This is Charlie Strong’s team.
It does not matter who is on his staff. It does not matter who leaves his staff. It does not matter who is thinking about leaving his staff. No matter what, it is still his staff. Honestly, I get the feeling Strong is not worried about who leaves or stays. It is a style Longhorn fans will have to get used to.
Yes, there have been five coaches who have departed from Strong’s staff since the season ended. The number is definitely high. However, Mississippi State is on its third defensive coordinator in as many seasons, and the Bulldogs are on their sixth defensive coordinator in the last eight years. In other words, it could be worse.
When you look at Texas’ recent departures, it is hard to say the sky is falling again, even though the monthly “What’s wrong at Texas?” narrative has restarted like clockwork. Do not get me wrong. There have been a few hires who have bombed, and I will get to those guys very soon. Strong’s critics will say he should have never hired certain assistant coaches during his tenure. His supporters will credit him for correcting the problem once he realized those hires were not working out. Obviously, there is a line in the sand between Strong’s haters and supporters, and only a successful season will create a truce between both sides.
Here is a look at the assistant coaches throughout Strong’s tenure and a quick analysis of each person:
2014 Coaching Hires
Vance Bedford (defensive coordinator) – He is one of two coaches remaining from Strong’s original staff. Bedford is incredibly loyal to Strong, and will stay with his coach as long as possible. Bedford was praised by Texas fans during his first season, but some jumped off the bandwagon after his defense struggled last season. Regardless, he will be back this year, and the freshmen he was forced to play last year have a year of experience under their belt.
Bruce Chambers (tight ends) – If we are keeping it real, this was Strong’s worst hire. Chambers convinced Strong that he was connected in this state and could help him recruit in Dallas. Clearly, that did not happen, and Strong was forced to remove Chambers after one season. Considering the tight end group never lived up to expectations under Chambers, his departure was not a loss.
Brian Jean-Mary (linebackers/recruiting coordinator) – Clearly, Jean-Mary has emerged into Strong’s best hire. He is an elite recruiter and responsible for this year’s successful class. He has silenced every critic who believed Strong was better off adding Clint Hurtt to his staff. Strong’s biggest challenge will be retaining Jean-Mary in the future.
Photo via ExpressNews.com
Les Koenning (receivers) – This was another hire Strong corrected after one season. Koenning never related to the players, and was a bad fit in Austin. To his credit, Koenning did get more out of John Harris than anyone thought was possible.
Tommie Robinson (running backs) – Robinson was a solid coach on Strong’s staff. He wanted to stay in Texas. Robinson was waiting to have his contract renewed by Texas when USC made him an offer. To be fair, USC offered Robinson $200,000 more than he was making at Texas, so he probably would have left even if he signed a new contract, especially since his son lives in Arizona.
Chris Rumph (defensive line) – He was never really one of Strong’s “guys," and one of the reasons Rumph left after one season is because his family lives in the south. Strong was shocked by Rumph’s decision, but the head coach allowed him to walk. Strong eventually replaced Rumph with a better recruiter.
Chris Vaughn (defensive backs) – We all know the story by now.
Shawn Watson (quarterbacks coach) – This is a case where Strong’s loyalty worked against him. When Strong accepted the job at Texas, he wanted to bring his former offensive coordinator at Louisville. Unfortunately, for Texas, Watson could not get the job done without a first-round draft pick (Teddy Bridgewater) at quarterback. He was demoted after one game in 2015, and shown the door immediately after last season ended.
Joe Wickline (offensive coordinator/offensive line) – He was a pretty good coach last season. Wickline found a certain degree of success by mixing lineups. However, he definitely was not into recruiting, some players had a hard time relating to him, and Wickline was aloof. Strong decided not to renew Wickline’s contract after last season, which was the right decision.
2015 Coaching Hires
Jay Norvell (receivers) – The honeymoon did not last long. Norvell talked a very good game, but just could not produce. His talented group of receivers did not have the impact many fans expected last season. Norvell appeared to be a serious offensive coordinator candidate after Strong stripped Watson of his play-calling duties. Norvell failed to capitalize on his opportunity, and recently accepted a job at Arizona State.
(Sidebar: Norvell’s departure was actually a good thing. From what I was told, newly hired Texas offensive Sterlin Gilbert was not comfortable around Norvell because he did not know if the receivers coach would leave Austin. Gilbert was hesitant to share his playbook with Norvell without that knowledge. With Norvell gone, Gilbert is finally at ease, and can begin working with his staff.)
Jeff Traylor (special teams coordinator) – He may not have been Strong’s first choice, but Traylor has been a great addition to Strong’s staff. Traylor is a hustler who does not mind piling up miles on the recruiting trail. Strong called the plays on special teams last year, but I expect Traylor to be give more responsibilities this season. So far, Traylor is building a great name for himself, and TOS actually named him Big 12 Recruiter of The Year.
Brick Haley (defensive line) – The jury is still out on Haley. He picked up five kids from Louisiana in this year’s recruiting class, which says a lot about his ability to recruit. Nevertheless, his unit never had a consistent impact last season. There is one thing I definitely know. If Haley walks into Strong’s office on Monday expecting to be talked out of taking a job offer by Texas A&M, he is going to be extremely disappointed with that conversation.
When you look at the coaches who are no longer at Texas, Vaughn might be the only person who is missed. Vaughn was likable and players related to him. However, when you get over the emotional aspect of his departure, Texas had six wins in 2014 and followed with five victories last year.
We cannot act like any of the coaches who are no longer at Texas are huge losses.
As guys travel in and out of the football department with boxes, there is a bright spot of Strong’s new assistants. Texas is going to be loaded at nearly every position this year. The new running backs coach will have D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren. There are plenty of talented receivers to work with. Connor Williams and Patrick Vahe will be cornerstones on the offensive line for at least two more seasons. I am not saying you and I can coach those defensive backs, but they are talented enough to make us look semi-intelligent. If all goes well for Texas, a starting quarterback might emerge during spring practice.
If Texas wins this season, every coach who left will be the answer to a trivia question for Longhorn fans who tailgate, and Strong might receive credit for correcting his mistakes. If Texas does not win, the turnovers will be one of many criticisms Strong receives from college football observers. Either reaction will be fair.
This is Strong’s team.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. If Haley bolts for Texas A&M, he will go from the frying pan to the fire. Strong can probably hang around with an eight-win season, but there is no telling what Kevin Sumlin’s magic number is. Texas A&M will need to have more success against ranked opponents, especially at home. After three quarterbacks transferred last season, and recent allegations of racism on campus, joining the Aggies appears to be a bad move.
2. Newly hired Texas running backs coach Anthony Johnson might be an upgrade. Johnson is young, hungry, wants to be here, and is familiar with this state. He inherits a very talented room, and it should be pretty easy for Johnson to duplicate Robinson’s recruiting success.
3. From what I was told, the allegations against Vaughn are so serious he may never work in college football again. The people close to Vaughn were devastated to hear about the accusations of misconduct at Ole Miss. They view Vaughn as a coach who was young and made a mistake six years ago, but nobody has turned their back on him.
4. It is fair to expect Texas to name a new defensive backs coach this week. Purdue’s Taver Johnson is the leading candidate right now. If Johnson does not get the job, another candidate blew his interview out of the water.
5. I think Dustin McComas perfectly summarized Texas’ 85-75 road loss against Iowa State on Saturday: “Shaka Smart doesn’t believe in moral victories, but this week Texas, again, proved that it can play with anyone, anywhere. But it also showed that while it’s getting closer, there is still another level to reach, and that its best basketball is still in front of it.” The Big 12 tournament is less than a month away, and Smart’s team must find a way to transition from their bridesmaid status.
6. Many people believe Cam Newton’s biggest regret will be the way he addressed media members after Carolina’s recent Super Bowl loss, but he should be remorseful about not jumping on that loose fumble in the fourth quarter against Denver. Sure, Newton is a young quarterback, so it is easy to say he will have another chance to redeem himself. History has shown us most young quarterbacks never get a second shot at the Super Bowl.
7. Speaking of Cam Newton, his postgame interview has become people will remember for a long time:
8. One of the biggest NFL topics this past week was Terrell Owens not be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If I was still a hall of fame voter, there is no way I would have voted for Kevin Greene over Owens. Obviously, being a cancer on nearly every team Owens played for is going to work against him, but if voters go beyond the stats, what happens to Bill Belichick in the future?
9. Former NFL quarterback and current Yahoo analyst Shaun King has been one of Strong’s biggest advocates, but do not expect him to say much about Texas in the future. King is expected to be named the University of South Florida’s new quarterback coach on Monday. USF has a very good program, and King should excel in his new role. Congratulations, Mr. King.
10. This one is for all of you WWE fans out there (I am scared to go here). Somebody please explain to me why I should care about Titus O’Neil’s suspension. Is this entire thing scripted?
Bonus thought: Want to earn $100,000? Sign up to fight Roy Jones Jr. If you win, there is a $100,000 check waiting for you. I guess if Jones cannot beat professional fighters anymore, he might as well fight Homer Simpson.
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