2013 College Football Coaching Carousel thread...

I still have not heard one legitimate thing Texas - or ANY college job for that matter - offers that would make leaving Alabama even remotely make sense for Nick Saban.

 

Saban is not going anywhere. Not another school. Not the NFL. Not the CFL, Arena League, whatever. He'll be at Alabama until he decides to retire. And why not?

Look, I don't fault the Texas people for talking to his agent to see if he would be interested, if Mack Brown had decided to retire last off-season. The way these coaching searches go, it makes sense to have a backup plan in place. Once Brown decided he still wanted to coach, it was a moot point.

I can't say whether Brown will come back next year. If the team really tanks, he may decide to hang it up. I doubt he'd take another job anywhere else. Texas will find a decent coach whenever the time comes. It just won't be Nick Saban, Kevin Sumlin or Bob Stoops. But these things seem to be fun for the media and fans to chat about.

 

That's not true. He gets the full amount only if they fire him before the contract is up.

There is no buyout clause for Saban, meaning he can leave whenever he wants for another job or just to retire. But he won't get paid for not coaching if he leaves voluntarily.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7740227/alabama-crimson-tide-grant-coach-nick-saban-raise-2-year-extension

 

I'm trying to figure out who the "hot" coaches will be now. Figure Sumlin is set at A&M. But I still hear a lot about Fitzgerald, Charlie Strong and I also wonder about Jim Mora. I don't think he'll leave Westwood until a Rose Bowl win, but he'd be a good hire for Texas, and you have to figure he'll want another shot at the NFL at some point if the right job came along.

 

I think Texas takes a serious look at Art Briles if/when Saban rebuffs them. However, Briles is almost as old as Mack Brown (then again, so is Saban). They'd probably go after Alabama DC Kirby Smart.

Gotta figure USC makes a run at Steve Sarkisian. He's not exactly set the world on fire at UW, but he's got roots in LA and at USC.

If/when Nebraska fires Pelini, they'll almost certainly chase Scott Frost, who is not only a beloved former player but is also involved with a hot program as OC at Oregon.

And there will be someone from a mid-major or BCS bottom-dweller whose team will win 10 games and get him mentioned for every job. Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze is a possibility, though he's from just down the road from Oxford and has coaching roots in Memphis, so I don't know that he jumps.

 

Texas?

Chip Kelly.

 

They'd have to wait a year, even if he were interested.

 

Fixed.

 

That's actually not a bad idea. If the money is right. And Texas will make sure the money is right.

If (big IF) Kelly goes there, you can make damn sure that he won't let the studs get away like Brown did.

I like Kelly, but he is going to be miserable in the NFL. Just don't know how it's going to look if he bolts the Eagles after 1 season. I love his system, but it's just not going to work in the NFL.

 

No system works with six sacks and four turnovers. But one big difference in the pros is that the big gains generate by Kelly's offense aren't quite as big. Long runs and passes aren't always touchdowns, because NFL defenders run fast, too.

 

Michael, you're right that poor execution kills any system, but one of the problems is that the ultra-spread formations lead to more sacks. There are often fewer blockers (you aren't keeping a TE or RB in to help) and wider spacing on the line, which creates one-on-one matchups, so it you have a weak link or the other side has a killer pass rusher, it's harder to provide blocking help. That's one reason the Eagles couldn't block Justin Houston last night, and it's why Vick has been getting blasted regularly so far, even when he gets passes away.

And maybe a bigger factor is whether the defense can hold together. In college, you have a whole lot more players to rotate in and out to keep the defense fresh. The Eagles defense has noticeably worn down late in games.

 

Dudes, Kelly was hit with an 18-month NCAA show cause order in late June, which means he can't take a college job until December 26, 2014.