The CheckerBoard

OUTSIDE THE BOX IDEAS FOR UT'S FOOTBALL COACH HIRE- GREG ROMAN, KLIFF KINGSBURY, BUTCH DAVIS, BOBBY PETRINO & YES, EVEN PEYTON MANNING!!

By Jerre Haskew & Jerry Merchant

It is hard for us to think of a way that Hart could have done a worse job than he has done in this coaching search!!! He hasn't interviewed a SINGLE candidate who is still a POSSIBILITY!

When you put all this together, how could Hart and the major boosters have done any worse of a job??? We can't think of a way. They have now been turned down 3 times (Gruden informally), and here they are almost 3 weeks after Dooley was fired without having interviewed ANYONE who is still available. Talk about having to start over from square one...

So where do they go from here??? We would roll the dice and take a chance on a young coordinator who has never been a HC, but one with great promise. And that would not be Kirby Smart, because Saban is the de facto DC at AL. 247sports
says that San Francisco OC Greg Roman wants the UT job. He mostly has an NFL background, but he coached at Stanford under Harbaugh in 2009 and 2010. And in his first year with the 49ers last year, they tied an NFL record for the fewest turnoversin a season (5 fumbles lost and 5 interceptions), while going 13-3. He also spent two seasons (2009-10) on Jim Harbaugh’s ultra-successful coaching staff at Stanford.

During his time at Stanford, the Cardinal posted a 20-6 record, which was the best over a two-year span in the University’s history. He mentored two Heisman runner-up candidates in QB Andrew Luck (2010) and RB Toby Gerhart (2009). Over those two seasons, the Cardinal allowed a total of 13 sacks on offense, which marked the fewest over that time span in the nation. Stanford allowed just seven sacks in 2009 and six sacks in 2010, ranking 2nd in the nation both years.

Roman oversaw a Cardinal offense in 2010 that ranked 9th nationally in points scored (40.3 points/game), 14th in total yards per game (472.5), 17th in rushing yards per game (213.8) and 1st in time of possession (34:34). Under his guidance,
Stanford offense produced a school-record 524 points.

A year prior, Roman’s sophisticated blocking schemes and knowledge of the running game were major factors in the Cardinal amassing a single-season school record of 2,837 yards on the ground in 2009. At season’s end, all five members of the offensive line garnered postseason honors.

(I, the Music Man, saw several Stanford games in person when Roman was OC and that offense is smash mouth football with a sophisticated passing game which could compete in the SEC IMO.)
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Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is another one that merits a close look. He's on the verge of having coached the first Freshman Heisman winner in
history in Johnny "Football" Manziel. One of the nation's brightest young assistant coaches, former Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury is in his first season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M.

Kingsbury comes from the University of Houston where he played a key role in the Cougars' record-setting 13-victory season in 2011. The Cougars finished 2011 with a 13-1 record and posted the program's highest final BCS finish in school
history.With Kingsbury calling the offensive plays, the Cougars averaged 599.1 total yards per game, including 450.1 through the air, while scoring over 49 points per game. The Cougars scored over 70 points in two games in 2001, and finished
the year with a 30-14 win over Penn State in the Ticket City Bowl. Kingsbury was instrumental in the continued development of Keenum, who finished his illustrious career as the most prolific passer in NCAA FBS history. In his one season with
Kingsbury as his QB coach, Keenum completed 428-of-604 passes for5,631 yards and 48 touchdowns, all NCAA
FBS bests.

Kingsbury was drafted by Bill Belichick and the Patriots after a record-setting career at Texas Tech. Kingsbury received multiple honors including Associated Press Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year as a quarterback for the Red Raiders. In
addition, he set 39 school records, 16 Big 12 marks and 17 NCAA records during his career. As a senior he was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy, annually presented to the nation's best college quarterback.

Kingsbury recorded more than 12,000 passing yards and total offense including over 1,000 pass completions making him only the third player in NCAA history to accomplish all three. Kingsbury also excelled in the classroom as he was one of 14
collegiate football players to receive a post-graduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame as he also garnered Academic Player of the Year honors in 2002.
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But what we think if more likely to happen is that Haslam and the major money boosters are so upset with Hart that they are going to take over and hire the coach. So look for Butch Davis or Bobby Petrino to possibly become the new coach, if
the Haslams, Manning, and other prominent boosters get their way. They want to win, and win big, and they are less concerned about the school's reputation than the school administrators are. Jim Tressell apparently has a 5 year show-cause letter from the NCAA, or he would probably be in the mix also. We obviously don't know how all this will play out, but I could see Davis or Petrino getting the job, if that is what the big money guys decide to do.
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And thinking FAR outside the box, what about getting Peyton Manning to retire and give him the job, despite never having coached a day in his life??? Wouldn't that be a better gamble than some of these other clowns??? He would keep Jay
Graham, and probably Sam Pittman, bring in Tee Martin and maybe even Al Wilson (assuming he can get his degree), and then hire the best coordinators he could find anywhere (probably both from the NFL, since UT couldn't hire Manning until
his season is finished). Recruiting would take care of itself, with Manning as HC, and guys like Graham and Martin on the staff. Manning would obviously have a HUGE learning curve, with a year or two with lots of on the job learning with plenty
of mistakes and bad decisions. But no one else could unite the fan base like Manning, and they would stick with him thru thick and thin, and after a rocky transition year, or two, they could potentially have the talent to compete for NCs.

And Tyler Bray would almost certainly return for his senior year and possibly Justin Hunter. And Manning has so much PR experience that he would be a natural, when it came to representing the university, dealing with high profile recruits, the
players,boosters, fans, and the media. And he could lean on Fulmer for advice and assistance.

Crazy idea??? Absolutely!!! But have you heard any better ideas, now that Gruden, Gundy, and Strong are off the table??? We haven't. EARTH TO DAVE HART!!

Music Man