Can we hire the guy we should have hired in 2010 now?

Rudy · October 6, 2015

Regardless of who we hire, we need to make sure that his roommate in college does not have a son playing football whatsoever.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Rudy

UNTexas · October 6, 2015

Bring in someone young and energetic. Tech made a great hire. I like the Applewhite idea.

Green Mean · October 6, 2015

Mario Critsobal is an offensive lines coach at Alabama right now. I bet he'd like to get his shot again. He showed loyalty when he had offers from other schools trying to poach him from FIU and he refused. Of course, maybe he's never gonna get burnt like that again, but he should know that he would sure as hell get ample time to turn this around here.

Not confirmed but I believe he wanted to stick around because he was from the area and if he did and continued to be successful at FIU that he would essentially have a chance at his dream job at Miami since that was his alma mater if I recall.

All About UNT · October 6, 2015

gotta consider Doug Meacham (TCU OC) who is making 350k

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/article3839499.html

ADLER · October 6, 2015

I would make it a package deal and speed up the recovery.

If RV were to resign I'd like to see us pursue Tom Kleinlein, the Athletic Director at Georgia Southern. He's accomplished so much with limited resources.
Unprecedented growth and accomplishments have defined Georgia Southern University Athletics since Tom Kleinlein was introduced as the Director of Athletics on November 12, 2012. The long-time administrator with a background in college football and departmental operations quickly set a course for Georgia Southern, introducing a business gameplan to achieve success and advance its aspirations.

One of Kleinlein’s first orders of business was directing the development and implementation of the Georgia Southern Athletics’ Strategic Plan, “Exceeding Expectations,” with six key objectives to guide the department toward its goals. The tenents of Athletic Distinction, Academic Distinction, Leadership Development, Serving as a Source of Pride that Unites All of “True Blue,” and Maintaining a Fiscally Responsible Department serve as a model for future plans of action and growth.

That preparation and planning was critical as Georgia Southern was ready to navigate the changing landscape of college athletics.

In March of 2013, Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel and Kleinlein officially accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, moving the traditional FCS powerhouse to the highest level of competition in football and securing a new league for the Eagles’ NCAA Division I athletics teams. This announcement, a catalyst for many more to come, placed Georgia Southern among new peers, both as a department and as a university.

Under Kleinlein’s leadership, the Eagles have distinguished themselves with nine conference championships won during his tenure. The most prominent championship was the Eagles 2014 Sun Belt Football title. The Eagles became the first team to go undefeated in league play while winning their conference championship in their first season at the FBS level. The Championship capitalized on the department’s successes from the previous season where the Football team won its first-ever FBS game with a victory over Florida, and the Baseball won a conference championship and defeated fifth-ranked Florida State in the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee.

Men’s Basketball continued its rise with a second place finish in the Sun Belt Regular Season by just one game. The Eagles made an appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game, narrowly missing a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The success also continued for Georgia Southern Men’s Golf who won the Sun Belt Championship Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

No less recognizable are the achievements taking place in the classroom. During the 2014-15 academic year, Georgia Southern’s student-athletes posted one of the highest combined grade point averages in history with a 2.97 for the year. Georgia Southern Football and Men’s Basketball also posted their highest semester GPAs on record in the spring of 2015.

Grade point average is but one indicator of academic success for Georgia Southern Athletics and the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate, or APR, a team-based benchmark calculation that accounts for retention and eligibility of student-athletes, is another. Nine of the department’s programs recorded a perfect single-year APR score, while 14 of the 16 programs have a multi-year APR of 950 or higher.

The objectives in Kleinlein’s Strategic Plan reinforce the department’s commitment to “rings and diplomas,” giving each student-athlete the opportunity to earn a college degree and win a championship ring. Off the fields, Eagles are engaged in campus, community and cultural activities that help them develop as citizens and leaders. Eagles also have served the community, giving more than 1,500 hours over the 2014-15 season.

Kleinlein’s emphasis on organization and leadership is evident in the assembly of the athletics department, coaches and support staff. Not only has Kleinlein executed national searches for new coaches for Men’s Basketball, Football, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis, Volleyball and Women’s Track and Field, he has hired founding coaches for Women’s Golf and Rifle.

In addition to coaching positions, Kleinlein has created his leadership team which added positions such as; Director of Student Athlete Services, Associate AD for External Operations and Associate AD for Internal Operations. These positions are all part of the infrastructure needed in order to operate successfully at the Division I FBS level.

In providing a quality experience for Eagle student-athletes, Kleinlein has overseen renovation projects totalling more than $23 million over the past few years. The projects include a new locker room and coaches’ offices for Men’s Basketball, new locker rooms for Women’s Basketball and Volleyball, and new locker room and players’ area for Baseball, and a new tennis scoreboard.

In the 2014-15 the Eagles completed the expansion of Allen E. Paulson Stadium and christened the new Ted Smith Family Football Center on the East side of Paulson. The stadium expansion increased the stadium’s capacity by adding 6,000 new seats. The addition of the Ted Smith Family Football Operations center provided a new 50,000 square foot home for Eagle football’s day-to-day operations, including weight room, athletic training room, coaches offices and team meeting space.

Kleinlein has spearheaded an overhaul of the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, creating a regionally based organization. These changes have resulted in an increase in annual fund donations from $800,000 to well over $1.2 million on an annual basis. In addition, new donor programs have been created that have generated additional revenue of $2.5 million to help cover the cost of the Eagles’ move to the Sun Belt Conference.

With the move to the Sun Belt Conference, Kleinlein has worked to increase Athletic Department’s annual operating budget from $11 million to $20 million annually. He has also negotiated and signed a multi-year multimedia rights deal with Learfield Sports which is valued at over $10 million.

Over his tenure at Georgia Southern, Kleinlein has negotiated the some of the largest contracts in school history, including deals with Coca Cola and Adidas. The deal with Coke, valued at $13 million, included scholarships and contributions to both the academic and athletic foundations. The deal is the largest corporate sponsorship in the University’s history. In 2013 the Eagles signed the department’s first all-sports apparel contract with Adidas.

Kleinlein accepted his current assignment at Georgia Southern after serving in executive roles with the Kent State, Arizona State and Rutgers Athletic Departments. Prior to his career in college athletics, he served as a high school history teacher and coach in Guilford County, North Carolina.

A student-athlete at Wake Forest, Kleinlein earned four letters as a member of the Demon Deacons’ offensive line (1989-92). He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Wake Forest (1998), his masters of education in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State (2008), and started his career in athletics administration as an academic counselor at his alma mater. He moved to football operations as assistant director at Wake Forest in 2002 and continued on that career path at Rutgers as Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations.

Originally from Inwood, New York, Kleinlein and his wife, Tara, have two sons – Austin, 16, and Mason, 13.

If there is a change at coach Georgia Southern's Fritz would be my choice. He is only 55 and has won championships at 4 separate levels as he has ascended....and we would be able to afford for him to bring any Georgia Southern assistants that he wanted to retain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Fritz

The 2014 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Willie Fritz made an immediate splash in not only his first year at the helm of the Georgia Southern Football program but the school’s first season in the Sun Belt Conference and at the FBS level of competition.

Fritz led the team to a perfect 8-0 league record and was presented the conference trophy by the league’s Commissioner Karl Benson after a 22-16 win over ULM on Nov. 29, 2014 at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

Fritz had the Eagles’ bowl eligible with a 9-3 overall record at the season’s end but the school’s waiver claim to allow Georgia Southern to play in a bowl despite being in the second year of the NCAA’s transition period was denied.

Fritz led the Eagles to a pair of firsts in school history. The Eagles won their first game in the FBS era 83-9 over Savannah State in the home opener (9/6). GS also posted their first win over an FBS team in the FBS era and the first Sun Belt Conference win on Sept. 20 at South Alabama (28-6).

The team played on ESPNU twice on Thursday night and won both contests (Appalachian State, 34-14 and Troy, 42-10). Fritz also led the Eagles into the first meeting with budding in-state rival Georgia State at the Georgia Dome and came away with a 69-31 victory.

In non-conference play the Eagles nearly defeated N.C. State (24-23) and Georgia Tech (42-38). They lost the two games against power 5 conference teams by a combined five points and had leads in both in the final two minutes.

The Eagles dominated both sides of the ball and led the Sun Belt in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense and rushing offense.

Fritz was announced as the ninth Head Coach of Georgia Southern Football in the modern era by Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein at Bishop Field House on January 10, 2014.

A proven winner with more than 30 years of coaching experience, Fritz joined the Eagles from Sam Houston State, where he led the team to back-to-back Southland Conference titles, NCAA FCS championship appearances in 2011 and 2012, and a third-straight playoff berth in 2013.

In 22 years as a head coach, Fritz owns a 72.5 winning percentage with a record of 185-70-1 and more than a few trophies for his accomplishments at the national, regional and conference levels.

“As we are preparing to make the transition to FBS, it was important to me to identify and evaluate candidates who would come to Georgia Southern, embrace what we are about, understand what we’re about, put his own stamp on the institution’s football program and lead us into the Sun Belt Conference with relentless expectation,” Kleinlein said at the press announcement. “Coach Fritz has won at a lot of different levels. Not only does he win, but he comes in and changes the culture, academically and socially, and he’s made young people better men when they’ve left their institutions.”

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year at the FCS level in 2012, Fritz was recognized nationally in 2011 as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year. Honored as the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012, Fritz was selected by the media and his peers in the Southland Conference as the league’s Coach of the Year in 2011 after his team went a perfect 7-0 in conference play.

In 2011 and 2012, Sam Houston State posted the two highest single-season win totals in program history with marks of 14-1 (2011) and 11-4 (2012) and Bearkat players were showered with accolades. More than 50 earned All-Southland Conference honors under Fritz in the last four years, not including additional “Player of the Year,” “Offensive Player of the Year,” “Defensive Player of the Year,” and “Newcomer of the Year” awards. All-America status from national coaching and media outlets were bestowed on 11 Sam Houston State players during his tenure.

“Georgia Southern hit a home run hiring Willie Fritz,” said Dennis Hickey, longtime NFL executive and current general manager of the Miami Dolphins. “I have known Coach Fritz for over 20 years having played for him, coached with him, and scouted his players for the NFL.

“Willie is a special coach and person with a unique gift for developing and bringing out the best in young men both on and off the field. He has a track record of developing NFL-ready players at every level that he has coached. He is a “winner” who has always done it the right way and has a proven track record of success at every level at which he has coached. I’m excited to see him continue that success at such a proud program as Georgia Southern.”

Fritz comes to Georgia Southern after four years as the head coach of the Bearkats and his most recent of three total tours in Huntsville. His resume includes a wealth of experience across the board, notably as a coach with an innate ability to connect with his players, demand accountability and build winning programs.

After a highly successful tenure at Blinn College, averaging nearly 10 wins a season during his four years there, Fritz left to revitalize a Central Missouri program and guided it to 11 winning seasons. The NCAA Division II program’s ledger included two 10-win seasons with the 2001 Mule squad earning its first postseason trip in more than 30 years. In 2002, Central Missouri made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs and was the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) co-champion a year later. A 97-47 mark in 13 seasons ranks Fritz as the winningest coach in the program’s 118-year history. He was the only coach to ever win seven or more games in eight consecutive seasons and his victory total ranked him 15th among active Division II coaches at the time.

In addition to his impressive 67.4 winning percentage with the Mules, Fritz coached his student-athletes to achieve their potential both on the field and in the classroom. More than 150 Mules were recognized with All-MIAA honors with 41 first-team selections and 24 All-Americans. Under Fritz, Central Missouri recorded a graduation rate of 84 percent with 144 MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll recipients, 14 Academic All-Region and three Academic All-Americans.

Serving as a graduate assistant for the Bearkat program during the 1984 and 1985 seasons, Fritz earned a master’s degree in kinesiology while Sam Houston State posted a 16-6 record and won the 1985 Gulf Star Conference championship. He returned to Huntsville in 1991 after spending two years at Coffeyville College in Kansas under legendary Coach Dick Foster, earning a promotion to defensive coordinator after one year. He stayed another two years to work for Coach Skip Foster and the Red Ravens.

Coach Ron Randleman brought Fritz back to the state of Texas and Sam Houston State as secondary and special teams coach in 1991, instilling an attitude of excellence on special teams that would last more than a decade. The Bearkats’ “block party” racked up 80 blocked punts, field goals and extra points beginning with Fritz in 1991 and lasting through 2004. In Fritz’s first year as a full-time assistant coach at Sam Houston State in 1991, the Bearkats won the Southland Conference. That league title and eight-win season launched SHSU to the program’s second-ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs.

“Willie was like a coach on the field for me as a four-year starter at Pittsburg State,” Coach Randleman said. “I just think the world of him and am proud that he was on my coaching staff not once, but twice. He has a tremendous work ethic, he played hard, and he coaches the same way. Willie has a great rapport with his players and they respect him.”

Fritz would leave Huntsville again, this time for an opportunity to be the head coach at Blinn College, where he would turn around a program that had only five wins in its previous three seasons. From 1993-96, Fritz and the Buccaneers would rack up 39 victories against only five losses with a tie and claim two national junior college championships. He was inducted into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame for the environment of success he created at Blinn.

One of seven children, Fritz is the son of the late Harry Fritz, who coached the Central Missouri football team in 1952 before continuing his career as the Executive Director at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in Kansas City. The elder Fritz also served at several colleges and universities in administration as an athletics director.

Fritz played on two conference title teams and was a four-starter at defensive back for Coach Randleman at Pittsburg State and remained at his alma mater as a student assistant coach for his alma mater in 1982. Early coaching stops included a year at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School (Kansas) in 1983 and Willis High School (Texas) in 1986, with his return to Sam Houston State for graduate school in between those years.

Fritz and his wife Susan have three children, Wesley, Lainie and Brooke. Wesley is a the Director of Player Personnel for the football program, and Lainie is a Sports Anchor at WCBD News 2 in Charleston, S.C. and Brooke begins 2015 as a freshman honors student at the University of Georgia.

Edited October 6, 2015 by ADLER

Eastwood Eagle · October 6, 2015

I would take Major Applewhite if he would take us. We need young and hungry. Not someone at the twilight of their career. Briles, Sumlin, maybe Applewhite is the next great coach to cut his teeth at University of Houston.
However, Jim Leavitt would have experience at recruiting at a school who was an afterthought in the region and on a campus that is commuter oriented. The Bulls have never been the same after his departure. Not that there was much history, they started playing football in 1997!

I agree that our next coach needs to be young, enthusiastic, exciting and innovative (such as Tom Herman at UH or Chad Morris at SMU). No more retreads like Mac who live off past "success."

We need a damn shot of energy in to this program.

All About UNT · October 6, 2015

NO NO NO to Willie Fritz..... look at these stats for 5 games this year. ZERO TDs through the air and 6 interceptions. Think that's gonna fly (no pun intended) in Texas?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/290/georgia-southern-eagles

for comparison...

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/249

Resounding Hell Naw to Willie Fritz

Mean_Green09 · October 6, 2015

I'm looking for a guy that recruit Texas. Is young and energetic a guy that can easily relate to today's players and game. Has to be an offensive minded coach. We won't get noticed for good defense. The thing that I think a lot of people tend to overlook is staffing. I want a guy who can bring in a quality staff. I'd want to see the staff salaries figure raised.

aztecskin · October 6, 2015

Yep, his last signing class didn't include Abbe, Byrd, Chancellor, Antonio Johnson, Zach Orr, Will Wright, Marcus Smith, and Mason Y'Barbo, He also signed the starting quarterback for our only bowl win and winning season under this current bum. Coach Mac outta kiss Todd Dodge's ass for setting him up so well. Mac had one winning season and he did it was Dodge recruits in a stadium that Dodge busted his ass fundraising to build. Dodge made ridiculous mistakes his first year or two on the job, but he learned from them and got better each year. Coach Mac just gets worse as time goes on.
He also brought us our all-time leading rusher and this guy who coach Mac sent packing. He went on to do ok at FCS.

That was exactly my point when I said we have had some NFL caliber dudes in here and some all-conference types. He did good recruiting but nothing *amazing* -- like no Hugh Freeze type stuff where we get guys we weren't *supposed* to get.

Getting Abbe, Byrd, Chance et al was great, but they weren't first-year game-changing players. They progressed into fourth-and-fifth year all-conference playmakers. When I said with decent support we should expect a conference title run every four years this is what I meant. If Danny Mac were on schedule this would be something like a 2012, where we lose to the good teams but beat the teams in our wheelhouse. That means SMU, give Rice a better game, and definitely do not go down 35-0 at Southern Miss.

He obviously whiffed awfully on succeeding Derek Thompson and is scrambling since.

That said, he has still brought in Willy Ivery, Jeffery Wilson, Ced Ferndandes ( he looked really good in the games he played), Brandon Garner, etc. These guys have talent, and they can be part of winning teams.

We can, and have, gotten talent here. We don't absolutely need a guy with Texas ties as long as he can do some half-way decent recruiting. What we need -- absolutely -- is a guy that can develop talent. Or else it won't matter how many stars were by their name when they signed in February. Like this year.

GMG24 · October 6, 2015

Who's the up and coming G5 coordinator recruiting machine?

he got hired by Tulsa, but get anyone from Baylor everyone who left for coordinator jobs of HC has top offenses in the country. I'd take an Ohio state assistant too.

Got5onIt · October 6, 2015

I still say this is the guy we should look at. He won at freakin' Buffalo. We need a coach who's proven he can win in places that are perennial losers.

Turner Gill

http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=10867&CoachID=925&TeamID=9

Edited October 6, 2015 by Got5onIt

greenminer · October 6, 2015

I still say this is the guy we should look at. He won at freakin' Buffalo. We need a coach who's proven he can win in places that are perennial losers.
Turner Gill
http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=10867&CoachID=925&TeamID=9

I loved Gill after what he did at Buffalo. Not sure why he completely tanked at Kansas, but that should be noted too.

All About UNT · October 6, 2015

I loved Gill after what he did at Buffalo. Not sure why he completely tanked at Kansas, but that should be noted too.

I'm not seeing what he did at Buffalo as lovable. Not stats wise anyway

Cr1028 · October 6, 2015

That said, he has still brought in Willy Ivery, Jeffery Wilson, Ced Ferndandes ( he looked really good in the games he played), Brandon Garner, etc. These guys have talent, and they can be part of winning teams.
We can, and have, gotten talent here. We don't absolutely need a guy with Texas ties as long as he can do some half-way decent recruiting. What we need -- absolutely -- is a guy that can develop talent. Or else it won't matter how many stars were by their name when they signed in February. Like this year.

I'll give you Ivery, Wilson, and Garner, but Fernandes was a walk-on.

UNTcrazy727 · October 6, 2015

NO NO NO to Willie Fritz..... look at these stats for 5 games this year. ZERO TDs through the air and 6 interceptions. Think that's gonna fly (no pun intended) in Texas?
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/290/georgia-southern-eagles
for comparison...
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/249
Resounding Hell Naw to Willie Fritz

He runs the triple option so they hardly ever throw. Did you check how they have 1887 yds rushing through 5 games? The guy has won everywhere he's gone and is 10-0 in Sun Belt play.

meangreendork · October 6, 2015

Get the Georgia Southern AD and a winning, championship-winning FCS coach. I think that's the ticket - one is able to work with far less than what we have now, and another is going to be very adept at finding and developing talent. That's what we need.

DeepGreen · October 6, 2015

Tell all of this to our crack AD.

FirefightnRick · October 6, 2015

Moglia at Coastal Carolina.

Rick

Cerebus · October 6, 2015

I would be excited to get Fritz, but I would prefer to get someone who know show to recruit the high school talent in Texas. Good Texas quarterbacks want to throw the ball out of the spread. I think a huge part of Mac's recruiting woes come down to running the wrong offense. The last coach I wanted to hire was Leach, I think the problems he is having is that he is running an air raid offense where all the high schools run a pro set.

Fritz would be a solid A hire for me, someone who could excite recruits around us would be an A+.

UNTcrazy727 · October 6, 2015

I would be excited to get Fritz, but I would prefer to get someone who know show to recruit the high school talent in Texas. Good Texas quarterbacks want to throw the ball out of the spread. I think a huge part of Mac's recruiting woes come down to running the wrong offense. The last coach I wanted to hire was Leach, I think the problems he is having is that he is running an air raid offense where all the high schools run a pro set.
Fritz would be a solid A hire for me, someone who could excite recruits around us would be an A+.

Sounds like you're talking about Major Applewhite.

Mean_Green09 · October 6, 2015

Sounds like you're talking about Major Applewhite.

Dont discount the fact that Applewhite could probably bring in a good staff.

Did you miss the 3 straight national championship games he coached Sam Houston to?

Rick

Fritz should absolutely be the one of the first 2 guys you call.

FirefightnRick · October 6, 2015

I would be excited to get Fritz, but I would prefer to get someone who know show to recruit the high school talent in Texas. Good Texas quarterbacks want to throw the ball out of the spread. I think a huge part of Mac's recruiting woes come down to running the wrong offense. The last coach I wanted to hire was Leach, I think the problems he is having is that he is running an air raid offense where all the high schools run a pro set.
Fritz would be a solid A hire for me, someone who could excite recruits around us would be an A+.

Sam Houston is about as Texas as your gonna get...

"Fritz joined the Eagles from Sam Houston State, where he led the team to back-to-back Southland Conference titles, NCAA FCS championship appearances in 2011 and 2012, and a third-straight playoff berth in 2013...."

Rick

Cerebus · October 6, 2015

Sam Houston is about as Texas as your gonna get...

Texas HS QB's want to run a spread O.... 7 on 7 has really made Texas QBs dominate all over CFB. If we even want to get a B level QB recruit we are going to need to run something they want to play in.

Like, I would welcome a Willie Fritz hire. Just don't know if he is the best coach for us to get.

MeanGreenTexan · October 6, 2015

I guess Fritz would be an OK hire. UNT tends to constantly have solid-to-excellent RBs.

But I can't imagine how quickly the transfer request would come in from Goree and other young WRs.

MeanGreenTeeth · October 6, 2015

I don't get the love for Applewhite. He couldn't hack it with Saban and showed absolutely nothing as the OC at Texas. I see nothing about the man that would indicate to me that he would be a good HC. Also, he had an affair with a student trainer that would have had him kicked to the curb at any other school.

At the end of the day, what we really need right now is not a new HC, but a new AD. The new AD can make the call on the HC.