Does RV Already Have a Coach in Hand?

rcade · November 19, 2006

One of the reasons Darrell Dickey's firing got so much press was because it led off the college football off-season changes. It would've been overlooked after the final game when Miami's Larry Coker and other bigger moves are being made in I-A.

It couldn't have been a surprise that Mattress Mac came unglued after his buddy got the hook. He's our best-hyped booster with a history of throwing public snit fits, so AD Rick Villareal and the new president had to be bracing for his reaction.

Villareal's mention of a new seven-figure donation appears to have been timed to cool off people who might think we've lost too much by pissing off Mac. RV knew he had it in hand when he fired Dickey.

Does he also have a new head coach in hand? The lack of a search committee, his quick denial that the USM coach was a contender, and some hints dropped about pleasing UNT fans make me think we've already got Dickey's replacement but it can't be announced yet.

I don't think RV would be taking the big-risk move of firing Dickey and losing Mac without knowing with certainty there's a big reward.

UNTflyer · November 19, 2006

No I don't think he has decided on a coach, but by firing Dickey early he made it known in the football universe that there is an open position in Denton.

Eagle1855 · November 19, 2006

The fact that he fired dickey early leads me to believe he does not have someone in mind.

Regarding the timing, I think its perfect. got us plenty of pub, gives us plenty of time to find another guy to jump right into recruiting, and gives dickey an opportunity to put himself on the market.

Rudy · November 19, 2006

And it gave dd the chance to make a mockery of himself last night.

Edited November 19, 2006 by Rudy

eagle60 · November 19, 2006

The early termination of DD may reflect that RV already has someone tentatively picked but who has an existing commitment that prevents an announcement now. For example, if the prospect has his team in a playoff situation, like someone with the initials TD.

UNTflyer · November 19, 2006

Even if TD's season was over, I don't feel it would be appropriate to announce the new coach until our season is over. I will be expecting RV's announcement at about 9:03pm on Nov 25th.

ADLER · November 19, 2006

OK people I'll state this again.

BY STATE LAW, THE JOB OPENING HAS TO BE POSTED FOR 30 DAYS BEFORE SOMEONE CAN BE HIRED.

There has to be time for a new coach to assemble a staff and start recruiting before the recruiting dead period starts. If we waited until to fire someone, and the replacement couldn't be hired until January, we would have potentially crippled recruiting for this year and had to settle for a class of substandard players that would be around for the next five years.

It's not lollipops and rainbows, but it has to be done that way.

untbowler · November 19, 2006

11-14-2006 date posted

So now decision then prior to 12-14-2006, which is start of winter break so may not get much help until start of school in January since the campus more or less shuts down.

ADLER · November 19, 2006

11-14-2006 date posted
So now decision then prior to 12-14-2006, which is start of winter break so may not get much help until start of school in January since the campus more or less shuts down.
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I was only pointing out how tight the timeframe is, even with the early termination.

Hiring a staff isn't instantanious either.

Isn't National Signing Day the first week of February? That's not a lot of time to work with, especially considering there are a couple of weeks of 'dead time' while no contact is allowed with recruits.

good_ken · November 19, 2006

And the midterm period is right around the 14th of December, in case we happen to need any JUCOS (like a LT, RT, LG, RG & DT).

As hyped as I am about this hire, it will probably stunt the recruiting for this year (unless we hire someone like Nix who could bring his recruits with him).

MeanGreenBuzz · November 19, 2006

The firing of DD was timed exactly with the loss that kept us from having a winning season. I have a feeling before the season RV told DD that he wanted to see a marked improvement or a 6-6 or better record or he was gone or atleast something to that effect so that DD knew he was in a must win situation.

November 19, 2006

One thing that tends to be forgotten in this is that while there is no search committee, any new hire must also have the approval of Dr. Bataille. That will make it unlikely that Rick can use cronyism unless he can somehow hoodwink the president first, then the Board of Regents into rubber stamping the hire.

Dr. Bataille is to be on goodwill tours much of the next month. For example, she is to meet with more than 1,000 in Chicago this month. There are trips set for New York, L.A,, and other places where she will speak to alumni and try to get financial support, students, etc.

Normally, there are personal interviews with three or more finalists before one is chosen. That seems to tell me that it will be sometime in December before a new coach is named and I seriously doubt that RV has one previously selected. it is perfectly natural that he has given some thought to some possible replacements and even contacted some to see if they were interested.

Bottom line....there may be a fairly short list at this time with no favorite as yet.

UNT_playmaker · November 19, 2006

No I don't think he has decided on a coach, but by firing Dickey early he made it known in the football universe that there is an open position in Denton.
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An open position that nobody wants to take....

SilverEagle · November 19, 2006

An open position that nobody wants to take....
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Hide and watch, Oh clueless one.

Edited November 19, 2006 by SilverEagle

SilverEagle · November 19, 2006

As to the timing. I think that the La Tech game was the right timing for him to pull the trigger. I think that he must have just secured the financial support from other doners that he needed to off-set the loss of MM's money, and was just looking for the most appropriate excuse to pull the trigger.

untbowler · November 19, 2006

An open position that nobody wants to take....
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you can keep your head in the sand all you want. Times are changing at ole UNT.

50 applications in the first week says something.

Zeke · November 19, 2006

you can keep your head in the sand all you want. Times are changing at ole UNT.
50 applications in the first week says something.
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Quit playing the fact card bowler........he doesn't want to hear it

PlummMeanGreen · November 20, 2006

One thing that tends to be forgotten in this is that while there is no search committee, any new hire must also have the approval of Dr. Bataille. That will make it unlikely that Rick can use cronyism unless he can somehow hoodwink the president first, then the Board of Regents into rubber stamping the hire.
Dr. Bataille is to be on goodwill tours much of the next month. For example, she is to meet with more than 1,000 in Chicago this month. There are trips set for New York, L.A,, and other places where she will speak to alumni and try to get financial support, students, etc.
Normally, there are personal interviews with three or more finalists before one is chosen. That seems to tell me that it will be sometime in December before a new coach is named and I seriously doubt that RV has one previously selected. it is perfectly natural that he has given some thought to some possible replacements and even contacted some to see if they were interested.
Bottom line....there may be a fairly short list at this time with no favorite as yet.
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Outside of about 2 or 3 names, the list of potentials this time around reminds me so much of what we've been having on our prospective HFC long (& short) lists of the last 2 or so decades unless it really is true that Barry Switzer actually did make a serious inquiry about the Mean Green job (after his years of boredom sitting on his Norman, OK, sofa) and all that after Dennis Parker was fired.

Personally, hope of eternal hope is that our new lady prez' is made of the similar stuff that the UTEP and Idaho upper echelon types were (obviously) made of when they put their own "usual" list of prospectives inside the desk and did something different for each of their respective schools. Blueprints of a new D1-A football stadium at Eagle Point Campus tht we are getting closer to turning dirt on each succeeding year could help UNT raise the "higher profile" stakes with our search, too. After all, no matter what year we turn dirt we are getting closer to that date, right? And with DD Ball a thing of our past (as it should have been 2 weeks ago), don't' most of us think we are even now getting closer to some corporation (or person) who might want to invest into something that has a chance of succeeding at a higher profile?

Some of us are holding out for what could turn out to be a couple (or more) surprise late entries in this Mean Green HFC's race once the season is over. With what we must have as DD's 2007 recruiting check list (of probably mostly SBC or 1-AA "only" level potential recruits) I don't think the wait is going to hurt a school like NORTH TEXAS in the long term.

We need to get a Mean Green HFC who is going to be the right choice for all of the UNT community (you know, just sorta' fits in with an attitude that proves it?) years from now and not completely worry about this winter's recruiting class** (since we haven't been worrying about it the last few years outside a few really good sign-ups). DD has recruited some good players, but its always been a case (save one year) that we've never recruited near enough good players to complement the handful of good ones we did have on campus. NOTE: I'd love to watch Super Jamario run wild again with a complete offensive line (and maybe his even getting some good coaching which many of you have even told me you didn't think he really ever got during the DD era).

** Of course, the higher profile hire can catch your recruiting up very fast when he gets his "Texas oriented" staff of assistants together and Texas HS football prospects (and each of their dads who keep up with this kind of thing) know exactly who the UNT coach is without needing the next 4 or so years to get that message across if we were to hire a Lone Star State unknown commodity, that is.

Edited November 20, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

KingDL1 · November 20, 2006

you can keep your head in the sand all you want. Times are changing at ole UNT.
50 applications in the first week says something.
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No doubt, what a great place to coach for someone that wants to prove themselves. A winning season will usually get you to NO-Bowl, a few wins out of conference and you become the new green wave. If you do all that then embarrass a CUSA team on the NO-Bowl you will be a Mean Green hero. UNT now has more money and an AD that cares enough to give you full support. In the BCS you have to be near perfect to have successful season.

Denton is near a major market for your family, you do not have to drag them to some BFE college town.

This is the best situation in football.

PlummMeanGreen · November 20, 2006

No doubt, what a great place to coach for someone that wants to prove themselves. A winning season will usually get you to NO-Bowl, a few wins out of conference and you become the new green wave. If you do all that then embarrass a CUSA team on the NO-Bowl you will be a Mean Green hero. UNT now has more money and an AD that cares enough to give you full support. In the BCS you have to be near perfect to have successful season.
Denton is near a major market for your family, you do not have to drag them to some BFE college town.
This is the best situation in football.
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I think multi-year low expectation has even translated into our coach's search with too many of our best and most loyal, KingDL1; but what you have posted is the truth and nothing but the truth.

UNT will be a better job than the TCU HFC seemed to suggest that we were (not) from comments he made couple weeks ago in the FWST (with a subtle back-handed comment as I recall). Of course, TCU would never want to see UNT ever realize its full potential, either, since they were a school who would never play a Hayden Fry-coached Mean Green team. Of course, there was realistic (and probably smart) thinking behind all that from TCU athletic officials of that era, too.

Quoner · November 20, 2006

you can keep your head in the sand all you want. Times are changing at ole UNT.
50 applications in the first week says something.
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Not to pull a Navenja (sp) Davenport in your laundry basket, but my company gets about 100 applications a week for internships. Imagine all the assistants, lower division coaches, and even big school GAs who could just fire off a resume for this one.

FirefightnRick · November 20, 2006

An open position that nobody wants to take....
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Click Here!

Rick

UNTFan23 · November 20, 2006

An open position that nobody wants to take....
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user posted image

DeepGreen · November 20, 2006

I'd love to watch Super Jamario run wild again with a complete offensive line (and maybe his even getting some good coaching which many of you have even told me you didn't think he really ever got during the DD era).

Plummer, old buddy, like someone pointed out to me, Jamario was running behind the same offensive line last night that redshirt freshman Evan Robertson ran behind for his 201 yards. Jamario has lost that "something", hopefully just a temporary situation.

PlummMeanGreen · November 20, 2006

Plummer, old buddy, like someone pointed out to me, Jamario was running behind the same offensive line last night that redshirt freshman Evan Robertson ran behind for his 201 yards. Jamario has lost that "something", hopefully just a temporary situation.
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Well..............you're right, Phil. I am wanting to think he (then) never fully got over his hamstring?

I know we all hope he has an outstanding Senior year. He's a good kid whose phenomenal freshmen year none of us will soon forget. I think a new coaching regime will benefit Jamario Thomas as well.