What a week for Texas football. Charlie Strong is out, and Tom Herman is in. Things have moved so quickly it's been tough to keep up.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction.
It's time for The 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Tom Herman's organizational skills feel like they'll be a major upgrade over Charlie Strong
There was a lot to be impressed with in Tom Herman's introductory press conference, including his confidence, but the thing that stood out to me was Herman's repeated mentioning of having everything in the program in complete alignment.
In talking to people close to and inside the Texas program over the past three years, perhaps the most consistent criticism I heard under Charlie Strong was the lack of organization. It certainly showed up in key areas, like coaching hires, occasional recruiting missteps and on the field in actual game-management situations.
Listening to Herman talk on Sunday, he spoke at length about some of the skills he picked up while working with Urban Meyer, including attention to detail and having everyone and everything in the program on the same page - from coaches to players to academic staff to the signs in the locker room.
"There was a thousand things I took away from Coach Meyer, but I think probably the biggest one is the practice of alignment, that I think we are in an age now that our student-athletes are being bombarded with messages, and we only get them -- the NCAA says we only get them four hours a day during the season and two hours a day in the off-season. So when they walk in the building, they have to be -- every message that is thrust upon them, from a sign on the wall to an interaction with an academic counselor, the expectations and the management of the program has to be aligned because they're just getting hit left and right with all these messages," Herman said.
"So from your assistant coaches to your strength staff to your support staff to your training room to the academic people to the expectations ... you have to be aligned in everything that you do or else kids oftentimes have a way of going off the reservation a little bit."
We'll see how things shake out over Herman's career, but he seems to have an intensity and laser focus that this program desperately needs. Attention to detail from coaches and players will be a high priority, and we're already hearing that a lack of effort and mental focus will not be tolerated. Herman's way may ruffle some feathers at first, but the players ultimately just want to win and if Herman can get this program turned around he'll have the full respect of everyone in the program.
2. Herman's coaching staff is nothing like the staff Charlie Strong first brought in
As news of Herman's assistant hires started to become public over the weekend, a lot of fans were foaming at the mouth because Herman wasn't going out regionally or nationally and bringing in the "big name" hires. Several posters were comparing his staff to the one Strong brought in when he was hired, saying Herman, like Strong, was bringing in too many coaches based on little more than familiarity.
Ridiculous.
The coaches Herman is bringing with him are the same guys who kicked the crap out of Oklahoma and Louisville this year. They're the same guys who outclassed Florida State in the bowl game last year. Coaching at Texas is obviously different than coaching at Houston in a lot of ways, but these guys can get it done between the lines and in recruiting.
Overall, Strong's staff had very little in the way of connections in the state, and most of them really didn't know the landscape of recruiting in the Lone Star State. Strong incredulously decided to keep Bruce Chambers and hired Les Koenning to help fill some of those gaps, but those decisions were failures from the jump and both were replaced after one year.
I remember a conversation I had with a Texas source after Strong's staff had been in place for about seven months. At that time, the new Texas assistants were still in shock at how involved the Texas high school coaches were in the recruiting process, and the UT coaches were having a hard time buying into the fact that just about everything needed to be funneled through the high school coaches first. The relationships did eventually get better, but it was just never a natural fit with a lot of the coaches Strong brought with him. That will not be an issue for Herman's staff.
Consider these texts I received on Sunday from a media person with recruiting connections and a deep knowledge of Herman and his assistants.
"Naivar and Washington might not be big time names but their recruiting and coaching will win that fan base over," the source said. "Naiv is probably the best recruiter on the UH staff. He will hit Houston area hard."
"Tell your readers this. Strong's initial staff from Louisville had to work hard to get into Texas high schools, build bridges and get into recruits' homes. Herman's staff is already in the schools, bridges have been withstanding for a long time and have been in the recruits' homes. This isn't the same on so many levels."
3. There's an unfortunate side of coach firings that doesn't get talked about enough
Longhorn nation is giddy over the coaching change, and I can certainly understand why after the struggles the program endured under Strong. But, as always, there's another side to the story.
In removing Strong from his head coaching position, the decision has a pretty significant trickle down affect that will have a dramatic effect on a lot of people.
Charlie will be fine. We know that. He'll land another job and he can sit around and count his money for the rest of his life if that's what he wants to do. But you do have to feel for his family, particularly his daughters, who will now either have to be uprooted in a critical time in their lives or have to be separated from their father if Strong takes another job and they decided to stay in Austin to finish their schooling.
Deeper than that, Strong's firing obviously affects his assistant coaches, who will now be job hunting and relocating their families. It's the nature of the business for those guys, and one person I talked to said they all understand it comes with the territory.
"We're big boys. We know how this works," one source told me over the weekend.
Most of those assistants will probably land on their feet pretty quickly, but they'll almost certainly be taking a step back in their career paths, which will be a strain for themselves and their families.
The ones who may have it the worst are the members of the football support staff who came over with Strong in much lower level jobs. A lot of those people are still hoping to hold onto their jobs, but a few conceded a while back that they were likely out of work and they've been hunting for their next gig for a while. These are men and women who put in a lot of hours to provide for their families, many who are young and still trying to get a good foothold on the career ladder, and they're now left wondering from where there next paycheck will come.
The change at the top was necessary. I get it. But it does come with a ripple effect that will impact a lot of folks who are not as fortunate as Strong, and I can't help but feel badly for all the others who have (or will be) impacted by the turnover.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. Is there any chance D'Onta Foreman comes back?
The decision by soon-to-be all-American running back D'Onta Foreman on whether to return to Texas or forego his final year of eligibility to move to the NFL is one that Longhorn fans are anxiously awaiting.
According to Foreman's father, Derrick Foreman, the family has talked and come to a decision. I'd expect an announcement will be coming soon.
Does Texas have any shot at Foreman returning?
Never say never, but I just don't see it, and unless you're viewing things through some heavily-tinted burnt orange glasses, you shouldn't see it either.
Running backs have such short shelf lives in the pros, Foreman needs to maximize his time in the NFL and start earning his paycheck as soon as possible. Foreman's stock is probably about as high as it is ever going to go, especially with Chris Warren coming back next year to cut into his carries, and the chance to start his professional career should far outweigh the slight chance of him returning and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2017.
Foreman is almost certainly going pro, and frankly, it was probably an easy decision.
2. Can the new coaching staff help Texas get back in the race with some of UT's top targets?
Recruiting had been at a standstill for a long while under the previous staff, and contrary to any hope Longhorn fans had (and what was being said elsewhere), Texas was about to close the class with a dud.
Most of the truly elite prospects the Longhorns were chasing had completely eliminated Texas or had the Longhorns steadily slipping down their list. Yes, Charlie Strong and his staff were terrific closers in previous years, but there was nothing to sell this year and Texas simply wasn't going to see the flurry of late activity with the elite prospects in the state.
Things still won't be easy, but by making the change, Texas at least gives itself a chance.
As it stands right now, the new staff will have a lot of work to do if it wants to land guys like Marvin Wilson, Walker Little, Baron Browning, J.K. Dobbins, Chuck Filiaga or Anthony Hines, particularly with a few of those guys set to enroll early. But a fresh start does give the new UT staff something it can sell, and if the Longhorns are able to bring in Tim Brewster in some capacity, the scuttlebutt behind the scenes is that the Horns' chances would increase dramatically with a few of the prospects mentioned above since Brewster has been recruiting some of those players for Florida State.
It's too early to predict how some of the dominos will fall, but Texas' at least has a puncher's chance at this point, which is better than where things have been.
One Prediction - At least one of Major Applewhite or Todd Orlando will join the Texas staff, maybe both
It's been pretty quiet on the UT offensive and defensive coordinator search, which makes me think Herman is waiting to see what happens with the Houston head coaching job before making a decision on those positions.
I'm not ready to say anything's set in stone because information has been tough to come by on these hirings, but I have heard from a couple people in the last 48 hours who have indicated they've heard that one or both of the current Houston coordinators will be brought over to Texas if they're not named the head coach at Houston. Call it third-hand information at best, but it's not information I'm completely discarding. We'll see how things shake out, but the word I'm hearing is that one of either Applewhite or Orlando will be on the UT staff, possibly both if Houston doesn't promote from within.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction.
It's time for The 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Tom Herman's organizational skills feel like they'll be a major upgrade over Charlie Strong
There was a lot to be impressed with in Tom Herman's introductory press conference, including his confidence, but the thing that stood out to me was Herman's repeated mentioning of having everything in the program in complete alignment.
In talking to people close to and inside the Texas program over the past three years, perhaps the most consistent criticism I heard under Charlie Strong was the lack of organization. It certainly showed up in key areas, like coaching hires, occasional recruiting missteps and on the field in actual game-management situations.
Listening to Herman talk on Sunday, he spoke at length about some of the skills he picked up while working with Urban Meyer, including attention to detail and having everyone and everything in the program on the same page - from coaches to players to academic staff to the signs in the locker room.
"There was a thousand things I took away from Coach Meyer, but I think probably the biggest one is the practice of alignment, that I think we are in an age now that our student-athletes are being bombarded with messages, and we only get them -- the NCAA says we only get them four hours a day during the season and two hours a day in the off-season. So when they walk in the building, they have to be -- every message that is thrust upon them, from a sign on the wall to an interaction with an academic counselor, the expectations and the management of the program has to be aligned because they're just getting hit left and right with all these messages," Herman said.
"So from your assistant coaches to your strength staff to your support staff to your training room to the academic people to the expectations ... you have to be aligned in everything that you do or else kids oftentimes have a way of going off the reservation a little bit."
We'll see how things shake out over Herman's career, but he seems to have an intensity and laser focus that this program desperately needs. Attention to detail from coaches and players will be a high priority, and we're already hearing that a lack of effort and mental focus will not be tolerated. Herman's way may ruffle some feathers at first, but the players ultimately just want to win and if Herman can get this program turned around he'll have the full respect of everyone in the program.
2. Herman's coaching staff is nothing like the staff Charlie Strong first brought in
As news of Herman's assistant hires started to become public over the weekend, a lot of fans were foaming at the mouth because Herman wasn't going out regionally or nationally and bringing in the "big name" hires. Several posters were comparing his staff to the one Strong brought in when he was hired, saying Herman, like Strong, was bringing in too many coaches based on little more than familiarity.
Ridiculous.
The coaches Herman is bringing with him are the same guys who kicked the crap out of Oklahoma and Louisville this year. They're the same guys who outclassed Florida State in the bowl game last year. Coaching at Texas is obviously different than coaching at Houston in a lot of ways, but these guys can get it done between the lines and in recruiting.
Overall, Strong's staff had very little in the way of connections in the state, and most of them really didn't know the landscape of recruiting in the Lone Star State. Strong incredulously decided to keep Bruce Chambers and hired Les Koenning to help fill some of those gaps, but those decisions were failures from the jump and both were replaced after one year.
I remember a conversation I had with a Texas source after Strong's staff had been in place for about seven months. At that time, the new Texas assistants were still in shock at how involved the Texas high school coaches were in the recruiting process, and the UT coaches were having a hard time buying into the fact that just about everything needed to be funneled through the high school coaches first. The relationships did eventually get better, but it was just never a natural fit with a lot of the coaches Strong brought with him. That will not be an issue for Herman's staff.
Consider these texts I received on Sunday from a media person with recruiting connections and a deep knowledge of Herman and his assistants.
"Naivar and Washington might not be big time names but their recruiting and coaching will win that fan base over," the source said. "Naiv is probably the best recruiter on the UH staff. He will hit Houston area hard."
"Tell your readers this. Strong's initial staff from Louisville had to work hard to get into Texas high schools, build bridges and get into recruits' homes. Herman's staff is already in the schools, bridges have been withstanding for a long time and have been in the recruits' homes. This isn't the same on so many levels."
3. There's an unfortunate side of coach firings that doesn't get talked about enough
Longhorn nation is giddy over the coaching change, and I can certainly understand why after the struggles the program endured under Strong. But, as always, there's another side to the story.
In removing Strong from his head coaching position, the decision has a pretty significant trickle down affect that will have a dramatic effect on a lot of people.
Charlie will be fine. We know that. He'll land another job and he can sit around and count his money for the rest of his life if that's what he wants to do. But you do have to feel for his family, particularly his daughters, who will now either have to be uprooted in a critical time in their lives or have to be separated from their father if Strong takes another job and they decided to stay in Austin to finish their schooling.
Deeper than that, Strong's firing obviously affects his assistant coaches, who will now be job hunting and relocating their families. It's the nature of the business for those guys, and one person I talked to said they all understand it comes with the territory.
"We're big boys. We know how this works," one source told me over the weekend.
Most of those assistants will probably land on their feet pretty quickly, but they'll almost certainly be taking a step back in their career paths, which will be a strain for themselves and their families.
The ones who may have it the worst are the members of the football support staff who came over with Strong in much lower level jobs. A lot of those people are still hoping to hold onto their jobs, but a few conceded a while back that they were likely out of work and they've been hunting for their next gig for a while. These are men and women who put in a lot of hours to provide for their families, many who are young and still trying to get a good foothold on the career ladder, and they're now left wondering from where there next paycheck will come.
The change at the top was necessary. I get it. But it does come with a ripple effect that will impact a lot of folks who are not as fortunate as Strong, and I can't help but feel badly for all the others who have (or will be) impacted by the turnover.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. Is there any chance D'Onta Foreman comes back?
The decision by soon-to-be all-American running back D'Onta Foreman on whether to return to Texas or forego his final year of eligibility to move to the NFL is one that Longhorn fans are anxiously awaiting.
According to Foreman's father, Derrick Foreman, the family has talked and come to a decision. I'd expect an announcement will be coming soon.
Does Texas have any shot at Foreman returning?
Never say never, but I just don't see it, and unless you're viewing things through some heavily-tinted burnt orange glasses, you shouldn't see it either.
Running backs have such short shelf lives in the pros, Foreman needs to maximize his time in the NFL and start earning his paycheck as soon as possible. Foreman's stock is probably about as high as it is ever going to go, especially with Chris Warren coming back next year to cut into his carries, and the chance to start his professional career should far outweigh the slight chance of him returning and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2017.
Foreman is almost certainly going pro, and frankly, it was probably an easy decision.
2. Can the new coaching staff help Texas get back in the race with some of UT's top targets?
Recruiting had been at a standstill for a long while under the previous staff, and contrary to any hope Longhorn fans had (and what was being said elsewhere), Texas was about to close the class with a dud.
Most of the truly elite prospects the Longhorns were chasing had completely eliminated Texas or had the Longhorns steadily slipping down their list. Yes, Charlie Strong and his staff were terrific closers in previous years, but there was nothing to sell this year and Texas simply wasn't going to see the flurry of late activity with the elite prospects in the state.
Things still won't be easy, but by making the change, Texas at least gives itself a chance.
As it stands right now, the new staff will have a lot of work to do if it wants to land guys like Marvin Wilson, Walker Little, Baron Browning, J.K. Dobbins, Chuck Filiaga or Anthony Hines, particularly with a few of those guys set to enroll early. But a fresh start does give the new UT staff something it can sell, and if the Longhorns are able to bring in Tim Brewster in some capacity, the scuttlebutt behind the scenes is that the Horns' chances would increase dramatically with a few of the prospects mentioned above since Brewster has been recruiting some of those players for Florida State.
It's too early to predict how some of the dominos will fall, but Texas' at least has a puncher's chance at this point, which is better than where things have been.
One Prediction - At least one of Major Applewhite or Todd Orlando will join the Texas staff, maybe both
It's been pretty quiet on the UT offensive and defensive coordinator search, which makes me think Herman is waiting to see what happens with the Houston head coaching job before making a decision on those positions.
I'm not ready to say anything's set in stone because information has been tough to come by on these hirings, but I have heard from a couple people in the last 48 hours who have indicated they've heard that one or both of the current Houston coordinators will be brought over to Texas if they're not named the head coach at Houston. Call it third-hand information at best, but it's not information I'm completely discarding. We'll see how things shake out, but the word I'm hearing is that one of either Applewhite or Orlando will be on the UT staff, possibly both if Houston doesn't promote from within.
