First, a disclaimer: I fully trust Fenves and Perrin to make the right decision for The University of Texas where Charlie Strong is concerned. I'm just posting this to point out how the decision should be made if this were a corporate environment, which I've functioned in and risen through the ranks to a senior management position over the last 36 years.
This is not a simple decision, there are a lot of moving parts involved, and several crucial considerations outside of an evaluation of whether or not Charlie Strong is the right man for the long term future of the UT football program. Be that as it may, a decision on retention or firing of Coach Strong should begin with an analysis of how he as a person fulfills the many requirements of this job at Texas. Given that he's now been in the job for two years, there is lots of data available on which to make these assessments.
So let's take this job's requirements one by one:
Is he an excellent X's and O's football coach? You bet, at least on the defensive side of the ball. He's as good as it gets and has been for some time. On the offensive side of the ball, not so much. He even expresses a desire from time to time to completely let his assistants handle that side of the ball. Special teams? Same as the offense. Overall grade? Not great, especially with a weak set of assistant coaches.
Is he an excellent recruiter? Again, it's a mixed bag. He is obviously adept at identifying the kinds of kids who can come in and thrive in his program. He has not shown much aptitude at all for convincing a good number of the very top 5 star types to come to Austin, and doesn't really seem likely to do so in the future. Overall grade? Not great.
Is he a good developer of kids once they get to his program? You bet. Gobs of clear evidence in his favor here. Overall grade? As good as it gets. Well, except maybe for quarterbacks.
Is he adept at preparing his team to play specific opponents? Very mixed bag. OU this year and in 2014 are especially positive examples. ISU 2015, TCU both seasons, and Notre Dame are especially negative examples. Overall grade? Not good.
Are he and his staff good at game management and making in-game adjustments? Oh dear God, no. So many examples that we are all aware of. The record in 3rd quarter failure is likely without peer in the nation. Overall Grade? Horrible.
Is he a good judge of coaching talent? See Shawn Watson, who still somehow has a job at UT. Overall Grade: Poor.
Does he engender the respect and buy-in of his players and their parents? Lots of information sadly indicates this is a very mixed bag as well. Overall grade: Average.
Is he good at developing and maintaining relationships with important boosters of the program and Texas high school coaches? In a word, no. Overall Grade: Really poor.
Is he adept at the many administrative aspects of the job? Not enough public data for the average fan like me to judge, so leave that up to Perrin and Fenves.
Is he adept at communications and public relations? Plenty of data here, none of it really very good. Overall grade: Bad.
Does he appear to have the program on a path towards improvement? Incomplete. No real way to know at this moment in time. He inherited a program that had won 8 games in 2013, and won 6 with it in 2014. That is understandable, given the talent level he inherited and the inevitable growing pains with any coaching transition. He then will win 4 games in 2015, barring a second Miracle on the Brazos, and that is most certainly not understandable at a school like Texas. Overall grade, though, has to be incomplete.
Does he have a plan for how he will ultimately move the UT football program back to a status of an annual national contender? That is for Perrin and Fenves to assess and judge. None of us know, but it sure would not appear likely.
Other factors outside of Charlie Strong's personal performance:
Will firing Coach Strong after just two seasons cause significant reputational damage to The University? Will the Longhorn Brand be harmed? Really good question that Perrin and Fenves must assess and factor into whatever decision they make.
Will firing Coach Strong cause the 2016 recruiting class to be a failure? Again, really good question.
Will firing Coach Strong cost more money than the program can currently afford? Unlikely.
Will firing Coach Strong result in a long search for a successor, or has one already been identified and tacitly accepted, subject to Strong's ouster? Lots of rumors there, but again, no one outside of a handful of people actually know this answer.
Conversely, will retaining Coach Strong cause the 2016 recruiting class to fail?
Will retaining him result in the transfers of a significant number of talented players?
Will retaining him result in a significant drop in season ticket sales and overall attendance for 2016?
All of these questions and probably many more need to be answered before a final decision can be made in an informed manner by these two men. I wish them the best of luck.
Hook 'em!!!
This is not a simple decision, there are a lot of moving parts involved, and several crucial considerations outside of an evaluation of whether or not Charlie Strong is the right man for the long term future of the UT football program. Be that as it may, a decision on retention or firing of Coach Strong should begin with an analysis of how he as a person fulfills the many requirements of this job at Texas. Given that he's now been in the job for two years, there is lots of data available on which to make these assessments.
So let's take this job's requirements one by one:
Is he an excellent X's and O's football coach? You bet, at least on the defensive side of the ball. He's as good as it gets and has been for some time. On the offensive side of the ball, not so much. He even expresses a desire from time to time to completely let his assistants handle that side of the ball. Special teams? Same as the offense. Overall grade? Not great, especially with a weak set of assistant coaches.
Is he an excellent recruiter? Again, it's a mixed bag. He is obviously adept at identifying the kinds of kids who can come in and thrive in his program. He has not shown much aptitude at all for convincing a good number of the very top 5 star types to come to Austin, and doesn't really seem likely to do so in the future. Overall grade? Not great.
Is he a good developer of kids once they get to his program? You bet. Gobs of clear evidence in his favor here. Overall grade? As good as it gets. Well, except maybe for quarterbacks.
Is he adept at preparing his team to play specific opponents? Very mixed bag. OU this year and in 2014 are especially positive examples. ISU 2015, TCU both seasons, and Notre Dame are especially negative examples. Overall grade? Not good.
Are he and his staff good at game management and making in-game adjustments? Oh dear God, no. So many examples that we are all aware of. The record in 3rd quarter failure is likely without peer in the nation. Overall Grade? Horrible.
Is he a good judge of coaching talent? See Shawn Watson, who still somehow has a job at UT. Overall Grade: Poor.
Does he engender the respect and buy-in of his players and their parents? Lots of information sadly indicates this is a very mixed bag as well. Overall grade: Average.
Is he good at developing and maintaining relationships with important boosters of the program and Texas high school coaches? In a word, no. Overall Grade: Really poor.
Is he adept at the many administrative aspects of the job? Not enough public data for the average fan like me to judge, so leave that up to Perrin and Fenves.
Is he adept at communications and public relations? Plenty of data here, none of it really very good. Overall grade: Bad.
Does he appear to have the program on a path towards improvement? Incomplete. No real way to know at this moment in time. He inherited a program that had won 8 games in 2013, and won 6 with it in 2014. That is understandable, given the talent level he inherited and the inevitable growing pains with any coaching transition. He then will win 4 games in 2015, barring a second Miracle on the Brazos, and that is most certainly not understandable at a school like Texas. Overall grade, though, has to be incomplete.
Does he have a plan for how he will ultimately move the UT football program back to a status of an annual national contender? That is for Perrin and Fenves to assess and judge. None of us know, but it sure would not appear likely.
Other factors outside of Charlie Strong's personal performance:
Will firing Coach Strong after just two seasons cause significant reputational damage to The University? Will the Longhorn Brand be harmed? Really good question that Perrin and Fenves must assess and factor into whatever decision they make.
Will firing Coach Strong cause the 2016 recruiting class to be a failure? Again, really good question.
Will firing Coach Strong cost more money than the program can currently afford? Unlikely.
Will firing Coach Strong result in a long search for a successor, or has one already been identified and tacitly accepted, subject to Strong's ouster? Lots of rumors there, but again, no one outside of a handful of people actually know this answer.
Conversely, will retaining Coach Strong cause the 2016 recruiting class to fail?
Will retaining him result in the transfers of a significant number of talented players?
Will retaining him result in a significant drop in season ticket sales and overall attendance for 2016?
All of these questions and probably many more need to be answered before a final decision can be made in an informed manner by these two men. I wish them the best of luck.
Hook 'em!!!
