Why not build a financial fortress around Littrell now?

Harry · October 16, 2018

22 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

The reality in today's world is you cannot wait to pay after it happens. You have to anticipate what could happen and pay for that possibility. It we do not someone else will

emmitt01 · October 16, 2018

The truth is, the end of his good mojo has arrived. In his press conference today he talked about how his coaches are “great husbands and fathers.” We’re just one utterance of “if you take away 3 plays” from a winless season.

GrandGreen · October 17, 2018

Littrell hit gold with the signing of Fine. It can certainly be argued that is a big reason for NT's success during Littrell's NT career.

No one doubts Littrell has ability and will be much sought after. The question that can't be determined is how LIttrell would do without coming up with one of the most consistently good QB's in the nation.

I am a little concerned that there appears to be little development of the backup quarterbacks.

I would not be surprised to see Littrell here another year, but I would be amazed if Littrell is not gone after that no matter what NT offers him.

oldguystudent · October 17, 2018

I saw him pop up on a couple "What G5 coaches do you want" comments on reddit today. People definitely know.

97and03 · October 17, 2018

20 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

Littrell hit gold with the signing of Fine. It can certainly be argued that is a big reason for NT's success during Littrell's NT career.

No one doubts Littrell has ability and will be much sought after. The question that can't be determined is how LIttrell would do without coming up with one of the most consistently good QB's in the nation.

I am a little concerned that there appears to be little development of the backup quarterbacks.

I would not be surprised to see Littrell here another year, but I would be amazed if Littrell is not gone after that no matter what NT offers him.

I also wish they had gotten the backups in more in the blowout wins, especially since the games are all much closer now in the conference slate.

Harry · October 17, 2018

38 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

Littrell hit gold with the signing of Fine.

Gold? Californium 252 more likely!

DentonLurker · October 17, 2018

47 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

I am a little concerned that there appears to be little development of the backup quarterbacks

Curious why you say this... Have you seen practice to see their development? Considering they haven’t really had that much PT, I’m not sure how anyone could know about their development. Outside of the weekly QB competition they post about, I feel like we hardly see anything about the backups.

97and03 · October 17, 2018

3 minutes ago, DentonLurker said:

Curious why you say this... Have you seen practice to see their development? Considering they haven’t really had that much PT, I’m not sure how anyone could know about their development. Outside of the weekly QB competition they post about, I feel like we hardly see anything about the backups.

I think that is kind of the point. No substitute for in-game experience.

Philip Ferguson · October 17, 2018

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2018/10/4/17937554/breaking-down-coaches-salaries-in-conference-usa-football-salary-head-coach-cusa

Edited October 17, 2018 by Philip Ferguson

brownisgreen · October 17, 2018

I agree with the sentiment that no matter what P5 school comes calling, they are pretty much going to be able to double what we can offer Seth.

GrandGreen · October 17, 2018

1 hour ago, DentonLurker said:

Curious why you say this... Have you seen practice to see their development? Considering they haven’t really had that much PT, I’m not sure how anyone could know about their development. Outside of the weekly QB competition they post about, I feel like we hardly see anything about the backups.

Correct, I have not seen one single practice.

You identified my concern, we have not seen any meaningful minutes from any QB except Fine. This despite several blow-outs and a sometimes hobbled Fine.

Don't you think that is a little strange, if he has a priority in developing other QB's or has anyone else ready for play? Also other than a very few minutes the only other QB used has been the senior Shanbour .

peanuts104 · October 17, 2018

No matter what happens, this talk will always ruin the season's buzz. But, if he does leave, the buyout SHOULD be enough to either A) bring in someone competent or B) keep current positions (promote Reffett to HC or at least keep him and his system in place at DC, maybe keep Harrell (though do we want him as our OC or potential HC if there are other options?), etc).

Let's look at the apparently crazy scenario we KEEP SL. I think if we keep SL, it will be hard to keep Reffett here. Being 100% honest, this defense has been lights this year. Financially, would it make more sense to try to keep SL here for another 1-2 years, or keep Reffett and his staff here long term? There are no easy answers with this.

Whatever happens happens, though. It's out of our hands.

brownisgreen · October 17, 2018

1 minute ago, peanuts104 said:

No matter what happens, this talk will always ruin the season's buzz. But, if he does leave, the buyout SHOULD be enough to either A) bring in someone competent or B) keep current positions (promote Reffett to HC or at least keep him and his system in place at DC, maybe keep Harrell (though do we want him as our OC or potential HC if there are other options?), etc).

Let's look at the apparently crazy scenario we KEEP SL. I think if we keep SL, it will be hard to keep Reffett here. Being 100% honest, this defense has been lights this year. Financially, would it make more sense to try to keep SL here for another 1-2 years, or keep Reffett and his staff here long term? There are no easy answers with this.

Whatever happens happens, though. It's out of our hands.

I personally think that we won't have much competition for Reffett. Don't teams want to see more than 1 year of success?

peanuts104 · October 17, 2018

Just now, GrandGreen said:

Correct, I have not seen one single practice.

You identified my concern, we have not seen any meaningful minutes from any QB except Fine. This despite several blow-outs and a sometimes hobbled Fine.

Don't you think that is a little strange, if he has a priority in developing other QB's or has anyone else ready for play? Also other than a very few minutes the only other QB used has been the senior Shanbour .

I think this staff believes in Fine and the media exposure he produces. It's a similar mentality to why the pros don't pull their starters in a blow out. The fans came to see Fine. I want to note I don't agree with this and want to remind people that I 100% think putting Shanbour in would have put us in a better spot to win against La Tech (not saying it's guaranteed, just saying he would've been more serviceable to operate the offense).

peanuts104 · October 17, 2018

1 minute ago, brownisgreen said:

I personally think that we won't have much competition for Reffett. Don't teams want to see more than 1 year of success?

I think the dramatic performance difference between last season and this season would be enough to garner sufficient attention from P5s as a DC.

untjim1995 · October 17, 2018

7 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

He didn't sign with Jimmy Sexton for no reason. Sexton is known for pushing the envelope and playing up interest of other schools to get his clients (and himself) more money. After all, he has 11 or 12 SEC head coaches as clients...somehow. So he's privy to bullshitting his way to a couple hundred thousand per off-season. If people thought Seth was our knight in shining armour....well...don't hold your breath. This solidifies his departure, probably sooner than later.

It’s not like it’s a real shock or anything. SL has already applied for a great job opening last season at Tennessee. I’m sure he will apply for other jobs after this season, too.

This is the G5/lower P5 reality. Others higher up the food chain see success and want to buy it. Guys like Sexton know it, so they take advantage of the situation to make seriously great cash for his clients and himself.

peanuts104 · October 17, 2018

35 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

It’s not like it’s a real shock or anything. SL has already applied for a great job opening last season at Tennessee. I’m sure he will apply for other jobs after this season, too.

This is the G5/lower P5 reality. Others higher up the food chain see success and want to buy it. Guys like Sexton know it, so they take advantage of the situation to make seriously great cash for his clients and himself.

It may not be surprising, but I'm hopeful that he appreciates the support he has with our current administration. He's not going to get that going somewhere else. Not that I think Seth Littrell would shrink for the challenge. He's wired to take on challenges. My only hope is that he sees a Gary Patterson opportunity here...which would be unusual since this is his first headcoaching gig and lacks the experience to know otherwise.

I hate this. And I firmly believe this belongs in the SL rumor thread.

risinggreen · October 17, 2018

Speaking of Fine, I was very impressed with the 50 plus yard TD throw to Guyton. I wasn't totally convinced of his deep ball abilities until that one. I'm convinced now.

FirefightnRick · October 17, 2018

16 minutes ago, risinggreen said:

Speaking of Fine, I was very impressed with the 50 plus yard TD throw to Guyton. I wasn't totally convinced of his deep ball abilities until that one. I'm convinced now.

58 to be exact.

Rick

Mad Hatter · October 17, 2018

We should adjust his contract this year for he and the assistants. Doesn’t have to be huge but we need to show we’re willing to go higher for what we have. Weve got the top rated recruiting class I’ve ever seen for UNT and the highest in CUSA. If we can push his departure another year we have the opportunity to build on this for 2020.

chrisfisher · October 17, 2018

14 hours ago, meangreenlax said:

Whatever we give SL, a SEC/BigXII/etc team will just multiply it by a significant number.

When the right school comes knocking, we might as well be pissing into the wind.

True, but the question is what multiple? Moreover, coaches also place a value on quality of life, especially if that new offer is not a significant multiple of what they already make. If SL makes 3 million at UNT and gets offered 4 million...Ya, that a million a year, but he also has to relocate his family, pull kids out-of-school, leave friends behind, etc....Is going from 3 to 4 million really a lifestyle changer? Probably not. However, if he makes 1 million and offered 4 million. Ya, that multiple is probably a lifestyle changer and more likely to leave. Sure, it's possible that someone might come in with the 7 million offer (Alabama, Texas, etc.), and that's a done deal, but I don't think this is really what we are talking about here.

emmitt01 · October 17, 2018

Here’s my question. There have been multiple reports that, if necessary, we have donors willing to help us get into the 2.5 to 3 million range. So, the argument is that a Kansas or a Tech type school is gonna money whip Seth Littrell with 5 to 6 million to “double anything we can offer”?

I just don’t see that. I don’t see ANY P5 being willing to get above 2 to 2.5 for a coach at his current stage of success. Nick Saban, with all that he has done including national titles at multiple SEC schools, makes 9.

I think we may just be stuck in the “we’re just lil’ ol’ North Texas...we don’t deserve nice things” mentality.

Edited October 17, 2018 by emmitt01

NorthTexasWeLove · October 17, 2018

@emmitt01 I think you're underestimating the stupidity and desperation that AD's are created into when negotiating contracts.

To answer...Tech would. Luckily, Coach Hair Gel Hands has got them playing decent. As for Kansas, they actually might. Jeff Long (former Arkansas AD) is their new AD and he has publicly stated that the university is going to show a real commitment to football. So take that for what you will.

More of a threat imo are the 10 job openings that will inevitably open at seasons end.

casual fan · October 17, 2018

Littrell has most of this team coming back. He also has what looks like a really strong recruiting class coming in.

Does he really want to go to a bad P5 team that's stuck in a perennial rebuilding cycle? It would put him in a position of fighting a constant uphill battle for relevance against powerhouse teams. Going 4-8 for 3 years gets you fired and hurts your brand. The potential for winning at UNT is pretty good. He might want to wait until the right offer comes along.

meangreenlax · October 17, 2018

1 hour ago, chrisfisher said:

Is going from 3 to 4 million really a lifestyle changer? Probably not

When we're talking about extra millions, we start venturing into generational wealth territory. Will his day to day life change much? Probably not. SL seems like he drives a F150 and wears Wranglers anyway. But that's the kind of money that changes your family's life long term.