2025/2026 Coaching Carousel

#202
#202
YankeeVol said:
I do think USCjr can pay more, but for some reason they have high-ish expectations.
Click to expand...
So do Virginia Tech fans! What's comparable is that both fan bases have expectations that do not line up with the available resources, but Shane has more resources at South Carolina. Would the expectations being slightly lower really make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

I mean, they could. I can't dismiss the possibility, especially if South Carolina continues to struggle. I guess we'll see. I never thought I would see some of these buyouts paid we are seeing paid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: YankeeVol
#203
#203
RandomUTfan said:
So do Virginia Tech fans**! What's comparable is that both fan bases have expectations that do not line up with the available resources, but Shane has more resources at South Carolina. Would the expectations being slightly lower really make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

I mean, they could. I can't dismiss the possibility, especially if South Carolina continues to struggle. I guess we'll see. I never thought I would see some of these buyouts paid we are seeing paid.
Click to expand...
It's not the expectations, it's the path to being somewhat relevant which was my point. That path is hands down easier in the ACC. There is ZERO argument there.

VT at least HAS some conference champion history and a NCG appearance.

**and I know, I knew quite a few VT grads in my time in the Army.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RDU VOL#14, 05_never_again, tbwhhs and 2 others
#205
#205
Because this is how the universe works for me, just after this conversation about Beamer taking the VT job I saw this video on my YouTube feed. Brad Crawford doesn't think Virginia Tech can afford to hire him.

 
#206
#206
RandomUTfan said:
This doesn't just apply to Florida but to any open job in the country that might be looking to hire a coach whose team makes the playoffs.

This is Ole Miss mod Neal McCready. The other Ole Miss mods are fan boys. This is their "legit" journalist. He's talking about media suggesting Lane Kiffin could be the next Florida coach.

"Let's just look at the calendar. This is where I think some of this is really premature. And, I mean, I'm not saying it's not legitimate reporting or whatnot, I just think it's premature. Based on this: Ole Miss is 6-1 today. They go to Oklahoma on Saturday. Hypothetically, let's say they win the game. They're a four-and-a-half point underdog. So they're favored to lose, but they're not a prohibitive underdog. It wouldn't be a shocking upset if the eighth-ranked team in the country beat the 13th-ranked team in the country. So let's say, for the sake of this conversation that Ole Miss beats Oklahoma. Their next four games are against – all in the state of Mississippi – are against South Carolina, which is struggling, The Citadel, which is, I think, 1-6 as we talk, Florida, which just fired its coach, as you know, and then Mississippi State in Starkville, and Jeff Lebby has done a really good job there, but they've yet to win a conference game. Haven't won a conference game in a year-and-a-half now," McCready said. "So I'm not saying Ole Miss wins all four of those games. They'll be double-digit favorites in all four of those games in all likelihood, especially if they're coming off the win over Oklahoma. So let's say they run the table. That's 11-1, they're in the playoffs. They're probably, if they don't make it to Atlanta (for the SEC Championship Game) in that scenario because of some tiebreaker, they're going to be hosting a playoff game in Oxford on December 19 or 20th. If they win that game, and they've won, I think, 17 of their last 18 home games, if they win that game, they're playing on New Year's Day. Is Florida waiting until New Year's Day? Is another team waiting until New Year's Day, in this calendar? With signing day in early December, with the portal opening on January the second?"
Click to expand...
I've been saying this exact thing for a time. It's why I think it's unlikely Alex Golesh leaves USF if they are the highest G5 conference champ. Maybe if someone like Campbell leaves Iowa State, they might be willing to wait for their coach. But most teams are getting their coach in place before the early signing period.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomUTfan
#207
#207
Here is a bit of a conspiracy theory I have been chewing on.


FSU and a few other teams have made it clear they are going to wait till after the season to address any HC decisions. With the way rules have changed and the new CFP format, I wonder if a school might wait until after early signing day to make a change. They agree to give any recruit their release if they want it, but doing it this way could help to preserve the signing class and still allow them to get one of the best coaches available in the CFP.

Is it bit unethical? Maybe. But it gives your new HC the best chance to compete right away.
 
#208
#208
YankeeVol said:
I do think USCjr can pay more, but for some reason they have high-ish expectations.
Click to expand...
USCjr is one of the hardest jobs in the country. I can't stand Beamer, but he's done a great job there. The fact that a lot of their fans think he's been terrible shows how delusional they are. What Spurrier did there I think permanently lifted their expectations to a really unreasonable level. Spurrier having back-to-back-to-back 11-2 seasons is one of the best 3-year stretches that any coach has ever done.

USCjr is a johnny-come-lately to the SEC. They do not have a long-term history of success as a program. When the SEC had divisions, they had to play us, UGA, and UF every year, and then when Clemson got good it made the job even harder. Despite all this, their fans start talking about firing the coach if they have a season that is any worse than about 8-4. Arkansas is the exactly same way, although at least there you have more NIL potential via Tyson, Wal-Mart, Jerry Jones, etc. Who is the big booster at USCjr?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomUTfan
#209
#209
Carp said:
Here is a bit of a conspiracy theory I have been chewing on.


FSU and a few other teams have made it clear they are going to wait till after the season to address any HC decisions. With the way rules have changed and the new CFP format, I wonder if a school might wait until after early signing day to make a change. They agree to give any recruit their release if they want it, but doing it this way could help to preserve the signing class and still allow them to get one of the best coaches available in the CFP.

Is it bit unethical? Maybe. But it gives your new HC the best chance to compete right away.
Click to expand...

I also have a theory. Penn State started the arms race for the coaching carousel this year by firing Franklin this early at that price tag. Then Arkansas and Florida followed suit along with the other smaller big schools out there as well.

At some point, the amount of openings vs the "home run" splash hire will be so lopsided that some of these schools are going to be better off keeping coaches on the hot seat for the rest of the season to see if they can coach their way out of the hot seat.

Like if FSU runs the table and finishes 8-4, Norvell should get another year. I think the last major coach to get fired will be Hugh Freeze. I don't see anyway he can win out with that schedule and finish 8-4 and keep his job.


I just think schools and AD's are going to have the face the truth that about what they are prepared to spend and who they think they can get vs rolling dice with current coach to finish the season on high note and carry momentum into next year.

Say Auburn and FSU both fire their coaches. They are now competing against Penn State, Florida, and Arkansas (Arky atleast has money) for a bulk of the same guys.

Like there is no way Florida is the only one of the bunch who targets Kiffin this offseason. He's arguably be successful at any of those jobs minus Arkansas.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomUTfan and Carp
#210
#210
JMSqb11 said:
I also have a theory. Penn State started the arms race for the coaching carousel this year by firing Franklin this early at that price tag. Then Arkansas and Florida followed suit along with the other smaller big schools out there as well.

At some point, the amount of openings vs the "home run" splash hire will be so lopsided that some of these schools are going to be better off keeping coaches on the hot seat for the rest of the season to see if they can coach their way out of the hot seat.

Like if FSU runs the table and finishes 8-4, Norvell should get another year. I think the last major coach to get fired will be Hugh Freeze. I don't see anyway he can win out with that schedule and finish 8-4 and keep his job.


I just think schools and AD's are going to have the face the truth that about what they are prepared to spend and who they think they can get vs rolling dice with current coach to finish the season on high note and carry momentum into next year.

Say Auburn and FSU both fire their coaches. They are now competing against Penn State, Florida, and Arkansas (Arky atleast has money) for a bulk of the same guys.

Like there is no way Florida is the only one of the bunch who targets Kiffin this offseason. He's arguably be successful at any of those jobs minus Arkansas.
Click to expand...
I agree, the only point I would make is we are already at the point where there are more openings than hirable upper-tier coaches.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LouderVol
#211
#211
RandomUTfan said:
I agree, the only point I would make is we are already at the point where there are more openings than hirable upper-tier coaches.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I think James Franklin is going to love this carousel. Nothing has really changed about him. The big games issue is still an issue but he was 30 seconds away from a Natty appearance less than year ago.

There is no vacancy or hot seat where he wouldn’t be an automatic upgrade.

Franklin<Napier, Pittman,Foster,Freeze,Norvell.

Coming into this season, none of those schools would have turned down trading their coach for Franklin.

The one surprise hire I think that will happen is Jimbo Fisher getting another job at a biggish program.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LouderVol and Carp
#212
#212
JMSqb11 said:
Exactly. I think James Franklin is going to love this carousel. Nothing has really changed about him. The big games issue is still an issue but he was 30 seconds away from a Natty appearance less than year ago.

There is no vacancy or hot seat where he wouldn’t be an automatic upgrade.

Franklin<Napier, Pittman,Foster,Freeze,Norvell.

Coming into this season, none of those schools would have turned down trading their coach for Franklin.

The one surprise hire I think that will happen is Jimbo Fisher getting another job at a biggish program.
Click to expand...
Well, think about this: is there a better job than Penn State open right now that Franklin would take? I don't think there is. I think it's the best open job and I don't think it's a top 15 type of job no matter who coaches there.

Franklin doesn't have to work. He can interview once a year, not even have to take the job and still collect 8 million from Penn State. Maybe he wants to work, but I think you'd see him somewhere like TV before you would coaching right away again. Whatever he makes, Penn State still has to supplement up to 8 million. He has lots of options. Could do what Butch Jones did and join a staff somewhere to keep busy.
 
#213
#213
RandomUTfan said:
Well, think about this: is there a better job than Penn State open right now that Franklin would take? I don't think there is. I think it's the best open job and I don't think it's a top 15 type of job no matter who coaches there.

Franklin doesn't have to work. He can interview once a year, not even have to take the job and still collect 8 million from Penn State. Maybe he wants to work, but I think you'd see him somewhere like TV before you would coaching right away again. Whatever he makes, Penn State still has to supplement up to 8 million. He has lots of options. Could do what Butch Jones did and join a staff somewhere to keep busy.
Click to expand...

With current openings or hot seats, I think Franklin would be dangerous and have similar Penn State success at Auburn. Florida administration is too much of an unknown.
 
#214
#214
JMSqb11 said:
With current openings or hot seats, I think Franklin would be dangerous and have similar Penn State success at Auburn. Florida administration is too much of an unknown.
Click to expand...
It's just that NIL/Portal has changed the landscape so drastically that the Auburn job would not actually be a better job than Penn State. Hugh Freeze is not Nick Saban but he's also a better coach than his record at Auburn indicates.

And let me be clear, I do not have an ounce of respect for Hugh Freeze. I would never send my child to a school that would hire him as a coach.

But the real reason Lane didn't take the Auburn job was that it's not a better job than the one he had already. But he was able to work that interest into a much better contract and they have this wonderfully touching story about how his daughter (who clearly spends a lot of time travellng anyway) talked him into staying at Ole Miss. Boy the Ole Miss fans really love that story. Anyway.

Edit: oh, and also as you point out: The Florida job isn't a better job either. Penn State will have the better hire.
 
#217
#217
Dan Mullen vocalizes what I've been trying to say about the Florida job. Billy got more than Mullen ever got and it STILL wasn't enough to meet the expectations of the fan base.

I don't care what any UF fan thinks of him, Dan Mullen is highly-thought-of in coaching circles and anyone considering the UF job is going to give him a call.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Carp and McDad
#219
#219
Right, it sure looks like Mullen was the one where Florida seriously erred. But whatever. I think people who want to win a national championship every year can pay as much as they want for that. It's okay with me. Glad it's not my money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scottt5
#220
#220
JMSqb11 said:
I also have a theory. Penn State started the arms race for the coaching carousel this year by firing Franklin this early at that price tag. Then Arkansas and Florida followed suit along with the other smaller big schools out there as well.

At some point, the amount of openings vs the "home run" splash hire will be so lopsided that some of these schools are going to be better off keeping coaches on the hot seat for the rest of the season to see if they can coach their way out of the hot seat.

Like if FSU runs the table and finishes 8-4, Norvell should get another year. I think the last major coach to get fired will be Hugh Freeze. I don't see anyway he can win out with that schedule and finish 8-4 and keep his job.


I just think schools and AD's are going to have the face the truth that about what they are prepared to spend and who they think they can get vs rolling dice with current coach to finish the season on high note and carry momentum into next year.

Say Auburn and FSU both fire their coaches. They are now competing against Penn State, Florida, and Arkansas (Arky atleast has money) for a bulk of the same guys.

Like there is no way Florida is the only one of the bunch who targets Kiffin this offseason. He's arguably be successful at any of those jobs minus Arkansas.
Click to expand...
On paper i think if you’re successful at Ole Miss you can be successful at Arkansas, but that does assume the administration is more driven to win which you’re seeing more of at Ole Miss right now
 
#221
#221
gohogs14 said:
On paper i think if you’re successful at Ole Miss you can be successful at Arkansas, but that does assume the administration is more driven to win which you’re seeing more of at Ole Miss right now
Click to expand...
I guess your paper doesn't show the disparity between what Ole Miss can spend on assembling a roster and what Arkansas can...
 
#222
#222
RandomUTfan said:
I guess your paper doesn't show the disparity between what Ole Miss can spend on assembling a roster and what Arkansas can...
Click to expand...
That was kinda the point of the last part of my sentence. The Arkansas AD/administration has done a horrible job of embracing NIL and raising support, polar opposite of OM. But an inspired hire can unlock that from the Tysons of the world who are bankrolling Calipari’s roster. Kiffin at Arkansas likely gets 10x more than what Pittman was receiving.
 
#223
#223
RandomUTfan said:
It's just that NIL/Portal has changed the landscape so drastically that the Auburn job would not actually be a better job than Penn State. Hugh Freeze is not Nick Saban but he's also a better coach than his record at Auburn indicates.

And let me be clear, I do not have an ounce of respect for Hugh Freeze. I would never send my child to a school that would hire him as a coach.

But the real reason Lane didn't take the Auburn job was that it's not a better job than the one he had already. But he was able to work that interest into a much better contract and they have this wonderfully touching story about how his daughter (who clearly spends a lot of time travellng anyway) talked him into staying at Ole Miss. Boy the Ole Miss fans really love that story. Anyway.

Edit: oh, and also as you point out: The Florida job isn't a better job either. Penn State will have the better hire.
Click to expand...
Maybe if does not need saying, but anyone that thinks the UF job comes with an Admin Dumpster Fire and Auburn does not.....well maybe more of a major booster dumpter fire....but all in the same bucket. Freeze's struggles there are not 100% of his own doing. He'd have had a far happier life living at Liberty a little longer. The only reason any coach would give AU or UF a shot is to get that life changing buyout package lined up cause they know they'll be done in 3 when they get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomUTfan
#224
#224
GVF said:
Maybe if does not need saying, but anyone that thinks the UF job comes with an Admin Dumpster Fire and Auburn does not.....well maybe more of a major booster dumpter fire....but all in the same bucket. Freeze's struggles there are not 100% of his own doing. He'd have had a far happier life living at Liberty a little longer. The only reason any coach would give AU or UF a shot is to get that life changing buyout package lined up cause they know they'll be done in 3 when they get there.
Click to expand...

But to someone’s earlier post, Kiffin and maybe Drink mitigate the admin issues because they’ll have style football that will be exciting compared to what they’ve had. Freeze just loses in a new painstaking fashion every week
 
  • Like
Reactions: GVF
#225
#225
gohogs14 said:
That was kinda the point of the last part of my sentence. The Arkansas AD/administration has done a horrible job of embracing NIL and raising support, polar opposite of OM. But an inspired hire can unlock that from the Tysons of the world who are bankrolling Calipari’s roster. Kiffin at Arkansas likely gets 10x more than what Pittman was receiving.
Click to expand...
Did your boosters just not like Pittman or something? I thought he was a very well-liked guy. As you said it is interesting that they open their wallets for Cal.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement



Back
Top