Welcome to new head coach Charlie Strong and family who are in town and flashing the #HookEmHorns sign. pic.twitter.com/F5py4nvsH8
— Longhorn_FB (@Longhorn_FB) January 5, 2014
You say you want a revolution? Well Longhorn fans, Charlie Strong is here to lead it. Â It’s been interesting to watch the reaction from Texas fans, who have gone from all in on a big name, to incredulous, to now happy and excited. Â This is a hire that has polarized the fan base and underwhelmed the masses, but it’s one of the hires out there that almost seemed too obvious to be made. Â Yes, the more I think about this hire, the more I recognize it was a bold step by Steve Patterson and the Texas brass. Â In somewhat of an Op-Ed role for this site, I have a bit of a leash on what I choose to write about and how often I choose to write, and yet since Friday night I’ve been busting at the seams with ideas bouncing around in my mind regarding this coaching hire. Â Spoiler alert; I’m a big fan of the hire.
Charlie Strong was born in Batesville, Arkansas and raised hard in a hotbed of racial tension. Â After playing at Central Arkansas, Strong knew he wanted to be involved with shaping young men’s lives. Â Following some time as a graduate assistant at Florida and Texas A&M, Strong worked his way through the college ranks before being tabbed by Lou Holtz to run his defense at South Carolina. Â It was there that Strong started toying with the 3-3-5 stack defense that has gone on to become one of the bedrock philosophies that made Strong one of the brightest defensive minds in football. Â After working for Ron Zook, he was the only coach retained by Urban Meyer and was named Defensive Coordinator at Florida. Â After creating a lot of buzz in coaching change circles, Strong was constantly passed over for jobs which fostered in his mind the belief was because he was a black man involved in an interracial marriage. Â After winning two National Championships at Florida and garnering his players many awards in his tenure, Strong finally got his chance when Tom Jurich hired him at Louisville. Â Jurich met Strong at his house in Florida and offered him the job without really interviewing him based on a deep vetting process and a glowing recommendation from Tony Dungy.
Strong has without a doubt delivered a re-build to Louisville as the Cardinals have gone 23-3 in the last two years including a BCS bowl win over Florida.  This was evident when Jurich ended his vacation early to race back to Louisville and tried a last ditch effort to talk Strong out of leaving yesterday.  Strong not only directly helped the football team achieve on the field, but he made the program once again a more desirable launch pad for young stars looking for their first shot at head coaching.  Because of the success Strong had, there’s a chance someone like Chad Morris or Derek  Mason will take this job knowing about what Strong was able to do.
So now that we’re caught up on his bio, what do we really think about this hire? Â As I said before, I love it and here is why.
The first thing I love is the culture change aspect of this hire. Â Longhorn fans want a revolution to overhaul the entire athletic department, and Charlie Strong places a great deal of energy on making a tough culture for his players and coaches. Â Strong believes an environment of competition and strict attention to detail serves to mentally and physically harden his men. Â The #1 priority is to change the sense of entitlement and country club culture that has been associated with Texas players in the NFL and national media. Â Outside of Harbaugh and Saban, there may not have been a better choice to be the man who spurs this change. Â Early reports indicate that Louisville S&C coach Pat Moorer will join Strong at Texas. Â Moorer and Strong are close, due to the fact that Strong is usually at work early in the morning to workout with Moorer. Â If you haven’t already, check out this report on something Moorer calls “The Pit”.
During the hiring process, the maddening topic of hiring a coach who was media savvy kept popping up. Â Some fans started dreading that this thing might turn into a popularity contest that hired the best tv host instead of the best ball coach they could find. Â The risk in this hire is that Strong isn’t known as a polished speaker and at times holds somewhat open contempt for the media. Â It seems like he’d always rather be in team meetings or the film room than answering repetitive questions at a press conference. Â For too long, Texas has valued the polished PR man, and this time they hired a football guy. Â It’s a gutsier move than some think and one that represents a vested interest in winning from an Athletic Department previously consumed with making money and controlling the message. Â Some have called this a lazy or or safe hire, but this seems like a far more difficult decision than it would have been to hire a Nick Saban.
Next, let’s just address the part no one really wants to talk about. Â Though I don’t believe he was hired because of his race, kudos for not being afraid to hire a man of color and one who is involved in an interracial relationship. Â Aside from the fact that Strong is already a great recruiter, he also has the ability to counteract the race card played on the recruiting trail by Kevin Sumlin. Â The historical selection also happens to be at a school known for such things as having the last all white championship team in football, and never having an African American as a head coach in any of their major sports. Â This is one of the smallest parts of the discussion to me, but it is relevant in today’s world where Texas had lost traction with some high school coaches who hinted at Texas racism. Â In my mind it doesn’t matter what color a man is if he’s qualified for the job, but the reality is somewhat of an issue.
I also love the fact that Strong is absolutely dynamite at one side of the ball. Â Going into this search, many wanted a coach who could motivate and recruit, but also had a technical aptitude on either offense or defense. Â No one wanted another CEO coach who couldn’t teach the finer part of technique or add insight to a game plan. Â Strong was regarded as a bright young mind in his upbringing and his defenses shut down high powered offenses at Florida including Ohio State and Oklahoma in both of Florida’s championship games. Â His background in defense will allow him to work with the defensive coordinator while trusting the offense to whoever he hires as his Offensive Coordinator.
There’s a lot to like about this hire, and i’ve certainly listed a few of my favorite things, but the reality is this hire also carries some risk. Â It’s impossible to tell at this point how this will play out, and anyone predicting either way should probably wait until he at least moves into his office. Â That said, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about the future of Texas football in the hands of this man. Â Right now is a time of optimism and we will see what happens when he loses his first game, but for now our faith is strong and our faith is in Strong.
