Breaking ---Third Coach P5 Poached (update: Derrick LeBlanc)

MeanGreen13 · February 10, 2017

5 hours ago, ShiftyFive said:

I've never understood the concerns about coaches coming here, doing well and being lured away by other opportunities. In my opinion, this is all good stuff. It makes us look more attractive to coaches hungry to further their careers and increase the level of talent of the coaches that would consider coming here.

For me, it is a matter of setting up a culture of consistency. If the assistants are a revolving door, it will show on the field. Coach Litt probably doesn't want that either cause it detracts from the momentum of the team and staff.

30 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

Didn't Wren or Seth (can't remember which one said it) say that we had maintained all of our coaches at the signing day ceremony just a week ago?

I don't recall... but that could have been true at that point. These hires happen fast.

MeanGreenZen · February 10, 2017

We turned over almost an entire staff last year and went from one win to playing in a bowl game.

Football coaches switch jobs. A lot. Look at any good coach's resume. One year here. Next year there.

Remember when the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls in the 90's? Every year other teams were hiring their coordinators for head coaching jobs and their position coaches were being hired for coordinators. But the Cowboys kept winning.

Even Bill Belichick and Nick Saban lose assistants.

Edited February 10, 2017 by MeanGreenZen

BTG_Fan1 · February 10, 2017

3 hours ago, MeanGreen13 said:

For me, it is a matter of setting up a culture of consistency. If the assistants are a revolving door, it will show on the field. Coach Litt probably doesn't want that either cause it detracts from the momentum of the team and staff.

I don't recall... but that could have been true at that point. These hires happen fast.

With the replacement coming so fast, I would think that Ek had given them some heads up.

But I do think that the only worry could be with the consistency, and that we would have to rebuild those recruiting connections again. But with that being said, its great that these guys went to quality schools and thankful for what they did to help us start this rebuild the right way. Only makes UNT more attractive to other coaches as well.

southsideguy · February 10, 2017

if our head coach has a good year next year he maybe gone also.

Ryan Munthe · February 10, 2017

33 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

if our head coach has a good year next year he maybe gone also.

Ding ding ding! This is the life of a G5, you're the minor leagues for the P5. We can try to keep Littrell...I just wouldn't get your hopes up.

MeanGreenTexan · February 10, 2017

14 minutes ago, Ryan Munthe said:

Ding ding ding! This is the life of a G5, you're the minor leagues for the P5. We can try to keep Littrell...I just wouldn't get your hopes up.

He's gonna have to do a little more than 5-8 if he wants to move up.

His history has shown a dramatic improvement offensively during his second year, then he moves: AZ OC for 2 yrs, IN OC for 2 yrs, NC OC for 2 yrs. Each time, his second season's offensive output was much higher than his first. We'll see if this translates to his Head Coaching as well.

TreeFiddy · February 10, 2017

If our AD is smart he will establish an identity for the program and make the coaching staff a bit more interchangeable. Instead of knee jerk reacting like the last guy and switching offensive schemes from one end of the spectrum to the other with each hire and leaving a roster of ill fitting pieces for the next coach, he should stick with a philosophy so that there is more continuity between hires.

We want to show the young, up and coming minds in the sport that UNT is the perfect place to demonstrate their skils and move up to the next level, or where an established veteran can come to re-establish themselves.

Wag Tag · February 10, 2017

3 hours ago, southsideguy said:

if our head coach has a good year next year he maybe gone also.

He has to prove he can recruit first! UTSA has a good year and their HC is Gone!

Ryan Munthe · February 10, 2017

2 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

He's gonna have to do a little more than 5-8 if he wants to move up.

His history has shown a dramatic improvement offensively during his second year, then he moves: AZ OC for 2 yrs, IN OC for 2 yrs, NC OC for 2 yrs. Each time, his second season's offensive output was much higher than his first. We'll see if this translates to his Head Coaching as well.

We had a huge chunk of our staff poached by P5s. The reality is is that any success at UNT will likely cause us getting poached. And by any success I mean 6-6. Sucks, but it's reality. We can pony up all the cash we want but we aren't going to be able to keep coaches if P5 comes knocking.

McCarney was on watch lists all over after 2014 but the reality is due to his age and health issues he wasn't going anywhere.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Ryan Munthe

MeanGreenTexan · February 10, 2017

15 minutes ago, Ryan Munthe said:

We had a huge chunk of our staff poached by P5s. The reality is is that any success at UNT will likely cause us getting poached. And by any success I mean 6-6. Sucks, but it's reality. We can pony up all the cash we want but we aren't going to be able to keep coaches if P5 comes knocking.

McCarney was on watch lists all over after 2014 but the reality is due to his age and health issues he wasn't going anywhere.

We're talking Littrell here... not assistants. Which P5 school is going to take Littrell if he posts a 6-6 record next season?
Answer: none.

Ryan Munthe · February 10, 2017

2 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

We're talking Littrell here... not assistants. Which P5 school is going to take Littrell if he posts a 6-6 record next season?
Answer: none.

I'm saying that plenty would, as demonstrated by our assistant coaches being poached.

But this is a pointless guessing game.

MeanGreenTexan · February 10, 2017

13 minutes ago, Ryan Munthe said:

I'm saying that plenty would, as demonstrated by our assistant coaches being poached.

But this is a pointless guessing game.

I can imagine it now:
"<Fill-in-the-blank-P5-school> announces hire of Seth Littrell has Head Coach. In Littrell's first 2 seasons as a head coach at North Texas, he posted records of 5-8 and (for the sake of argument, let's say we win the bowl game we go to after a 6-6 year) 7-6."

What P5 fan base would be excited by that hire? The AD that makes that hire would get run out of town on a rail.
Assistant coaches are a different animal.
Let's continue down our path here... Say Littrell is hired away after a 7-6 year by a P5 somewhere. You would think a young, talented, FCS coach who's posted 5-7 and 6-6 results the past 2 seasons would be a good hire, right? Excited about that hire? I'm not.

Now, if UNT does something like 9-3 next year, then that's different. He's obviously a stud to take a team and increase their win total by 4 games 2 years in a row. And I could definitely see a low-rung P5 school take a flyer on him like Purdue did with Brohm.

meanrob · February 10, 2017

22 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I can imagine it now:
"<Fill-in-the-blank-P5-school> announces hire of Seth Littrell has Head Coach. In Littrell's first 2 seasons as a head coach at North Texas, he posted records of 5-8 and (for the sake of argument, let's say we win the bowl game we go to after a 6-6 year) 7-6."

What P5 fan base would be excited by that hire? The AD that makes that hire would get run out of town on a rail.
Assistant coaches are a different animal.
Let's continue down our path here... Say Littrell is hired away after a 7-6 year by a P5 somewhere. You would think a young, talented, FCS coach who's posted 5-7 and 6-6 results the past 2 seasons would be a good hire, right? Excited about that hire? I'm not.

Now, if UNT does something like 9-3 next year, then that's different. He's obviously a stud to take a team and increase their win total by 4 games 2 years in a row. And I could definitely see a low-rung P5 school take a flyer on him like Purdue did with Brohm.

I hear what you're saying and not disagreeing there's a chance at 9-3 he gets hired away but Brohm had to go 30-10 at WKU to get hired by Purdue. PURDUE!!!

He went 12-2 in 2015 and didn't get any offers. I'd say it's likely even with your scenario Littrell doesn't go anywhere after next year.

Edited February 10, 2017 by meanrob