You Guys Won't Believe This...

A true fan wouldn't start such negative rumors

I'm kidding.

Thompson has been dicked over but he's had a lot to do with it himself. He should have seen the writing on the wall when he attempted to leverage the UAB job into a raise and more responsibility here.

 

A Roy Kramer leader needs to come in and reign in the money and the ut administration. Previously said, this ship is sinking and I dont think there is any way to save her.

Time to scuttle the ship.

 

Not being considered for the dc was the final nail from what I have heard.

 

Makes the Navy hire appealing, no?

 

Weird. No "I'm hearing" or "Sources telling" there, just a flat out "Congrats on the new gig, Randy." That would have fit in the DC search timeline a little better one week ago, I think.

 

So, If Chaney does some how get a NFL job, We'd have total staff change besides the head coach?

 

Yay stability!

Terry Joseph rides with Dooley until the bitter end

 

he more recently said it isn't a done deal until Shannon signs. Could be old news echoing

 

Dooley, Joseph and Hinshaw.....the 3 amigos SabanOCIo speaks of?

 

There were 10 assistant coaches on staff last season, and you're already down four from that - Russell (replaced by Jay Graham), Wilcox, Sirmon and Bagett...if anyone else leaves or is canned, then you've turned over 50% of your entire staff from one season to the next.

If two leave (6 total), you've experienced 60% turnover, and if all three are elsewhere next season, you've had a 70% staff turnover....in a single off-season. That's a staggering figure by any standard, much less at a program who seems to place such an inordinately high value on "stability".

IMO (read: no one has told me this, nor have I heard it from others - it's pure speculation), more staff changes are not only coming, but it's likely been known for some time that some were interested in moving on, and some favors have been called in to get them to stay through NSD, or as close to it as possible, in hopes of both keeping some semblance of this class together, and to stagger their departures, for fear of it looking like the mass exodus that some believe it is. Obviously, some coaches were more willing to go along with this idea than others. But to be clear, if someone wanted to leave, and could find a spot elsewhere, they'd be gone. So, let's just say that perhaps they aren't being as overly aggressive to move in the present, as they may be later.

Would they agree to this out of loyalty to Dooley? Highly unlikely they would delay it for Dooley, but I think they would for Hart, instead. And when considering the pivotal role that Hart could play in their landing the next gig, it doesn't hurt to have him owe you one, or twenty.

I think that's why Hiestand hasn't been canned yet (you can't ask coaches to stay for as long as possible, and then can one of their own), but also why you keep hearing his name mentioned in several other places as a possible hire - simply, because he is likely the only one who is facing termination, and as such, is making little to no effort to disguise his actions in seeking a landing spot somewhere else.

Again, I'm just spit-balling here, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. And if I am Dave Hart, I'm going to be willing to make all kinds of side deals to hold this thing together as long as possible, and rightfully so.

Given Dooley's mighty struggle to fill the three (3) spots he currently has, can you imagine him trying to hire seven (7) coaches right now, instead?

Neither can Hart.

And some would argue that holding this class together is Hart's primary focus at the moment - because if it remains intact, it will have erased the roster deficit which resulted from the two previous coaches departures, and which served as a tremendous hindrance in gauging the interest of candidates to replace Kiffin. Hart doesn't want to be caught in the same predicament as Hammy, the difference being, he is smart enough to prevent it by carefully planning ahead.

Take it as you will.

 

Hiestand has just punched his ticket to Notre Dame

 

Haven't seen that - but don't doubt you.

As such, you are now OFFICIALLY replacing 1/2 of your staff from last season.

 

skeets says hiestand was offered and accepted ND job this mornin...

 

I'm trying to decide, given last year's abysmal performance, whether having to replace half of the staff or having to keep them is worse.

 

Probably having to replace them is worse. CDD apparently felt that Chaney and CHH were doing satisfactory work and forced Baggett, who had the best resume of anyone on staff, out. And, I think we definitely wanted to keep Wilcox and Sirmon. So, I'll go with replacing them is worse.

 

I think it looks bad. We have kept the lower level coaches, and the ones that seemed to be competent, left for other programs.

When you add that onto the make or break third year of Dooley's tenure, it seems to reflect poorly on the confidence of those truly inside the program.

 

Yeah but the difference between all of the coaches you named and Dooley is those coaches win.

 

Clearly you have forgotten about Dooley's epic come-from-behind overtime win over UAB. Or how about last year's Vanderbilt thriller?

 

You are probably right. We will inevitably lose the wrong half, and I have no confidence that we will hire better people to replace them.

I am reminded, though, of the story of the basketball coach who had good news and bad news. The good news was that he went 5-20 last season. The bad news was that he returned everybody.

 

The difference is that those guys are good football coaches.