*Updated* Kevin Sumlin: Deal (Steal) of the Century

[Pseudo Nym]

UPDATE:

- Added SL's Buyout (TheColonyEagle Suggestion)
- Increased Sumlin's base salary in Years One and Two (Mean Green Matt Suggestion)
*Updates in Green
 

Just wanted to get some thoughts on the following deal, I think it would be worth exploring, take Sumlin's Arizona years out of the mix, six winning seasons at Texas A&M, success as a HC at Houston, success as OC at Oklahoma and I think it's worth looking at going after Kevin Sumlin right now to replace SL. 

There's a unique reason that also should be considered with the timing and language in Sumlin's buyout at Arizona and I've laid that out below.

Hire Kevin Sumlin: Structuring the Deal (Steal) of the Century

Preface: SL Buyout is 30% of his base salary for each year remaining on his contract through 2023, here's how a deal with Kevin Sumlin could look, considering his current buyout situation in Arizona:

1) Arizona is on the hook for $7.29mil for the next two years with any money made by Sumlin subtracted from the amount owed to him from Arizona (Info in linked here)

It's safe to assume Kevin Sumlin knows there's no job waiting for him to make anywhere close to $7.29mil over the next two years - but UNT could be the perfect place at the perfect time.

2) Backload a 5 year contract for Kevin Sumlin

Year One: $1 (Arizona Still Paying Sumiln minus the $1 earned at UNT) $250,000

Year Two: $1 (Arizona Still Paying Sumiln minus the $1 earned at UNT) $250,000

Year Three: $1.5mil

Year Four: $1.5mil

Year Five: $2mil

3) What Sumlin's take home pay looks like

Years One and Two: $500,000 from UNT and $7.29mil From Arizona (Minus $2) $6.79mil From Arizona

Year Three: $1.5mil

Year Four: $1.5mil

Year Five: $2mil

Total Over Five Years: $12.29mil

Yearly Average: $2.26mil

4) Out of Pocket Cost to UNT

To Sumlin

Years One and Two: $2 (Yes, $2 even, not a typo) $500,000

Year Three: $1.5mil

Year Four: $1.5mil

Year Five: $2mil

Five Years: $5mil $5.5mil

Yearly Average: $1mil $1.2mil

SL Buyout

Current contract calls for 30% of base salary for remaining years (3 years at $1.35mil base) (Info link here)

Year One (And Total of SL Buyout): $1.215mil

SUMLIN + SL OVER FIVE YEARS: $6.715mil

YEARLY AVERAGE OVER FIVE YEARS: $1.343mil

By back loading his contract, you get a proven winner in the SEC (Beat a #1 Ranked 'Bama team while he was at A&M, and coached a Heisman winner, never had a losing season as a HC in the SEC).  You could list a lot of reasons that qualify him from his time at A&M, Houston, and OU, if you're willing to look past his Arizona tenure. 

I just think now would be a perfect time to strike with all of these considerations as well as the financial implications for UNT (Saving money with huge hire), at the end of the day, this would be the best job Sumlin could get and I think he'd be a perfect fit - to say nothing of the fact that this works out for him making an average of $2.26mil/year for five years to be the HC at UNT!

Thoughts?

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Pseudo Nym
Updated with suggestions from posts and title

[TheColonyEagle]

I was complaining about our current situation to a fellow college football fan....

he said. “Who would you want?”

Kevin Sumlin was my answer. 

[TheColonyEagle]

Although I think you may want to include Littrell’s buyout in UNT’s “out of pocket” in years 1-3?

[Mean Green Matt]

You can’t really get away with the $1 salary gimmick. His contract almost certainly has language for reasonableness built in. The game can be played, but not to that extent. 

[RBP79]

Ahhh.....the Green Kool-Aid again.

[Tom McKrackin]

This is very interesting.  Look everyone on here knows down deep Littrell ain’t getting us where we need to go.  And no he isn’t going to miraculously become a great coach next season either.  Wren knows this but unfortunately his hands appear to be tied due to the buyout.  To make a move now would take stones and I doubt it happens until after next year.  Sadly for us Covid become a convenient excuse for a program that is faltering.

[H-towngreen]

I’d be on the Stumblin train

[Tom McKrackin]

7 minutes ago, H-towngreen said:

I’d be on the Stumblin train

Me too.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I’d be in.   He was awesome at Houston, & has tons of TX HS connections.

[meanrob]

There’s no proven path of hiring a new coach but the track record of a G5 hiring a retread on his way down is abysmal. There may be a small bump but it usually goes off a cliff pretty quick. Hmmm, there’s a name in (our) recent history but it escape me....

[UNTAlabama]

Charlie Strong is also around.    Also w Texas ties, and has  had success.    

[NM Green]

I’d prefer Scott Frost or Tom Herman when they lose their respective jobs. The timing on their exits and Seth’s might just coincide perfectly. 

Until then I wish Seth and the team success. I still think there is hope for a recovery. But if we struggle in 21 it’s over for SL and Scott and Tom might just be available.

GMG

[Mean Green Matt]

7 hours ago, meanrob said:

There’s no proven path of hiring a new coach but the track record of a G5 hiring a retread on his way down is abysmal. There may be a small bump but it usually goes off a cliff pretty quick. Hmmm, there’s a name in (our) recent history but it escape me....

The difference is Mccarney had no meaningful success (I don’t buy the “Iowa State” rationalization) and was 30 games under .500 when hired. Proven winner!

I don’t disagree with your overall point, but there’s a massive resume difference between Mccarney and Sumlin. 

[southsideguy]

We are stuck with SL and his DC until the end.  We will fire him like we did with Benford, when his contract is up.   IMO SL has not been the same since he had his foot in the door at KSU.   I bet the KSU are thinking they dodge a bullet on that hire.

[emmitt01]

6 hours ago, NM Green said:

I’d prefer Scott Frost or Tom Herman when they lose their respective jobs. The timing on their exits and Seth’s might just coincide perfectly. 

Until then I wish Seth and the team success. I still think there is hope for a recovery. But if we struggle in 21 it’s over for SL and Scott and Tom might just be available.

GMG

No to Tom Herman.  
 

He fits in perfectly  at Texas where he is adept at doing less with more than anyone. 

[greenjoe]

NT will continue having a “stale” coach as long as we extend contracts needlessly.  A head coach is hired to win and we are famous for mis-reading a sniff of success as a reason to extend when it’s nothing more than a natural rebound.  I mean, even a blind squirrel gets an acorn now and then.  
 

GO MEAN GREEN

[meangreen11]

1 minute ago, greenjoe said:

NT will continue having a “stale” coach as long as we extend contracts needlessly.  A head coach is hired to win and we are famous for mis-reading a sniff of success as a reason to extend when it’s nothing more than a natural rebound.  I mean, even a blind squirrel gets an acorn now and then.  
 

GO MEAN GREEN

That's not exactly fair in this case or really even McCarney for that matter.  Seth had basically been offered the K-State job and we reacted to that by increasing his salary and extending his deal.  With Mac he had just won a bowl game.  So if we are going to be honest with ourselves it was the vast majority who believed it was the right thing to do at the time.

 

 

[TheColonyEagle]

9 hours ago, meanrob said:

There’s no proven path of hiring a new coach but the track record of a G5 hiring a retread on his way down is abysmal. There may be a small bump but it usually goes off a cliff pretty quick. Hmmm, there’s a name in (our) recent history but it escape me....

I don’t know Rob.....

SMU seems to be doing fairly well with their retread. Hell Even Bobby Petrino did well at WKU. Hugh Freeze, well see about Willie Taggert at FAU but I don’t want to play them.....

I hear you on the falling off the cliff but I would just like to get up on the cliff. We’ve never been there from a national level We’ve never had a 10 win season. Never been ranked (in modern football) Winning the HOD bowl in front of 50 UNLV fans was nice but it wasn’t the top of the cliff. I don’t know if I would list Dan McCarney(if that’s who you’re referring to) he didn’t have success at the G5 level as a HC. He had success in the big 12 and “couldn’t believe how small we were” when he got here. He didn’t know anything about coaching a G5. 

I think Sumlin would be a home run hire. We’ve done the P5 assistant thing, former P5 HC thing, high school  thing....we haven’t done the former successful G5 HC thing yet. Let’s give it a shot. 

I would just like to get to the top of the cliff before talking about falling off of it. When you’re on the bottom there’s no where to fall. 

[untjim1995]

I want nobody who isn’t going to be extremely hungry. Recruiting here is hard. The fan base is small for a university our size. You need somebody who dreams of bigger things. Sumlin, Herman, Strong, etc...they have only coached at places much higher up the food chain than we are. I want somebody who thinks are situation is golden compared to being a head coach in some FCS out post, for example. 

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

7 hours ago, NM Green said:

I’d prefer Scott Frost or Tom Herman when they lose their respective jobs. The timing on their exits and Seth’s might just coincide perfectly. 

Until then I wish Seth and the team success. I still think there is hope for a recovery. But if we struggle in 21 it’s over for SL and Scott and Tom might just be available.

GMG

They would want too much if you ask me. That would pay off maybe in the long run, but I just can’t see those 2 even stepping foot here.

[NorthTexan95]

With Wren Baker I think it's more likely to hire someone like Sumlin than Seth.  Baker's history shows he likes to hire those who have already been a head coach. 

[DeepGreen]

Hire the Ap State coach.

[LongJim]

I thought UNT wanted to win championships?

[PlummMeanGreen]

🤔Have we all run out of things to during this cursed pandemic?😊        Now trying to hire someone for a position that is not open?😆

I think Seth needs to win 6 to stay, but if he wins 5 I think those who hire & fire (& some of that group are now MP (Money People) will let him stay & build a program with the fine talent of his last 3 recruiting classes. At 5 wins he’ll probably have to fire a coordinator or 2, though.  
Guess he’s the underdog on this forum, but I’m trying to feel like I did about him when SL had 2 straight “9” win seasons in a row. We all know the deficiencies, but I’d wager Littrell does to & will try to correct them beginning with that anemic defense.  
 

🦅❇️🦅GMG!

♦️PS:  I did like what Sumlin was doing at UH, though. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by PlummMeanGreen

[meanrob]

2 hours ago, TheColonyEagle said:

I don’t know Rob.....

SMU seems to be doing fairly well with their retread. Hell Even Bobby Petrino did well at WKU. Hugh Freeze, well see about Willie Taggert at FAU but I don’t want to play them.....

I hear you on the falling off the cliff but I would just like to get up on the cliff. We’ve never been there from a national level We’ve never had a 10 win season. Never been ranked (in modern football) Winning the HOD bowl in front of 50 UNLV fans was nice but it wasn’t the top of the cliff. I don’t know if I would list Dan McCarney(if that’s who you’re referring to) he didn’t have success at the G5 level as a HC. He had success in the big 12 and “couldn’t believe how small we were” when he got here. He didn’t know anything about coaching a G5. 

I think Sumlin would be a home run hire. We’ve done the P5 assistant thing, former P5 HC thing, high school  thing....we haven’t done the former successful G5 HC thing yet. Let’s give it a shot. 

I would just like to get to the top of the cliff before talking about falling off of it. When you’re on the bottom there’s no where to fall. 

Freeze and Petrino weren’t fired for being bad coaches. 
 

I don’t see anybody pointing out that Sumlin was winless this year (should’ve beat USC though) and is coming off the worse loss in UA history. And we want that guy? 
 

We might want to ask why this keeps happening to us and I’m not saying it’s the main problem but we definitely have issues with our assistant coaches. We keep letting head coaches bring in friends or keep leftovers. There are people who have a better pulse on that situation than me but it doesn’t seem we are replacing quality with quality. We are on our third OC in three years, that can’t be good. 
 

I get why people are pissed at SL, I’m not happy either. I just want to know if there’s a problem with our infrastructure and can fix that before we throw away more money.