True, but TCU's improbable run without them to the CFP final is not one that will be easy to replicate- by anyone in any conference. It's a huge outlier.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Time for Sark to do what others have)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
One thing I don't hear is why Texas continues to hire bad football coaches. Have we ever really delved into that subject? We can blame the coaches all we want, but what happens above the head coach level?
We talk about "culture" a lot. What about the culture of Texas and football hires?
Since Darrell Royal how many great football coaches have we had? Mack was productive, Acres played for two NCs. Since then? not much. (I would argue neither Mack nor Fred Acres were great coaches--both underachieved significantly). It's been a long time since Royal. The jury is still out on Sark--will he be a great coach here? Maybe, but given what we've seen so far, it's not likely.
What is it about the way Texas hires football coaches that differs from the way they hire coaches from the other sports? We do great in hiring the other coaches-not football. Why?
If Texas is going to live up to its potential, then it needs to get better at hiring football coaches. Period. That's where it all starts.
We talk about "culture" a lot. What about the culture of Texas and football hires?
Since Darrell Royal how many great football coaches have we had? Mack was productive, Acres played for two NCs. Since then? not much. (I would argue neither Mack nor Fred Acres were great coaches--both underachieved significantly). It's been a long time since Royal. The jury is still out on Sark--will he be a great coach here? Maybe, but given what we've seen so far, it's not likely.
What is it about the way Texas hires football coaches that differs from the way they hire coaches from the other sports? We do great in hiring the other coaches-not football. Why?
If Texas is going to live up to its potential, then it needs to get better at hiring football coaches. Period. That's where it all starts.
Hiring the right coach is a hard task. It takes a lot of things to come together to make them successful.
Thanks for the write up. If Sark is going to win championships I think he needs a real offensive coordinator. His play calling is abysmal and so is his ability to get the right players on the field at the right time. There is so much going on in a game that requires the HCs' attention that it's impossible to give all the requirements the attention they deserve. Good leaders know how to delegate responsibility, and Sark needs to take note.
Another topic needed is building a culture of brotherhood. NIL is producing disjointedness in team cohesion in college football, but not everywhere. Washington only had 3 players opt out of the Alamo Bowl, while Texas had 15 opt out. Alabama had 8 opt out of the Sugar Bowl to go into the portal, not the NFL. Bryce Young and Will Anderson, who will be high first round draft picks, both played in a meaningless sugar bowl. They weren't worried about injury. They wanted to support their team. Sark needs to foster a culture of brotherhood and espirit decorps if he wants to win championships.
Another topic needed is building a culture of brotherhood. NIL is producing disjointedness in team cohesion in college football, but not everywhere. Washington only had 3 players opt out of the Alamo Bowl, while Texas had 15 opt out. Alabama had 8 opt out of the Sugar Bowl to go into the portal, not the NFL. Bryce Young and Will Anderson, who will be high first round draft picks, both played in a meaningless sugar bowl. They weren't worried about injury. They wanted to support their team. Sark needs to foster a culture of brotherhood and espirit decorps if he wants to win championships.
I know it's hard (seems to be really hard at Texas, for some reason), but other teams do it--you just recently mentioned a few in the Bg 12.
And as I mentioned UT has hired several really good head coaches in the other sports. So it can be done--and with Texas's resources, it should be more regular than once every 40 years.
What I'm suggesting is that UT's problems in the football may go beyond the head coach level, and maybe that should be added as a possibility to our discussions.
Baylor, for example, hired Matt Rule--when he left, they turned around and hired Dave Aranda. So it can't be that hard--if you have a school that knows how to hire head coaches.
Jury still way out on Aranda. One great year. 2 of his 3 seasons are losing seasons.
Fine with me if he's gone. No need to have one apple poison the whole barrel....
I think Sark was probably a very good hire but it will take time to know. I wish I knew what our true (not paper) process was. To a certain extent, its always a guess. But then you look at OU and they hit gold two coaches in a row (jury is out on Venables). I think part of their success may be their AD and his ability to identify solid talent. I am hoping that DC has that same ability (some evidence to that) and that he has enough clout with the BMDs to make the sales pitch to the group that has to support the decisions.
Understood--but understand my overall point is trying to understand why Texas struggles in hiring football coaches, when other teams that don't have our resources do much better.
That was just one example--Aranda had a bad year, but he has something Sark doesn't have--at Baylor no less--a big 12 championship. OU had back to back successful hires in Stoops to Riley--TCU from Patterson to Dykes. Alabama went out and hired the best coach in college football history--and 6 championships later....
Ohio State has done pretty well with their football coaches-Certainly better than Texas. Riley had an embarrassing bowl loss, but he turned USC around in a year and won another heisman trophy winner. Georgia has a winner. A lot of examples.
The overall point I'm trying to make is that we don't a very good job hiring elite (or even good for that matter) coaches in football--and I think that's a cultural problem at the top.
A great head coach can fix that stuff quickly. Texas just hasn't hired one of those.
No jury out on him IMO. You have to adjust the judging scale at schools like Baylor.
What they are capable of isn't the same as true power schools.
I agree with that- but they ain't gonna be down with another 6-7 next year. They wouldn't fire him but his seat would be a little warm going to 2024 if they have a losing 2023.
nah, I think he's safe. Last year was huge.
They need that quarterback to take a big step. They thought he would be an upgrade of Bohanon and he was just a guy IMO.
Totally agree with you on the QBs. Their skill guys this wear were kind of meh as well.
No they haven't--and the question is why? We talk ad nauseam about head coaches-particularly here at Texas because we keep hiring the wrong guys. What about those above Sarkesian (AD, Board of Regents, Big doners?) What's going on there? Something is happening at that level that's not working. It's been happening for years.
Whoever hires at UT (I don't think it's the AD--he may have input, but others hire the football coach) has hired 2 bad coaches in a row that were fired, and we're working on a third straight. I really hope Sark works out, but he's showing signs of not working. And he's already in his third year.
Unfortunately, I think there is a different hiring process when they hire a football coach than when they hire the other coaches. And this process has not been successful overall.
I think until that gets fixed, we're going to keep going through this painful process of hiring and firing football coaches.
Some times it comes down to timing.
Also, look at what Texas spent on Sark and look at what LSU spent to get Brian Kelly from Notre Dame.
Ironically, yes. 🤣
It wasn't a great year coming out, though. The best is a mid four star.
Not trying to hear that. This confirms Herm was a beast at evaluating OL -playing chess with these cats. 🤣
Don't ask about the other three that were signed that year.
He just struggled adjusting to some of those and Ewers throws the high arching ones a lot. You wonder what the heck Sark was thinking but heck I thought that numerous times this year!
He just struggled adjusting to some of those and Ewers throws the high arching ones a lot. You wonder what the heck Sark was thinking but heck I thought that numerous times this year!
