- Oct 9, 2017
- 7
- 32
Hey Guys,
New to the board and this is my first post. Hope it's informative. And, I apologize if it's redundant.
I think as fans we are so quick to say "fire the coach!," like it's an easy thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I think Butters needs to go. He was brought in to fix the O... and that hasn't happened. And, it appears that he may be losing the locker room, too. Bottom line, he's in over his head. But, firing and hiring a HC is a dicey matter. It's a chess game. And here are some things that I think Stricklin has to consider when doing so:
Economics:
Does Butters have a buyout? If not, will he be owed the remainder of his contract?
Will a sexy new hire inject money into the program? It did when Urb was hired, as I heard that the number of Bull's instantly doubled. Can't imagine Butters moved the economic meter at all...
Perception:
Prospective coaches want to know why the last coach was fired. They don't want to get into a situation, where their boss is unreasonable and who has the tendency to knee jerk reactions. Butters has won 2 east titles, has more wins than Chump and is improving in recruiting year to year. So Stricklin needs to have a credible reason, or reasons, for letting a coach go with a relatively impressive, albeit on paper, resume'.
Timing:
I'm sure there are backchannels that are used, but he needs to know who is a true candidate. I'm sure he has a short list, as Foley did, and as probably all AD's do. But some, if not most, of those candidates won't come, for a variety of reasons. Will Brohm (my current fave) want to come to UF after only 2 seasons at Purdue, where he is building something special and has job security? Will Frost want UF or is he willing to wait out Nebraska?
Also, think about the other jobs that are going to be open, as well. Tenn, Ole Miss and Ark are all surely to be available. Yes, UF is a better job than all 3, IMO. But, they're all good jobs where you can win, some easier than others. And most schools aren't the pressure cooker that UF is. Honestly, the only thing that makes UF a better job than Tenn is we're in FL... and we don't have to play Bama every year. They also have lots of money, good facilities and a rabid fan base.
Nebraska and UCLA may also be open.
In addition, ideally we want a hot up-and-comer, who is in his 40's and will stay for 10+ years. Another huge obstacle.
Bottom line, Butters is not the answer. But, he may get at least another year (probable), due any number and combination of the aforementioned variables. For every slam dunk like SOS and Urb, there are a ton of whiffs, like Zooker and Chump (and Butters, it appears). The HC at a school like UF not only has the pressure of winning, but has most of the local economy depending on the level of excitement he brings. I was at UF during SOS's last year and through Zook. Bars and restaurants were going out of business, due to lack of attendance. Hotels all over Gainesville had vacancies... on game weekends.
So, say for example, Stricklin contacts Brohm through backchannels, agents, whatever, to gauge his interest. Brohm expresses interest, but admits he's been contacted similarly on the hush hush by Tenn and Nebraska. And, he's interested in them, as well, and is willing to stay at Purdue, where he's making $3.3 mil, but will surely get a raise once it becomes known he's being courted by blue blood heavy hitters. Yes, we can make a great pitch, but there's no guarantee he'll come. Maybe he'd rather be a legend at Purdue rather than come to UF and attempt to equal SOS and Urb.
This is exactly what happened to LSU last year. They fired Les and went after Herman. They lost Herman to TX... and ended up with O. It can happen to us, too. And, if we whiff again, it'll be another 3 years before we get another shot. The good news is from all accounts, Stricklin is a very smart and savvy dude. One can only hope that whatever move he makes, or doesn't make, strikes gold in the long run.
New to the board and this is my first post. Hope it's informative. And, I apologize if it's redundant.
I think as fans we are so quick to say "fire the coach!," like it's an easy thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I think Butters needs to go. He was brought in to fix the O... and that hasn't happened. And, it appears that he may be losing the locker room, too. Bottom line, he's in over his head. But, firing and hiring a HC is a dicey matter. It's a chess game. And here are some things that I think Stricklin has to consider when doing so:
Economics:
Does Butters have a buyout? If not, will he be owed the remainder of his contract?
Will a sexy new hire inject money into the program? It did when Urb was hired, as I heard that the number of Bull's instantly doubled. Can't imagine Butters moved the economic meter at all...
Perception:
Prospective coaches want to know why the last coach was fired. They don't want to get into a situation, where their boss is unreasonable and who has the tendency to knee jerk reactions. Butters has won 2 east titles, has more wins than Chump and is improving in recruiting year to year. So Stricklin needs to have a credible reason, or reasons, for letting a coach go with a relatively impressive, albeit on paper, resume'.
Timing:
I'm sure there are backchannels that are used, but he needs to know who is a true candidate. I'm sure he has a short list, as Foley did, and as probably all AD's do. But some, if not most, of those candidates won't come, for a variety of reasons. Will Brohm (my current fave) want to come to UF after only 2 seasons at Purdue, where he is building something special and has job security? Will Frost want UF or is he willing to wait out Nebraska?
Also, think about the other jobs that are going to be open, as well. Tenn, Ole Miss and Ark are all surely to be available. Yes, UF is a better job than all 3, IMO. But, they're all good jobs where you can win, some easier than others. And most schools aren't the pressure cooker that UF is. Honestly, the only thing that makes UF a better job than Tenn is we're in FL... and we don't have to play Bama every year. They also have lots of money, good facilities and a rabid fan base.
Nebraska and UCLA may also be open.
In addition, ideally we want a hot up-and-comer, who is in his 40's and will stay for 10+ years. Another huge obstacle.
Bottom line, Butters is not the answer. But, he may get at least another year (probable), due any number and combination of the aforementioned variables. For every slam dunk like SOS and Urb, there are a ton of whiffs, like Zooker and Chump (and Butters, it appears). The HC at a school like UF not only has the pressure of winning, but has most of the local economy depending on the level of excitement he brings. I was at UF during SOS's last year and through Zook. Bars and restaurants were going out of business, due to lack of attendance. Hotels all over Gainesville had vacancies... on game weekends.
So, say for example, Stricklin contacts Brohm through backchannels, agents, whatever, to gauge his interest. Brohm expresses interest, but admits he's been contacted similarly on the hush hush by Tenn and Nebraska. And, he's interested in them, as well, and is willing to stay at Purdue, where he's making $3.3 mil, but will surely get a raise once it becomes known he's being courted by blue blood heavy hitters. Yes, we can make a great pitch, but there's no guarantee he'll come. Maybe he'd rather be a legend at Purdue rather than come to UF and attempt to equal SOS and Urb.
This is exactly what happened to LSU last year. They fired Les and went after Herman. They lost Herman to TX... and ended up with O. It can happen to us, too. And, if we whiff again, it'll be another 3 years before we get another shot. The good news is from all accounts, Stricklin is a very smart and savvy dude. One can only hope that whatever move he makes, or doesn't make, strikes gold in the long run.
