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:

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Sten Carlson

October 3rd, 2016 at 3:00 PM ^

Texas' current situation is eerily similar to Michigan's time of tribulation. Brown is their Carr, and it now seems that Strong is Texas' Rich Rod. Again, the similarities are striking. Strong was not a popular choice --- for a variety reason (some legitimate, some not so much), and like RichRod, inherited a tradition rich program whose longtime stewards had let it run aground somewhat. Strong, like RichRod, was faced with a fanbase who mostly refused to see the roster issues as causative, and a vocal (and now growing) movement to oust him right from jump street. Neither did themselves any favors by opening their tenures with terrible seasons, but neither were they completely to blame. So the question becomes: will Texas have a Brady Hoke guy, and if so, who is their Harbaugh? The only guy that comes to mind with UT connections is Major Applewhite, who is currently the OC at ... ironically ... University of Houston. I see Texas going "all-in" to get Hermann, and with Applewhite on his staff (and doing well) they'll have a nice pry bar there to help it happen. Texas has a QB for the future, and has already switched over to a Baylor-style up-tempo power running spread style offense that Houston runs. With the recruiting overlap, i.e., Hermann has probably recruited most of all UT's recruits and many on the current roster, the transition really could not be more seamless. It's going to be interesting to see. I think LSU firing Miles has forced Texas' hand a bit (if the rumors turn out to be true). I live in Austin, and although I pull for the Longhorns, I take a morbid delight in their troubles for some reason. I said exactly this about the comparisons between Michigan and Texas to my Longhorn friends. They usually nod ruefully, and say "well you have Harbaugh now ..." as they search desperately for someone to fall out of the Texas coaching tree. It's Hermann or bust, as far as I can tell.

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jmblue

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:41 PM ^

 

Strong, like RichRod, was faced with a fanbase who mostly refused to see the roster issues as causative, and a vocal (and now growing) movement to oust him right from jump street.

 

I take issue with the contention that the Michigan fanbase wasn't supportive enough of RR.   Michigan Stadium was full for every home game under RR and the fans were about as positive as possible given the brutally bad football being played.  

The only time you could seriously accuse Michigan fans of not really buying in was in 2014, and even then we probably fared about as well as any blueblood program's fans would given that it was year seven of the RR/Hoke malaise, the home schedule was awful, and we had an athletic director who made no bones about the fact that we were  purely a cash cow to be milked heavily.   

 

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Sten Carlson

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:54 PM ^

I never said the lack of support for either is responsible for their failure. But, to say that there wasn't a contingent who were opposed to RR from the beginning, and who crowed, "I told you so!" is disingenuous. Neither one helped quell dissent with solid opening seasons, but there were many who wanted/expected failure.

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jmblue

October 3rd, 2016 at 6:02 PM ^

I went to every home game in RR's tenure.  I feel quite confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of Michigan fans just wanted to win football games.  They didn't care if the coach had a West Virginia accent or not.  

John U. Bacon - who wrote about the most flattering account possible to RR - stressed repeatedly that the fans were in his corner.  But for some reason, there are those who want to create this alternate history in which Michigan fans were booing him out of the tunnel.

The willingness of some to pretty much throw the whole school under the bus to defend this man never ceases to amaze me.  

 

 

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WolverineHistorian

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^

Indeed.

The game against Western, one year removed from the worst season in the history of the program and just a couple weeks removed from Stretch-gate hitting the public and the program about to get punished for it...the big house crowd chanted RichRod's name in support.



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Sten Carlson

October 3rd, 2016 at 5:01 PM ^

Take issue all you want, but I respectfully believe you're wrong. It was obvious to me, while being active on another Michigan site and in talking with other fans, that many Michigan fans refused to believe the "bare cupboard" meme. To this day arguments will ensue in here with both sides pointing to drafted players, open scholarships, lack of OLinemen, and QB's. I didn't see as "positive as possible." I saw rage and hatred, and as to my point above, a complete disconnect with the realities of roster, facilities, and the general state of the program in 2008. Again, the similarities are striking, at least to me, with Texas fans possibly being MORE unwilling to accept the state of the program than Michigan fans were.

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Sten Carlson

October 4th, 2016 at 12:49 AM ^

Of course, "most of us" fans wanted the team to win. But, are you denying that when he took over the program was bifurcated? Further, do you deny that some within the power bases inside the program were anti-RichRod? It's those people of whom I speak, those that can and did make actual changes, and those who are pushing to fire Strong at Texas -- the "big money boosters" and the AD. There's nothing that anyone can say to me to convince me that the reception Michigan gave RR was not unified, and that that dynamic aided in RR's poor performance. Was it the entire reason? No, but it certainly didn't help. Another factor is the "bare cupboard" left by Carr. As I said in my OP, it still, to this day, raises a debate, and the denial (cognitive dissonance -- well put Richard75!) is in full display. I spent way too much time on Hail Victors debating and detailing the uncanny amount of attrition (in all its forms) during the transition, I'm not going to waste time on it again. Suffice it to say, the whole thing was a giant clusterfuck, much like Texas is right now. Fans wanting him to win is irrelevant.

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JamieH

October 3rd, 2016 at 8:12 PM ^

When Jim Harbaugh was faced with a questionable depth chart at QB, he went out and got Jake Rudock to transfer here and coached him up into an NFL draft pick.  When RichRod was faced with a bad depth chart at QB, he had Threet, a guy I might have been able to beat in the 40-yard dash, and Sheridan running the freakin' read-option. 

Rich Rodriguez felt it was more important to implement his system than adapt to the personnel on hand and try to win football games.  That was a choice.  There was no requirement than anyone like his choice. 

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UMxWolverines

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:05 PM ^

Really? This is Michigan and we recruit better than any team in this conference not named Ohio State. Lloyd's classes in 2005, 2006, and 2007 were all ranked in the top ten on scout. The bare cupboard thing is a myth. It was bad coaching not getting those guys to their potential that was the issue. There was no reason we should have been losing to Toledo, Illinois, and Purdue in 2008 and 2009. 

Do you think James Franklin's only problem right now is the ''bare cupboard''? And besides I thought you were a Hoke apologist...not RR. You told me in 2014 that we were certain to have a bad season because ''we were so young''. 

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Richard75

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^

This is exactly what the previous poster is talking about, actually.

Take the '05 class, which was #2 nationally. It had 11 guys who were Rivals 4 or 5 stars. Of those 11: Bass and Zirbel were lost to injury; Manningham went pro after '07; Slocum washed out; Germany and McKinney left before RR arrived; Grady was reduced by injury and Schifano lost interest in football.

So 8 of the best 11 were of virtually no use to RR. Yet still people say, "But it was a top-10 class." As if that still meant something by fall 2008 after all of the above attrition. This is what the previous poster means regarding the cognitive dissonance of many fans on this issue.



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Sten Carlson

October 4th, 2016 at 1:01 AM ^

No, the bare cupboard left to Franklin is not the ONLY problem, but it most definitely a major problem. Michigan was young, and we're seeing the fruit of those good classes who were pressed into action early because of depth/roster issues that were still effecting the program from the previous regime change. How many sholarships was Hoke down again? There's a reason the NCAA takes them away as punishment -- because it makes it very tough for a program to compete with programs who are at their limit. This issue turns people into jelly, and makes them forget the basic tenets of CFB program building -- the development and maintenance of the recruiting pipeline. When there are roster issues, often times the seeds of it were sown 3, 4, or even 5 years prior. Thankfully, despite less than stellar results, Hoke left some very nice mature morsels in the cupboard. Even still, there were some holes that have needed extra attention to get filled. I'm not sure what is so difficult about view this fact for what it is.

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snarling wolverine

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:52 PM ^

It seems like a lof of these former Big East guys (RichRod, Brian Kelly, Charlie Strong) don't live up to the hype.  Somehow there's always a conspiracy theory to justify their shortcomings. Maybe the Big East/American/whatever just sucks and we should take results from there with a grain of salt.  (Incidentally, this also might give us pause about Herman.)

 

 

 

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MichiganStudent

October 3rd, 2016 at 3:15 PM ^

Herman to Texas. Rabback it. It makes sense to slow play this to give Herman his time to shine with his current team and allows less distractions. After Houston is out of playoff picture or the season is over then I expect them to name him the new head coach.



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mackbru

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:02 PM ^

Jeez. Wouldn't it be simple enough to just send the message through an intermediary (agent, booster) rather than hang the guy out to dry like this? It's so childish.

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Humen

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:38 PM ^

This SI story doesn't make any sense and conflicts with other insider reports. I'm calling BS. Sure, he's expected to be gone. Don't make up a story. I'm embarrassed that we're giving SI clicks for this. It's Ace Williams stuff.



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BlueinLansing

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^

has become an ugly corporate business, its sucks.

 

LSU let Miles go to be the first in lie for Herman, that will cause others to follow suit I"m affraid.  It appears Texas is wanting to be next in line.

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Rabbit21

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:11 PM ^

Strong will do very well in his next job, I have always liked him and feel like he walked into the worst possible situation at Texas. Texas is still going to have to go through a shakeout of the suck, but if it means UM can grab some players they normally get shut out for, then it is all to the good.



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