'Tis the Season - 12/4/08

After some tech issues, Coach Meech and his sports blog have finally returned to the Internet Universe. Now on with the show…

Indeed it is the season once again, the time of the year when the college football coaching carousel begins to turn like crazy. It started a little early this year, in the first week of October, when the University of Washington gave Tyrone Willingham his walking papers. Then Phil Fulmer got the ax at Tennessee and Lane Kiffin was hired to replace him. Sylvester Croom walked away from Mississippi State. Then, Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen became the first high-profile Division 1-A assistant coach to move on, taking the head coaching job at Wyoming. Now here we are less than 24 hours removed from the dismissal of Tommy Tuberville at Auburn.

Tuberville’s firing has been about five years in the making. Who could forget the 2003 season? Auburn finished that season 8-5, capping the year with a 28-14 win over Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl. To that point Tuberville had won three SEC Western Division Titles in his five seasons on the Plains but apparently that wasn’t good enough. Auburn officials and boosters flew out to Louisville on a private jet to woo then-Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino. Of course Petrino played along (just like he always does) and romanced the Tiger faithful for a little while and then decided to stay put. Tuberville was reluctantly brought back for the 2004 season and only turned in a perfect 13-0 season capped by a 16-13 win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Auburn defeated five Top 15 teams that season and beat Alabama in the annual Iron Bowl.

Tuberville leaves Auburn with an 85-40 record (52-30 in the SEC) in ten seasons on the Plains. Auburn won or shared five SEC Western Division crowns during his tenure. He also went 7-3 in the annual Iron Bowl game against arch-rival Alabama. Auburn had made eight consecutive bowl game appearances before this year’s 5-7 finish. By the way, Auburn went 3-8 and finished dead-last in the SEC Western Division the year before Tuberville's arrival. But the university higher-ups got their wish. Tuberville is history. If I were on the Plains, I would be absolutely embarrassed at the way the Auburn administration treated Tuberville through the back end of his tenure. I wonder who Auburn really thinks can replace him. Mike Leach? Maybe, if Washington doesn’t get to him first.

Speaking of “Who’s next,” that brings me to my alma mater, the Syracuse University Orangemen (Screw you, Nancy Cantor. They will always be the Orangemen to me, not the neutered Orange.) The Greg Robinson Era officially ended (mercifully) with a 30-10 loss to the Big East champion Cincinnati Bearcats. It’s always tough as a fellow football coach to see these coaches get fired, especially G-Rob, considering the professional opportunities that he and his staff afforded me through my time at Syracuse; but, alas, this is just how the business goes. Before I get into the coaching candidates I just want to highlight the three big mistakes that I believe sank Robinson at Syracuse.

1. The Coaching Staff: I truly believe this was G-Rob’s biggest mistake. This was his first head coaching job at any level. So what does he go out and do? He hires three assistants who had never been full-time Division 1-A assistants and an offensive coordinator who had never been a coordinator at the 1-A level. Major Applewhite (QB), Tim Cross (DL), and Scott Spencer (DB) all went from the ranks of graduate assistant to full-time position coach under G-Rob. Granted, these three men are doing very well for themselves now but it came at the expense of Syracuse as their on-the-job training was done in the Salt City. Brian Pariani (offensive coordinator) is also doing well for himself now but he learned the hard way at Syracuse as well. He was the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos before arriving with G-Rob. During his tenure he had this guy, you might know his name, Shannon Sharpe. I wonder how much coaching Pariani had to do there...

2. The Scheme: G-Rob’s base 4-3 Under defense is a dynamite scheme. It has many different coverage disguises and can pressure the quarterback from an assortment of angles. There’s just a tiny little problem…It needs NFL-caliber athletes at all of the key positions (strong safety, “spinner” defensive end, and middle linebacker). In his first year at the ‘Cuse, he had three NFL players at this positions (Anthony Smith, Ryan LaCasse, and Kelvin Smith) and the ‘Cuse defense finished in the top third in the country in total defense and turnover margin. Then the well ran dry and those type of players just don’t come to Syracuse, which brings me to the final mistake.

3. Not Understanding the Situation: Syracuse is a unique animal. It has the proud history of a storied and successful college football program. Yet it can also be grouped with schools like Vanderbilt, Duke, and Northwestern. These are schools that aren’t playing with a full deck in power conferences. The ‘Cuse is a private school competing in a conference with large, land-grant, state-funded public schools. The facilities have been behind the rest of the Big East for years and I don’t believe G-Rob understood the problems that Syracuse posed in this or the recruiting department. He did not have a very good understanding of Northeast football and I don’t really believe he understood just where he was losing recruits from.

With that out of the way let’s look at who’s next. Lane Kiffin is off the table as he is the man at Tennessee now. Good thing, too, because that hire probably would have been G-Rob Part II. Al Golden (head coach at Temple) pulled his name out of the running after interviewing. Chip Kelly, who interviewed and was reported to have very serious interest in the job, was named the head coach-in-waiting at Oregon after Mike Bellotti takes over as athletic director. I really believe Kelly was close to being hired by Dr. Gross but Oregon sensed that and struck quickly. Randy Edsall (head coach at UConn) continues to express his disinterest in the job as well. Mike Leach is a huge stretch. If he leaves Lubbock, it’ll be for either Seattle or the Plains.

So who are the viable candidates? What makes a viable candidate? Does he have to have Syracuse ties? Does he have to know Northeast football? Does he have to possess head coaching experience? Should he have any NFL experience to his name? I’m not really sure if there are concrete answers to these questions. I think it’s more important for everyone to realize that Syracuse is not the job it may have once been.

The ‘Cuse is in the not-so-strong Big East and it is still struggling to get players, money, and wins. The Carrier Dome is not the recruiting tool it was when it went up in 1980. While Syracuse has put some money into new facilities they are still light years behind their conference foes. Rutgers, UConn, Boston College, and Penn State are taking all the talent in the Northeast. There hasn’t been an offensive identity at Syracuse since Kevin Rogers & Donovan McNabb packed up and left. The flipside to all of this, though, is that the Big East just isn’t that strong. There’s no reason that Syracuse couldn’t compete with West Virginia, Louisville, Pitt, and South Florida every year if the right guy comes in.

He needs to be a college guy. I don’t care how much NFL experience you have. The college game and the NFL game are two very different games. With that in mind, I cannot endorse Mark Whipple (Philadelphia Eagles offensive assistant) or Doug Marrone (New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator). I also think head coaching experience is a must. People going into their first head coaching job tend to hire close friends rather than coaches that can mask their defencies (see G-Rob). So adios, Dan Mullen (Florida offensive coordinator) and Steve Addazio (Florida offensive line coach). I’ll make an exception for Mike Locksley (Illinois offensive coordinator) because I think he brings some other things to the table. And sadly for Syracuse I see affordability as a priority. Between paying G-Rob’s buyout, possibly paying the new coach’s buyout, and then paying the new coach his regular salary, it may all be a bit too pricey for Dr. Gross. That should take Edsall, Tuberville, Willingham, Fulmer, and Leach out of the running. And I also want someone who actually wants to be in the Salt City. That may bring Addazio (a very popular alumni choice) back into the mix and sends Turner Gill (Buffalo head coach) packing.

So what are we left with:

Mike Locksley (Illinois offensive coordinator)
He is widely regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country working under Ron Zook (who brought in a lot of those players Urban Meyer won the national championship with at Florida). He is familiar with northern football, having worked in the smash-mouth Big Ten along with stops at Maryland, Army, and Navy. He is also a 39-year-old minority candidate. This can open some doors that have never been present at Syracuse and could appeal to some recruits. His youthful enthusiasm may also be just the thing we need to get this program going. He strikes me as the type of person who wants to see this thing through. However, let’s not forget that he has zero head coaching experience.

Skip Holtz (East Carolina head coach)
Holtz certainly has the coaching pedigree (father Lou is in the College Football Hall of Fame and was the last coach to really win games at Notre Dame). He has major college experience, working as the offensive coordinator under his father at both Notre Dame & South Carolina. He was the head coach at UConn and guided the school to its first-ever appearance in the 1-AA Playoffs. It was his hard work that laid the foundation for Randy Edsall to raise the program to 1-A heights. Maybe Holtz would like to stick it to Edsall a little bit as Holtz is widely overlooked when it comes to giving credit to those who built UConn football. Holtz has done well at East Carolina, guiding them to bowl games the last two seasons and is on his way to a third this year. I’m not sure how he would fit in at the ‘Cuse, though, and his price tag may be a bit too high.

Steve Addazio (Florida offensive line coach)
Here’s another guy with no head coaching experience yet many former players strongly endorse his candidacy. He was the offensive line coach at Syracuse for four seasons so he understands the unique situation in upstate New York. He also has experience at Notre Dame and Indiana. He got his coaching start at Western Connecticut State (WestConn) where he served under good old Coach P. The players really like his attitude and he certainly seems very interested in the job. For what it’s worth, though, Dan Mullen (Florida offensive coordinator) was a graduate assistant at Syracuse and is the man driving Urban Meyer’s offense.

Brady Hoke (Ball State head coach)
Here’s a name that doesn’t really pop up immediately to most. Hoke has a lot of respect for the job he’s done at Ball State, taking what many viewed as a hopeless situation and turning it into the class of the MAC. He has worked at Oregon State and Michigan and strikes many as a no-nonsense type of coach. That discipline is something that is sorely needed at Syracuse. Ball State is Hoke’s alma mater and it may take a lot of money to get him to go elsewhere. He was a candidate for the Washington State job in 2007 and his brother, Jon, is the defensive backs coach for the Houston Texans.

Chris Petersen (Boise State head coach)
I understand that Petersen is a West Coast guy (graduated from UC-Davis) and seems very comfortable at Boise. I also know that he comes with a very hefty price tag. Bottom line, though, is that this guy can coach. He went from offensive coordinator to head coach after Dan Hawkins left for Colorado and actually made the program even better. In his first season at the helm Boise took down Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. He has also made coaching stops at Oregon and Pitt. I believe his name, success, and wide-open offensive and defensive schemes can make up for his lack of East Coast knowledge. This would be a huge hire for Dr. Gross. But let’s get real. Petersen can pretty much go wherever he wants. And one has to believe that the ‘Cuse is not his destination of choice. Many believe he wanted the Oregon job and with that no longer possible maybe he’d be willing to look East.

With all this in mind, my endorsement for the moment has to go to Locksley. I would love to see Willingham, as he has plenty of experience and has won games in similar college climates (Notre Dame & Stanford), but it’s just not going to happen there. Locksley brings a power running game, far more suited for the Big East, and an attacking defensive scheme. He can recruit, which should be number one priority for Syracuse. He’s young and that enthusiasm is infectious on a coaching staff, a team, an athletic department, a university, and a community. He is very well-respected in coaching circles and would be an excellent representative of the Syracuse community. I understand that he does not have head coaching experience but he strikes me as the type who would be smart enough to hire a good staff to surround him and cover that up. His combination of youth and patience are vital because I think it’s going to take 3-5 years to get this Syracuse program going in the right direction.

Paul Pasqualoni left the program in a state of greater disarray than anyone wants to admit and the combination of G-Rob and Dr. Gross has practically brought it to its knees. Locksley has learned from the Zooker up at Illinois and I believe that he’ll be fully committed to the rebuilding that is necessary in the Salt City. And let's not forget that Locksley's name was thrown around a lot last summer when many were clamoring for G-Rob's dismissal.

Just to throw a few more names out there, though. With the turmoil surrounding Tennessee and Auburn, two of the best defensive coordinators in college football may very well be available in John Chavis and Paul Rhoads. Think about it.

Until next time.

-Meech