The CheckerBoard

NDGuy, what are your thoughts on James Franklin. Most around here don't like him and i was wondering what other fan bases think about him.

You're always welcome here. I'll give it a wack, with the qualifier that these are my opinion only, and my opinion don't mean jack:
Gundy- i like him, but he hasn't shown the ability to put together a decent defense and how well would he be able to recruit down here? I'm guessing he'd do okay, actually. Would be tough to pry him away from T Boone, though.
G Patterson- No. The hire has to be able to recruit the South, and hopefully nationally. No evidence that Patterson can do so.
Strong- i don't know if he's a home run, but I'd like the hire. I like the idea of a defensive guy, and he's recruited the south for UF and So Carolina.
Peterson- hard ti say he isn't, but no way he comes with his child's health issues and the doctor relationship. Don't know how his recruiting woukd be here, either....but that could probably fixed (and with Patterson too) by hiring good recruiting assistants with ties ti the south.
Mullen- do not want. Been overrated since he got to msu. Played a soft schedule this year, and his team is not as impressive as some thought.
Golden- i'd put him a notch below Strong. Wouldn't be a bad hire, but his Temple turnround was benefitted by their move to the MAC. In his firat two years at Miami, their record is .500, after taking over a team that was 7-6 the year before. Still like him though.
Fisher- would probably put him up there with Golden, a notch below Strong. If he were a defensive guy, I'd probably rank him a notch better than Strong. Just like the idea of a defensive guy.
Petrino- eh....can't imagine him sitting down with my wife and telling her how he's gonna take care of my boy for the next 4 years. I think he's gonna have some recruiting issues in his future, no matter where he ends up. May have to take a lot of high risk kids. Probably good shirt term, but could be a disaster long term. Great offensive mind, though.
Graham- no way. Like you said, Kiffin II. After what he did to his Pitt players, I want no part of him.
Solich- good coach, but doubt he would be able to recruit enough down here. Ohio is a good spot for him.
Doeren- Interesting. His name came up a lot a couple of days ago. I don't think the fanbase would get behind him. I think we have to pull a bigger name than that to get the fanbase united. He's done a good job there, but again, no ties to the south. I think the progrM was already in good shape when he took it over too.
Franklin- no "bleeping way". Some on here think he's a good coach, others think he's smoke and mirrors. I think he'll come back to reality in the next year or two and people will forget all about him. Pretty sure he still hasn't beaten a team that's finished with a winning record. Besides, he's a d*ck.
Shaw- would like the hire, but doubt he'd ever leave Stanford.
Brown- no thanks. If you can't get it done at Texas in the Big 12, you ain't getting it done at the real UT.
Kelly- would be a home run, but he's NFL bound.
Bellotti- he's been gone for a while, and although he had success in turning that program around, Kelly took it to another level. I think there are other options available that I like better (some that you listed).

I trust Dave Hart to get this right. I think our fan base used to our previous AD screwing up his hires, and we're still a little shell shocked. He was a bean counter that really wasn't the ideal AD. I think we've got the right guy in place now (hopefully with the backing of our Big $$$ donors).

I'm curious as to why you like Golden. I know he's at Miami, but to me he has always been a bit overhyped. I can respect the job he did at Temple making them at least a .500 team, but I truly feel that a half a dozen good players can make a team competitive in a bad conference against bad talent. I wanted to see him excel at Miami at that hasn't happened so I question how good of a coach he actually is.
Also, there is talk about Bill O'Brien going back to the NFL if they come calling. If that happens, I think Golden bails on the U and their problems for more familiar territory.

Some of my thoughts on your thoughts..

Gundy-True enough about the defense, but if your offense is that good do you need an exceptional defense? That Big XII style of football seemed to work in the SEC for A&M..

Patterson-How much was he restricted by their conference? He can't be too bad of a recruiter given the successes TCU has had during his tenure.

Strong-I like him as well. Defensive guy. SEC coach.

Mullen-I actually like him. Another former UF DC like Strong. I would put him and Strong on even playing ground.

Golden-As I said in my previous post, I am skeptical of Golden.

Fisher-I don't like him. At all. Has been overhyped at FSU. Plays an absolutely embarassing schedule and then complains about not being ranked higher. Good recruiter, but how hard is it to recruit Florida kids at FSU? I actually like him less than any above-listed coaches.

Petrino-Talented coach, super sketchy person. I think you need both qualities when dealing with kids.. He may catch on at a Kentucky or something, but I wouldn't chance it if I am UT.

Graham-He's a schmuck. Agreed.

Solich-Couldn't do it at Nebraska, can't do it at UT.

Doeren-Sometimes you have to reach and if UT is going to, I would with him. He is a proven winner (unlike Dooley) and I think could hit big. However, I don't know if UT can chance it given the recent string of bad luck. I guess that's why AD Hart makes the big bucks.

Franklin-Agreed. He's slimy. No thank you.

Shaw-I don't doubt he could leave; more money, bigger opportunities, easier recruiting. I would give it 2 thumbs up. To me he is a top 3-4 choice.

Brown-Agreed.

Kelly-The #1 far and away choice. I would do whatever I had to do. NFL be damned.

Bellotti- I love the guy. Still not as old as some would think. Bring him in, let him bring his 'next Chip Kelly', and watch the wins roll in.

________________________

Top 5
1. Kelly
2. Bellotti
3. Shaw
4. Gundy
5. Strong

________________________

There are a few other names I have for you guys..

Bob Stoops-I know, I know. He has been at OU forever and will probably die there. However, there are always rumblings about how long its been since their last title and how sick everyone is of waiting and the winning, but not winning the big games. He may be interested in a fresh start and I think UT would welcome him with open arms and an open checkbook. Also, he could bring along Josh Heupel who I think is going to be an outstanding HC in his own right in the not-so-distant future. If he's at all interested he jumps to the top of the list.

Gus Malzahn-I like the guy. Has lost some of his luster, but still a very good coach. I just worry how much he is going to be tied to Chizik as a guy who only succeeded because he had Cam. Still though, I would have NO reservations about hiring him if the top guys on the list aren't there anymore.

Sonny Dykes-Good coaching prospect, but no way they take the guy who followed Dooley at LA Tech. No way.

David Cutcliffe-Good coach, big connection to UT, but not a home run unless he convinced Peyton Manning to come back and be his OC. I wouldn't be mad, but I wouldn't be thrilled.

Butch Jones-Interesting thought. Has done well at Cincinnati. Has followed Coach Brian Kelly at every job and has succeeded the same. If he's the next BK, he could worth it for UT.

Mike Leach-Good coach, but too many red flags for me.

Shaw is a name I've had in mind. With what seems to be increased pressure from the scholastic side of things here at UT, Shaw might know a thing or two about finding the happy balance. On the flip side, who couldn't have won big in their first season with the kind of team Harbaugh left at Stanford? Wait. Maybe don't answer that! At any rate, I think his name is good, probably no where near as big as Chip Kelly's, but still a good name nonetheless. I'd say he's in my top 5 or 6 but probably in the lower half.

Well, let me ***disclaimer*** this. It's a way better chance that it WON'T happen, but since we're just conversing, Gruden is my "get your damn head out of the clouds" guy above all else.

Now back to reality… based on your list, my first group of calls would be (in no particular order) Petersen/Mullen/Pelini. Then Shaw/Solich/Doeren. The argument could be made that Pelini and Shaw are interchangeable, but I think Pelini has shown a touch more than Shaw to date. Jmo.

Regarding Franklin, I don't think he's a bad hire because he's Vandy's coach. I think he's not an option because he hasn't truly proven he's got what it takes yet-may very well prove that he's capable in time. If he had come in at Vandy and Harbaugh'ed it, Franklin would be at the top of most everybody's list. Same, I think, for Shaw.

Valid.

Gruden rumors have traction but there's still a lot of issues to be agreed upon. Still slim, but bigger chance than most people outside of our world realize.

I'll give you my take on the guys you listed TIFWIW. I'll say this, Gruden is aboslutely my 1st choice.

Mike Gundy- Wouldn't be a terrible hire, but I do worry about his ability to recruit down here. Also, his red offense works in the defenseless Big 12, but i'm not 100% certain it'd work on a weekly basisi in the SEC
Gary Patterson- He would be a good hire, but he doesn't have that "wow" factor to me. Plus, his recruiting ability down south would worry me. having said that, i'm sure if he got some good recruiters for the south it'd be ok, particularly in addition to his access to Texas recruits.
Charlie Strong- I would say that he's probably my #3 guy. Jimbo fisher is slightly ahead of him on my wish list. if we got him, i think it'd be a GREAT hire. I read that he said he wasn't going to up and leave l'ville after they gave him a shot, and we all know the A.D there said he's prepared to pay him. Not sure if he's a realistic option based on that
Chris Petersen- as someone else said, his relationship with Dr's in Boise probably make it unlikely. Plus, that's his program, those are his fans, that's his state. He's done a fantastic job up there and who knows if he wants to leave
Dan Mullen- No desire to hire him. he's done O.K at MSU, but tennessee could/should have beaten them this year. Does he have a signature win there (i honestly dont know)? Sure, he might be a slight upgrade over Dooley, but i'm not sold on the guy
Al Golden- not super high on him. I think he did good at Temple, and he's got a mess going on down in Miami. I guess we could definitely do worse, but I'm not sure this is a hire that the fanbase would support. My guess is a lot of people would moan and groan and there'd be a lot of "here we go again"
Jimbo Fisher- My #2 guy. I think he's proven at FSU he's a solid coach. He's getting his legs under him as a HC and, while he may not be dominating the ACC, he would definitely be an upgrade for us and somebody that would bring excitement, IMO
Larry Fedora- don't mind the pick if we've been turned down but some more desirable people. He's got a decent track record as a HC, but not at the higest level.
Bo Pelini- meh,
Jeff Tedford- No way. He's not winning at cal, why would he win here?
David Cutcliffe- Good coach, not what tennessee needs IMO. maybe as an OC (which he'd never leave Duke for) but I'm not sold on him as a great HC; wasn't really all that successful at ole miss and isn't really doing that well at duke.
Tommy Tuberville- i'm indifferent to him. He's won in the SEC before, but i dont know if he's a guy i'd be super excited about. He's definitely an upgrade, and he knows the SEC, i'm just not sold on HIM.
Bobby Petrino- I'd take him no questions asked. Say what you will about the man, but he's one hell of a coach. I know I know, he left ATL in a bad manner, and his ending at Ark was bad, but lets be honest: he's not the first HC to do what he did, and he didn't break NCAA rules (did he?) He's human, and maybe he has been humbled. All i know is if he was our coach, it'd be exciting to watch. Definitely think you have a clause in a contract with him regarding personal conduct. You're hiring a guy to win football games, and if he did that, people would forget about the way he left Arky
Todd Graham-Ariz Pass...as was said earlier, too Kiffin-esque
Frank Solich- Good coach, but he's almost 70. I want a guy that will be here for 10 years and still have his wits about him
Dave Doeren- Definitely think he would be worth a look if my top 3 guys are a no go. He's done really well there, the only question I have is whether he could do it at a big time school, or if he'd be in over his head
James Franklin- absolutely not. I'd rather rehire dooley
David Shaw- would be great, but he's a stanford man. No way he leaves there
Mack Brown- Pass. Texas recruits well every year, but they haven't been turning it into production on the field these past few years.

Chip Kelly i think would be a lot of fun. However IF it was even possible, my worry is that we don't have the speed or type of players on our roster to run his offense. I think it would take a few years, and that's not something the fans are willing to wait on.