Okay - I will start the thread

[doc longhorn]

A+Jim Harbaugh: Proven winner at the college level. Built a program from ground up in Stanford which values the student athlete and had offense which was not completely dependent on elite QB play (though he did have Luck). Recruited nationally.

A

Nick Saban - Alabama - SEC: The gold standard. Only downside is age and likely shorter tenure.

John Harbaugh - Baltimore Ravens - NFL: No recent college head coach experience is only downside. Young, well liked by players, was assistant at college level, NFL superbowl winner

David Shaw - Stanford - PAC 12: Shorter tenure but has had nothing short of amazing success. Has reportedly told Texas no and is in dream job. Probably not worth including on list

Fisher: Built program that stagnated under prior head coach. Elite recruiter who should only do better at Texas with less competition and will open inroads into the southwest. Elite QB coach. Knock is that FSU tends to lose 1-2 games a year that they "should" win and possible masking of deficiencies in the run game by elite Heisman winning QB

B+

Gary Anderson: My personal favorite if the "top tier" doesn't happen. Elite defensive coordinator under Meyer and Willingham at Utah. Reportedly very dynamic and persuasive as recruiter (very good as assistant and Wisconsin recruiting is much improved already). Prefers the spread offense. Reportedly very loyal and possibly unwilling to switch teams after taking over Wisconsin for just one year. Also, not really on the Texas radar. Could fail but he has the traits that Harbaugh showed and he's a guy you may be catching on the way up.

Art Briles - Baylor - Big 12: Won at Baylor. Elite offensive mind. Very, very good connections with Texas high school football coaches. Defenses have been poor but nothing like elite recruits to make a defense look better

Malzahn - Maybe the only mind in football better then Briles in terms of the running the spread. Focuses on a run first spread. Good recruiting in first year as head coach. Biggest knock is short tenure as head coach

B

Dantonio: Good coach, has built MSU up but heart condition makes hire a little risky

Gundy: Another guy who is young but not too young. Offense always good and defense is getting better with better athletes. Finds lots of diamonds in the rough. Unclear if he'll be an elite recruiter or able to make the next jump but he's won the conference as many times as Texas has in the last 10 years.

B-

Mora: Decent success at UCLA. Defensive minded. NFL head coaching experience. Still, not elite in any one category and much of success in recruiting may be 2ndary to USC sanctions

C

Franklin: Please no. Average offensive coordinator at KSU and Maryland. Boring offense. Reportedly elite recruiter but hasn't shown any propensity to build a staff that maximizes talent nor the personal acumen to coach x's and o's. Vanderbilt is not UT. Advantages of being an elite recruiter are lessened because even terrible personalities (mackovic) are able to recruit decently at Texas.

D

Fedora - North Carolina - ACC: Good offensive mind. Has shown no real success at building programs and not winning 9 games in the ACC with UNC is pretty terrible. USM team cratered right after he left so definitely didn't leave the team better then he found it

Just my opinions

And damned good ones, I might add. I like this comment.

 

[doc longhorn]

Here is my take - in order of preference:

1. Nick Saban - Alabama - SEC

There is no coach in the land better then him - and maybe in college football history. A successful process guy and a jerk.

2. Jim Harbaugh - San Francisco 49er's - NFL

A no nonsense tough SOB. Like Saban, he doesn't suffer fools well. Another successful process guy and a jerk.

3. Art Briles - Baylor - Big 12

First he took U of H, a blue collar pedestrian school and built it into an offensive machine and a QB's dream. Then, for Gods sake, he took Baylor, the doormat of the SWC, the Big 12 and the nation, and turned it into a freaking national powerhouse. Baylor, mind you and lets not forget this. A proven process guy and a jerk.

4. Jimbo Fisher - FSU - ACC

I know the ACC is a weak conference, but he made FSU the bully of the conference like a powerhouse should. he is another process guy with a successful record.

5. Charlie Strong - Louisville - ACC

I put him in here because I know nothing about him and, apparently, neither does anyone else. So, for all I know, he may be the second coming of Vince Lombardi.

My top three have a couple of things in common - they are the antithesis of Mack Brown and they are jerks. That is why they are not media darlings and that is good, IMO.

I would hope, should we choose one of them, that they are culture changers as well. Our football program culture is rotten to the core and I hope that Patterson and the new coach will be the anti-biotics that rid us of the infection.

 

[Old Tascosa]

Texas requires much more than just great recruiting or great Xs & Os. Staff & recruit evaluations, player development, academic & behavior discipline, media, alumni relations and BMD fundraising are almost equally important. All things considered, I would rank them John Harbaugh, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, then Gus Malzahn. If we can't get one of those 4 we aren't trying hard enough. Don't bother with anyone else. They all have issues which disqualify them in one way or another from doing the total job Texas needs them to do.

 

[doc longhorn]

Texas requires much more than just great recruiting or great Xs & Os. Staff & recruit evaluations, player development, academic & behavior discipline, media, alumni relations and BMD fundraising are almost equally important. All things considered, I would rank them John Harbaugh, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, then Gus Malzahn. If we can't get one of those 4 we aren't trying hard enough. Don't bother with anyone else. They all have issues which disqualify them in one way or another from doing the total job Texas needs them to do.

Good post - I could go with those as well.

 

[acropora]

And damned good ones, I might add. I like this comment.

Thanks, forgot Strong. I'd put him in the same level as Gundy. I like that he's an elite mind on the defensive side, that he's a great recruiter, and that he really prepares his teams well for their bowl games. I worry about the lack of dominance in a very weak conference and also that he's a little older then some of the others. However, we could definitely do worse.

 

[TheContractor]

What Texas needs with this hire.

1-Changing the culture of not only the football program but of the Athletic Department where Football is king.

2-Winning, Rings, Conf Titles, Playoff appearances, National TitleS

3-Face of the Program

4-Make Texas even stronger and more of a bully bc realignment is not over

5-Launch LHN

If Texas wants to remain the richest program they can not afford to miss on this hire. Coaches who could be the next "Saban" are not good enough. Could be is for aggies. Texas must get a proven winner at the college level and hopefully meet the criteria above. There are a few coaches who have done it and those should be considered until they say "no and dont come back."

Saban, Meyer, Fisher, Jim Harbaugh, Shaw are the cream of the crop, IMO.

Saban - might be greatest coach in history, definitely in conversation. Certainly the best most of us have seen. All 5 criteria met, maybe more. I think what makes this the best hire is bc Saban is willing to consider more of a spread concept on O.

Meyer - one of the best of our era. Meets all 5 criteria. He has some baggage as most in this business do. But get him here and he can win big and then leave after 5-7 years. We dont need another coach for 15+ years unless he is consistently winning which is very very hard.

Fisher - excellent coach, Texas > FSU and he has made FSU a consistent top 5 from here on out. would meet all 5 criteria.

Shaw - excellent coach, hasnt made title game yet but has done great.

Harbaugh, Jim - did it at Stanford like Shaw but no title appearances. would be great. again, has personality baggage like everyone except Shaw. But Win and all will take care of itself.

 

[doc longhorn]

What Texas needs with this hire.1-Changing the culture of not only the football program but of the Athletic Department where Football is king.

2-Winning, Rings, Conf Titles, Playoff appearances, National TitleS

3-Face of the Program

4-Make Texas even stronger and more of a bully bc realignment is not over

5-Launch LHN

If Texas wants to remain the richest program they can not afford to miss on this hire. Coaches who could be the next "Saban" are not good enough. Could be is for aggies. Texas must get a proven winner at the college level and hopefully meet the criteria above. There are a few coaches who have done it and those should be considered until they say "no and dont come back."

Saban, Meyer, Fisher, Jim Harbaugh, Shaw are the cream of the crop, IMO.

Saban - might be greatest coach in history, definitely in conversation. Certainly the best most of us have seen. All 5 criteria met, maybe more. I think what makes this the best hire is bc Saban is willing to consider more of a spread concept on O.

Meyer - one of the best of our era. Meets all 5 criteria. He has some baggage as most in this business do. But get him here and he can win big and then leave after 5-7 years. We dont need another coach for 15+ years unless he is consistently winning which is very very hard.

Fisher - excellent coach, Texas > FSU and he has made FSU a consistent top 5 from here on out. would meet all 5 criteria.

Shaw - excellent coach, hasnt made title game yet but has done great.

Harbaugh, Jim - did it at Stanford like Shaw but no title appearances. would be great. again, has personality baggage like everyone except Shaw. But Win and all will take care of itself.

Excellent post and I agree with almost all of it. I would take exception that it is up to the football coach to change the culture of all athletic programs. That should be Pattersons job, IMO.

Your comment that "Coaches who could be the next "Saban" are not good enough" is absolutely dead on. We need a coach that can win the conference title with regularity, we don't need a coach that "could" be a legend. The landscape has changed because Texas A&M retreated from a 100+ year rivalry and joined a conference that opened the doors to the hounds of hell. In spite of their pitiful whining, it was not the LHN that changed things, it was their retreat to the SEC. It not only changed it for us, it changed it for all schools in Texas and the Big 12 as well.

That's why I think the new coach must be a star and have the flash to stem the aggy recruiting tide and crush them, and the SEC, back into obscurity. We ARE Texas.

 

[HornEsch]

These are strictly my quick takes on the list and in no order. Just opinions, right or wrong, that I have come up with.

Nick Saban - Alabama - SEC

Pros

Has proven to be able to do that at multiple locations. May be one of, if not the, best college coaches of all time. He brings a no BS attitude, there is no crying in football, attitude that I love.

Cons

His age is a concern. How many years can the fire still burn?

Overall

While I think he would be a great hire and most certainly the biggest of splashes, I think it is a short term play. I honestly think that we would get, at most, 5 years out of him at the elite level. I don't think he would ever end up being like Mack, but he is getting pretty old. However he would get us back on track and setup for the future.

Jim Harbaugh - San Francisco 49er's - NFL

Pros

Hard nosed no nonsense coach. Excellent motivator and knows how to use his talent. Just look at the 49ers and how he adapted to the different QBs in the same season.

Cons

Tends to rub people the wrong way, no matter where he goes.

Overall

This would be a dream hire for me. He obviously knows how to coach and he brought Stanford S T A N D F O R D into the elite. I think he would be someone who could build Texas for the long term.

John Harbaugh - Baltimore Ravens - NFL

Pros

Like his brother, he knows the game and how to coach. He would be a hell of a motivator in getting the guys ready t play.

Cons

Recruiting? College experience?

Overall

I think he would be a splash hire and could be a great one. I do have a little concern in the experience side at this level. I know recruiting would be ok upfront just because of his name, but what about talent evaluations? I will admit, I am not as familiar with him outside of his NFL coaching.

Charlie Strong - Louisville - ACC

Pros

Great defensive mind that is actually open to the spread offense. Gets the most out of his talent and is a strong recruiter.

Cons

He has not consistently faced top competition while HC.

Overall

He is most certainly not a tier one hire, but I think he would be a very good coach here and could be a long term hire. I am concerned about his recruiting here in Texas. How good his he without an elite QB (sounds familiar). He might be great, we just don't know. I think he is a much bigger gamble.

David Shaw - Stanford - PAC 12

Pros

I love his no BS approach as it reminds me of Saban. There are no excuses and he just works to correct them. Great defensive approach to the game and knows how to handle high flying teams, which would fit here in the B12.

Cons

Recruiting? Is this Standford team a reflection of him or Jim H?

Overall

I think, like Strong, that he is at the top of the tier two guys. He would clean out the powder puff football mentality that our team has become. There would most certainly be no excuses and just get shit done type of mentality. He would bring that, swift kick in the butt, that this program needs. However I have a lot of concern on the recruiting side as well as the long term with Shaw. How long before he turns his eyes to the NFL, if he hasn't already?

Art Briles - Baylor - Big 12

Pros

The offense would be a blast. I think he might be the quickest turn around by far. He can make an offense go, no doubt. He knows talent as good as anyone and seems to be able to pick the guys that were missed by the other schools and scouting services. He is well known by the Texas HS coaches and respected.

Cons

Defense? He does have some questionable shadyness in his past (rumored).

Overall

Ironically he makes as much, if not more sense than many others on the list. He is a native Texan! His ties to the Texas HS, his ability to pick talent and then utilize it properly, his ability to grow a program out of nothing, etc. I know many like to hate on him for his ranking Texas several years back, but seriously he was not the coach of Texas. He was the coach of Baylor and had zero allegiance to Texas. Saying all of that I have my concerns. How long term would this be? How well would he interact with the other duties at a program like Texas? There are those rumors, from his HS coaching days.

Jimbo Fisher - FSU - ACC

Pros

Knows how to take over for a "legendary" coach that overstayed his welcome. Produces teams strong on both sides of the ball.

Cons

How well would he recruit Texas? How well would he do without an elite QB?

Overall

I think he would be a home run hire. He seems to have all of the tools and knows how to build. I havemy concerns around recruiting Texas and building relationship with HS coaches here, but that is what a good staff can help with.

Gus Malzhan - Auburn - SEC

Pros

See Briles! Seriously wonderful offensive mind. Runs the ball out of the spread with great success.

Cons

Crazy wife! How does he handle the other side of the job / pressure? Recruiting in Texas?

Overall

I think he could be a great hire, but I have more concerns with him over the others. I just don't know how stable he would be here for the long term. As far as his wife, it would be entertaining and at least n cookies!!

The coaches below, I have not followed enough to form an opinion yet.

Larry Fedora - North Carolina - ACC

Mark Dantonio - Michigan State - B1G

Gary Anderson - Wisconsin - B1G

Jim Mora - UCLA - PAC 12

 

[doc longhorn]

HornEsch - I love your post. This what sports forums should be all about.

 

[HornEsch]

Thanks, doc for the reply and for starting this thread.