Coal Harbour
Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Messages
- 463
I think I have the answer. Mack Brown was never a strong X and O's guy. That was on display early in his tenure when Bob Stoops routinely out coached MB. When MB took over at UT, the depth of talent on the roster was far less than traditional "contenders" across the country.
Mack Brown's legacy should be that of a recruiting innovator with the amount of time he would spend at a HS visiting coaches, faculty, etc.. The extent and detail of those visits were unparalleled.
However, the difference was "junior days". Texas caught the recruiting world flat footed and gained verbal commitments from 4 to 5 star athletes before most schools started looking at HS juniors. With that, the roster was transformed into one of the deepest in the country and once Vince arrived, there really was so much talent, it overshadowed a weakness within the coaching staff at HC on gamedays.
Like most do, schools took notice and started implementing "junior days" to the detail that UT was doing and the playing field of recruiting started to level out. With that, the one advantage that Mack had, slowly went away. Coupled with top recruits not panning out, especially at the QB position (Gilbert), the decline started in earnest.
Mack was simply not able to adjust to the changing recruiting landscape and with A&M gaining SEC momentum, even lost his edge in his home state. It happens, but when a program's success was based on having much more talent than their opponents, the level playing field proved to accelerate the decline of the football program and ultimately, cost Mack is job.
I think talent covers up mid-range coaching most of the time. Hell, even Nick Saban couldn't cover up a questionable kicker, which ultimately cost Bama a chance at a national championship.
Mack Brown's legacy should be that of a recruiting innovator with the amount of time he would spend at a HS visiting coaches, faculty, etc.. The extent and detail of those visits were unparalleled.
However, the difference was "junior days". Texas caught the recruiting world flat footed and gained verbal commitments from 4 to 5 star athletes before most schools started looking at HS juniors. With that, the roster was transformed into one of the deepest in the country and once Vince arrived, there really was so much talent, it overshadowed a weakness within the coaching staff at HC on gamedays.
Like most do, schools took notice and started implementing "junior days" to the detail that UT was doing and the playing field of recruiting started to level out. With that, the one advantage that Mack had, slowly went away. Coupled with top recruits not panning out, especially at the QB position (Gilbert), the decline started in earnest.
Mack was simply not able to adjust to the changing recruiting landscape and with A&M gaining SEC momentum, even lost his edge in his home state. It happens, but when a program's success was based on having much more talent than their opponents, the level playing field proved to accelerate the decline of the football program and ultimately, cost Mack is job.
I think talent covers up mid-range coaching most of the time. Hell, even Nick Saban couldn't cover up a questionable kicker, which ultimately cost Bama a chance at a national championship.
