Dodge to possible suitors, wait till the season en

Harry · November 27, 2006

Southlake Times/Star

Dodge to possible suitors, wait till the season ends

BY RICKY MOORE

(Created: Thursday, November 16, 2006 11:27 AM CST)

Carroll football coach Todd Dodge said on Tuesday he wasn’t opposed to considering any college coaching opportunity but not until the current season is over.

Dodge, who has posted a record of 92-11 in seven seasons at Carroll and won three Class 5A Division II state titles, is a hot coaching commodity and topic of several rumors that center around college head coaching or offensive coordinator positions.

His name has surfaced recently as a possible candidate for the vacant head coaching position at the University of North Texas, where he served as offensive coordinator from 1992-93.

“There are all different kinds of rumors floating around. I haven’t been contacted by North Texas or anybody else,” Dodge said. “If (North Texas) saw fit to contact me after our season is over with, I’d be more than glad to visit with them about it.”

Speculation has been that Dodge, who interviewed for the head coaching position at Rice last year and with the Dallas Cowboys this year for a special teams coaching position, doesn’t want to leave Carroll until his son Riley, a junior and the Dragons’ starting quarterback, graduates in 2008.

“I can’t deny that it is definitely something (Riley and I) wanted to do and we are getting a taste of it this year,” Dodge said. “But it is not set in stone. You always have to weigh what is best for your family. Sometimes leaving may be the best. You never know.”

Dodge said right now he is focused on the Dragons’ playoff run, which begins tonight against Lewisville at 7:30 at Texas Stadium.

Opportunities come along for Dodge each year and he credits those chances to his players and coaching staff.

“The success of our program led to 10 kids getting Division I scholarships last year,” he said. “I’ve had coaches go on to become head coaches, guys who have gone on to be coordinators and ninth grade coaches move to be varsity assistants. We all reap the benefits of the successes we have had.”

Dodge said he is also not just locked in on taking only a college head coaching job saying, “there are different opportunities that come my way. I don’t put different parameters on it whether it is a college assistant’s job, a high school head coaching job or a college head coaching job.”

“When our season is over every year there are opportunities that come around and I’ll look into them and consider what is best for my family,” he said.

NT80 · November 27, 2006

If only Trinity hadn't lost when they tried a fake punt with less than 2 minutes to go in their game...we might have our coach now.

FirefightnRick · November 27, 2006

I wonder how much SMU will offer him?

Rick

NT80 · November 27, 2006

I wonder how much SMU will offer him?
Rick
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If Dodge were to go to SMUt and we signed Nix it would be interesting to see the progress of the two programs at the same time. I hope we wouldn't look back and regret our choice.

stebo · November 27, 2006

We should be rooting for SLC, not against them. If Dodge is able to accomplish his goal of winning a state championship with his son at QB this year, then he may think that it is time to go out on a high note. If they were to lose, he might want to take one more stab at it next year when Riley is a senior. I know that it pushed back the hiring date a little, but he would be worth the wait!

FirefightnRick · November 27, 2006

We should be rooting for SLC, not against them. If Dodge is able to accomplish his goal of winning a state championship with his son at QB this year, then he may think that it is time to go out on a high note. If they were to lose, he might want to take one more stab at it next year when Riley is a senior. I know that it pushed back the hiring date a little, but he would be worth the wait!
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We'll never get the shot at him with SMU at the bidding table.

Rick

NT80 · November 27, 2006

I know that it pushed back the hiring date a little, but he would be worth the wait!
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But it also allows other programs to come asking about him (re. SMUt). The winter recruiting window also is I believe from Nov. 26 - Dec. 15. Then there is a dead period until like mid-Jan. 2007.

stebo · November 27, 2006

Did Bennet get fired? Is SMU coming after Dodge? What am I missing here?

FirefightnRick · November 27, 2006

Did Bennet get fired? Is SMU coming after Dodge? What am I missing here?
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Football scoop is reporting that their staff was let go. Today's DMN stated he and the AD had discussions concerning it. It would be just the North Texas luck to have to share coach-hiring time with the bankrolling snots in Dallas.

Rick

Edited November 27, 2006 by FirefightnRick

Bryan316 · November 27, 2006

I thought the reason we hadn't contacted him was out of respect for his season still going. I didn't think it needed to be stated.

shaneb · November 27, 2006

Late december to start talking to a HC candidate? Thats way way way too late IMHO.

the green rokemi · November 27, 2006

We should be rooting for SLC, not against them. If Dodge is able to accomplish his goal of winning a state championship with his son at QB this year, then he may think that it is time to go out on a high note. If they were to lose, he might want to take one more stab at it next year when Riley is a senior. I know that it pushed back the hiring date a little, but he would be worth the wait!
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agreed

pollock · November 27, 2006

Football scoop is reporting that their staff was let go. Today's DMN stated he and the AD had discussions concerning it. It would be just the North Texas luck to have to share coach-hiring time with the bankrolling snots in Dallas.
Rick
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Ugh. Just think.... by beating SMU, which was the ONLY bright spot in this whole putrid season, we may have shot ourselves in the foot. Had they won, they'd be 7-5 and probably headed to New Orleans, with no thoughts of firing Bennett.

Let's see how this thing shakes out, but it would just be one more typical chapter for us if SMU hires Dodge out from under us and he takes them to a CUSA championship.

GrandGreen · November 27, 2006

Well assumming NT is interested in Dodge, assuming SMU is interested in Dodge, assuming Dodge is interested in either SMU or NT; this scenario is plausable.

It seems to me that if RV is interested in Dodge there would have already been contact. I don't know what the benefit of terminating DD with three games to go is if there is not an active coaching search. If that search only includes coaches with USM ties then RV is clearly not doing his job.

untgirl04 · November 27, 2006

Well assumming NT is interested in Dodge, assuming SMU is interested in Dodge, assuming Dodge is interested in either SMU or NT; this scenario is plausable.
It seems to me that if RV is interested in Dodge there would have already been contact. I don't know what the benefit of terminating DD with three games to go is if there is not an active coaching search. If that search only includes coaches with USM ties then RV is clearly not doing his job.
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Does Rick Price have ties to USM? Frankly, I don't care if the guy is RV's brother - if he's a qualified coach who can do a good job, let the best person have the job. I prefer to reserve judgement on the coach until after he's coached a season or two.

Dodge has said that he doesn't want schools contacting him until after the season is over. I can only assume, therefore, that RV has not contacted Todd Dodge because he's waiting until SLC's season is over. I'm sure there have been a few "under the radar" contacts and feelers put out, and I'm sure RV has an appointment with Todd Dodge for the morning after SLC wins the championship or loses. I trust RV to make the decision - his job depends on it.

gangrene · November 27, 2006

I think reporters are spending far too much time on GMG.com!!!

shaft · November 27, 2006

Wow, experience with 10 kids that made it to D1.

Oooh, maybe he can insist on making his kid the starter with a broken hand.

MrStrange62 · November 27, 2006

Football scoop is reporting that their staff was let go. Today's DMN stated he and the AD had discussions concerning it. It would be just the North Texas luck to have to share coach-hiring time with the bankrolling snots in Dallas.
Rick
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i dont think that the alums at SMU would allow the program to sign a high school coach, no matter how successful. if they are gonna dish out the cash like you say... its gonna be for a bigger name than a successful high school coach. theyll stay in the college ranks.

cody

NT80 · November 27, 2006

Well assumming NT is interested in Dodge, assuming SMU is interested in Dodge, assuming Dodge is interested in either SMU or NT; this scenario is plausable.
It seems to me that if RV is interested in Dodge there would have already been contact. I don't know what the benefit of terminating DD with three games to go is if there is not an active coaching search. If that search only includes coaches with USM ties then RV is clearly not doing his job.
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The early termination of DD was to get the process rolling for a new coach & staff and have a shot at the early recruiting period..now thru mid-Dec. It looks like we've already blown that waiting for some programs to finish their schedules.

Still, I wouldn't be surprised if RV already had a short list of who he was interested in before the official firing, that's only natural. Then you also wait and see what names pop up on the applicants list, and now other coaches are being let go so there's a new group to consider. But the competition is also heating up to snare a good coach.

I have my favorites but I also look at it like ANY new coach is better than DD.

Smitty · November 27, 2006

i dont think that the alums at SMU would allow the program to sign a high school coach, no matter how successful. if they are gonna dish out the cash like you say... its gonna be for a bigger name than a successful high school coach. theyll stay in the college ranks.

Good point. Look at SMU's basketball hire of Matt Doherty. He's got national name recognition. I can see SMU going after Mike Shula, someone from a big-time national conference. I can see them being interested in a coordinator from the Big 12, Big 10, or SEC or even an NFL assistant. We all know how big image is at SMU. Some SMU alums will remember the biggest collegiate hire of a high school coach: Notre Dame's hiring of powerhouse high school coach Gerry Faust, which was a disaster.

Frankly, I'd add Dirk Koetter to the list of possibles. He helped built Boise State, rebuilt Arizona State, then got fired this week after 3 straight bowl seasons because he couldn't beat Cal and USC. I'm not saying hire him, but that's someone to at least look at. His reputation is as an offensive wizard.