Blueprint for a Rebuild

VideoEagle · November 19, 2015

I saw this on SB Nation. It's the story of rebuilding projects by six different coaches. The first is Bill Snyder at K State. The end of the NT @ K State game YouTube is included in the story! Snyder explains that creating a winning team is about far more than simply winning games, it's requires building a culture. The other five stories are interesting as well.

The article on SB Nation is here.

shaft · November 19, 2015

Mac focused on building a culture, it wasn't enough.

Recruiting & QB play.

FirefightnRick · November 19, 2015

I saw this on SB Nation. It's the story of rebuilding projects by six different coaches. The first is Bill Snyder at K State. The end of the NT @ K State game YouTube is included in the story! Snyder explains that creating a winning team is about far more than simply winning games, it's requires building a culture. The other five stories are interesting as well.
The article on SB Nation is here.

I was there. Broke the nation's longest current streak then at 29. They tore down the goal post and carried part of it up onto campus, and a part of it still hangs in a bar across the street to this day.

Rick

Edited November 19, 2015 by FirefightnRick

Dr. Seuss · November 19, 2015

Funny how nothing in the article talks about having the HC selling to the community from years 1-3. Again, if I'm wrong, please call me out.

The only time the word sell appears in his article is when they're talking about selling the school to the recruits, not the donors or community.

UNT90 · November 19, 2015

Funny how nothing in the article talks about having the HC selling to the community from years 1-3. Again, if I'm wrong, please call me out.
The only time the word sell appears in his article is when they're talking about selling the school to the recruits, not the donors or community.

That's because at every other university the coach doesn't have to do the job of the athletic director.

Dr. Seuss · November 19, 2015

That's because at every other university the coach doesn't have to do the job of the athletic director.

Oh..... I should've known

wardly · November 19, 2015

Rick, I was at game also. Something happened with a punt at end of game which is why we lost, but I can't remember what. Look at So. Miss. as a blue print for North Texas. They were 0&12 just a few years ago and are bowl eligible this year.

DeepGreen · November 19, 2015

I'm of the opinion that we lack in the ability to get quality recruits. No doubt, coaching is at the top of the list for a successful program. But other programs on our level get better players. I read an article on Houston this morning and due to injuries during the season, they had to start 3-4 true freshman offensive linemen. You don't win like Houston has by playing, God bless them, walkons. We are proud of our walk on program, but we depend on it too much. Recruiting has to improve.

UNT90 · November 19, 2015

Rick, I was at game also. Something happened with a punt at end of game which is why we lost, but I can't remember what. Look at So. Miss. as a blue print for North Texas. They were 0&12 just a few years ago and are bowl eligible this year.

They found a QB.

I, too, was at that game. I'll never forget how politely we were approached with a threat to kick our ass if we didn't stop the "You say K St., I say sucks! K. State. Sucks!!" in an Aggieville bar the night before the game. The offer was "If you please don't stop that chant, we are gonna be forced to kick your ass." Lol.

Being that we were the only 3 UNT fans in the bar, we decided disgression was the better part of valor and bought the guys a drink. Good dudes. Drank with them for several hours.

Sad that this exact same scenario may take place at Eastside Social Club the Saturday after Thanksgiving with UTEP fans doing the chanting. If it does, take a lesson from the K State fans.

Dr. Seuss · November 19, 2015

Rick, I was at game also. Something happened with a punt at end of game which is why we lost, but I can't remember what. Look at So. Miss. as a blue print for North Texas. They were 0&12 just a few years ago and are bowl eligible this year.

I asked that question below but never got an answer....

So you're telling me that Todd Monken was out selling the community and selling to fans more than organizing a football program.. That's why they're 5-1 in conference in his 3rd year after the same program lost 23 games in a row?

untjim1995 · November 19, 2015

Southern Miss is definitely the blueprint here to follow. Give the new guy time. He took over a team that went 0-12 and followed it up with a 1-11 season, winning their last game. But they got better last year, improving to 3 wins, and now sitting at 7-3, with two games left, at home against Old Dominion and at La Tech. Very possible that they are 8-4 and going into a bowl game in his third year.

Its my belief that we will have a season next year very much like this year's, as the new coach gets used to the roster he has and tries to bring in recruits that fit his system, probably winning a game or two. If we can get to 3-4 wins in Year 2 of the next coach, it would be possible to see us getting to 6+ wins in Year 3. That would mimic USM and would signal major improvement.

Dr. Seuss · November 19, 2015

Southern Miss is definitely the blueprint here to follow. Give the new guy time. He took over a team that went 0-12 and followed it up with a 1-11 season, winning their last game. But they got better last year, improving to 3 wins, and now sitting at 7-3, with two games left, at home against Old Dominion and at La Tech. Very possible that they are 8-4 and going into a bowl game in his third year.
Its my belief that we will have a season next year very much like this year's, as the new coach gets used to the roster he has and tries to bring in recruits that fit his system, probably winning a game or two. If we can get to 3-4 wins in Year 2 of the next coach, it would be possible to see us getting to 6+ wins in Year 3. That would mimic USM and would signal major improvement.

Lets reword this:

UNT is definitely the blueprint here to follow. Give the new guy time. He took over a team that went 6-37 and followed it up with a 5-7 season~~, winning their last game~~. But they got better last year, but only won 4 games. Now sitting at 7-3, with two games left, at home against USTA, Conference championship game on the line and at Tulsa. Very possible that they go 9-4 and going into a bowl game in his third year with a championship appearance and their first winning season in 10 years and first bowl game since 2001.

greenminer · November 19, 2015

I don't' think this means things are entirely different from 1980s KState, but recruiting has become a completely different animal.

Coaches and recruits have access to tons of information, instantly, with no limitations regarding geography. This used to be an issue (and, maybe to some other extent, still is) for schools like UTEP who are on a freakin' island as far as accessibillity.

With dedicated college sports channels, social media and the like, I would love to be a fly on the wall if someone ever asks Snyder how his approach to recruiting has changed.

Rudy · November 20, 2015

I don't think a rebuild HAS to be a lengthy process, although I think it probably will be. If you get a good coach that knows what he is doing, can recruit, and has a fire for the school and program, we can see results in year one. I don't think we go 12-0, but maybe 6-6 if the coach can coach to the current team's strengths while he installs his philosophy.

foutsrouts · November 20, 2015

Mac focused on building a culture, it wasn't enough.
Recruiting & QB play.

Amen.

jdennis82 · December 14, 2015

Had to bump this thread as this article makes for a great read right now as many of the subjects either directly connect to Littrell or mirror the situation he's inheriting her at NT.

Bob Stoops' first coaching staff at Oklahoma had six men under 40 years of age and three under 29. Three were Bill Snyder assistants. One had been an OU quarterback barely four years earlier. One had coached an offense Stoops hated defending. Three assistants on this staff have become head coaches elsewhere. Leach's replacement, Chuck Long, did too. So did Mangino's replacement, Kevin Wilson.
This was seen at the time as an inordinately young staff. It was. At least until Jim Harbaugh took over at Stanford, it was the prototype for going young and hungry with your hires.
"Yeah, but they all had great experience," Stoops says. "I brought three from Coach Snyder's staff, and they were part of the rebuild. Steve, Jr., might have been our youngest coach, but he was just with me [at Florida] where we'd won a national championship. I had a lot of experienced guys. Jonathan Hayes wasn't coaching, but he had played tight end for 14 years in the NFL, so I though he could probably coach that position."

May be wishful thinking, but this is what I see in the way Littrell seems to be approaching his own staff building.

rcade · December 15, 2015

The end of the NT @ K State game YouTube is included in the story! Snyder explains that creating a winning team is about far more than simply winning games, it's requires building a culture. The other five stories are interesting as well.
The article on SB Nation is here.

Thanks for the link. I've never seen video of the end of that game and the goalposts being torn down. I was Daily editor and caught hell from our journalism profs for running a photo of the goalposts coming down on our front page. It's cool to see what got me in so much trouble. :-)

Edited December 15, 2015 by rcade