Any serious candidates out there?

UNT_playmaker · December 5, 2006

Man im feeling a little worried about the coaching vacancy. Day after Day and people who werent even contacted make the news for not showing interest for the North Texas coaching vacancy. Even the board has a

For the love of God I hope our AD isnt waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME TO DETERMINE OUR COACHING STATUS AT OUR DIV 1 SCHOOL, HOW EMBARRASSING.

Also Jimbo Fisher is the best name out there currently. an OC coordinator at a SEC school, yes...

I think he might be throwing his name out there to grab attention...maybe.

I like what La Tech is doing in which they hired an EXPERIENCED person to look for their new head coach and give suggestions. Also same person hired by Miami and Alabama, now thats a serious program....

My biggest worry is RV, no experience in looking for a football coach and also we should be more aggressive in finding a GREAT coach.....The program is excellent for alot of high profile coaches....It kills us everytime some idiot turns down UNT in the press even when he wasnt contacted....Screw you!!

I sure hope things are going good....because it sure has been quiet.

VideoEagle · December 5, 2006

Relax, a hiring process is not suppose to be completely public!

Plus, very few things look very good at 3 am!

MeanGreen61 · December 5, 2006

Man im feeling a little worried about the coaching vacancy. Day after Day and people who werent even contacted make the news for not showing interest for the North Texas coaching vacancy. Even the board has a
For the love of God I hope our AD isnt waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME TO DETERMINE OUR COACHING STATUS AT OUR DIV 1 SCHOOL, HOW EMBARRASSING.
Also Jimbo Fisher is the best name out there currently. an OC coordinator at a SEC school, yes...
I think he might be throwing his name out there to grab attention...maybe.
I like what La Tech is doing in which they hired an EXPERIENCED person to look for their new head coach and give suggestions. Also same person hired by Miami and Alabama, now thats a serious program....
My biggest worry is RV, no experience in looking for a football coach and also we should be more aggressive in finding a GREAT coach.....The program is excellent for alot of high profile coaches....It kills us everytime some idiot turns down UNT in the press even when he wasnt contacted....Screw you!!
I sure hope things are going good....because it sure has been quiet.
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The process is working properly if it's driving you nuts

LongJim · December 5, 2006

Have another beer.

medpilot21 · December 5, 2006

For the love of God I hope our AD isnt waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME TO DETERMINE OUR COACHING STATUS AT OUR DIV 1 SCHOOL, HOW EMBARRASSING.

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I'm not sure why the sudden panic, but I think valium is still a prescription drug... so I cant help you there? Might check with Zeke on that one. As for the "waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME"..comment, I hope that is exactly what he is doing. I dont see anything embarrassing about that? There is no better choice for us right now than Todd Dodge. And I promise you RV has at least opened a channel to the offensive guru. I would be shocked if there arent at least three other candidates we dont know about. Be patient.

Two things to keep in mind,

1. Fans and Alums have NO control over the hiring process at all?, so why spend so much time freaking out about it? Trust that RV is doing what he said he is. He has always been trustworthy and he has my faith. Try giving him some of yours.

2. No matter who gets hired, you will back him. We all will. Any coach who puts on the Mean Green Colors is going to have a huge task turning this thing around. He will need Alum support, and should get it... that's our job. Yes, I am hoping that TD becomes our HC. There is a gamble with any coach we hire. so why not?. If it is not Dodge, then we back whoever RV hires. He has earned the right to ask for our loyalty here. He did the right thing in letting Coach Dickey go, even at the cost of upsetting a "big-money" donor. I was also a DD supporter who thought the time was right for a change, and I know how hard that must have been for Rick V. I think he has taken our dissapointments to heart. Give the man a chance to get his guy before you call him out.

Plain and simple: Rick Villareal cares about winning and he cares about this program. I'll put my trust in a guy like that any day.

GMG!!!

FirefightnRick · December 5, 2006

For the love of God I hope our AD isnt waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME TO DETERMINE OUR COACHING STATUS AT OUR DIV 1 SCHOOL, HOW EMBARRASSING.
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For the love of God I hope you never get married because I don't want to read in the papers about another woman who killed her husband in his sleep.

I'm now convinced more than ever that LOYAL FAN is alive and well.

Rick

Green Lantern · December 5, 2006

I don't expect us to really hear anything out of the AD regarding the hiring of the coach because of the Butler situation that erupted on the board last month. All that got blown out of proportion and now I suspect that we will all just be speculating up until the hire. Which is the way it should be.

Eagle1855 · December 5, 2006

best. post. ever.

Smitty · December 5, 2006

For the love of God I hope our AD isnt waiting for a DAMN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF GAME TO DETERMINE OUR COACHING STATUS AT OUR DIV 1 SCHOOL, HOW EMBARRASSING.
My biggest worry is RV, no experience in looking for a football coach and also we should be more aggressive in finding a GREAT coach.....The program is excellent for alot of high profile coaches....It kills us everytime some idiot turns down UNT in the press even when he wasnt contacted....Screw you!!
I sure hope things are going good....because it sure has been quiet.
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Why is a high school coach embarrassing? High school coaches have been successful and they've failed, just like every other coach. A&M got "experience" and they haven't had nearly the success they expected. Colorado got experience in Barnett, and got a cesspool in return. Bottom line: if UNT believes that Todd Dodge is the man for the job, and if Dodge wants the job, then you wait for him. Better to wait for the right person than rush out and hire the wrong person. Just like marriage.

And Schiano just turned down Miami. Does that kill the Hurricanes? No, Miami will simply move on to the next prospective coach. Coaches are going to say no publically because they need to assure recruits that the coach that recruited them will be the coach leads them next year.

meangreendork · December 5, 2006

Blah-blah-coaches, blah-blah-RV, blah-blah-sky-is-falling.

Dude, give it a rest and put the paint thinner down. How about you go out and hire a coach?

eeally · December 5, 2006

It would be embarrassing if we were looking at a JV coach from Pilot Point.

By the way has there ever been a JV coach to jump to 1A. That would be a story for sure!

shaft · December 5, 2006

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We're having to wait a full 30 days to fill a coaching vacancy as a result of the state law.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · December 5, 2006

To me, a high school or Division II hire says to the world, "we're not serious about it." It says basically, "Darrell Dickey was right - we don't have the money or will to compete, but we fired him anyway."

I am encouraged when I see the names Jimbo Fisher and Todd Berry enter the mix. But, not so excited when people start rattling off high school and Divison II coaches. Even I-AA coaches may not be ready.

A short time ago, everybody wanted the Montana coach Joe Glenn because he won three national titles, one a Montana (I-AA) and two at Northern Colorado (Division II). In four years at Wyoming, though, he's had only one winning season, two years ago in 2004. So they haven't gone up with him, but really stayed the same.

Division I-A is just not the same as other classifications. The recruiting is different. The scheduling is different. The speed and size of the athletes is far different. You can't just walk in there from a tiny place, plug in a system, and have it work.

Everybody talks about Dodge and his "system." Well, spare us. You think his "system" is better than what anyone has seen out of Mike Leach at Texas Tech? I doubt it. Every Sun Belt team plays out of conference games against the Big 12 and SEC schools. You think Dodge has something up his sleeve different than Steve Spurrier? Les Miles? Mark Richt? Mike Gundy? Please.

Also, this hire goes beyond just the head coach. Every member of the coaching staff is important. Who does the new head guy hire? Who does he even know that he can hire? How many Division I-A assistants would give up jobs in bigger places to come play second fiddle to a former high school or Division II coach for a Sun Belt Conference school? One? Two? Zero?

If we're going to be serious about football, hire a real Division I-A coach. If we're not, quit wasting time at the I-A level and drop back down to I-AA. We've been back at the I-A level for just over a decade now. It's time to sh*t or get off the pot.

Edited December 5, 2006 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

December 5, 2006

To me, a high school or Division II hire says to the world, "we're not serious about it." It says basically, "Darrell Dickey was right - we don't have the money or will to compete, but we fired him anyway."
I am encouraged when I see the names Jimbo Fisher and Todd Berry enter the mix. But, not so excited when people start rattling off high school and Divison II coaches. Even I-AA coaches may not be ready.
A short time ago, everybody wanted the Montana coach Joe Glenn because he won three national titles, one a Montana (I-AA) and two at Northern Colorado (Division II). In four years at Wyoming, though, he's had only one winning season, two years ago in 2004. So they haven't gone up with him, but really stayed the same.
Division I-A is just not the same as other classifications. The recruiting is different. The scheduling is different. The speed and size of the athletes is far different. You can't just walk in there from a tiny place, plug in a system, and have it work.
Everybody talks about Dodge and his "system." Well, spare us. You think his "system" is better than what anyone has seen out of Mike Leach at Texas Tech? I doubt it. Every Sun Belt team plays out of conference games against the Big 12 and SEC schools. You think Dodge has something up his sleeve different than Steve Spurrier? Les Miles? Mark Richt? Mike Gundy? Please.
Also, this hire goes beyond just the head coach. Every member of the coaching staff is important. Who does the new head guy hire? Who does he even know that he can hire? How many Division I-A assistants would give up jobs in bigger places to come play second fiddle to a former high school or Division II coach for a Sun Belt Conference school? One? Two? Zero?
If we're going to be serious about football, hire a real Division I-A coach. If we're not, quit wasting time at the I-A level and drop back down to I-AA. We've been back at the I-A level for just over a decade now. It's time to sh*t or get off the pot.
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To some extent I agree about the financial committment from the university but we could've paid Darrell Dickey $2 million dollars a year and we'd still have the same thing that we ended with. DD was fired because of his record, period. He and his staff were better paid than the other Sun Belt teams. Many coaches do more with less. A winning coach is usually a winning coach, regardless of the level.

Jimbo Fisher is a great football mind but to my knowledge has never been a head coach. It is a learning process that we might not have time for. Give me someone who has been a head coach, regardless of the level. If I can't have that, then give me a coordinator from a successful team. Fisher, at least, fits that mold, Berry does not (and neither did Darrell Dickey).

If everybody talks about Dodge and his "system" then there is probably something to it. Two teams that used at least variations of his system last year were Missouri and Arkansas. Missouri, in spite of the loss of a great quarterback, Brad Smith, became even better this year with Chase Daniel running the "system." Gus Malzahn, the new OC at Arkansas, supposedly learned the system that the Razorbacks now use from Dodge. Both Missouri and Arkansas improved over their previous season.

Dodge is doing something that others aren't able to do because one loss in five years is a remarkable feat. Two mythical national championships in four years kind of removes him from the everyday good high school or lower tier college coaches.

I don't worry about TD being able to assemble a staff. There are plenty of good coordinators and position coaches who would love to move to 1-A. Todd Dodge played in Division 1-A so he knows very well about the size and speed of its participants.

We do agree on two things, however. We need financial committment from the administration, alumni and the business community and we need to act now.

mad dog · December 5, 2006

Here’s something else to think about. Hypothetically, if Dodge were to put together an all star cast of the best of Texas H.S. coaches: the best guy on offense, the best guy on defense, guys known to create good players at certain positions, and so forth, wouldn’t you think you could probably get together a pretty darn good team out here?

Look, I know there is a LOT to be said for college coaching experience. But, to me and from what I’ve heard from those who have actually played the game, certain things don’t change from level to level. And those things that do change are principally issues of scale: more money, bigger players, faster pace, bigger playbook, etc.

I guess the most promising thing about the Dodge and all star h.s. football cast theory is that high school coaches are teachers. They need to be, by both necessity and law. While college guys might assume you were taught something and then yell at you when you don’t know it, high school coaches will teach you, if necessary, over and over and over again until you get it right.

You hear about “fundamentals” even up to the pro game. If you have a guy who can walk up to a player and say “this is how you do it,” and get the player to understand and do it, you’re going to be successful. I think the biggest problem with our football machine is that we had good football guys, but not very many good teachers. Coach Bliel was probably the first guy actively teach, and I saw marked improvement from the DBs because of it.

Also think about this: if you were to have an all star cast of Texas high school football coaches, imagine the kind of recruiting pull you could get. If you are, say, a stud defensive end prospect from Trinity, and you’ve played and gotten beaten perennially by Dodge coached teams, wouldn’t you wonder what it might be like to play for the guy? And put that situation for the best guy from East Texas, who everyone has heard of and respects. Who wouldn’t push that coach (and the corresponding school) to his players? Respect means a lot among the Texas coaching fellowship, and that respect, combined with great teaching, the associated recruiting pull, and Xs and Os knowledge, makes for a pretty awesome cocktail there.

Cr1028 · December 5, 2006

I am encouraged when I see the names Jimbo Fisher and Todd Berry enter the mix. But, not so excited when people start rattling off high school and Divison II coaches. Even I-AA coaches may not be ready.
A short time ago, everybody wanted the Montana coach Joe Glenn because he won three national titles, one a Montana (I-AA) and two at Northern Colorado (Division II). In four years at Wyoming, though, he's had only one winning season, two years ago in 2004. So they haven't gone up with him, but really stayed the same.
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Please tell me where Berry has been successful as a head coach in D-1A? From what I've read he was good in I-AA and didn't accomplish as much as his predecessor or successor while at Army. He was also fired after an 0-13 season and the reason why Harold Etheridge has been coaching at NT for the past 3 seasons.

Jimbo could be a really good hire, but Berry, no thank you.

Edited December 5, 2006 by Cr1028

PlummMeanGreen · December 5, 2006

Honest to goodness, there is no need to panic at all.

Hey, we have a school that is mobilizing its masses to raise the neccesary monies to construct an approximately 40,000 seat NCAA D1-A football stadium in Denton, Texas, America and...................in one of the (arguably) best locations a college football stadium could possibly be located.

Like show business, if you are going to follow an act, well, make darn sure you follow a bad act. DD will always be known for having teams that in a new league's formative years just happened to be a half notch ahead of all the others schools in that league and because of it he had teams that went to 4 bowl games which was nothing but a positive; but the "bad act" part of this which became a negative (from DD) hardly needs any further discussion and all of our respective psyches can probably heal quicker by ceasing such discussion as I have been giving it the good ol' college try to do........

...........BUT YOU CAN BET YOUR SWEET BIPPY THAT ANY NEW MEAN GREEN HEAD FOOTBALL COACH COMING IN KNOWS WITH ANY LEADERSHIP HE CAN SHOW MARKED IMPROVEMENT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY IN THE 2007 FOOTBALL SEASON & CAN GAIN ALMOST IMMEDIATE ACCEPTANCE FROM THE MEAN GREEN NATION WITH AN EXCITING OFFENSE COUPLED WITH A WELL DISCIPLINED FOOTBALL TEAM.................PLUS............HAVING SOME MEDIA INTERVIEWING SKILLS WOULD NOT HURT HIS CAUSE, EITHER.

The part we will never know (as has been the case in past UNT coaching searches) will be the names of 1 or 2 very impressive high profile "names" who have made an inquiry about the UNT HFC's opening.

Edited December 6, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen

meangreendork · December 5, 2006

I don't really care who coaches as long as they rack up the W's, fill the stands, and fire up our team. They can come from middle school JV for all I care, because once they show the results, none of that will matter.

UNT_playmaker · December 6, 2006

Some funny posts and some good replies.

Im not against Todd Dodge at all as well as Jimbo Fisher, they are my top two picks. I think RV should be more aggressive in the search. Im just tired of hearing about coach after coach turning us down even when they werent contacted, just so that they can havve their name in the paper for their own benefit. I believe that is the case with some of these guys...

Also I apologize about the late posts I make, I work two jobs and go to school, so the only time I can come on the board is late at night. I came back from an all day presentation in downtown Fort Worth for a Communications company, just a few hours ago. So im not drunk, as I dont drink and I make over the top posts sometimes, cause well recently I dont want a dud as our coach because ive seen this program really grow in recent years and dont want this downward spiral to be permanent.

Harbaugh, the latest candidate on the books is a great athlete but he is still unproven in my opinion cause he asnt spent much time as a HC and Div 2 isnt where we should select our new HC, it is a downgrade.

Jimbo Fisher, is the man for the coach at North Texas

Baby Arm! · December 6, 2006

Some funny posts and some good replies.
Im not against Todd Dodge at all as well as Jimbo Fisher, they are my top two picks. I think RV should be more aggressive in the search. Im just tired of hearing about coach after coach turning us down even when they werent contacted, just so that they can havve their name in the paper for their own benefit. I believe that is the case with some of these guys...
Also I apologize about the late posts I make, I work two jobs and go to school, so the only time I can come on the board is late at night. I came back from an all day presentation in downtown Fort Worth for a Communications company, just a few hours ago. So im not drunk, as I dont drink and I make over the top posts sometimes, cause well recently I dont want a dud as our coach because ive seen this program really grow in recent years and dont want this downward spiral to be permanent.
Harbaugh, the latest candidate on the books is a great athlete but he is still unproven in my opinion cause he asnt spent much time as a HC and Div 2 isnt where we should select our new HC, it is a downgrade.
Jimbo Fisher, is the man for the coach at North Texas
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So let me get you logic straight here.... You discount Harbaugh because he doesn't have a lot of head coaching experience.....but your first choice is a lifetime assistant coach with ZERO head coaching experience?

Your second objection is D2 is a downgrade, so your second choice (Dodge) is a High School coach. If D2 is a downgrade, what is high school?

Quoner · December 7, 2006

I came back from an all day presentation in downtown Fort Worth for a Communications company
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Am I the only one alarmed by that?

Stan R · December 7, 2006

Am I the only one alarmed by that?
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MeanGreenSig · December 7, 2006

"Jimbo Fisher, is the man for the coach at North Texas"

Really, My LSU buddies react to the idea of JBF coming to UNT like:"good riddance-he runs 60% of the time even though he has great WR's etc"

Sound familar?

Why make such a statement when you have done no research?

You Like this guy because:

a-he is a asst. coach of an SEC team (in this case you like alot of potential candidates)

b-he coaches an underperforming SEC team that had the talent to be undefeated or at least win the SEC but did niether

c- you miss DD/RF

I WISH THE INSANITY WOULD CEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please delete this thread it is an embarrasment to NT fans

Edited December 7, 2006 by MeanGreenSig

NCMeanGreen · December 7, 2006

Relax, a hiring process is not suppose to be completely public!
Plus, very few things look very good at 3 am!
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Yeah, look at the NC State situation. Before Tom O'Brien was hired, he stated just a few days earlier that he was not looking at any job and there was NO mention of him. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, he gets named the new coach.

adman · December 7, 2006

b-he coaches an underperforming SEC team that had the talent to be undefeated or at least win the SEC but did niether
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I wouldn't say they underperformed this year. LSU had the toughest road schedule in the nation this season. (It's hard enough to win at home in the SEC.)

He also coached a National Championship team.