4 Quick Thoughts On Charlie Strong And Texas

[Chris Flanagan]

I haven't fully digested this hire yet I wanted to get some quick thoughts out there.

1. Charlie Strong isn't going to appease you. He won't play politics and he won't let big donors dictate what he does with his program. He will give it everything he has and will focus 100% on the football program. Now will that turn into immediate success or failure? Time will tell but to say "Texas is gonna suck" and "Well I guess we should focus on who will be our next head coach." Stop it now. It's not here for the most part but other UT boards have those fans. Okay, I get it. You're disappointed in the hire. Well what's done is done so get your Horns up and support Strong.

2. I know Texas wanted to make that "splash" hire but you need the other party to agree to the deal. Our Staff members here at Horn Sports do a fantastic job reporting what they hear with integrity and class. I don't have the sources that others do so I defer to them on reporting the coaching search. However even before the announcement of Mack Brown's resignation was made, I had that feeling that Texas wasn't going to get the big hire some diehard fans were hoping for. Saban, the Harbaughs, and Gruden weren't gonna come as hard as some may have tried. I know hindsight is 20/20 but the reason I wrote that "Plan B" article a few months back was that feeling Saban or the other big names weren't coming to Texas.

3. The one reservation I have about Strong is recruiting. Now, he has Florida connections which I think are important especially in a cosmopolitan city like Miami where there are no huge college loyalties in that city (The U is not a big deal in Miami). He hasn't gotten into huge battles to win essential recruits in state. To be fair, Kentucky isn't exactly rich with in state talent so I guess this is a wait and see for him. He should have good recruiters on the staff but if he wins, that will help a lot in recruiting. But he needs to lock down the state and grab a few Florida recruits and that would be fantastic.

4. I think given the options out there, I think he is the best option. He can build a program and win at the highest level. Just because people in the media don't respect the conference Louisville was in doesn't mean what he accomplished wasn't special. He literally made Teddy Bridgewater into the top 5 pick he is today. His defenses play great. He rebuilt Louisville football back up and did it quickly. If he can coach great defense here and get great QB play, he'll win lots of games for Texas.

Bonus Thought: Anyone think Charlie Strong will take Daniel Gresham as a commitment?

 

[Lukus Alderman]

Knox may be in play if Gresham is.

 

[TheContractor]

Good post.

1. I dont want a politician. LHN can function fine without CS pucker his lips every time. I want a coach who is accountable to his assistants and players. Win and BMDs will stfu. Its not like CS is anti media and rude, he just prefers to spend his time around football, watching film, lifting wts, coaching fundamentals or spend time with family.

2. We need a culture change and a good x and o coach. Sure splash is nice for the first few months but that wears when the game starts.

3. I think CS can recruit very well. Yes it will take some getting use to in this state and figure out the lay of the land but recruiting is recruiting. He does need to get a few guys on staff that have ties to the state of Texas.

4. IMO, CS is one of the best coaches out there and the fact that he is hungry is even better. He does need to hire good assistants and especially an OC that is somewhat spread oriented. His D will be very good to great and Texas will in 2 years have the best D in the big 12. Bedford as DC is a good hire bc he is good and he is from UT. They need to hire a couple of bad a$$ recruiters like Tim B and Ed O. If so, we will be able to flip a couple of 2014 guys our way. Someone like Herman(tOsu) or Frost(oregon) to run the O with a couple of good assistants and the O could be in business. Good assistants are a key like with every single coach.

 

[NLeininger]

He's got a tough start with the UCLA game in Dallas. We may not have a QB, but UCLA is going to get hit and hit a lot.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Knox may be in play if Gresham is.

I have seen both Knox and Gresham up close and personal from the sideline as a THSFB official. My two cents:

Daniel Gresham - Reminds me of Jerome Bettis Jr. All thighs and butt. Not much wiggle, but runs hard with deceptive speed. More likely to run thru/over a defender than make him miss. A bowling ball

Demetrius Knox - Definitely has a D1 body and talent. 6' 5", 300 lbs easy. Long arms. Good footwork, but gets lazy at times with poor technique. I hit him for two false starts. Talks a lot of trash, so his attitude needs an adjustment. Can probably start as a sophomore.

 

[NLeininger]

I have seen both Knox and Gresham up close and personal from the sideline as a THSFB official. My two cents:
Daniel Gresham - Reminds me of Jerome Bettis Jr. All thighs and butt. Not much wiggle, but runs hard with deceptive speed. More likely to run thru/over a defender than make him miss. A bowling ball

Demetrius Knox - Definitely has a D1 body and talent. 6' 5", 300 lbs. easy. Long arms. Good footwork, but gets lazy at times with poor technique. I hit him for two false starts. Talks a lot of trash, so his attitude needs an adjustment. Can probably start as a sophomore.

Where would he start? He's not starting over James or Hammad. Does he have the quickness to be a RT, I thought he was a guy that was going to be best on the interior.

 

[Texasfight10]

I honestly dont understand all the hate towards strong, he may not be Saban or Fisher but hes still a damn good football coach with a proven track record. We also get a major culture change with this hire which is what UT has needed for the last 4 years.

 

[Hoekem]

I honestly dont understand all the hate towards strong, he may not be Saban or Fisher but hes still a damn good football coach with a proven track record. We also get a major culture change with this hire which is what UT has needed for the last 4 years.

I think that most fans feel let down because for 2-3 months we have been told by every Tom, D!ck ( are you kidding me...the name D*ck is censored) and Harry that Saban was ours...we instantly started to think about building a new cabinet for all the Crystal Balls that would soon be adorning our new trophy case.

It didn't happen, but what makes it worse is we were led to believe this as late as Thurs that it was a done deal. Once again when it didn't happen and Strong was the name on everyone's tongue we felt let down...instead of directing our displeasure at the Insiders, most chose to direct it towards Patterson and Strong.

I think Strong can be a great coach at UT but, he has to realize this is not the SEC or Miami and anything suspicious in regards to recruiting is a huge black eye for UT.

Btw we have needed a culture change for a lot longer than 4 years...

 

[HornEsch]

Very well said, Chris.