SI on hottest names on coaching carousel

[franklin street]

60 years of carolina football tells me that the probability of us hiring a worse coach is higher than us hiring a better coach.
what makes you guys think that the man who hired fedora will do a better job next time?

 

[gteeitup]

And, ultimately, UNC is a stepping-stone for a more renowned football school. UNC is a basketball school.

there it is...#SteppingStone

 

[gteeitup]

K-St for sure. Ok-St has recently gotten even with UNC football. Iowa has a larger stadium, but nothing else is better.

oregon rivals almost any school in the country...they had the resistance pools before alabama...i mean, i know why, but still.

if i want to compare facilities of schools similar to carolina, i wouldn't start with oregon, ok st, wisconsin, etc.

ever been to kentucky, arkansas, ole miss, or miami for a game?

 

[Raising Heel]

60 years of carolina football tells me that the probability of us hiring a worse coach is higher than us hiring a better coach.

I laughed and then felt ashamed for laughing.

 

[Spaceytoyz]

Just be happy with a great everything but football, I have... The 5 losses in a row to State did me in as a die hard, but I still watch when I can..

 

[Archer2]

As with my NYG team, I don't see a game on our schedule that I'd bet my house we'd win. How depressing that the season has just begun and yet is already over for all practical purposes.

 

[franklin street]

As with my NYG team, I don't see a game on our schedule that I'd bet my house we'd win. How depressing that the season has just begun and yet is already over for all practical purposes.

we knew it would be a rebuilding year.
maybe we can still back into the state championship.

 

[WoadBlue]

oregon rivals almost any school in the country...they had the resistance pools before alabama...i mean, i know why, but still.

if i want to compare facilities of schools similar to carolina, i wouldn't start with oregon, ok st, wisconsin, etc.

ever been to kentucky, arkansas, ole miss, or miami for a game?

All but Miami. Ole Miss has The Grove and tens of thousands of fans who want to tailgate.

 

[WoadBlue]

60 years of carolina football tells me that the probability of us hiring a worse coach is higher than us hiring a better coach.
what makes you guys think that the man who hired fedora will do a better job next time?

Fedora was not a bad hire. He had been a successful OC in 2 P5 leagues, and as HC he had produced the best season in Southern Miss history. Sometimes a good hire fails to pan out. Keeping the guy who fails to pan out means to deepen the program's hole. That's what we did with Bunting.

Fedora definitely has been better than Bunting, but my guess is that with VT and Miami now having HCs who can win big for them, and GT's Johnson always able to cause trouble, that UNC under Fedora never again has a shot at the Coastal.

 

[Archer2]

Fedora was not a bad hire. He had been a successful OC in 2 P5 leagues, and as HC he had produced the best season in Southern Miss history. Sometimes a good hire fails to pan out. Keeping the guy who fails to pan out means to deepen the program's hole. That's what we did with Bunting.

Agreed, it was a good hire on the surface and he has done pretty well despite weathering the loooooong NCAA investigation. But I refuse to think he is the best we can hope for.

Fedora definitely has been better than Bunting, but my guess is that with VT and Miami now having HCs who can win big for them, and GT's Johnson always able to cause trouble, that UNC under Fedora never again has a shot at the Coastal.

That's my fear, that we'll be relegated to 3rd in our division in a good year. IOW, total mediocrity.

 

[Heels Noir]

Despite all the talk about a different head coach, I'm still rooting like hell for Fedora.

 

[WoadBlue]

Despite all the talk about a different head coach, I'm still rooting like hell for Fedora.

We all would be, if almost all of us hadn't been bothered by various issues over the years. To name one example - very few of us have faith in Kap as OC. Most of us also have questions about much of the staff, especially in terms of player development and recruiting.

Which means that while are hoping we win, we more and more fear that the program is once again set on the path of pure mediocrity.

 

[WoadBlue]

Odds are good that one of those highly coveted coaches will get a top new gig: Nebraska fires AD Eichorst. As Mike Riley has floundered around in Lincoln, which has disturbed more than a few Nebraska boosters, a new AD means that if Riley fails to look good the rest of this year, Riley is toast.

 

[Heels Noir]

Most of us also have questions about much of the staff, especially in terms of . . . recruiting.

As unfair as it is, recruiting talented kids to Carolina these days is extremely challenging. Just ask Roy Williams.

 

[WoadBlue]

I've been watching UVA at Boise St. It makes me more worried about our future. The Hoos lead 35-14 late in the 3rd. Especially as the blue turf is a tough place to play, I think Mendenhall may be turning the corner. At BYU, Mendenhall showed he could win not by out-recruiting his opponents, but by a combination of recognizing unheralded recruits and developing them.

That's the kind of coach who can cause trouble for Fedora even if Fedora is signing higher rated classes every year.

So, all that has lead me to think about possible new coaches. Some of you are certain that nobody who is a hot commodity would take the UNC job. I do not agree. I think UNC can draw major interest from a number of guys.

For example, probably the hottest name among ACC coordinators now is Brent Venables. Venables is a KS native who is a K-St grad, and he played under Synder when Snyder was new at K-St. So many assume that the K-St job will be his if he wants it. But now that he has gotten out of the Plains, perhaps he would prefer something other than to go back to Manhattan, KS. Perhaps Venables would like to stay in the ACC, which he now knows very well. And if that is the case, then UNC might be ideal for him.

Why do I say that? UNC is in a state bordering the one in which he has been such a successful DC. UNC does not play Clemson annually, so no awkward resentment could occur. NC produces a lot of top talent that leaves the state, much of it to Clemson, much of it on D.

And then there is Kevin Wilson. Venables and Wilson coached together at OU, which means that if Venables becomes HC, Wilson almost certainly would top his wish list for OC. As Wilson is an NC native and walk on at UNC who won a starting position, he surely would be happy to leave running Urban Meyer's offense to run his own under Venables at his alma mater.

Dabo knew that he had to find a top DC, one to whom he could turn over the D virtually 100%. My guess is that Venables feels the same about his OC, especially as a first time HC. Wilson would be perfect for that job.

Cavs now lead 42-14 and have the ball again.

 

[tarheel0910]

I've been watching UVA at Boise St. It makes me more worried about our future. The Hoos lead 35-14 late in the 3rd. Especially as the blue turf is a tough place to play, I think Mendenhall may be turning the corner. At BYU, Mendenhall showed he could win not by out-recruiting his opponents, but by a combination of recognizing unheralded recruits and developing them.

That's the kind of coach who can cause trouble for Fedora even if Fedora is signing higher rated classes every year.

So, all that has lead me to think about possible new coaches. Some of you are certain that nobody who is a hot commodity would take the UNC job. I do not agree. I think UNC can draw major interest from a number of guys.

For example, probably the hottest name among ACC coordinators now is Brent Venables. Venables is a KS native who is a K-St grad, and he played under Synder when Snyder was new at K-St. So many assume that the K-St job will be his if he wants it. But now that he has gotten out of the Plains, perhaps he would prefer something other than to go back to Manhattan, KS. Perhaps Venables would like to stay in the ACC, which he now knows very well. And if that is the case, then UNC might be ideal for him.

Why do I say that? UNC is in a state bordering the one in which he has been such a successful DC. UNC does not play Clemson annually, so no awkward resentment could occur. NC produces a lot of top talent that leaves the state, much of it to Clemson, much of it on D.

And then there is Kevin Wilson. Venables and Wilson coached together at OU, which means that if Venables becomes HC, Wilson almost certainly would top his wish list for OC. As Wilson is an NC native and walk on at UNC who won a starting position, he surely would be happy to leave running Urban Meyer's offense to run his own under Venables at his alma mater.

Dabo knew that he had to find a top DC, one to whom he could turn over the D virtually 100%. My guess is that Venables feels the same about his OC, especially as a first time HC. Wilson would be perfect for that job.

Cavs now lead 42-14 and have the ball again.

He would be a good choice, but I just don't see him staying in the ACC. His name is big enough right now to get almost any opening, so he's got plenty of options.

 

[Archer2]

If we continue to try and find the guy to turn our program around, we'll find him. Now keeping him could be even harder than finding him.

 

[gteeitup]

i wanted kevin wilson when littrel left.

i don't see venables leaving clemson for carolina.

 

[WoadBlue]

Doeren gets the big win over FSU. Like Fedora, Doeren has marred his season by laying an egg against an SEC team.

 

[B3rry]

I'm all for going and getting Venables. Hell if he is that sought after and suppose to be the real thing even though he hasn't proved anything as a HC I wouldn't care if we offered him Dabo money. It would have to be hard to turn that down.

 

[TVJ]

You can fix anything with enough money.

 

[midline]

As unfair as it is, recruiting talented kids to Carolina these days is extremely challenging. Just ask Roy Williams.

Are you talking about the recruiting challenged Roy Williams that just won a national championship? Just want to make sure we are talking about that guy and not some other Roy Williams.

 

[tarheel0910]

Are you talking about the recruiting challenged Roy Williams that just won a national championship? Just want to make sure we are talking about that guy and not some other Roy Williams.

Is that the same one who has openly admitted he has had recruiting challenges? Just want to make sure we are talking about the same one.

 

[Heels Noir]

Are you talking about the recruiting challenged Roy Williams that just won a national championship? Just want to make sure we are talking about that guy and not some other Roy Williams.

If you are that unaware of what Roy Williams has been going through lately on the recruiting trail you might be a dook fan.

 

[WoadBlue]

You can fix anything with enough money.

Actually, you can't.

I agree with Alan Keyes who many years ago while running in the Republican primaries for President said that throwing money at that which is a morals problem only means that immorality gets rich quickly and thus is deeper ensconced.

To that that idea to football and move if from the morals issue: to toss a heap new money at that which is a problem of lack of fundamentals and/or lack of coaching innovation and/or insight is a waste of money.

Until such time as UNC football wins BIG (and that means much more than one 11 win regular season that ended with 2 Ls), no HC at UNC can recruit the way almost any coach at Clemson or FSU or Miami can recruit. Therefore, UNC football needs a coach who can win with less talent because of his focus on fundamentals and Xs and Os and who will hire a staff that can spot late developing and over-looked talent and develop it.

Fedora seems more and more like a commercial for Red Bull: all fast talk and cliched muscle flexing and sudden adrenaline surge and no staying power, no steady growth or learning curve.

 

[WoadBlue]

I'm all for going and getting Venables. Hell if he is that sought after and suppose to be the real thing even though he hasn't proved anything as a HC I wouldn't care if we offered him Dabo money. It would have to be hard to turn that down.

As I said earlier, Venables coming to UNC with Kevin Wilson as his OC and Associate HC could be the real deal. Venables may well want to wait for Bill Snyder to retire and then return to his alma mater K-St. But if not, Venables going to UNC with Wilson would be about as good as it gets for him, because he now knows the ACC very well and knows NC recruiting very well and Wilson is a UNC alum who had extremely productive offenses as both a P5 OC and HC. That set up would maximize his odds of being a successful HC.

 

[UNC1971Stick]

Has Venables any cred as a possible HC? Doesn't he have someone assigned to keep him off the field during games?

 

[WoadBlue]

Has Venables any cred as a possible HC? Doesn't he have someone assigned to keep him off the field during games?

What does your second question have to do with the first?

As for the second: I would guess he does. That is common across the nation now for the more excitable coaches, because many refs drop the flag quickly.

As for the first: From whom?

 

[Archer2]

Until such time as UNC football wins BIG (and that means much more than one 11 win regular season that ended with 2 Ls), no HC at UNC can recruit the way almost any coach at Clemson or FSU or Miami can recruit. Therefore, UNC football needs a coach who can win with less talent because of his focus on fundamentals and Xs and Os and who will hire a staff that can spot late developing and over-looked talent and develop it.

Exactly. We are not a fundamentally sound football team, far from it. And I don't see much improvement there. For a school like UNC to win consistently, our teams have to be fundamentally sound and overachieve. They can't be the opposite, and we are.

Fedora seems more and more like a commercial for Red Bull: all fast talk and cliched muscle flexing and sudden adrenaline surge and no staying power, no steady growth or learning curve.

Yes, he does.

 

[uncboy10]

If Venables is smart then he will wait until he wins another National Championship at Clemson. At that point his stock will shoot up in value again. Most people realize how important he is to the success Dabo has had here at Clemson

 

[midline]

Venebles. The latest hit assistant. Why? Because they have talent stocked up at Clemson. You could plug a lot of HS coordinators into that position and they would look like geniuses. Also remember the same Venebles schemes not looking so great a few years ago when he was in the process of being demoted at Oklahoma because their defense couldn't stop anyone.

Now that I have that out of my system, UNC. I think Fedora is a decent coach, but always thought there was a lot more sizzle than steak with him. He inherited a pretty talented So Miss program and got the UNC job, but left the cupboard bare talent wise that the program still hasn't totally gotten over. That being said, exactly what does UNC want from football? I have heard for decades that UNC is a "sleeping giant" as far as football is concerned. Seen a couple flashes over the years, but little consistency. But the reality is that it seems as long as basketball is winning big that it is accepted that as long as football isn't a total embarrassment, that such production is acceptable. If that's true, keep Fedora. You have seen what he brings to the table and that is exactly it. Or do you really spend the money and try to be a player with the Clemson's and the FSU's? Now if you don't want to go breaking the bank to bring in a big time guy, go get Mike Leach. He would be cheaper than the elites, and is probably ready to leave WSU as it will never be any better than it is this year. But the powers that be need to decide if they want to really get serious about football, or just decide that this is fine as a past time until Roy and the boys get cranked up.

 

[WoadBlue]

Venebles. The latest hit assistant. Why? Because they have talent stocked up at Clemson. You could plug a lot of HS coordinators into that position and they would look like geniuses. Also remember the same Venebles schemes not looking so great a few years ago when he was in the process of being demoted at Oklahoma because their defense couldn't stop anyone.

Now that I have that out of my system, UNC. I think Fedora is a decent coach, but always thought there was a lot more sizzle than steak with him. He inherited a pretty talented So Miss program and got the UNC job, but left the cupboard bare talent wise that the program still hasn't totally gotten over. That being said, exactly what does UNC want from football? I have heard for decades that UNC is a "sleeping giant" as far as football is concerned. Seen a couple flashes over the years, but little consistency. But the reality is that it seems as long as basketball is winning big that it is accepted that as long as football isn't a total embarrassment, that such production is acceptable. If that's true, keep Fedora. You have seen what he brings to the table and that is exactly it. Or do you really spend the money and try to be a player with the Clemson's and the FSU's? Now if you don't want to go breaking the bank to bring in a big time guy, go get Mike Leach. He would be cheaper than the elites, and is probably ready to leave WSU as it will never be any better than it is this year. But the powers that be need to decide if they want to really get serious about football, or just decide that this is fine as a past time until Roy and the boys get cranked up.

And because Clemson before Venables won 5 or 6 National Championships with great Ds, your point is obvious.

I assumer that you know little of the specifics of OU while Venables was there. Bob Stoops was a DC. His bothers were also both D position coaches and Dcs - at OU. While Venables was at OU, the D was a Stoops designed, Stoops run affair - even when Venables was named DC. Venables may called D plays many games, but the whole D., starting with its recruiting, was by the Stoops family, whichever ones were in Norman at the time.

Venables only became a DC truly in charge of the entire D when he came to Clemson. And those results are amazing.

I agree about Leach. He loves Key West, so being at UNC would place him in a conference with 2 teams in FL. And you know he dearly wants a shot at a place that with the right coach could become a major program that reloads. Leach knows that is how you become a Legend.

 

[midline]

I just don't want to make a mistake if UNC is going to decide it is serious about football. Many folks over the years have regretted naming the "hot assistant" their coach only to find out that he is a great assistant but not a good head coach. Spend the money and get someone that has shown they can get it done.

 

[WoadBlue]

I just don't want to make a mistake if UNC is going to decide it is serious about football. Many folks over the years have regretted naming the "hot assistant" their coach only to find out that he is a great assistant but not a good head coach. Spend the money and get someone that has shown they can get it done.

How many truly successful HCs at P5 schools would go to Chapel Hill?

This aint basketball. The UNC football job is not a step up, for example, from Ok St, so even if Mike Gundy were not an Ok St grad, he would not leave Stillwater for Chapel Hill.

Leach might leave Wazzou for UNC - if he is allowed to do exactly what he wants, including rambling at press conferences about the history of pirating off the NC coast. But that crap of administration likely would hate having Leach around. Deep down, they all know Leach's IQ is at least equal to theirs, and that in a football coach they cannot stand.

Hiring a big winner at a 1AA or even CUSA (see Fedora) school might not pan out.

 

[WoadBlue]

Tennessee got clobbered by UGA, and Troy upset LSU.

Those 2 SEC jobs could open.

 

[kevindow]

I can't watch UNC football anymore, as it is way too painful. Losing to Duke then losing to GT.

Sorry, but Fedora Has Got To Go !!

UNC should hire a top DC as the HC then hire a solid OC, in that order.

 

[WoadBlue]

And, of course, the Troy win means that Neal Brown will be a very hot commodity. He was 10-3 last year, his 2nd as Troy HC.

 

[WoadBlue]

The reason I think Neal Brown is someone who might go well at UNC: Brown rebuilt a program.

The 4 years before Brown took over, Troy finished 3-9, 5-7, 6-6, and 3-9. Brown inherited a loser. Brown then in his 2nd season, got the most wins Troy ahs ever had since moving up from 1AA to 1A: 10-3.

That's a most impressive turn around, and it took only 2 years to move Troy from a Loser to its best season ever as a 1A program.

 

[TarHeelMark]

I'm just not sure what to think anymore. I like Larry for the most part, and am trying to keep in mind all the losses on offense from last year, not to mention the ridiculous amount of injuries already this season.

But it is maddening to be a Tar Heel football fan. I feel like you almost need to give Fedora a pass for this year but if we do pull the plug on him, I won't be upset. Just as long as Bubba has a good replacement. Firing the dude just to fire him makes no sense.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

Fedora looks the part, he always has. Beyond that nothing. All sizzle no steak has been my tag line for him since he came here. Dude talks the talk but we don't ever get over the hump. Also if you look past the injury excuses and yes I understand they have made a bad situation worse but truth is, we only stood to win 4-5 game at best with everybody fully healthy this year. The injuries have only compounded our awful team and we are staring at a 2 win season directly in the face. That being said, what's most concerning is looking ahead at returning personnel and recruits coming in. Guys, there will be more of the same next year, maybe a slight bump in win total but likely back to where we would have been this year and that's praying for a .500 season. That's not the type of staying power you expect for what we are paying this used car salesman and for how many years he's been here. There's no continuity or consistency in our program other than we are consistently inconsistent. That's the shit that gets people fired and should get Fedora fired. I agree that it's tough to fire somebody when you don't have a replacement yet but I'll tell you what's worse, waiting another year and then realizing that you have another 2-3 years at best behind these before you can expect a new coach to turn it around. If we win only 2 games this year, get rid of him and give somebody else a go.