volinexile17
Pickled a ghost runner
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The Usual Suspects
Enormously Successful Non-SEC Coaches:
Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Gary Patterson, TCU
Chris Petersen, Boise St.
Jim Harbaugh, Stanford
Of these guys, only Harbaugh seems likely to move this year. Whittingham, Patterson, and Peterson have all expressed contentment with their current situations. Lots of rumbling about Harbaugh to Michigan, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him interview for a couple NFL jobs (Minny, Dallas, San Fran).
Moderately Successful Non-SEC Coaches:
Troy Calhoun, Air Force - Denies he's a candidate for Broncos job.
Randy Edsall, UConn
Both guys cropped up in connection to UT during our job search after Kiffin bolted. I don’t remember if we passed or they did or there was ever even an offer, but it feels like they’ve been looking for new jobs for a couple years. Neither name is particularly exciting, and they may be doomed to spend the rest of their years in the Big East or some other ridiculous conference. Though in fairness to Calhoun, Paul Johnson brought a similar offense to GaTech and has been successful.
***After Groves pointed out the Calhoun has an NFL background as a pro-style OC, I checked him out further. Looks like a great coach on paper, who can command whatever offense his personnel demands. As a former Air Force player and assistant, Calhoun may think of the academy as a destination job. I've never seen an interview with him, but his statement reads like he considers his job a service to the United States and the military. Calhoun could be in Colorado Springs for a while.***
SEC Coaches and Coordinators:
Kirby Smart, Bama DC
Will Muschamp, Former Texas DC ***Took FL job***
These guys have had opportunities to jump at good head coaching positions. I’m starting to think they will be coordinators forever. Maybe this will be the year they finally do the right thing. (Small tangent: It’s stupid for guys like this not to take head coaching position when offered. In college football, the new guy is always the next big thing. Kinda like the back-up QB platitude. When offered a fat contract, a coordinator should almost always take it. For example, Will Muschamp turned down UT when we offering somewhere between $3-4 mil, tripling his salary. Not only is he currently not banking nearly as much, but if Texas has another mediocre year, he’s not getting the contract he would have in 2009. And for those who argue that you don’t want to walk into a bad situation, see Gene Chizik or Turner Gill.)
Dan Mullen, Miss St.
Charlie Strong, Louisville
Both of these guys will soon leave current programs for bigger, better things. See, Kirby and Will? This is what smart coordinators do.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn OC- As much as I'd love to chalk up his success to Cam Newton being an alien, his offense worked with some guy named Todd running the show too. I don't know if his talents will lead to success as a head coach, but someone should, and will, give him a shot soon.
Pro Coaches:
Jon Gruden
Bill Cowher
Seriously? These guys have won Super Bowls. They are pro coaches. They will never coach a college team. Can we please stop tossing their names around for every vacancy?
The Terminated (Someone has to take the Minnesota job guys…who’s stepping up?)
Gone, Baby, Gone:
Randy Shannon- Just fired by Miami. Did a good job cleaning up the program after a number of on and off the field disgraces. However, the product on game day never matched the talent. Would still be a good hire for a mid-level program, though.
Phil Fulmer- One of our favorites here at Volnation. With every month that passes that the Great Pumpkin remains unemployed, it becomes less likely he will land a head coaching position. There seems to be a disconnect with the type of program that Fulmer wants and the type of program that wants Fulmer. Regardless, he could likely do good things for a team if someone was willing to hire him – or if he was willing to take a job that’s not at a premier football university.
Mike Leach- Punchy but interesting as a commentator, he should maybe just stick to broadcasting. A good coach in many respects. But if football-crazed Texans thought he was mean, he’s probably not much fun to play for. He might get a job, but then again, it’s just not fashionable to abuse kids these days.
Jeff Jagodzinski- He’s currently the head coach of the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL, but I think that still qualifies as being in a state of termination. Formerly a coach on the rise, he was fired by Boston College and the Bucs in the span of two weeks. Or something like that. He’s been successful and has an NFL background. If someone takes a chance on this guy, they won’t regret it. Well, maybe when he leaves after 2-3 years they will, but he’ll leave the program better than he found it.
Getting the Axe:
Greg Davis- Texas OC who resigned. I mean, someone has to pay for that debacle in Austin. No idea where he will land, but it probably won’t be a head coaching position.
Rich Rodriguez- Michigan coach who will likely be replaced by Jim Harbaugh. He’ll win somewhere. Maybe he can take the Temple job when Al Golden leaves.
Living on A Prayer:
Dave Wannstedt- Pitt is reportedly unhappy with its head coach. NFL pedigree and he did some good things at Pitt. If Pitt fires him, he could probably land somewhere, but I think we’ve seen the best he has to offer. If I was an AD, I’d probably pass.
***12/7 - Wannstedt retires, but stays on as special assistant. Que pornstache jokes.***
Dabo Swinney- Lots of speculation about the Clemson coach. As much as I would like for the Tiger Brass to pull the plug on the chest bumping era to disrupt their recruiting (Hello, Bellamy!), I think he’ll get another year. Then he’ll be fired after another 6-6 underachieving season.
Houston Nutt- After winning with Coach O’s players for a couple years, Nutt’s Rebels fell apart. Shocking. He’ll probably follow the same path as Swinney.
Butch Davis- Has done a good job bringing in talent at UNC, and has proved to be an excellent coach. However, this whole cheating thing is a huge black eye for a university that really prides itself on its academics. I’m betting he stays for several years, but it could get ugly in Chapel Hill.
Ralph Friedgen- Maryland said they’re giving him another year, but it was pretty sad watching the Terps get embarrassed by FL State. He’s parlayed three good years into a decade, so who knows when we’ll see the end of the Fridge’s reign, but I’d bet sooner than later. Especially with that goober waiting to take his job.
***Forced out by AD 12/23ish.***
The Next Best Thing
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern- He’s a Big 10 guy, through and through, but we can’t all be perfect. He’s done a fantastic job molding a mediocre team into a competitive unit. He may not have SEC roots, but I’d take him and be happy. (Are you listening Mississippi schools?)
Al Golden, Temple- Crappy football school in a crappy conference. But Golden has done a good job getting his guys ready to play every Saturday. Or whatever day Temple plays on. There is the whole pesky never-winning-against-teams-with-winning-records thing, but I think that stems from the fact he’s working a short deck. ***Took Miami job.***
Skip Holtz, South Florida- Getting the W over Miami iced a solid first season. He deserves a shot at a non-directional school. In the words of Dr. Lou, “fda vjfdasjgfd uhurn bnf sioa!!!”
Brady Hoke, San Diego State- Semi-hot name right now for the Michigan job if Harbaugh falls through. He's been successful at Ball State and with the Aztecs (you know if he saw any of UT's last four games, he was pissed). I can't claim to have seen any of his games, but, going strictly by their records, his teams improve.
Lance Thompson, UT Linebackers coach- Highly unlikely he’s offered or takes a head coaching position, but there have to be some offers out there for this guy. I’d hate to see him go, but with his reputation as a recruiter in the Southeast, somebody has to want him as a DC. Let’s hope Kirby Smart follows his dream to be Saban’s flunky for life.
G.A. Mangus, South Carolina QB coach- Like Thompson, I doubt he gets a head coaching gig, but I’d love to have him on staff at UT. Almost every big recruit the Lamecocks are after are being pursued by this guy. The offense has been improved this season, and so has Garcia’s play. If he’s going to be in the SEC, he’s a guy I want on my staff or in the West.
Ivin Jasper, Navy OC- He's been mentioned in connection with the Vandy job. I'd hate to see him there, because he'll install the triple option that has made Paul Johnson dangerous in the ACC. The offense isn't a "gimmick," and Jasper certainly knows how to run it. I don't know if it makes an SEC team a contender, but they won't ever be an easy W.
Dave Doeren, Wisconsin DC- Younger coach who's risen quickly. Background as a recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach. The Badger's D has stoned people while he's been there, but they have been playing the Indiana's of the world. In fairness, they held an explosive(ish) Ohio State O to only 18 points. He wouldn't be a bad hire for a stepping stone university.
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin OC- Bounced around the Canadian league for a number of years. He's run a pretty conventional offense, focused on pounding the ground game, and few defenses have stopped the Badgers. Coached a couple notables in Derek Anderson and Steven Jackson while at Oregon State. He's a Wisconsin guy, and if Bielema ever leaves, you can bet Chryst will be in the running for the job.
Kevin Sumlin, Houston OC - Despite playing linebacker, Sumlin is best known for learning the air raid attack under Stoops at Oklahoma and installing it at Houston where Case Keenum set all kinds of passing records. Reportedly signed a fat extension to make him a Cougar until 2015. We'll see how long that lasts.
I know this post is overlong and no one is reading at this point, but I’d welcome any thoughts / additions / corrections / flamings.
***Added on request***
Schools of Opportunity
Minnesota- Fired Tim Brewster after 3+ seasons of losing. A new stadium, good facilities, and an expanding Big 10 make it a somewhat attractive position, but the future coach will be in for some tough times.
***Tricked Jerry Kill into taking the job. He's had success in D-2 and I-AA ball. Good luck, Jerry Kill. You will be playing Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, etc. this season. Not Life Chiropractic University.***
Indiana- Ditto on the Big 10 thing, minus everything else good. This is strictly a basketball school, which isn't even good at basketball right now. I don't envy the guy saddled with this job.
***Kevin Wilson takes Hoosiers job. Former Oklahoma OC who is Randy Walker disciple. Offensive mind who runs the spread formation characterized somewhat unusually by a strong rushing attack. He has a successful track record, and a history in the Midwest/Northeast. Indiana's biggest problems were on the defense, so hopefully he's got a good D-coordinator in mind.***
Vanderbilt- They have tough recruiting restrictions because of their academic prowess, but they're still an SEC school. Bobby Johnson, an unbelievably underrated coach, showed that the Commodes could have some success in the conference. At worst, it's a stepping stone.
***Tricked James Franklin, Maryland's coach-in-waiting into taking the Commodes job. Despite presiding over an offense that hasn't been able to score for a couple years, Franklin landed the job. Malzahn was Vandy's first choice, but he used their offer to leverage a pay raise. Fitting that Vandy got its second choice who was already the back-up at his own school.***
Pittsburgh- Shares facilities with the Steelers, good tradition, and above average recruiting ground. Has the pedigree to be a good job, but for some reason no one has been able to get this program over the hump even in a weak conference. If the right hire is made, this could be a formidable program in a couple years.
***Michael Haywood from Miami Ohio hired. Coached at Texas, Notre Dame, and LSU, so he has some experience at the highest levels of college football. Turned the Redhawks into a competitive group that nearly shocked the Gators early this season, and went on to win its conference. Looks like a potentially positive hire.***
Miami- The crown jewel of current positions. Fertile recruiting grounds, storied modern history, desirable location. They should land a top notch coach, but we'll see. I have my doubts. They could do much worse than calling up Eddie Gran, lifetime assistant and South Florida recruiting extraordinaire.
***Hired Al Golden, who seems to have somewhat staunched the bleeding from their already small recruiting class. ***
Florida- The new best job in town. Miami has to be pissed. Not only has Florida been significantly better the majority of this decade, the Gators are even going to upstage Miami in their job hunt. Charlie Strong and Dan Mullen have to be the two leading candidates. (Side note: who wants to bet that Urban is angling for the Denver job. Being away from Tebow for a year was tough for both of them.)
***Hired Muschamp. Interesting that they went with a defensive coach when their problems seemed to be on the offensive side of the ball. The OC will be a crucial hire. He's learned under Saban and Brown - it'll be interesting to see if he can duplicate his mentors' success. I'm betting he does a good job, but it'll be tough to follow Urban.***
Temple - historically crappy, but nursed to some level of relevance by Golden. Snatched Steve Addazio from FL as a replacement. He's a frenetic recruiter, but after the debacle that was Florida's offense this season, many will pooh-pooh the hire. It was quite a feat to mold 40 four and five star recruits into an offense that couldn't even manage a snap.
Maryland - more or less fired Friedgen after Franklin, the HC in waiting, took the Vandy job and poached half of the Turtles' staff. It was a long time coming and Friedgen probably should have been dropped a couple years ago. It's a pretty good job, and Maryland should be able to do better than Franklin anyway. Leach apparently is a hot name for this vacancy.
Enormously Successful Non-SEC Coaches:
Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Gary Patterson, TCU
Chris Petersen, Boise St.
Jim Harbaugh, Stanford
Of these guys, only Harbaugh seems likely to move this year. Whittingham, Patterson, and Peterson have all expressed contentment with their current situations. Lots of rumbling about Harbaugh to Michigan, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him interview for a couple NFL jobs (Minny, Dallas, San Fran).
Moderately Successful Non-SEC Coaches:
Troy Calhoun, Air Force - Denies he's a candidate for Broncos job.
Randy Edsall, UConn
Both guys cropped up in connection to UT during our job search after Kiffin bolted. I don’t remember if we passed or they did or there was ever even an offer, but it feels like they’ve been looking for new jobs for a couple years. Neither name is particularly exciting, and they may be doomed to spend the rest of their years in the Big East or some other ridiculous conference. Though in fairness to Calhoun, Paul Johnson brought a similar offense to GaTech and has been successful.
***After Groves pointed out the Calhoun has an NFL background as a pro-style OC, I checked him out further. Looks like a great coach on paper, who can command whatever offense his personnel demands. As a former Air Force player and assistant, Calhoun may think of the academy as a destination job. I've never seen an interview with him, but his statement reads like he considers his job a service to the United States and the military. Calhoun could be in Colorado Springs for a while.***
SEC Coaches and Coordinators:
Kirby Smart, Bama DC
Will Muschamp, Former Texas DC ***Took FL job***
These guys have had opportunities to jump at good head coaching positions. I’m starting to think they will be coordinators forever. Maybe this will be the year they finally do the right thing. (Small tangent: It’s stupid for guys like this not to take head coaching position when offered. In college football, the new guy is always the next big thing. Kinda like the back-up QB platitude. When offered a fat contract, a coordinator should almost always take it. For example, Will Muschamp turned down UT when we offering somewhere between $3-4 mil, tripling his salary. Not only is he currently not banking nearly as much, but if Texas has another mediocre year, he’s not getting the contract he would have in 2009. And for those who argue that you don’t want to walk into a bad situation, see Gene Chizik or Turner Gill.)
Dan Mullen, Miss St.
Charlie Strong, Louisville
Both of these guys will soon leave current programs for bigger, better things. See, Kirby and Will? This is what smart coordinators do.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn OC- As much as I'd love to chalk up his success to Cam Newton being an alien, his offense worked with some guy named Todd running the show too. I don't know if his talents will lead to success as a head coach, but someone should, and will, give him a shot soon.
Pro Coaches:
Jon Gruden
Bill Cowher
Seriously? These guys have won Super Bowls. They are pro coaches. They will never coach a college team. Can we please stop tossing their names around for every vacancy?
The Terminated (Someone has to take the Minnesota job guys…who’s stepping up?)
Gone, Baby, Gone:
Randy Shannon- Just fired by Miami. Did a good job cleaning up the program after a number of on and off the field disgraces. However, the product on game day never matched the talent. Would still be a good hire for a mid-level program, though.
Phil Fulmer- One of our favorites here at Volnation. With every month that passes that the Great Pumpkin remains unemployed, it becomes less likely he will land a head coaching position. There seems to be a disconnect with the type of program that Fulmer wants and the type of program that wants Fulmer. Regardless, he could likely do good things for a team if someone was willing to hire him – or if he was willing to take a job that’s not at a premier football university.
Mike Leach- Punchy but interesting as a commentator, he should maybe just stick to broadcasting. A good coach in many respects. But if football-crazed Texans thought he was mean, he’s probably not much fun to play for. He might get a job, but then again, it’s just not fashionable to abuse kids these days.
Jeff Jagodzinski- He’s currently the head coach of the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL, but I think that still qualifies as being in a state of termination. Formerly a coach on the rise, he was fired by Boston College and the Bucs in the span of two weeks. Or something like that. He’s been successful and has an NFL background. If someone takes a chance on this guy, they won’t regret it. Well, maybe when he leaves after 2-3 years they will, but he’ll leave the program better than he found it.
Getting the Axe:
Greg Davis- Texas OC who resigned. I mean, someone has to pay for that debacle in Austin. No idea where he will land, but it probably won’t be a head coaching position.
Rich Rodriguez- Michigan coach who will likely be replaced by Jim Harbaugh. He’ll win somewhere. Maybe he can take the Temple job when Al Golden leaves.
Living on A Prayer:
Dave Wannstedt- Pitt is reportedly unhappy with its head coach. NFL pedigree and he did some good things at Pitt. If Pitt fires him, he could probably land somewhere, but I think we’ve seen the best he has to offer. If I was an AD, I’d probably pass.
***12/7 - Wannstedt retires, but stays on as special assistant. Que pornstache jokes.***
Dabo Swinney- Lots of speculation about the Clemson coach. As much as I would like for the Tiger Brass to pull the plug on the chest bumping era to disrupt their recruiting (Hello, Bellamy!), I think he’ll get another year. Then he’ll be fired after another 6-6 underachieving season.
Houston Nutt- After winning with Coach O’s players for a couple years, Nutt’s Rebels fell apart. Shocking. He’ll probably follow the same path as Swinney.
Butch Davis- Has done a good job bringing in talent at UNC, and has proved to be an excellent coach. However, this whole cheating thing is a huge black eye for a university that really prides itself on its academics. I’m betting he stays for several years, but it could get ugly in Chapel Hill.
Ralph Friedgen- Maryland said they’re giving him another year, but it was pretty sad watching the Terps get embarrassed by FL State. He’s parlayed three good years into a decade, so who knows when we’ll see the end of the Fridge’s reign, but I’d bet sooner than later. Especially with that goober waiting to take his job.
***Forced out by AD 12/23ish.***
The Next Best Thing
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern- He’s a Big 10 guy, through and through, but we can’t all be perfect. He’s done a fantastic job molding a mediocre team into a competitive unit. He may not have SEC roots, but I’d take him and be happy. (Are you listening Mississippi schools?)
Al Golden, Temple- Crappy football school in a crappy conference. But Golden has done a good job getting his guys ready to play every Saturday. Or whatever day Temple plays on. There is the whole pesky never-winning-against-teams-with-winning-records thing, but I think that stems from the fact he’s working a short deck. ***Took Miami job.***
Skip Holtz, South Florida- Getting the W over Miami iced a solid first season. He deserves a shot at a non-directional school. In the words of Dr. Lou, “fda vjfdasjgfd uhurn bnf sioa!!!”
Brady Hoke, San Diego State- Semi-hot name right now for the Michigan job if Harbaugh falls through. He's been successful at Ball State and with the Aztecs (you know if he saw any of UT's last four games, he was pissed). I can't claim to have seen any of his games, but, going strictly by their records, his teams improve.
Lance Thompson, UT Linebackers coach- Highly unlikely he’s offered or takes a head coaching position, but there have to be some offers out there for this guy. I’d hate to see him go, but with his reputation as a recruiter in the Southeast, somebody has to want him as a DC. Let’s hope Kirby Smart follows his dream to be Saban’s flunky for life.
G.A. Mangus, South Carolina QB coach- Like Thompson, I doubt he gets a head coaching gig, but I’d love to have him on staff at UT. Almost every big recruit the Lamecocks are after are being pursued by this guy. The offense has been improved this season, and so has Garcia’s play. If he’s going to be in the SEC, he’s a guy I want on my staff or in the West.
Ivin Jasper, Navy OC- He's been mentioned in connection with the Vandy job. I'd hate to see him there, because he'll install the triple option that has made Paul Johnson dangerous in the ACC. The offense isn't a "gimmick," and Jasper certainly knows how to run it. I don't know if it makes an SEC team a contender, but they won't ever be an easy W.
Dave Doeren, Wisconsin DC- Younger coach who's risen quickly. Background as a recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach. The Badger's D has stoned people while he's been there, but they have been playing the Indiana's of the world. In fairness, they held an explosive(ish) Ohio State O to only 18 points. He wouldn't be a bad hire for a stepping stone university.
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin OC- Bounced around the Canadian league for a number of years. He's run a pretty conventional offense, focused on pounding the ground game, and few defenses have stopped the Badgers. Coached a couple notables in Derek Anderson and Steven Jackson while at Oregon State. He's a Wisconsin guy, and if Bielema ever leaves, you can bet Chryst will be in the running for the job.
Kevin Sumlin, Houston OC - Despite playing linebacker, Sumlin is best known for learning the air raid attack under Stoops at Oklahoma and installing it at Houston where Case Keenum set all kinds of passing records. Reportedly signed a fat extension to make him a Cougar until 2015. We'll see how long that lasts.
I know this post is overlong and no one is reading at this point, but I’d welcome any thoughts / additions / corrections / flamings.
***Added on request***
Schools of Opportunity
Minnesota- Fired Tim Brewster after 3+ seasons of losing. A new stadium, good facilities, and an expanding Big 10 make it a somewhat attractive position, but the future coach will be in for some tough times.
***Tricked Jerry Kill into taking the job. He's had success in D-2 and I-AA ball. Good luck, Jerry Kill. You will be playing Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, etc. this season. Not Life Chiropractic University.***
Indiana- Ditto on the Big 10 thing, minus everything else good. This is strictly a basketball school, which isn't even good at basketball right now. I don't envy the guy saddled with this job.
***Kevin Wilson takes Hoosiers job. Former Oklahoma OC who is Randy Walker disciple. Offensive mind who runs the spread formation characterized somewhat unusually by a strong rushing attack. He has a successful track record, and a history in the Midwest/Northeast. Indiana's biggest problems were on the defense, so hopefully he's got a good D-coordinator in mind.***
Vanderbilt- They have tough recruiting restrictions because of their academic prowess, but they're still an SEC school. Bobby Johnson, an unbelievably underrated coach, showed that the Commodes could have some success in the conference. At worst, it's a stepping stone.
***Tricked James Franklin, Maryland's coach-in-waiting into taking the Commodes job. Despite presiding over an offense that hasn't been able to score for a couple years, Franklin landed the job. Malzahn was Vandy's first choice, but he used their offer to leverage a pay raise. Fitting that Vandy got its second choice who was already the back-up at his own school.***
Pittsburgh- Shares facilities with the Steelers, good tradition, and above average recruiting ground. Has the pedigree to be a good job, but for some reason no one has been able to get this program over the hump even in a weak conference. If the right hire is made, this could be a formidable program in a couple years.
***Michael Haywood from Miami Ohio hired. Coached at Texas, Notre Dame, and LSU, so he has some experience at the highest levels of college football. Turned the Redhawks into a competitive group that nearly shocked the Gators early this season, and went on to win its conference. Looks like a potentially positive hire.***
Miami- The crown jewel of current positions. Fertile recruiting grounds, storied modern history, desirable location. They should land a top notch coach, but we'll see. I have my doubts. They could do much worse than calling up Eddie Gran, lifetime assistant and South Florida recruiting extraordinaire.
***Hired Al Golden, who seems to have somewhat staunched the bleeding from their already small recruiting class. ***
Florida- The new best job in town. Miami has to be pissed. Not only has Florida been significantly better the majority of this decade, the Gators are even going to upstage Miami in their job hunt. Charlie Strong and Dan Mullen have to be the two leading candidates. (Side note: who wants to bet that Urban is angling for the Denver job. Being away from Tebow for a year was tough for both of them.)
***Hired Muschamp. Interesting that they went with a defensive coach when their problems seemed to be on the offensive side of the ball. The OC will be a crucial hire. He's learned under Saban and Brown - it'll be interesting to see if he can duplicate his mentors' success. I'm betting he does a good job, but it'll be tough to follow Urban.***
Temple - historically crappy, but nursed to some level of relevance by Golden. Snatched Steve Addazio from FL as a replacement. He's a frenetic recruiter, but after the debacle that was Florida's offense this season, many will pooh-pooh the hire. It was quite a feat to mold 40 four and five star recruits into an offense that couldn't even manage a snap.
Maryland - more or less fired Friedgen after Franklin, the HC in waiting, took the Vandy job and poached half of the Turtles' staff. It was a long time coming and Friedgen probably should have been dropped a couple years ago. It's a pretty good job, and Maryland should be able to do better than Franklin anyway. Leach apparently is a hot name for this vacancy.
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