In defense of Littrell

[meangreenbob]

15 minutes ago, Got5onIt said:

KState wouldn’t allow him to bring certain coaches, according to the rumor on why he ultimately turned it down. Says a lot about him and his character and his relationships with his coaches, I guess. Still though, he’s had his time here. It’s time to get out. 
 

This has to be MrAlien trolling under another account. The same NT should be grateful for being the dogs ass of college football tone…

Actually, didn’t it have more to do with KST insisting that Bill Snyder’s son be retained on the staff?

Wouldn’t that be like having a spy watching and critiquing every move you made, No? 

Wouldn’t take long for papa Snyder to realize Litrell wasn’t qualified. 
 

 

[Glory to the Green]

I’m curious as to what “finish the job that he started” means?  In the OP’s (or SL’s) opinion, what’s the ceiling?

[Mike Jackson]

4 hours ago, JT Hammons said:

When Seth arrived, this place was an absolute mess.  UNT had just lost to a D III

That is 100% false Portland State is Div I FCS team.  I would go on to cite other errors in your post but this basic one egregious enough to invalidate the rest of it.  FCS, Portland, State and that season ranked 10th team in all of FCS.  Inexcusable absolutely but we’ve seen high-quality FCS teams beat FBS teams, even ranked FBS teams.  And that’s why you have to exaggerate it, to make a point in defense of Seth. 

[untphd]

4 minutes ago, Mike Jackson said:

That is 100% false Portland State is Div I FCS team.  I would go on to cite other errors in your post but this basic one egregious enough to invalidate the rest of it.  FCS, Portland, State and that season ranked 10th team in all of FCS.  Inexcusable absolutely but we’ve seen high-quality FCS teams beat FBS teams, even ranked FBS teams.  And that’s why you have to exaggerate it, to make a point in defense of Seth. 

Good point. Who knows what she was thinking to confuse d3 teams playing d1.

[Mike Jackson]

13 hours ago, Wag Tag said:

and I believe most coaches on the outside looking in believe he has done a good job.

Kind of skeptical of that point adequate yes but not good if you are a HC looking at the big picture that includes, resources you have in comparison to your conference foes and how you perform against them.  Way too many times rebound/rebuilding programs led by coaches who had been at their job less than 2 seasons soundly beat his teams in years 4-7 of Seth's tenure.  I think is a good OC and good recruiter but the other attributes I just have to look at the record and be skeptical.  I believe the best thing you can say about him is that teams coached by him have a high floor.  But unfortunately it appears the have low ceiling also.  

Edited November 19, 2022 by Mike Jackson

[NorthTexasWeLove]

[C Rod]

5 hours ago, C Rod said:

5 hours ago, JT Hammons said:

Let that sink in for a minute, we have a coach that loves being here making 2 million dollars per year. 

Fixed it for you. 

I want to expand on my previous comment and say I have no problem with Seth making $2M a year. I applaud UNT for committing this level of investment for a head coach. It shows we're serious about competing with the big dogs. Heck, just look at what $1.5M a year did for UConn.

I do take issue with the OP's opening paragraph about Seth's loyalty and making it sound like Seth only has eyes for UNT. He's not making $60K a year at the North Texas Food Bank - he's making $2M a year coaching North Texas football. Coaches are only as loyal as their current contract or until the next best offer comes along, so please spare me the loyalty pitch.

Can you imagine if Pay-for-Performance went the other way and coaches lost money for sub .500 seasons? How long do we think that loyalty would last?  

I will go on record saying I hope we win a conference championship this year and if so, I fully support a contract extension.

[Side.Show.Joe]

7 hours ago, JT Hammons said:

When Seth was hired he had tons of other options but chose to be the HC at UNT because he loved the place and saw the potential here.  He still does and there is not a job he would rather have in the world.  Which is why he turned down K-State when they came calling.   Let that sink in for a minute, we have a coach that loves being here.  He does not see this as a stepping stone like Dodge did or a retirement package like McCarney did.

And unlike Dickey, he has never said a bad thing about UNT, including the administration as well as the fans.  He's never proclaimed things are "tough at North Texas" as many of his predecessors have.  So I think some, not all of you need to be extremely careful about your bloodlust to run Seth out of town and put such a black mark on his career.

Part of the problem is everyone on here seems to think UNT can do better than Seth.  Most others would disagree and would say be careful what you wish for.

When Seth arrived, this place was an absolute mess.  UNT had just lost to a D III squad by 59 points, the biggest FCS win over an FBS team in history!  Seth immediately turned a hapless program into a proud bowl team in HIS FIRST SEASON IN THE JOB FOLKS!  After this season he will have led UNT to 6 bowls in 7 years.  Think about that.  That is a phenomenal record at a place like UNT.

He is the only coach since Hayden Fry to beat a top 25 team and he has taken the program to more bowls than Fry or any other coach in the history of UNT.  And this season, he very well may win the conference!   He has always run a very clean program with no NCAA infractions and he also has some of the highest GPA scores of any regime in the history of UNT.

On top of all this, the players love Seth.  If he leaves I would anticipate major defections will occur.  Firing Seth would set this program back years especially as it heads to a new conference.   There would have never been a Mason Fine if it had not been for Seth's ability to identify talent.  The players want to play for him.

I beg you, please keep an open mind and give Seth an extension that in line with what he deserves.  The grass is not always greener on the other side.  This program needs stability, and patience.  There are brighter days ahead for all of you if you will give Seth a chance to finish the job he started.

 

No. None of the things you have listed are enough to merit his return.

Littrell has not progressed UNT's football program to a point deserving of any extension. There is an argument that he should have been let go after last season. After 6+ years as UNT's head coach, he is about a .500 coach, with the majority of his wins against losing programs. And while competing in C-USA (arguably the weakest conference in the FBS) Littrell has recorded no conference championships and no bowl wins. UNT now has more to offer a new coach. We need to set higher expectations as we move to the AAC, not hope our 6+ year project finally figures things out in a tougher conference. 

[untphd]

13 minutes ago, Side.Show.Joe said:

No. None of the things you have listed are enough to merit his return.

Littrell has not progressed UNT's football program to a point deserving of any extension. There is an argument that he should have been let go after last season. After 6+ years as UNT's head coach, he is about a .500 coach, with the majority of his wins against losing programs. And while competing in C-USA (arguably the weakest conference in the FBS) Littrell has recorded no conference championships and no bowl wins. UNT now has more to offer a new coach. We need to set higher expectations as we move to the AAC, not hope our 6+ year project finally figures things out in a tougher conference. 

Amen. And not hope for #hit 6 every year.

[NT80]

8 hours ago, JT Hammons said:

 

I beg you, please keep an open mind and give Seth an extension that in line with what he deserves.  The grass is not always greener on the other side.  This program needs stability, and patience.  There are brighter days ahead for all of you if you will give Seth a chance to finish the job he started.

 

Seth would have been fired 3 years ago in the SEC going 4-8 and 4-6...

[Got5onIt]

4 hours ago, meangreenbob said:

Actually, didn’t it have more to do with KST insisting that Bill Snyder’s son be retained on the staff?

Wouldn’t that be like having a spy watching and critiquing every move you made, No? 

Wouldn’t take long for papa Snyder to realize Litrell wasn’t qualified. 
 

 

I never heard that, but knowing Kstate and Bill Snyder’s grip on the program, I wouldn’t be surprised. 

[Monkeypox]

[Cr1028]

12 hours ago, untbowler said:

Ironic his 2 best seasons were with DMac Recruits. 

A few yes but the lion’s share of stars on those teams were Littrell recruits. 

[Cr1028]

11 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

As if the entirety of your message was not full of enough 💩, this comments show you do not have a freaking clue.

He may have worded it wrong but the fact is that Mason Fine only comes to North Texas because of Littrell’s relationship with Mason’s high school coach.

[southsideguy]

• The Roadrunners are 18-3 in C-USA games under third-year head coach Jeff Traylor.

This is where SL should be in conference play

[untphd]

10 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

He may have worded it wrong but the fact is that Mason Fine only comes to North Texas because of Littrell’s relationship with Mason’s high school coach.

I thought he only received on d1 offer.

[Rudy]

As has been stated, Seth didn't turn down shit in regard to the KState job.  In fact, it is obvious that not getting the KState job absolutely gutted him, and he has not been the same since, and does not want to be here.

[untphd]

It sounded like he was asking to much, do to his agent, and wanted his staff to go with him. So he did want to go, but was left behind. 

[TheColonyEagle]

1 hour ago, southsideguy said:

• The Roadrunners are 18-3 in C-USA games under third-year head coach Jeff Traylor.

This is where SL should be in conference play

[TheColonyEagle]

10 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

He may have worded it wrong but the fact is that Mason Fine only comes to North Texas because of Littrell’s relationship with Mason’s high school coach.

Interesting. Who did Littrell beat out for Fine? 

[greenminer]

11 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

He may have worded it wrong but the fact is that Mason Fine only comes to North Texas because of Littrell’s relationship with Mason’s high school coach.

The scholly offer probably helped a lot.

[untphd]

37 minutes ago, TheColonyEagle said:

Interesting. Who did Littrell beat out for Fine? 

Central OK, Ark Tech and S.W. Baptist to name a few.

[Pavlovs Eagle]

On 11/18/2022 at 9:53 AM, JT Hammons said:

he has taken the program to more bowls than Fry or any other coach in the history of UNT.

There were 15 bowls during the 1978 final season of Hayden Fry at NTSU.  There are 43 bowl games today.

So it's understandable that it's easier to make it Blue Plate Mayonnaise Bowl in 2022 than it was to be invited to a 1978 season bowl.

[Cr1028]

1 hour ago, untphd said:

I thought he only received on d1 offer.

 

1 hour ago, TheColonyEagle said:

Interesting. Who did Littrell beat out for Fine? 

 

35 minutes ago, greenminer said:

The scholly offer probably helped a lot.

Yes we were the only offer and we only offered because of Littrell’s relationship with Mason’s HS coach. Otherwise Mason was set to be a PWO at one of the Big 12 Oklahoma schools.

[MeanGreenTexan]

3 minutes ago, Pavlovs Eagle said:

There were 15 bowls during the 1978 final season of Hayden Fry at NTSU.  There are 43 bowl games today.

So it's understandable that it's easier to make it Blue Plate Mayonnaise Bowl in 2022 than it was to be invited to a 1978 season bowl.

So easy, in fact, you can have your biggest booster simply sponsor a bowl game right down the street to set up the easiest, slam dunk win possible.   Oh, wait.