So, you are thrilled to see Oklahoma get spanked, but you are worried the win may set the program  back if Mack Brown is retained? Perhaps you are in the camp of those thinking Mack should get to come back next year, or you are in the camp of his return being a no brainer. Who is going to be the Athletic Director? Is there a coaching search going on? Let’s dive in a bit on somethings we know or have heard. Before doing so, since there are trolls a plenty working for Bellmont, we have to preface these as being rumors we have heard which have already been printed on or verified elsewhere.
Is it true Bellmont has folks monitoring message boards?
Yes this is true, and it’s well known that bit of trollery is being led at least in part by Nick Voinis, Senior Associate AD at Texas. You may know Voinis as being the guy who screamed from the hilltops calling Chip Brown a liar when he reported DeLoss Dodds was going away, which was confirmed just two weeks later.
We know the message is trying to be controlled, having to look no further than the Rod Babers incident (which out of respect for Rod I’ll request we mention no further), and the fact some well known insiders on other boards have been harassed by people in the crumbling power system in Austin for what they are saying. There is also the now well known incident involving Steve Hicks on Orangebloods.com This very site itself has seen verifiable activity from Bellmont.
So to summarize this one and move on, as silly as it sounds, chances are if you are saying it loud enough, someone is watching.
Who is going to be the next Athletic Director?
I’d lay $1 on it being Oliver Luck, but I wouldn’t go higher than a dollar. There is too much smoke for there not to be at least a little fire, and with the rumors of Dodds not being a pro Luck guy, it would only enhance his position with BMD’s that want change. There is a quite a bit of chatter from our friends at BlueGoldSports.com regarding Luck being here, interviewing here (a report all but shot down by Chip Brown when it first came out), and even so much as rumors of Luck being willing to help Central Florida get into the Big 12.
With that said, there is so much in motion right now, it could end up being someone you have never heard of, but until some much stronger information comes out, assume chances of it being Luck are pretty good.
Will there be a Coaching change no matter what?
I don’t know what to think about this one. I trust in the information of guys like McPhaul (a man who, when he speaks, you need to pay attention and take detailed notes) when they say it is over. I also see the point of guys like Beevomav who raise questions about how you can force out a guy who is still in the thick of the conference race.
At this point, I think everyone has a Nick Saban story, and plenty of ammo loaded up to argue with anyone who opposes their Plan B choice if the Saban pipe dream fails. I think we need to wait and see how things go the last few games before we can officially feel confident in a new regime. The OU win was huge, but with the exception of Boykin, we won’t see a QB nearly as bad as Blake Bell again.
Is a coaching search going on at all? I think there are conversations all the time, but you’ve got to see the AD hire go down first.
What will happen with Basketball and Baseball?
Augie Garrido should get at least one more year to turn it around, and from what I’m reading he may have done just that. Rick Barnes “should” be a foregone conclusion to be terminated in the next few months, but no incoming AD is going to want so many changes while they are trying to establish themselves. One guy has to get the benefit of the doubt, and that guy should be Garrido.
So, there you have it in a very condensed nutshell. Feel free to discuss this to your hearts content, because we are never going to “muzzle” the thoughts or ideas of anyone. Should be a very interesting ride over the next few weeks.
