director Sandy Barbour made definitive statements to the Altoona Mirror this week that Franklin "is not on the hot seat" and "is going to be our football coach.")

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Lots of potential openings, but leaving Strong hanging around all year doesn't seem like the best approach.

Thoughts as to replacement that fits in with the Texas "brand"? (Paging Dave Brandon)

I'd be yelling too:

AA Forever

October 3rd, 2016 at 12:52 PM ^

Water is wet.

No way does this team pull itself together to save his job. The defense is a train wreck, in a conference where everyone plays offense. They will give up 40+ in quite a few more games, I predict.

And his punt in the 4th quarter was as bad as Franklin's field goal try. That's what will piss the Texas fans off as much as losing, if not more. If you're going to lose, at least you want a coach who will instill in his team the attitude "we may go down, but we're never going down easy". Strong is not that guy, clearly.

boliver46

October 3rd, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^

Pretty much agree with the water is wet comment.

Much of what I'm commenting on is the timing...why wait til the end of the year?  Keeps the uncertainty going with his current team, and recruits are going to be turned off by not knowing who will be the next coach (committing to a PROGRAM and not a COACH, caveats aside).

This is not a motivational ploy, this is complete undermining of your current head coach. 

Stupid.

In reply to by boliver46

vbnautilus

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:04 PM ^

I disagree. It *might* be true that "water is wet", but it really shouldn't be used as an example of something that is obviously true. 

It isn't obviously true to me. Wet is what happens to other things when they come in contact with water. Water itself isn't wet. It seems like a very strange use of the word "wet" to say that water itself is wet.

I can see the argument for it, but whenever someone uses this phrase to tell me that something is obvious, I feel like it totally backfires. 

In reply to by boliver46

BigWeb

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:08 PM ^

the AD's need to shit or get off the pot and make decisions for the long term. Stringing along a Coach is bad for all involved. Just seems like a Coach could dominate at Texas with all the money, facilities and a recruiting hotbed. Anyway, I am glad Michigan doesn't have to deal with it right now.

In reply to by boliver46

jmblue

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:53 PM ^

Much of what I'm commenting on is the timing...why wait til the end of the year?

So you don't get into a Brian Ellerbe situation, where the players rally around an interim coach who wouldn't normally be a candidate, and demand that the AD hire him.

MichiganExile

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:08 PM ^

You never know until you KNOW, but he certainly looks like a slamdunk candidate especially for Texas. 

1) Ran an offense that obliterated the best defensive program of the past decade

2) Apprenticed under one of the best coaches of this era

3) Has turned Houston into a power in less than a year with a total head coaching record of 18-1

4) Already has victories over ranked teams in Oklahoma and FSU

5) Already has Texas recruiting relationships

 

Benoit Balls

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:42 PM ^

that if USC comes open, thats Herman's "dream" job. Hes a So-Cal native. SC is just as rich and Blue-Bloodish, but with fewer unreasonable zealots.  

Thats why these schools hitting the eject button early doesnt much make sense to me. It's not like guys like Herman are going to jump ship mid-season to join them, so I dont get it

Speaking of guys who jump ship mid season, I wonder where Petrino will end up?  Anyone think theres a chance he goes to LSU (assuming they dont get Herman)?

My wld ass, seat of pants guesses:

PSU- Miles

USC- Herman

LSU- Jimbo Fisher

Texas - Petrino

Now that Ive said it, all 4 are all but guaranteed to be wrong. Thats what I get for posting things after thinking about them for 24 whole seconds.  Only the hottest taeks from me

 

JamieH

October 3rd, 2016 at 7:51 PM ^

Depends on what you want.  I've lived in both LA and Austin, so I can kind of compare directly. 

 

Texas football people are crazy.  You will get about 1/3rd of a season to succeed there before they start looking for your replacement.  Expectations are pretty unrealistic, not like Ann Arbor.  Basically they need to hire their Harbaugh, or it will not be good enough for them. 





USC has problems too, but Pete Caroll created a blue-print for what modern USC can be, albeit probably by cheating.  Still, USC when it is riding high, is still a pretty damn great program, and they aren't going to be nearly as quick to run you out of town.   Plus if you are an "LA Type", the rock-star quotient of being in LA is unmatched anywhere else.   If you have college-football coach money, LA may be the best place to live in the country.

jmblue

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:58 PM ^

PSU isn't going to fire Franklin this year.    Visit a PSU message board and you really won't see that much of a groundswell for his firing.  The consensus is that he needs at least one more year because he had to deal with the sanctions fallout.

 

MichiganExile

October 3rd, 2016 at 3:35 PM ^

If SC is Herman's dream job it's news to me and I'm a Trojan alum too so I follow them fairly closely. A cursory look at his history shows he played at Cal Lutheran but all of his coaching history is from Texas or the midwest. SC is an attractive job, but given his history and connections Texas would be a much better choice. I would love it if he ended up at SC but that's not likely to happen. 

y2mh

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:42 PM ^

 Personally, think it would be more beneficial to us GoBlue fans that the opposite happen.

 Would rather have Louisville give Houston one in the Loss column, if Navy doesn't this week. One less undefeated to have playoffs committee to contend with at end of year and clearer path in for UofM.

Valiant

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:20 PM ^

Pretty much every possible sign points to yes.  There aren't many Harbaugh's out there who would be an absolute slam dunk, but Herman is as close as it gets.

growler4

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:17 PM ^

Plus ... there is a plethora of great high school football talent in Texas. One could likly recruit ONLY in Texas and put together a great team year in and year out.

You noted "network". If you are referencing connections with high school coaches and alumni - yes. If you are referencing the tv network, though, I think it has hurt UT. A lot of people, fans included, don't have regular tv access to their games.

FauxMo

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:23 PM ^

You can't really blame the fans and boosters for being upset. Right now, UT, the flagship school and program in the state of Texas is ranked #6...in the state of Texas. That would be like UM being ranked lower than MSU, WMU, CMU, EMU, and Grand Valley. 

uncle leo

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:47 PM ^

TCU, Texas A&M, Houston, Baylor, Texas Tech, (not sure the other one I'm missing, probably pretty obvious) are all major programs and have had runs of success in the present and past. There's a much bigger pool of programs. CMU, WMU, EMU, Grand Valley are all low tier and even a lower conference.