Who is the next OC?
First question IMO is whether we continue the Briles/Baylor offense. BO was asked directly last week and responded "we've recruited to it". Not a definite yes, but seems pretty close.
Hugh Freeze. Not from the Briles offense. Not employed so could be hired today, yesterday, last week. This would not be the sole decision of BO. Would need approval from the AD and probably BOC. Maybe that's the delay.
Sterlin Gilbert. As previously posted, he comes as a package with the OL coach, Matt Mattox. Seems to fit perfectly. Knows the Briles offense as well as anyone. Has been successful at 4 stops including a big stage. Makes perfect sense. ...................... Except it appears BO intended to retain Elarbee which would indicate Gilbert wasn't a likely choice. And if Cooper is the new OL coach here, that seems to eliminate Gilbert. (except now Gabe is saying Cooper is a temp appt thru the bowl so discount that)
Dan Enos: Was rumored to Tenn but they've hired Tyson Helton. Enos runs an offense very different from what we've run. Seems really unlikely.
Kendall Briles. Knows the Briles offense extremely well but comes with baggage as he's being sued over the Baylor stuff and has the "do you like white women" quote floating out there. He's a very good OC but I don't see him coming here.
Graham Harrell: Not from the Briles tree but is from the Leach tree. Has done very well at North Texas with Seth Littrell, who we tried to hire before Heupel. BO would put a lot of faith in the recommendation of Littrell. This would be a step up for Harrell. Very affordable. No baggage. Young. Limited experience.
Joe Jon Finley: Obviously, he's a major part of the Briles install at Mizzou. Well thought of but very limited experience. Seems to be a very good recruiter.
There are other Briles guys out there. The Syracuse staff, Tulsa staff.
In my view, Harrell solves the QB coach and OC well. That should allow you to bump Finley in pay and keep him happy. This assumes Cooper is the long term hire at OL.
North Texas (Harrell) plays in a bowl game Dec 15. I can see BO showing Littrell the courtesy of having Harrell stay through the bowl game and then move.
Who did I leave out? Thoughts?
@SmithBro Good catch on Todd Monken. Recent twitter follows both ways with BO. Has been mentioned on the site here a few times. Offense seems to be based on Gundy and Okla State influences. Has had very good offenses. Not a Briles guy but would bring a lot of experience and high level experience. Has a job for now so likely wouldn't be hired until after the NFL regular season ends. Likely a guy who would be very successful as an OC and move along quickly, which should not be viewed as a problem.
John Grass. Current head coach at Jacksonville State has been mentioned here. From his bio: John Grass begins his fourth season as head coach of the Gamecocks and his fifth season at JSU after what has been an unprecedented four years in his profession.
Grass served as the Gamecocks’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2013 and orchestrated an offense that set numerous school, OVC and National records before taking the reigns as the head coach for the 2014 season.
Since then, he has taken JSU on a run not many have seen before. His 33-6 record over three seasons is the best start to a tenure in JSU history, while his 23-3 record heading into the 2016 FCS Division I Championship Game tied for the best 26-game start to a career in FCS history. In three years, he has been named both the AFCA’s Region Coach of the Year and the Ohio Valley Conference Roy Kidd Coach of the Year three times and was the AFCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2015.
He is a perfect 23-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play with three OVC titles over the past three seasons and enters the 2017 season with the longest active conference win streak in all of Division I football at 24 games.
First question IMO is whether we continue the Briles/Baylor offense. BO was asked directly last week and responded "we've recruited to it". Not a definite yes, but seems pretty close.
Hugh Freeze. Not from the Briles offense. Not employed so could be hired today, yesterday, last week. This would not be the sole decision of BO. Would need approval from the AD and probably BOC. Maybe that's the delay.
Sterlin Gilbert. As previously posted, he comes as a package with the OL coach, Matt Mattox. Seems to fit perfectly. Knows the Briles offense as well as anyone. Has been successful at 4 stops including a big stage. Makes perfect sense. ...................... Except it appears BO intended to retain Elarbee which would indicate Gilbert wasn't a likely choice. And if Cooper is the new OL coach here, that seems to eliminate Gilbert. (except now Gabe is saying Cooper is a temp appt thru the bowl so discount that)
Dan Enos: Was rumored to Tenn but they've hired Tyson Helton. Enos runs an offense very different from what we've run. Seems really unlikely.
Kendall Briles. Knows the Briles offense extremely well but comes with baggage as he's being sued over the Baylor stuff and has the "do you like white women" quote floating out there. He's a very good OC but I don't see him coming here.
Graham Harrell: Not from the Briles tree but is from the Leach tree. Has done very well at North Texas with Seth Littrell, who we tried to hire before Heupel. BO would put a lot of faith in the recommendation of Littrell. This would be a step up for Harrell. Very affordable. No baggage. Young. Limited experience.
Joe Jon Finley: Obviously, he's a major part of the Briles install at Mizzou. Well thought of but very limited experience. Seems to be a very good recruiter.
There are other Briles guys out there. The Syracuse staff, Tulsa staff.
In my view, Harrell solves the QB coach and OC well. That should allow you to bump Finley in pay and keep him happy. This assumes Cooper is the long term hire at OL.
North Texas (Harrell) plays in a bowl game Dec 15. I can see BO showing Littrell the courtesy of having Harrell stay through the bowl game and then move.
Who did I leave out? Thoughts?
@SmithBro Good catch on Todd Monken. Recent twitter follows both ways with BO. Has been mentioned on the site here a few times. Offense seems to be based on Gundy and Okla State influences. Has had very good offenses. Not a Briles guy but would bring a lot of experience and high level experience. Has a job for now so likely wouldn't be hired until after the NFL regular season ends. Likely a guy who would be very successful as an OC and move along quickly, which should not be viewed as a problem.
John Grass. Current head coach at Jacksonville State has been mentioned here. From his bio: John Grass begins his fourth season as head coach of the Gamecocks and his fifth season at JSU after what has been an unprecedented four years in his profession.
Grass served as the Gamecocks’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2013 and orchestrated an offense that set numerous school, OVC and National records before taking the reigns as the head coach for the 2014 season.
Since then, he has taken JSU on a run not many have seen before. His 33-6 record over three seasons is the best start to a tenure in JSU history, while his 23-3 record heading into the 2016 FCS Division I Championship Game tied for the best 26-game start to a career in FCS history. In three years, he has been named both the AFCA’s Region Coach of the Year and the Ohio Valley Conference Roy Kidd Coach of the Year three times and was the AFCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2015.
He is a perfect 23-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play with three OVC titles over the past three seasons and enters the 2017 season with the longest active conference win streak in all of Division I football at 24 games.
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