Wren Baker to West Virginia

[MeanGreenTexan]

2 hours ago, TheTastyGreek said:

Nobody respects a commitment anymore, and nobody wants to work through adversity. 

The transfer portal is killing college sports. 

I hope the door hits his rear on the way out.    He was so undisciplined, often getting called for backbreaking unsportsmanlike gameday parking penalties that cost us 15 fans at a time.  Clearly in it for himself and the money.

[NT80]

4 hours ago, outoftown said:

Not sure. If I am the new AD and I am coming in from the outside, i would probably want to hire my own guy, that i get credit for if it works out, and if it doesn't at least i went down with my own guy and my own judgment. If its someone from the inside then yeah, thats another story.

This is usually how it works.  Leave the coaching change decisions for the new AD.   Wren is facing a similar decision at WVU on their football coach.  It gives a new AD ownership of his program from the start to put his own mark on the program.   Wren could never be faulted for hiring Seth (he didn't), only that he extended him to eternity, lol.

[NT80]

1 hour ago, Side.Show.Joe said:

Wren is the best AD we have ever had at UNT. Aside from the still unresolved issues with our football program, Wren has hit it out of the park with most of the other sports. I can't fault the guy for moving to a school that will pay him $1.1 million a year. No married man has a wife that would let them turn down that kind of money. 

He is leaving so we must wish him the best and move on. Hopefully Wren will sign a nice home and home with us as a parting gift. And, hopefully Jared Mosley gets serious consideration for the AD job. He knows the current plan for growth as we transition into the AAC. 

I would say Hayden Fry was the most forward-thinking and best AD we ever had at North Texas.  He did more for the program as a whole with less of everything.  He changed the fan and school sports culture, modernized everything externally about NT and took a small college Athletic program to the doorsteps of SWC admittance.  

I would like to know more about Jared Mosley, and is he a valid replacement for Wren?  Sometimes a fresh outside approach is welcomed, but continuity can be good too (unless it involves more .500 football)!

[TheColonyEagle]

1 hour ago, Cr1028 said:

In what way was he untouchable?

Job security wise.

 

[Cr1028]

3 minutes ago, TheColonyEagle said:

Job security wise.

 

There were people all over this board saying Wren should be fired for not firing Littrell. I don’t think he felt it was as secure as you think.

[MeanGreenTeeth]

2 hours ago, VideoEagle said:

According the SMU's President, he recommended UNT to the AAC because of the leadership and overall direction of the Wren Baker and the athletic department. From what Turner wrote, because of Baker and Smatresk working together, UNT was the first school Turner thought should be added! So, according the the head of the AAC's expansion committee Baker was a major reason we got to move up. I'm not sure who from the AAC leadership that says otherwise.  

Oh please.  What else was he going to say?  What could he point to as far a "Baker and Smastrek working together" that would earn such praise? Honestly, that is absurd. It dropped in our lap because the Big 12 raided the AAC.  Nobody was knocking on our door to join their conference.  I'm not saying Wren was terrible, I guess he made the rich men happy enough which is pretty important, but he objectively achieved very little and wasn't a particularly good executive.

[Greenrex]

Mildly interesting...CBS Ranking as of Dec1, 2022:

[southsideguy]

If WB does not try to hire SL as the head coach I will be disappointed in him.   Means he knew he was not good coach and kept him anyway.

[UNTLifer]

11 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

There were people all over this board saying Wren should be fired for not firing Littrell. I don’t think he felt it was as secure as you think.

I don't think the collective voice of us morons had any effect on his job security.

[ThatMeanGreen]

Will be interested to see how this plays out.
Wren’s been interviewing for other jobs for years now and the writing has been on the wall for quite some time, so there’s no way this comes as a shock to his “Big Three.” Right now the department is split between “Wren’s people” and those that were there before Wren that he’s tried to oust (to some success) in his time at UNT. I’d expect a bit of a power grab situation from Mosley/Peck/Witty — IF it ends up being Mosley (a big if) I’d expect to see the other two exit pretty quickly, along with the few hangers-on. If it ends up being an outside hire, I’d expect to see that trio leave and the old guard to wait it out to see what happens. What I’m most curious about are Wren’s more recent hires (Bryan, Gardner, McDonald).

Wouldn’t be totally shocked if Wren brings one or two of his team with him to West Virginia, assuming that there’s space in a department that is significantly larger than UNT’s. He freed up some futures when he got to UNT, he may very well do the same at WVU to make space for his people.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Coach Andy Mac

[TheTastyGreek]

13 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I hope the door hits his rear on the way out.    He was so undisciplined, often getting called for backbreaking unsportsmanlike gameday parking penalties that cost us 15 fans at a time.  Clearly in it for himself and the money.

This is what happens when you open the door to paying administrators. 

Frankly, he ought to respect his commitment, show some gratitude for the school that gave him the opportunity, and be grateful for the education he got here. 

[UNTLifer]

51 minutes ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Will be interested to see how this plays out.
Wren’s been interviewing for other jobs for years now and the writing has been on the wall for quite some time, so there’s no way this comes as a shock to his “Big Three.” Right now the department is split between “Wren’s people” and those that were there before Wren that he’s tried to oust (to some success) in his time at UNT. I’d expect a bit of a power grab situation from Mosley/Peck/Witty — IF it ends up being Mosley (a big if) I’d expect to see the other two exit pretty quickly, along with the few hangers-on. If it ends up being an outside hire, I’d expect to see that trio leave and the old guard to wait it out to see what happens. What I’m most curious about are Wren’s more recent hires (Bryan, Gardner, McDonald).

Wouldn’t be totally shocked if Wren brings one or two of his team with him to West Virginia, assuming that there’s space in a department that is significantly larger than UNT’s. He freed up some futures when he got to UNT, he may very well do the same at WVU to make space for his people.

Pretty new poster.  What are your ties to the department?

[ThatMeanGreen]

Just a well-connected fan.

[MeanGreenGlory]

4 minutes ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Just a well-connected fan.

@ThatMeanGreen, as a well-connected fan, what's your personal opinion on what should happen with both the AD search and the head football coach situation?

[greenminer]

14 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

There were people all over this board saying Wren should be fired for not firing Littrell. I don’t think he felt it was as secure as you think.

I am skeptical anyone in the administrative world was taking those people seriously.

[meangreenfaninno]

35 minutes ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Just a well-connected fan.

Welcome aboard and glad to have you here.

[Green Otaku]

15 hours ago, Aquila_Viridis said:

I'm concerned about the hire from within mentality. This is an opportunity to take the situation to a higher level. Get someone from a smaller program that has done amazing things. I'm thinking like Coastal or MadDog (JMU). Then let them make similar moves on FB HC.

Agree, a real search needs to be done to make sure we get the best candidate. Not saying Mosely wouldn't be a great hire, but you need to do your due diligence. I'd take a look at the App. State AD, Doug Gillin. He's been there for 8 years and knows how to build a program up, his base salary is $470k. 

Edited December 1, 2022 by Green Otaku

[ThatMeanGreen]

9 hours ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

@ThatMeanGreen, as a well-connected fan, what's your personal opinion on what should happen with both the AD search and the head football coach situation?

AD: I’d like to see an external hire. I think Mosley is better served as an AD at the high FCS level or “lower tier” G5 level which we’re clearly distancing ourselves from. That’s not a knock on him or his abilities, different people are just suited for different roles. I believe Peck is similar to Wren in that he’s very advancement-oriented and I’m not sure he will be around much longer regardless of role. 
 

Coach: Realistically I think the Littrell hate is a bit overblown. I know we all expect better results, but I absolutely understand the hesitancy of firing a “good” coach and take the risk of getting someone who could tank the program just as soon as elevate it. I think it’s unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6/7 wins and making a bowl in the next two seasons — the AAC is still a somewhat sizable jump in talent, and expectations should be measured as such as we transition. New AD should understand this and make it clear, but also have Seth on a short leash if we’re getting the doors blown off every game.

Edit: I’ll also add that if what I’ve heard about Smatresk planning his retirement within the next year is true, that could add an interesting wrinkle in the AD, and therefore coaching search.

Edited December 2, 2022 by ThatMeanGreen

[untphd]

Here we go, unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6 or 7 wins. Same ole , same ole. The new AD should make this clear, what the hell.  The new AD should set expectations higher, and we should see results or find someone who will.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

13 minutes ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

AD: I’d like to see an external hire. I think Mosley is better served as an AD at the high FCS level or “lower tier” G5 level which we’re clearly distancing ourselves from. That’s not a knock on him or his abilities, different people are just suited for different roles. I believe Peck is similar to Wren in that he’s very advancement-oriented and I’m not sure he will be around much longer regardless of role. 
 

Coach: Realistically I think the Littrell hate is a bit overblown. I know we all expect better results, but I absolutely understand the hesitancy of firing a “good” coach and take the risk of getting someone who could tank the program just as soon as elevate it. I think it’s unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6/7 wins and making a bowl in the next two seasons — the AAC is still a somewhat sizable jump in talent, and expectations should be measured as such as we transition. New AD should understand this and make it clear, but also have Seth on a short leash if we’re getting the doors blown off every game.

Edit: I’ll also add that if what I’ve heard about Smatresk planning his retirement within the next year is true, that could add an interesting wrinkle in the AD, and therefore coaching search.

If we win 7 regular season games next year I will be very surprised. 

I think we need new blood, new people. And they need to distance themselves from BMD that attempt to control with purse strings. 

A part of me also wants to an internal hire to hopefully rid Littrell without the cheap excuse of needing a year of evaluation. 

[ThatMeanGreen]

25 minutes ago, untphd said:

Here we go, unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6 or 7 wins. Same ole , same ole. The new AD should make this clear, what the hell.  The new AD should set expectations higher, and we should see results or find someone who will.

Make no mistake, I think some wiggle room in the first year is fair. Expectations should absolutely be higher, but planning for growing pains is reasonable — unless the new AD is looking for an excuse to pull the trigger anyway, which is also fair.

[MeanGreenGlory]

1 hour ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

AD: I’d like to see an external hire. I think Mosley is better served as an AD at the high FCS level or “lower tier” G5 level which we’re clearly distancing ourselves from. That’s not a knock on him or his abilities, different people are just suited for different roles. I believe Peck is similar to Wren in that he’s very advancement-oriented and I’m not sure he will be around much longer regardless of role. 
 

Coach: Realistically I think the Littrell hate is a bit overblown. I know we all expect better results, but I absolutely understand the hesitancy of firing a “good” coach and take the risk of getting someone who could tank the program just as soon as elevate it. I think it’s unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6/7 wins and making a bowl in the next two seasons — the AAC is still a somewhat sizable jump in talent, and expectations should be measured as such as we transition. New AD should understand this and make it clear, but also have Seth on a short leash if we’re getting the doors blown off every game.

Edit: I’ll also add that if what I’ve heard about Smatresk planning his retirement within the next year is true, that could add an interesting wrinkle in the AD, and therefore coaching search.

Fair assessments. Thanks. I think the expectations should be higher for the HFC because I think some will make the leap quickly (FAU with Herman and the helm now), but I can see where you’re coming from regarding the growing pains. 

Regarding Smatresk: That adds a huge wrinkle in all of this and the direction of the program. Overall, I feel like Smatresk has been supportive of the athletic department. It’ll be interesting to see if that support continues, increase, or decreases. 

[meangreenfaninno]

2 hours ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

AD: I’d like to see an external hire. I think Mosley is better served as an AD at the high FCS level or “lower tier” G5 level which we’re clearly distancing ourselves from. That’s not a knock on him or his abilities, different people are just suited for different roles. I believe Peck is similar to Wren in that he’s very advancement-oriented and I’m not sure he will be around much longer regardless of role. 
 

Coach: Realistically I think the Littrell hate is a bit overblown. I know we all expect better results, but I absolutely understand the hesitancy of firing a “good” coach and take the risk of getting someone who could tank the program just as soon as elevate it. I think it’s unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6/7 wins and making a bowl in the next two seasons — the AAC is still a somewhat sizable jump in talent, and expectations should be measured as such as we transition. New AD should understand this and make it clear, but also have Seth on a short leash if we’re getting the doors blown off every game.

Edit: I’ll also add that if what I’ve heard about Smatresk planning his retirement within the next year is true, that could add an interesting wrinkle in the AD, and therefore coaching search.

Good insight.  Enjoyed it and I think you are pretty spot on.

[untphd]

9 hours ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Make no mistake, I think some wiggle room in the first year is fair. Expectations should absolutely be higher, but planning for growing pains is reasonable — unless the new AD is looking for an excuse to pull the trigger anyway, which is also fair.

Be assured, expectations are going to be high. A seven year head coach should have it figured out. Providing excuses for losing, wiggle room and growing pains, a year ahead of time is unacceptable. It's what you tell people when you know a mistake has been made and it is not going to be corrected. 

[meanJewGreen]

20 hours ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Will be interested to see how this plays out.
Wren’s been interviewing for other jobs for years now and the writing has been on the wall for quite some time, so there’s no way this comes as a shock to his “Big Three.” Right now the department is split between “Wren’s people” and those that were there before Wren that he’s tried to oust (to some success) in his time at UNT. I’d expect a bit of a power grab situation from Mosley/Peck/Witty — IF it ends up being Mosley (a big if) I’d expect to see the other two exit pretty quickly, along with the few hangers-on. If it ends up being an outside hire, I’d expect to see that trio leave and the old guard to wait it out to see what happens. What I’m most curious about are Wren’s more recent hires (Bryan, Gardner, McDonald).

Wouldn’t be totally shocked if Wren brings one or two of his team with him to West Virginia, assuming that there’s space in a department that is significantly larger than UNT’s. He freed up some futures when he got to UNT, he may very well do the same at WVU to make space for his people.

I like the Gardner hire and what Wren had tasked her to do, she just started and I think she could make some positive inroads with regards to branding, NIL and leadership.

When you say people he's tried to oust- is that Capper, Adams, etc? I dont mind Capper (he does what he's supposed to do) and Adams could be more creative, but who else? I'm glad they got rid of Batchelder. I like Peck, I could see him going with Wren.