HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
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Well everyone, just like Mack’s career at UT the Alamo Bowl ended with an emphatic “thud†and if there wasn’t enough evidence how far this program has regressed in the past 4 seasons well last night was the last bit of condemning evidence. The good news is change is coming and soon! I’ve been working the phones and my contacts relentlessly to try to keep everyone abreast of on-goings of our Head Coaching search. Let me just say this: Steve Patterson is not going to be left “holding the bag†this time around with Saban. If Saban wants to come- GREAT! If not, we’re going in a completely different direction and the name that I am going to share today is not going to be a surprise however how far talks have progressed with this candidate may surprise a great many of you. More on that in a moment.
Of course, we all know that Nick Saban signed his new contract extension with a $0.00 buyout however Jimbo Fisher just signed himself a new extension as well but guess what? No buyout. That Jimmy Sexton ain't no dummy! More on Saban & Jimbo later in the post.
We also learned that Arthur Johnson (Head of Football Operations) is being retained. Keep in mind that Johnson is the guy that replaced Cleve Bryant and may be serving as a advisor to Steve Patterson as he navigates process and procedure at Bellmont. Patterson may be leaning on Johnson to help as a map reader. Keeping Johnson makes sense because the new Head Coach at Texas is going to need someone that is a map reader and can show the new Coach the ropes. I hear nothing but good things about Johnson so keeping him around stands to reason. The new coach may eventually bring on his own Head of Football Operations and Johnson move to another position within the AD serving Patterson. The bottom line is that we are going to make the transition for the Head Coach as smooth as possible.
We will also discuss what happens if Saban does NOT come to Texas- then what? Patterson will have his hands full in trying to build a coalition that the BMD’s will get behind. Through deductive reasoning we will try to give our best prognostication on whom that candidate will be.
Buckle-up because it’s a bumpy, exciting ride.
JOHN HARBAUGH AS A CANDIDATE?
McPhaul: Thanks for taking time-out to meet with me. Well, has anything changed since we last spoke
Friend of Bevo: Darrell, I just received fresh, new information I’m getting just now- I am trying to get more information on what’s going on but Bellmont is a huge frenzy right now. According to someone inside the Athletic Department, someone is being brought in either January 4th or 5th. No name is being given, but some people are even being given the day off. Reservations for conference rooms and offices have been blocked off inside the Athletic Department. I’m trying to get more information on what the Hell is going on.
Mc Phaul: Saban?
Friend of Bevo: I don’t think so. I think it’s an NFL guy. If it were Saban, it would have been Friday or Saturday to get him out of Alabama as soon as possible and avoid issues with Alabama questioning still his stance. They bring an NFL guy on Sunday IMO on a day where most sports media outlets are concerned on the NFL playoffs and then they have the announcement for Monday.
McPhaul: What NFL guy are you thinking?
Friend of Bevo: John Harbaugh
McPhaul: Can I share that information with my board?
Friend of Bevo: We have definitely reached out to him so “yes!â€
NOTE: Now, before I move on to speaking with another Friend of Bevo, some of you have asked me why Harbaugh was not on the list of any of the BMD camps I had previously listed? That is a fair enough question. I shared what I knew Big Money Donors’ camps were favoring. I did not share what the Patterson camp was favoring. Patterson himself has done masterful job and is keeping everyone on the committee content with a need-to-know basis and John Harbaugh along with Jimbo Fisher, Charlie Strong, & Jim Mora, Jr. are all candidates that Patterson finds attractive should Saban turn us down again. This time we are not going to be held “holding the bag.†As I posted yesterday I get my information from multiple camps. All of the folks have been great sources over the years.
Camp 1, Has always stuck with stuck with Saban to Texas. These guys have never waffled.
Camp 2, Not at all happy with coaching change. You can only imagine who heads up this camp?
Camp 3, Fisher, Strong , Briles
Camp 4, Saban, Fisher, Strong, Briles
I also went on to say that Everyone else (Gruden, Franklin, Mora Jr., etc) is just a smoke screen.
WHAT IF SABAN DOESN’T COME TO AUSTIN?
McPhaul: So what happens if Saban does NOT come to UT- then what?
Friend of Bevo: Well Darrell, keep in mind that Saban will NOT respond to any offer until after the Sugar Bowl against OU Thursday. All of these interviews are being done in due diligence just in case Saban turns us down. If this continues on Saturday and into Sunday that no announcement has been made in regards to Saban coming to Texas then at that point I will get concerned about Saban not coming to Texas.
McPhaul: That’s good to know but what happens if Saban turns us down?
Friend of Bevo: I saw how you put out your BMD Camps and the candidates that they are favoring- I really liked that. It was spot-on. Darrell, Steve Patterson is no dummy. There is NO WAY Patterson is going to go “broken arrow†and offer a guy that has no consensus with among ALL of the BMD’s (with the exception of the Jamail camp). The one thing Nick brings is a consensus that every camp can get behind. After Saban, it’s becomes more challenging. You will have all sorts of BMD’s trying to promote THEIR candidate. To figure out who will be the next Head Coach at the University of Texas if Saban does not come to Austin, through logic and rationale you can probably figure it out.
Mc Phaul: Well can you spell it out for me?
Friend of Bevo: Alright son, here it goes: guys like Fisher, Briles, and Strong consistently come up among all of the camps that you listed so it’s a safe bet it would be one of those guys OR someone Patterson could build a strong consensus behind.
McPhaul: Like John Harbaugh?
Friend of Bevo: Bingo! How do you one-up not getting Nick Saban as your Head Coach? Well, go hire the Head Coach of the most recent Super Bowl Champion. How about that for starters? Patterson likes the thought of John Harbaugh coaching at the University of Texas. Harbaugh is less than a year removed from coaching the winning team in the Super Bowl. How could you NOT build a consensus around a guy with a pedigree like that? His dad was an assistant to Schembechler at Michigan. His brother was the Head Coach at Stanford. These guys both coached at academically strong institutions and it is probably safe to say that John would be up to the task in dealing with the challenging academics of the student athlete while putting out a premier product on the football field. Unlike Jimbo, Briles, or Strong, a guy like Harbaugh has little to no experience with negative recruiting practices because he has been coaching in the NFL for the past 16 years.
McPhaul: What else does Patterson like about Harbaugh?
Friend of Bevo: If you are a Head Coach of an NFL franchise there is NO downtime. NONE. Keep in mind that the University of Texas Head Coaching position is one of the top Coaching positions in all of sports. However it comes with a steep cost.
Mc Phaul: Such as?
Friend of Bevo: Time and time management. As an NFL Coach these guys work ridiculous hours and it can take a toll on a family. Patterson knows that Harbaugh realizes how to effectively manage and utilize his time. Guys like Briles & Strong for the most part just have to worry about coaching X’s & O’s as it compares to the job responsibilities that come with being the Head Coach at the University of Texas. Furthermore, John Harbaugh has the type of brand/image that the University of Texas wants to associate itself with. The guy is young, good looking, well spoken. John is less fiery and more even-keeled than his brother. He seems to perpetuate an inner calmness on the sidelines even on the biggest of stages. The guy represents everything that the University of Texas is looking at in an ideal candidate.
McPhaul: OK, lets’s talk about Jimbo Fisher for a bit.
Friend of Bevo: Fine Darrell. Everyone knows Fisher signed an extension however the interesting part is the Salary of $4.1M/yr for 5 years and no buyout presents no problem for us to go get Fisher if that is the guy we want. Furthermore, what’s interesting is Jimbo had previously in his contract a buyout clause. That clause has been removed altogether.
McPhaul: That is interesting.
Friend of Bevo: Also keep in mind the Florida State Athletics Department has been running in the red for a few years now. That was part of what made the Big 12 an intriguing Conference destination a while back if you recall for FSU. There is NO way FSU can get into a bidding war with us for Jimbo if we determine Fisher is “the guy†should Saban spurn us again.
Mc Phaul: So it doesn’t sound like we have even began to negotiate with Jimbo at this point to make the job interesting enough to jump to at this point- is that correct?
Friend of Bevo: Sexton knows what Texas is willing to pay and that in itself will make it a “no brainer†for Jimbo to come to Austin Heisman Trophy winner or not. Ask Kevin Sumlin what guarantees a Heisman Trophy winner give you the next season. There are no guarantees and it would be foolish to plan your professional coaching career around a 19-20 year old kid and the chance to repeat as National Champions or even get to the National Championship game. There are just too many variables and there is just too much at risk for Fisher and his family to turn the job down should he be offered the gig. Now you can see why some of the BMD’s have Fisher as the 1B on their wish list as the next Head Coach.
ART BRILES AND THE TEXAS LETTERMEN ENDORSEMENT
McPhaul: Now let’s talk about Briles.
Friend of Bevo: Briles is on top of the the list with another contingency of BMD’s however Briles(as well as Jimbo Fisher) also has received a ringing endorsement of several “T Ring recipients.†Former lettermen such as David McWilliams, Eric Metcalf, Todd Dodge to name a few were in attendance at this meeting with Patterson. During the meeting between the “T†Association and Patterson, first and foremost the main thing they wanted to make clear to Patterson is they were concerned about winning Conference Championships with whoever the next candidate would be. 2 Conference Championships in 16 years is nowhere near acceptable to these former lettermen and rightfully so. The “T†Association attendees also wanted to have continued access to the program like they had had with Mack. That being said they but made it clear that their preference would either be Art Briles or Jimbo Fisher as their choice. They like what they have seen Briles do at Baylor and also like the fact that Briles is from Texas. They also like what Jimbo Fisher has done in turning around FSU in a short period of time.
As you can see, this coaching selection can & may create a fissure between the different factions of BMD’s. This is what makes Harbaugh a safe hire should Saban turn us down. Both the Briles camp and the Fisher camp would come together because of Harbaugh’s resume. Patterson is playing with his career here. He HAS to get this right. Patterson KNOWS this hiring will be his legacy and he damn sure doesn’t want to screw it up.
CHARLIE STRONG
McPhaul: Finally, let’s talk about Charlie Strong.
Friend of Bevo: Fine. Strong intrigues Patterson as a candidate and of course he wants to learn more about Strong. The truth of the matter is Strong is listed as a candidate in most of the camps however he is typically down the list of their preferences. Typically these guys like Saban, Fisher, Briles, and then Strong. Although a great candidate, Strong isn’t at the top of many BMD’s “wish list.â€
Mc Phaul: When do you think we’ll know who our next Head Coach is?
Friend of Bevo: Darrell, Steve said by the 15th so by the 15th. But if you’re asking me if it’s going to be on a specific date then I’d say by next Friday (January 10th).
McPhaul: OK. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Friend of Bevo: You too.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Guys, I want to thank you for supporting our site. There are going to be a lot of twists and turns out there before the smoke clears. We will continue to report what we’re hearing as we hear it. Entering into the week it is important to realize the fact that things are fluid. At this point I am still convinced that Saban is our guy but as I mentioned earlier in the post, Patterson isn’t going to wait around for Nick Saban to come around this time. The job is his if he wants he wants it.
I would also like to note that we are REALLY excited about what ’14 brings to us at Hornsports.com. I want to thank you for tuning in here at our site and we looking forward to serving you in the future.
Have a Safe and Prosperous 2014!
Darrell
