I hope everybody had a good weekend. The flu bug has taken down more people at my house, which has prevented me from being active on OB the past few days. While everyone is resting, I wanted to hit a few quick topics before handing out the next round of meds.
Noel Mazzone
Noel Mazzone to Texas was pretty much a done deal when late last week, and there was an expectation he could arrive in Austin on Friday. Mazzone indicated he wanted the job, especially since it was his best offer at the time. He was expected to spend a year in Texas, help coach Tom Herman, and likely depart for another job after the season.
However, nobody associated with Tom Herman expected Kevin Sumlin to get the Arizona job. I mean nobody. It was literally the last thought in the mind of anyone associated with the program. Nevertheless, it is clear Mazzone held off on officially accepting the Texas position due to the outside chance of Sumlin getting the job. As a result, Mazzone will reportedly join Sumlin’s staff as the offensive coordinator.
The good news, for Texas fans, was Herman’s aggressive approach toward hiring Mazzone. It would have been easy for Herman to hire a young person with limited experience for his quality control position, but he went after an established offensive coordinator. We have heard whispers about Herman’s desire to strengthen his coaching staff this offseason (i.e. Todd Orlando's contract extension), and the pursuit of Mazzone falls in line with what we have been hearing.
Herman must start from scratch this week, but is taking future staff additions very seriously.
10th assistant coach
Speaking of coaching hires, the recent promotion of Bryan Carrington to the interim 10th assistant coach indicates Herman is still looking for the prefect fit.
Herman has not ruled out any possibilities when it comes to that position. We do know he was not satisfied with the production from his offensive line last season, but that should not come as a huge surprise to anyone. Heck, the big surprise would be if Herman was happy with what he saw.
If Herman is intent on hiring the best man available, he may have to wait until after signing day to acquire that person. The majority of assistant coaches do not abandon their head coach only a few weeks away from signing day. It is unclear if Herman has an unemployed assistant coach on his radar.
That being said, I have heard great things about Carrington. Several people associated with the program have praised his ability to recruit and connect with players. He has done a lot of great things behind the scenes, which caught the attention of Herman. The move is temporary, but more than one person has told me Carrington has a great future ahead of him.
Winter workouts
As a quick reminder, Texas will begin its winter conditioning program on Tuesday. Strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight will lead the team until spring football practice begins.
There is no scheduled media access to any workouts. However, we spoke to McKnight around this time last year, and are waiting to see if he will be allowed to address the media this week.
Noel Mazzone
Noel Mazzone to Texas was pretty much a done deal when late last week, and there was an expectation he could arrive in Austin on Friday. Mazzone indicated he wanted the job, especially since it was his best offer at the time. He was expected to spend a year in Texas, help coach Tom Herman, and likely depart for another job after the season.
However, nobody associated with Tom Herman expected Kevin Sumlin to get the Arizona job. I mean nobody. It was literally the last thought in the mind of anyone associated with the program. Nevertheless, it is clear Mazzone held off on officially accepting the Texas position due to the outside chance of Sumlin getting the job. As a result, Mazzone will reportedly join Sumlin’s staff as the offensive coordinator.
The good news, for Texas fans, was Herman’s aggressive approach toward hiring Mazzone. It would have been easy for Herman to hire a young person with limited experience for his quality control position, but he went after an established offensive coordinator. We have heard whispers about Herman’s desire to strengthen his coaching staff this offseason (i.e. Todd Orlando's contract extension), and the pursuit of Mazzone falls in line with what we have been hearing.
Herman must start from scratch this week, but is taking future staff additions very seriously.
10th assistant coach
Speaking of coaching hires, the recent promotion of Bryan Carrington to the interim 10th assistant coach indicates Herman is still looking for the prefect fit.
Herman has not ruled out any possibilities when it comes to that position. We do know he was not satisfied with the production from his offensive line last season, but that should not come as a huge surprise to anyone. Heck, the big surprise would be if Herman was happy with what he saw.
If Herman is intent on hiring the best man available, he may have to wait until after signing day to acquire that person. The majority of assistant coaches do not abandon their head coach only a few weeks away from signing day. It is unclear if Herman has an unemployed assistant coach on his radar.
That being said, I have heard great things about Carrington. Several people associated with the program have praised his ability to recruit and connect with players. He has done a lot of great things behind the scenes, which caught the attention of Herman. The move is temporary, but more than one person has told me Carrington has a great future ahead of him.
Winter workouts
As a quick reminder, Texas will begin its winter conditioning program on Tuesday. Strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight will lead the team until spring football practice begins.
There is no scheduled media access to any workouts. However, we spoke to McKnight around this time last year, and are waiting to see if he will be allowed to address the media this week.
