Phillip Fulmer very high on Venables and Chad Morris!

[MADISONGAVOL]

Venables maybe.

But I'm laughing that Morris was a terrible choice when Currie was leading the search, but now that Fulmer is leading it he's suddenly a great choice? GFTO.

Really......and what did Currie do. He ruined all his credibility with way he ran the search....smh

 

[ERvolsfan]

The more and more I think about it, and where we are in this search doesn't appear were gonna get a proven HC, So get a proven coordinator and hire great staff around him.

Having said that. I really really really like Venables he would bring a fast and physical defense that we haven't had in a long time. He's a hard miss tough guy who his players love him. This could result in the team become a tougher more physical team.

I want Venables as HC, gotta bring in a proven OC hopefully Tee Martin. Hire a great staff around both of them and go recruit and develop and let's roll!

 

[zidanefan]

So one produces national championship defenses and has been integral in Clemson beating UT for some of the best players in Tennessee... but "no", right?

Morris turned a doormat into a credible team in less than two years... took the O from one of the worst to one of the best with basically the same players... But you aren't interested in him either?

You probably want Miles... right?

Of course, I’d rather have Chris Petersen. But, in Realityville either of these two look very promising. I’d probably take Venables first only because those defenses are so nasty.

 

[VolArmy74]

I'd be more in favor of Morris. Seems more of a head coach/program manager type.

Venables has shied away from becoming a head coach for years now, it's not like he's not had opportunities. I do feel that he might consider his alma mater if K-State can avoid feeling like they have to hire Snyder's son. Not sure any other opening gets him into the HC spot. It's possible he doesn't want to deal with being the HC anywhere, it's possible he doesn't feel like he could be the HC some where.

Morris was a dominant high school head coach who took college coordinator jobs in order to advance his college head coaching career and is following that path nicely.

This is part of an article about Venables from a few days ago.

And whenever Venables turns down a program’s overtures, theoreticians assert that he is waiting to return to his alma mater, Kansas State, after its legendary coach Bill Snyder retires.

The only thing that turns more rapidly than the coaching carousel is the rumor mill. There is little patience left in college football. There is even less loyalty. Coaches leave programs at the drop of a domino for higher salaries and higher profiles. It is expected and encouraged.

Young coaches who flourish at lower tiers are supposed to advance to the Power Five. Seasoned coaches are supposed to seek a new challenge and a new tax bracket. Longtime assistants are supposed to become head coaches.

However, Brent Venables has no interest in playing dominoes. He is too busy playing chess.

He is too content as the defensive coordinator at Clemson. He is too satisfied serving as the first lieutenant. He is too fulfilled by his community. He is too devoted to his family.

He is too assured to be swayed by convention, too gratified to be lured by money, too loyal to the present to be charmed by the future.

Earlier this week, Venables denounced the coaching carousel rumors and reiterated his focus. He acknowledged that some schools may be interested in him, but he is only interested in stalling Miami on Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

"I've got a great job, and I’ve said that many, many times," Venables said. "I’m very thankful and grateful for that. We’re in a great position, so why would I be worried about what’s on the other side of the fence?"

His trophy cases holds two national championship rings. His salary exceeds $1.4 million. His son, Jake Venables, will join the Clemson roster next season, and his other son, Tyler, recently picked up a Clemson offer.

His roots are secure in Pickens County. He will not be easily moved.

Venables values continuity, routine and relationships. His values kept him at Oklahoma for 13 seasons. He agonized over the decision to leave Bob Stoops to join Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson.

Here, he found a similar family atmosphere in the office. He was embraced by the community. His family transitioned seamlessly through the relocation. He has been granted a generous salary and the full authority to direct the defense.

Conventional avarice contends that pursuing a head coaching position is the imperative order of operation. This traditional wisdom argues that Venables’ contentment reveals a lack of ambition. However, Venables exhibits a presence of mind. He adheres to his values and understands his value.

Every player cannot be a captain. Every soldier cannot be a general. Every professor cannot be a dean. Every writer cannot be an editor.


In this era of rapid turnover, self-promotion is treasured over teamwork. Change appears to be the only constant.

Venables is an oasis in this desert of devotion. He appreciates the honor in serving faithfully and consistently under someone else's leadership. He realizes the profit of longevity and the cost of impetuous egotism.

He will not allow others to project their priorities on his plans. He will let the coaching carousel spin. He will let the rumor mill churn. He will let the dominoes fall.

He will step over the collapsed pile and continue to walk his own path.

 

[NashvilleFan]

Vol Fans have been paying for Prime Beef for years & Looking like we are about to get Grizzle - We need to make Gruden an Offer he can't refuse- Going Cheap on an Unproven Assistant coach will have us doing this again in three or four years - Gruden or Bust - Alabama Hounded Saban until he said YES...

 

[Chad F]

AD Fulmer will make a good choice.

I’d be fine with either of these. It’d Be nice to have a coach that develops talent and can make effective in-game adjustments. Haven’t had one like that in a long time.

Go Vols!

 

[vol-un-tear]

Venables maybe.

But I'm laughing that Morris was a terrible choice when Currie was leading the search, but now that Fulmer is leading it he's suddenly a great choice? GFTO.

Phil is very persuasive. Would go with defense first.

 

[ERvolsfan]

Phil is very persuasive. Would go with defense first.

I kinda agree. Even though it was so painful to see our offense struggle this year, I really miss having physical hard hitting tough defenses. I miss our teams having an agression to them, an attitude or swagger if you will.

That's why if it's coordinator route. I would go get Brent Venables and hire a big time OC like Tee Martin.

Give Venables the money to put together a big time staff.

 

[Bubbs]

Resumes aside both Chad Morris and Venables have proven the ability to actually coach. Clemson has been poaching UT Targets for the past couple of years.

 

[theknox]

Posted this in the Poll thread where it is likely to be buried:

Many people don't seem to know who Chad Morris is or what he is about. I spent the last few years living about 45 minutes outside of Clemson, SC and may be able to provide some additional insight from being around so many Clemson fans.

When Dabo was hired at Clemson, he got off to a very slow start, and was on the verge of being run out of town. In order to be successful, Clemson needed a complete turnaround on the offensive side of the ball. The 2010 Tiger offense was ranked ~90th in the country offensively.

Dabo turned to Chad Morris, who was then the OC at Tulsa after coaching HS football at a very high level in TX for several years. With Morris leading the O, the 2011 Clemson team ended up with the 20th best Offense in the country. The 2013 team was 9th in total offense. In his final year Morris, landed a commitment from Deshaun Watson before heading to take over a 1-11 SMU squad. Clemson's Offense after his departure is still largely the same one he installed while he was the OC. Rather than replace him with another hot OC, they opted to promote from within and keep the Offense basically the same.

At SMU, he walked into a real dumpster fire. June Jones had quit mid-season the previous year after several years of really weak recruiting. The 2014 SMU team was statistically at or very near the bottom of the charts for every category that matters.

Since taking over at SMU, Morris has driven a culture change similar to what Dabo did at Clemson and also turned the results around on the field. His team's results are rapdily trending up.

2014, the year prior to his arrival, SMU was literally one of the worst teams in the country (ranked 37 spots below where UT is currently located in the FPI). The 2014 team had an average point differential of -30.3 and managed a whopping 3228 yards of offense and 133 points for the entire season. (UT had 3493 yards and 238 points this year for reference)

Since Morris arrived at SMU, the team has been trending up drastically:

The SMU offense has gone from 269 yards/gm in 2014 to 494 yards/gm this year.

The scoring is up from 11.1 points/gm to 40.2 points/gm. As a result, the average point differential went from a -30 to a +5.

The team is also up from 1 win to 7 (heading for 8 with a bowl win this year)

The FPI ranking for the team is up from 127th to 67th (UT is 90th currently).

And the FPI Offensive Ranking is up from 119th to 21st.

He has managed all of this with the nearly empty roster left by June Jones when he bailed on SMU mid-season.
All 5 losses they had this season were to teams who are playing in bowl games this post-season.

He is a strong recruiter in the south with numerous contacts in the Texas area, but has proven he is able to recruit in the rest of the southeast as well.

While I don't think he is an absolute homerun hire, I think he is every bit as good as Venables from an X's and O's and Player Development standpoint. He would probably be quite a bit better than Venables as a figurehead due to his personality and demeanor as well.
His biggest issue from what I can see is that he chose to take an opportunity to go to a struggling school to build a head coaching resume probably 1 or 2 years too soon, while Venables stayed at Clemson as the DC.

Hopefully that info helps people to understand where Morris is coming from and why he isn't just "LOL, LOSING RECORD AT SMU, DOOLEY 2.0"

Also worth adding: It is rumored that if Morris comes here, he'd bring former Vol Marion Hobby (Clemson's former co-DC along with Venables) as his DC.

 

[HSTVol]

Not Fulmer's issue. Fulmer is AD because more UT related people like him. Doesn't mean he's going to do a better job. Facts are, UT is handcuffed. What Fulmer has to do is find a coach who has enough ties to bring a quality SEC staff in with him. That's our only hope. Chad Morris takes tons of s@@@ on this board, but he's a solid OC/QB coach. You surround him with a solid staff, he can have success IMO. Venables is the same way. Eventually, we got to man the h$$$ up and accept where we are here. There's no better realistic options out there, so we better find a coach who has a proven track record at winning at some level in the power five, which Morris has as an OC and I don't need to tell you what Venables is doing. Both of these options are better than Butch on Saturdays. Butch was the worst on the field coach I've ever seen. We can only upgrade on Saturdays IMO.

Some good observations. My bottom line point regarding Fulmer is/was, although “UT related people like him”, many many people outside UT don’t like him, and more importantly, don’t trust him.

As one Auburn friend asked me, “how can you trust an AD that has already stabbed his boss in the back, TWICE, Majors and Currie? Would you want to work for that guy?”

With that in mind, it sure seems to fit in with a lot that has happened to us in the last few weeks. Especially since Miles said, Fulmer contacted him “weeks ago” about the job.

Still, hoping for some good news soon.

 

[Coachmike17]

I kinda agree. Even though it was so painful to see our offense struggle this year, I really miss having physical hard hitting tough defenses. I miss our teams having an agression to them, an attitude or swagger if you will.

That's why if it's coordinator route. I would go get Brent Venables and hire a big time OC like Tee Martin.

Give Venables the money to put together a big time staff.

If PF thinks he has Tee coming home then the obvious hire will be Venables. Then you have offense and defense taken care of so you just need good position coaches. I still think he goes Les with Tee and Steele coordinating. That's a good nucleus of coaches to surround.

 

[papatomany]

He has zero, 0, zilch, nada experience as a HC at any level and you and others want him to learn how to be a HC at Tennessee?! Unbelievable. lol:

He is ultra aggressive (and effective) on defense, and his players clearly love playing for him. Almost a mirror of Stoops when he left Florida for Oklahoma.

 

[AllVolForLife_16]

I posted this breakdown of Chad Morris on reddit. Take a minute to read it, and see if it doesn't change your mind. The guy is a very good coach.

The more I read on him, the more I come around to the idea of hiring Chad Morris. Aside from a losing record as a head coach, which can be attributed to inheriting one of the worst programs in college football, Morris checks a lot of the boxes in which we need in a head coach. He installed the offensive system that Clemson currently runs, and has proven to be extremely effective, he's raised SMU's win total 2 to 7 wins within 3 years while improving their total offense which was ranked in the 100s, to a top 15 offense. Just 3 three years prior to Morris, SMU didn't have QB throw for 1000 yards, a RB rush for 1000 yards, or a WR catch for 1000 yards. Fast forward to now, and they have a QB throw for at least 3000, RB rush for over 1000, and WR catch for 1000.

That's development folks. Morris reminds me a lot of Malzahn. He dominated the high school ranks in Texas before joining the college level at Tulsa, and has completely flipped each team into an offensive juggernaut in a rather short amount of time. He would also likely form a staff with some recruiting aces, and VFLs like Marion Hobby, and perhaps Dan Brooks should he return from retirement. Steele would make sense at DC as well due to their time together on staff at Clemson. Point being, do your homework on the guy before you write him off. He could very well turn out to be a much better hire than a retread hire in Les Miles.

I like Les, and he would bring an established name, and record to the table, but he inherited a really great situation at LSU and continued to build on that as time passed. He recruited top 5 consistently, and though he won a lot of games, he also lost a lot of games he should've won. I'd almost rather take a chance in Morris who fix our offensive troubles almost instantly, and have the resources to do big things at Tennessee. There's a reason this guy's name has been attached to jobs like Tennessee, Arkansas, and A&M. He very well might be worth the risk.

 

[The Vin Man]

I posted this breakdown of Chad Morris on reddit. Take a minute to read it, and see if it doesn't change your mind. The guy is a very good coach.

The more I read on him, the more I come around to the idea of hiring Chad Morris. Aside from a losing record as a head coach, which can be attributed to inheriting one of the worst programs in college football, Morris checks a lot of the boxes in which we need in a head coach. He installed the offensive system that Clemson currently runs, and has proven to be extremely effective, he's raised SMU's win total 2 to 7 wins within 3 years while improving their total offense which was ranked in the 100s, to a top 15 offense. Just 3 three years prior to Morris, SMU didn't have QB throw for 1000 yards, a RB rush for 1000 yards, or a WR catch for 1000 yards. Fast forward to now, and they have a QB throw for at least 3000, RB rush for over 1000, and WR catch for 1000.

That's development folks. Morris reminds me a lot of Malzahn. He dominated the high school ranks in Texas before joining the college level at Tulsa, and has completely flipped each team into an offensive juggernaut in a rather short amount of time. He would also likely form a staff with some recruiting aces, and VFLs like Marion Hobby, and perhaps Dan Brooks should he return from retirement. Steele would make sense at DC as well due to their time together on staff at Clemson. Point being, do your homework on the guy before you write him off. He could very well turn out to be a much better hire than a retread hire in Les Miles.

I like Les, and he would bring an established name, and record to the table, but he inherited a really great situation at LSU and continued to build on that as time passed. He recruited top 5 consistently, and though he won a lot of games, he also lost a lot of games he should've won. I'd almost rather take a chance in Morris who fix our offensive troubles almost instantly, and have the resources to do big things at Tennessee. There's a reason this guy's name has been attached to jobs like Tennessee, Arkansas, and A&M. He very well might be worth the risk.

It will be interesting to see how the Morris deal plays out. Currie interviewed him last week and wanted to hire him, but the Fulmer camp shot it down. The only reason I can think of for the renewed interest was to prevent Currie from getting the credit.

 

[Smokey 77]

Venables