Photo via San Antonio Express-News
The abrupt retirement of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops this past week has opened one helluva an opportunity for Texas football coach Tom Herman.
Stoops compiled the most wins in Oklahoma football history during his tenure. He finishes with a 190-48 record (.798 winning percentage) at OU, coached the Sooners to a school-record 18 consecutive bowl berths, and is the only coach to win the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and national championship. He accumulated more victories over his first 18 seasons than any coach in the game's history. Stoops guided the Sooners to the most wins of any Power 5 program over the last 18 years. Among those programs, only Ohio State can claim a better winning percentage during the span. In addition, Oklahoma won 10 Big 12 conference titles and the 2000 national championship under Stoops.
With Stoops gone, there is no longer a Dean of Big 12 coaches. There are a lot of good coaches, but not a single one can be described as scary. There is not one guy who you can honestly say is the obvious heir to Stoops’ throne. There is not a single coach who gives offensive and defensive coordinators sleepless nights. Stoops was the last guy you could pencil into the Big 12 Championship discussion every year. Nevertheless, the don has stepped aside, and that means one thing.
Herman has a chance to become the big bad wolf of Big 12 coaches.
Obviously, nothing will be given to Herman. He will need to step up and take the reigns. While this is an opportunity for Herman, I am sure there are other Big 12 programs ready to take the top spot.
However, Herman appears to have a better chance of taking the mantle than any other coach.
Let us examine the other Big 12 coaches for one moment.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State – He has done a great job in Manhattan, Kansas. Snyder has compiled a record of 202-105-1 during his 25-year tenure. During his three-year absence (2006-2008), Ron Prince finished with a 7-6 record, followed by two straight 5-7 seasons, which is no coincidence. Snyder is a Hall of Fame coach.
That being said, Snyder has won only two Big 12 championships (2003 and 2012) during his tenure. He posted double-digit wins in 2011 and 2012, and prior to that run, you would have to go back to 2003 to find another 10-plus win season. Snyder does a great job getting the most out of his players, but the Wildcats will never compete for a national championship. When Snyder eventually retires, the next coach will struggle to keep the program competitive.
Mike Gundy, OSU – He is arguably the league’s best coach with Stoops out of the way. Gundy has compiled 104 wins and 50 losses during 12 years at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys finished 10-3 in 2015 and 2016. When Mason Rudolph is quarterbacking your team, that definitely helps.
However, there are a few things working against Gundy. Rudolph will not be there forever, and big-time booster Boone Pickens does not seem to be a fan of Gundy, which means it is a matter of time before he demands Oklahoma State finds another coach. In addition, Gundy has won only one Big 12 Championship during his tenure, and he needed one-sided calls from the officials to defeat a five-win Texas team in 2015.
Gary Patterson, TCU – He is a very good coach. Patterson has compiled a 149-54 record during his 17-year career in Fort Worth. His .734 winning percentage ranks fifth among active coaches nationally (minimum 10 years). He is also one of just three active coaches with at least 149 victories at their current school, and Patterson won a Big 12 title in 2014.
Of course, TCU and Baylor split the conference title that year because commissioner Bob Bowlsby believed that would help one of his teams make it into the playoffs. Over the past five years, TCU has two double-digit win seasons, but seven wins in 2012, four in 2013 and six last year. Again, a very good coach, but Patterson’s teams have been inconsistent.
Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia – He won a Big East title in 2011, and last season his team finished 10-3. With a 46-31 record, Holgorsen is averaging between seven and eight wins each year.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech – The man has to convince kids to live in Lubbock. It is hard to hold that 24-26 record against him. Kingsbury is probably a great wing man, but not the person you expect to win a conference title at Texas Tech.
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma – He should be able to put it on cruise control this season, but time will tell if he can have a recruiting impact in Oklahoma. Charlie Strong out-recruited Stoops, and Herman is currently snagging recruits out of Oklahoma’s backyard.
David Beaty, Kansas – One of the nicest people you will ever meet. Beaty is at a basketball school, and getting this program in title contention would be one of the greatest coaching jobs in history.
Matt Rhule, Baylor – Seems like a nice guy, but inherited a program in absolute turmoil. He will spend more time answering questions about scandals prior to his tenure than conference titles.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State – His goal should be to win enough games to be hired away by another program.
Sure, every critique I gave these coaches can be applied to Herman.
He won at Houston, but nobody knows if Herman can repeat that success in a Power 5 conference. Herman has big wins against Florida State, Oklahoma and Louisville, but a bad loss against SMU, too. Texas fans love him now, but that affection will disappear after his first loss.
So far, Herman is not acting like a guy who is at Texas to collect a check.
Herman has turned this program into his own. Players know they need to be “aligned” or find another program. He set the tone with parents and media members. From free pizzas to a practice for students, the new coach is doing his best to get young people on board. Herman immediately flexed his muscle to get a football facility upgrade. They are absolutely killing it on social media with graphics, edits and everything else young people love, but some of us older folks do not comprehend.
Meanwhile, Herman is absolutely killing it in recruiting. Texas has 12 commits and the nation’s fifth-ranked class, according to Rivals. Herman has nine four-star prospects committed, while Oklahoma is second with four players in that category. He also has the attention of several elite uncommitted prospects right now.
Texas has a prime opportunity to put a stranglehold on this conference. If Herman lives up to his reputation, a conference title could become a formality to the national title discussion.
Provided that occurs, Herman could become the big bad wolf of Big 12 coaches.
Photo via Getty
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. It is just a matter of time before we know the real reason why Stoops decided to step down this past week. I find it hard to believe Stoops retired just because he wanted to relax and hit the golf course. I envision Stoops working as sports broadcaster his season, increasing his nationwide visibility, and seeing him on a college football sideline next year.
2. Herman pushing his way into the Texas Southern satellite camp in Houston on Thursday was definitely a boss move. Clearly, Herman will not back down from anybody, including his mentor, Urban Meyer. Herman does not give a damn, and it is actually refreshing to see a guy who says what he means and means what he says.
3. This is definitely a very interesting read. There was a time when Ricky William’s marijuana use had a negative stigma. However, Williams has become a person others lean on for marijuana awareness:
Redemption? Is that the word? Is that what Ricky Williams can achieve, all these years later, when he returns to South Florida this weekend to talk in an open forum about the benefits of marijuana?
“Maybe that’s the right word,” he says.
Redemption?
“It’s starting to feel like that,” he says. “I can come back to South Florida, on a stage at the [Broward County] Convention Center and talk about that was so controversial and such a big deal a while ago — that’s a big deal to me. And it’s more me feeling good about the choice I made and re-affirming that we’re aware now of things everyone wasn’t back then.”
4. It appears former Texas receivers coach/play-caller Jay Norvell is having a tough time in his first season as Nevada’s head coach. Check out this snippet from Dr. Saturday:
New Nevada coach Jay Norvell told the Reno Gazette-Journal that 16 players who were with the team for spring camp are no longer members. Nine of the 16 players were scholarship players including quarterback Hunter Fralick. Wide receiver Victor Gonzalez, who had two catches for 85 yards in 2016, is also not returning to the team.
“The whole spring was an evaluation period for us, trying to get the kids to learn how we want to practice,” Norvell said. “It was a transition period. I was really disappointed with the first three weeks of practice. We really challenged our players. We had several players who weren’t improving, who weren’t getting any better. I challenged them. I told them, ‘If you aren’t getting better every day, there’s something wrong. You’re either not listening to the coaches, not focused in what we we’re trying to accomplish or you’re really not into it.’ We evaluated a lot of kids and talked to them after spring practice.”
5. Kevin Durant’s mom had a drop the mic moment during her response to the constant criticism of Stephen A. Smith for her son joining Golden State. It is hard for Durant’s haters to have a good comeback after her death blow:
6. You know it is the NFL offseason when a player is missing voluntary workouts because he wants a new contract. It is just a matter of time before OBD gets a new contract. He will have enough money to bleach his hair for three lifetimes.
7. Dallas can appear in primetime games, help the league earn millions, but this is the stance NFL commissioner Roger Goodell makes? If the league wants to make a real stance, tell Jerry Jones to keep his team’s money this season.
8. There are times when preseason/postseason accolades are ridiculous, and J.J. Watt had the perfect response to being on the NFL’s top 100 players list:
9. I have known Pete Prisco for years, but he missed the mark by omitting Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott from his top 100 players list. The good thing is, Prescott does not need to be on anybody's list to be successful this season.
10. Evander Holyfield will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday. Holyfield was not appreciated for his greatness because so many people loved Mike Tyson. However, Holyfield’s victory against Mike Tyson will be remembered as one of the greatest fights in boxing history.
This video gave me goose bumps:
