Whos hot, whos not in the SEC

#1
LetMeStay

LetMeStay

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#1
Sunday, 07/09/06
Commentary by DAVID CLIMER

It's the middle of summer and the temperature is rising.

So, too, is the heat on SEC football coaches.

Around here, it's not a matter of whether a coach will get fired, it's just a question of when.

Last season was an oddity. Nobody got the heave-ho. The year before, there were two firings, one semi-forced retirement and an exit for the pros.

Consider: The average tenure of an SEC coach at his current school is 4.1 seasons. That's how long it takes some players to pass Freshman English.

Here, then, is the SEC's dirty dozen, ranked from the hottest seat to the coolest cushion:

Rich Brooks, Kentucky. An unpopular hire in '03 (when AD Mitch Barnhart swears he almost landed Bill Parcells), Brooks has had three undistinguished seasons. His fourth will be his last.

Houston Nutt, Arkansas. What once seemed to be a perfect marriage is now on the rocks. Back-to-back losing seasons and steady slippage in the SEC West do not sit well with Hog Heads.

Ed Orgeron, Ole Miss. He talks a good game, but is Orgeron really head coaching material? He already has shuffled his staff. Closing with four straight losses, including a 35-14 no-show at Mississippi State, didn't sit well.

Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State. He was assured he'd have time to ride out NCAA sanctions before they kept score. But successive 3-8 seasons and an anemic offense are big concerns.

Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee. When his supposed national title contender went 5-6 last year, the Big Orange banner was replaced by a red flag. He's safe this year, but another losing season would set up a critical '07 for Fulmer.

Mike Shula, Alabama. Yes, the 10-2 run last season marked a breakthrough for Shula after two dicey years of on-the-job training. But this is Alabama. You're only as good as your last game.

Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt. The expectation level at Vandy is such that some long-suffering fans wanted to give him a lifetime contract after a 5-6 season that was capped by a victory at UT.

Les Miles, LSU. Nick Saban was a tough act to follow, but credit Miles for putting an 11-2 mark on the board. How will he juggle that crowded QB position?

Urban Meyer, Florida. He has the fortune of being the man after the man who followed Steve Spurrier. The 34-7 conquest of rival FSU offset the disappointment of losing to, yes, Spurrier.

Steve Spurrier, South Carolina. Speak of the devil. He beat his alma mater. He won at UT. If Spurrier can get the kind of pitch-and-catch talent to showcase his offense, this could get interesting.

Tommy Tuberville, Au-burn. Year in and year out, nobody in the SEC does a better job on both sides of the ball. He's hiring bright coordinators and stockpiling talent. Plus, he's won four straight against Alabama.

Mark Richt, Georgia. The SEC's quiet man makes plenty of noise in the standings. Richt has authored four straight seasons of double-digit victories and owns two conference titles. Now about that 1-4 record against Florida …

It's the SEC. Nobody's perfect. And no coach is perfectly safe.
 
#2
#2
Climer is backing off of CPF. Never thought I would see the day.
 
#8
#8
(Lexvol @ Jul 9 said:
Climer is backing off of CPF. Never thought I would see the day.
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Climer is a contrarian who always has to stir the pot. IMO the fact that he is backing off CPF is a strong indication that the critical mass necessary to get CPF axed is very near. If the majority of UT fans were content with CPF, Climer would be saying he should go. This is a good sign. :yes:
 
#9
#9
I had the very same thought VH. Climer knows the tide has turned.
 
#10
#10
Honestly, if the Vols have another losing season, how could Fulmer not be fired? They would have to really work at it to have a losing year. Beat Air Force, Marshall, Memphis, Vandy, and UK, and there's five wins right there. I don't see how losing to everybody else could be tolerated. And, losing two straight to Vandy would be a complete disaster. I'm not saying I'm a card-carrying member of the Fire Fulmer Club. I just want to see how the season plays out. In conclusion, I guess you guys are right that Climer just wants to push people's buttons however he has to. :fool: I'm sure we could dig up a Climer article where he said the opposite about the upcoming season.
 
#12
#12
It's a tough line to walk for Hamilton. I couldn't figure out how to handle the situation either... Fire him after another losing season and you look trigger-happy to can a coach who brought you a national title within the last decade. Bammer, as well as many other schools, have that same problem. Let him stick around after a bad season and he looks like he's letting the program slip away.

If another bad season happens and I were the AD, I would throw down an ultimatum for '07. "Fulmer, you must win _________ or else you are fired."
 
#14
#14
Well you think what I was sayin' could happen? If another losing season occurs, or possible .500, then Ham-bone says something like "SEC East or bust in '07, or you're toast"
 
#15
#15
(milohimself @ Jul 11 said:
Well you think what I was sayin' could happen? If another losing season occurs, or possible .500, then Ham-bone says something like "SEC East or bust in '07, or you're toast"
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in merit yes, literally no. I think MH will hold out as long as he can before he has to make a decision on CPF....

I can't see him going to CPF and making any ultimatums. Once you do that, you've shown your hand.

I do think that MH is dreading the thought of having to possibly find a football coach. I think he's hoping that he rights the ship and no such decision has to be made.

I don't think he's scared of firing fulmer, rather, not exactly excited about the prospect of having to hit a home run with who he would replace flumer with.

Think about that for a minute...you have to find a coach to replace CPF, and he has to pay immediate dividends, or you as AD could be toast.
 
#16
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(jakez4ut @ Jul 11 said:
in merit yes, literally no. I think MH will hold out as long as he can before he has to make a decision on CPF....

I can't see him going to CPF and making any ultimatums. Once you do that, you've shown your hand.

I do think that MH is dreading the thought of having to possibly find a football coach. I think he's hoping that he rights the ship and no such decision has to be made.

I don't think he's scared of firing fulmer, rather, not exactly excited about the prospect of having to hit a home run with who he would replace flumer with.

Think about that for a minute...you have to find a coach to replace CPF, and he has to pay immediate dividends, or you as AD could be toast.
Click to expand...
and of course the flip side to that is, how long do you hold on? when has it been too long? is 06 and 07 long enough? or do you give one more year...>????
 
#17
#17
Well. He could always pull up a hot mid-major coach if Fulmer has to go. That will make people happy in the offseason, especially if Pearl comes on strong.

People will be pissed at Hamilton for letting the football program slip like that, but the basketball team's success could also keep his ass from the fire.
 
#18
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You also gotta consider that the longer Hamilton holds off, the more of a threat Fulmer could pose to his job. I could see a scenario whereby Fulmer moves into the AD spot.
 
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(VolunteerHillbilly @ Jul 11 said:
You also gotta consider that the longer Hamilton holds off, the more of a threat Fulmer could pose to his job. I could see a scenario whereby Fulmer moves into the AD spot.
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Ten years ago I likely would have agreed with you on this.
But now, more than ever, the AD is a job for a corporate CEO and not a place to slide a former head coach into. Those days are gone I think at major college programs.
 
#20
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(VolunteerHillbilly @ Jul 11 said:
You also gotta consider that the longer Hamilton holds off, the more of a threat Fulmer could pose to his job. I could see a scenario whereby Fulmer moves into the AD spot.
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I was surprised Fulmer wasn't interested in the AD spot when it opened up. It would have been his if he wanted it. I know he played a hand in Hamilton getting hired, thats part of the reason I think Hamilton will be hesitant to ever fire Fulmer. Most likely he would retire and accept a position with the AD. Too bad he wouldn't be willing to stay on as a recruiting coordinator, thats his real strength, though that will never be.
 
#21
#21
(orange+white=heaven @ Jul 11 said:
Ten years ago I likely would have agreed with you on this.
But now, more than ever, the AD is a job for a corporate CEO and not a place to slide a former head coach into. Those days are gone I think at major college programs.
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I hear a lot of folks say that and I guess I agree to an extent but the real job of the AD is to keep as many people happy as possible, starting with the big $$$ folks, so the bucks roll in through donations and ticket sales. If an old player/coach can get people to open their pocketbooks he or she stands a change to get an AD job.
 
#22
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(milohimself @ Jul 11 said:
Well. He could always pull up a hot mid-major coach if Fulmer has to go. That will make people happy in the offseason, especially if Pearl comes on strong.

People will be pissed at Hamilton for letting the football program slip like that, but the basketball team's success could also keep his ass from the fire.
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yes they will, but they'll be equally as pissed if he makes that decision and doesn't get the guy that makes the biggest positive difference.

this will be a tough spot for MH if this ever comes to pass....the fan base is more divided and volitale on the CPF subject than any time i can remember. Either decision he makes, is going to upset one part of the fan base or another.

Other coaches, potential replacements, know this. they pay attention to what's going on. to get the guy you want, your going to have to pay for him most likely....

anyway, w/out getting too long winded, i think for MH, the best case scenario for him is to have CPF fix it and we get on with winning football games instead of debating the HC position at UTK. He doesn't want to have to fire him. he will, but he doesn't want to....trust me.
 
#23
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(jakez4ut @ Jul 11 said:
in merit yes, literally no. I think MH will hold out as long as he can before he has to make a decision on CPF....

I can't see him going to CPF and making any ultimatums. Once you do that, you've shown your hand.

I do think that MH is dreading the thought of having to possibly find a football coach. I think he's hoping that he rights the ship and no such decision has to be made.

I don't think he's scared of firing fulmer, rather, not exactly excited about the prospect of having to hit a home run with who he would replace flumer with.

Think about that for a minute...you have to find a coach to replace CPF, and he has to pay immediate dividends, or you as AD could be toast.
Click to expand...


It might not be that hard to replace CPF with a coach that could probably pay immediate dividend as you think. Butch Davis is out there but will be pursued by Miami if Coker doesn't get them turned around this year. Rodriguez and Patrino(sp?) could also possibly come in and get things moving.
The big problem for Hamilton if he decides to ditch Phil would be working with Cutcliff & Chavis. There would be a hugh push to keep one of them as HC and continue the "family" legacy. I like both of them but if your going to make a change, I would like to see a clean break and start fresh.
 
#24
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(Xanny @ Jul 11 said:
There would be a hugh push to keep one of them as HC and continue the "family" legacy. I like both of them but if your going to make a change, I would like to see a clean break and start fresh.
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i agree with that...i posted the same thing in another thread....the only way it doesn't stay in the family, imo, is if CPF is fired....if he's fired, i think MH will go after who he thinks is the best coach regardless of whether or not he is part of the UT family.

these are all big if's, and i don't think anything will happen for two more seasons anyway.
 
#25
#25
(Xanny @ Jul 11 said:
There would be a hugh push to keep one of them as HC and continue the "family" legacy. I like both of them but if your going to make a change, I would like to see a clean break and start fresh.
Click to expand...
i agree with that...i posted the same thing in another thread....the only way it doesn't stay in the family, imo, is if CPF is fired....if he's fired, i think MH will go after who he thinks is the best coach regardless of whether or not he is part of the UT family.

these are all big if's, and i don't think anything will happen for two more seasons anyway.
 
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