Mike Leach describes conversations with Tennessee in 2017: 'It was like something out of Shakespeare'

He's one of the greatest NCAA coaches of all time, he invented his craft and perfected it at Texas Tech. You have to respect the guy if you respect college football. Truly an offensive rocket scientist, an innovator who led us to modern football as we know it, and a very creative, very intelligent man. No idea why anyone would dismiss him and his contributions like earlier posts, it's pretty disrespectful to the game of football. He may be the last old style old time, yet paradoxically intuitive and modernist ball coach we will ever see. He is the most genius coach I have studied, and is not given credit for absolutely renovating football as we know it. He did what was perceived to be absolutely impossible at Texas Tech, and forced every single program in CFB to adapt to modern, changing times. If he never existed, we would still have traditional Fulmer football with conservative tactics and stat recruiting.
 
So if I'm following, you're fine firing a first time coach 14 games into his career, but are willing to give a coach ("who has done it before") a 3 year pass before expecting higher win totals? All in the name of he's done that before....

Makes total sense.
We all know the roster needs help. I don't trust Pruitt to succeed in a rebuild. He's never done it. He's never even been part of a program that did it at the P5 level. Leach has done it, twice. Ergo, I'd give Leach more slack. If that doesn't compute...well, bless your heart.
 
There is some sort of perception that Mike Leach is a Juggernaut as a head coach. He has coached for 19 years and hasn't even sniffed a playoff or National Championship. His highest final rank in the AP poll is 9th (twice). Yet he is a superstar/savior to some. His style of offense is very impressive and nearly unstoppable, but it takes at least 5 years before he sees any success at a new school. Crikey, he only four years TOTAL in the nine years he was at Texas Tech where he had at least 9 wins. He was 2-8 against Texas and 3-7 against Oklahoma. Not exactly burning it up against rivals.
 
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For the love of...

10 years at TT - 10 winning seasons/10 bowl appearances
7 years at WSU - 5 winning seasons/5 bowl games

Compare either of those to the historical record of those teams and you'll see he's at the top.
His first three at Washington State were 3-9, 6-7, 3-9. That what you want. 2-8 versus Texas (Alabama equivalent) and 3-7 versus Oklahoma (Florida equivalent). If this bunch of "Fans" accepted those kind of number Butch Jones would still be here.
 
His first three at Washington State were 3-9, 6-7, 3-9. That what you want. 2-8 versus Texas (Alabama equivalent) and 3-7 versus Oklahoma (Florida equivalent). If this bunch of "Fans" accepted those kind of number Butch Jones would still be here.
Slight difference in resources at Texas tech compared to UT.
 
We all know the roster needs help. I don't trust Pruitt to succeed in a rebuild. He's never done it. He's never even been part of a program that did it at the P5 level. Leach has done it, twice. Ergo, I'd give Leach more slack. If that doesn't compute...well, bless your heart.
I bet the first time he goes 3-9 here your slack would tighten up pretty quick.
 
There is some sort of perception that Mike Leach is a Juggernaut as a head coach. He has coached for 19 years and hasn't even sniffed a playoff or National Championship. His highest final rank in the AP poll is 9th (twice). Yet he is a superstar/savior to some. His style of offense is very impressive and nearly unstoppable, but it takes at least 5 years before he sees any success at a new school. Crikey, he only four years TOTAL in the nine years he was at Texas Tech where he had at least 9 wins. He was 2-8 against Texas and 3-7 against Oklahoma. Not exactly burning it up against rivals.

Also, Washington usually stifles him. We saw what Bama did to Washington a few years back. Beat them like a drum. Would Leach be able to put together a team that gets us back to beating Vandy and SC on a regular basis? I beleieve so. Would he get us back to winning anything significant? Highly doubtful. Wazzus schedule almost guarantees his offense looks great. Leach isnt anywhere nearly as great as some want to think.

If he was so good, he would have been at a big time school by now.
 
Now list the SEC ranking of each recruiting class and the strength of schedules of Tennessee vs Wazzou for those 4 years.... its almost like you want to cherrypick details

Our SOS doesn't matter this year if we have already lost 2 games we should have won. And you really want to beef over recruiting/SoS when we're 0-2 after playing Georgia State and BYU?

But since we're using a "talent doesn't matter, except when it does" excuse... Kiffin inherited an OL so bad he started 2 260lb twins at C and OG. He still somehow managed 7-5 regular season in Year 1 and an OL that wasn't manhandled by a Sunbelt team. Maybe it's because James Cregg is one of the best in the business and Friend is just Pruitts old college roomie from back in Tuscaloosa.
 
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Those first three season records were at Washington State. Please read before posting. Resources shouldn't matter if he is that good.
I was referring to your point about his record against OU and Texas. I’ll dumb it down for you next time.
 
There is some sort of perception that Mike Leach is a Juggernaut as a head coach. He has coached for 19 years and hasn't even sniffed a playoff or National Championship. His highest final rank in the AP poll is 9th (twice). Yet he is a superstar/savior to some. His style of offense is very impressive and nearly unstoppable, but it takes at least 5 years before he sees any success at a new school. Crikey, he only four years TOTAL in the nine years he was at Texas Tech where he had at least 9 wins. He was 2-8 against Texas and 3-7 against Oklahoma. Not exactly burning it up against rivals.

Leach's players at 11-2 Texas Tech would not even be walkons at Texas or Oklahoma at the time besides Crabtree. That's what makes the story so glorified. It's like this same UT team going 11-2. They were all losers, and they won games. Texas Tech was one of the last picks for a Texas kid looking to play in Texas. It was almost at the same level of choice as Rice and UH at the time lol. Leach changed that and it's one of the most beautiful stories of college football until the concussion BS controversy.
 
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We all know the roster needs help. I don't trust Pruitt to succeed in a rebuild. He's never done it. He's never even been part of a program that did it at the P5 level. Leach has done it, twice. Ergo, I'd give Leach more slack. If that doesn't compute...well, bless your heart.

Totally fine to say you don't trust Pruitt. It is true that he has never rebuilt a program. However, you don't know that he can't like I don't know if he can. I would argue that he has been apart of Alabama's rebuild under Saban as Dir of Player Development in 2007.

I can only say this that has been offered as proof for Pruitt. The best players in the two losses have been his recruits. That is visible. Pruitt has been able to go after top coaches in Tee/Chaney to upgrade the staff given the roster was coming off 4-8/5-7 seasons. It is clear that he is recruiting help on the way that seem pretty committed as well.

With that said, I think if we were to go down the Leach route, people would easily give him 2-3 season passes in the name of "recruiting players for his system" and "changing the culture" because lets face it, the culture would shift drastically from what it was under Butch and even in the AD.

I think our current staff is top notch and has a clear track record of success this decade in terms of coaching or development or recruiting, respectively.

I'd rather give Pruitt 2020 to make a big leap (8 wins minimum in regular season) when the overwhelming majority of the two deep and roster are his kids and the majority of the majority have been in his S&C for multiple years.

I just don't see the value in torching 10+ million in Pruitt/Staff buyouts plus another 5-10 million in new coach buyouts/salaries just to reset.
 
But based on the patience or lack thereof here, he would not have enough time in to please people........


If he only got 12-15 wins in 3 seasons, there is no way people will be saying "Lets just get to year 4 and we will be okay"

Well, at this rate 12 wins in 3 seasons might be an improvement or a tie with what Pruitt is capable of lol. I can honestly see 1-11 this year and the schedule is harder next year so....

I want Pruitt to succeed, but can you honestly tell me you think we should just wait and see if we go 2-10? 1-11? What about 0-12? All are very realistic possibilities if this team gives up.
 
He took a 2 star QB and got him into the NFL. He can develop talent, especially on offense and has done so at a school with a fraction of the resources we have. At this point, I'd take a coach that knows how to at least win 7 or 8 games a year over the worst start to the season in 30 years.
Dobbs wil beat out minshew once he learns the jags system.
 
Leach's players at 11-2 Texas Tech would not even be walkons at Texas or Oklahoma at the time besides Crabtree. That's what makes the story so glorified. It's like this same UT team going 11-2. They were all losers, and they won games. Texas Tech was one of the last picks for a Texas kid looking to play in Texas. It was almost at the same level of choice as Rice and UH at the time lol.
What is your point? He is supposed the be the next coming of Nick Saban or Robert Neyland. Don't see any major program even looking his way. If he was that good, why did Texas not try to lure him back. Oklahoma was desperate for a new head coach, but I can't find any evidence Mike Leach was even interviewed. (Thanks BOT for that tidbit) They knew how weak his overall coaching was so they took a powder.
 
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