Best Posts in Thread: The Coaching Search Thread

Well, I have been checking in every now and then but rarely feel like I have anything of value to add so I just keep things low profile. My daughter is now a senior @ UF and my son is a junior @ UCF so Scott Frost to UF has been a very hot topic in my house since Sunday. I can tell you this, my son has a very close friend that works with the training staff for UCF and there is not a person in the building that does not love Scott Frost and the only people who love him more are his players. One of the WR and DB's on the team are very close to my family and both had offer to more prominent P5 schools but decided to stay close to home and play for the "next great college football mind" and someone that could get them ready for the pro's. Now imagine that "great college football mind" with the resources of UF which also allows these kids to stay home, play in the SEC, and have a shot at an SEC Championship (the real NC as far as I am concerned) and get into the playoff. I am willing to bet that NOBODY outside of Gator Nation wants that combination or it is party over for all those that have been kicking us around for the last 7 years. While it would kill me to see him leave UCF where I have watched every home game in person since he got there, I would be even more overjoyed to see him restore the shine to my alma mater and bring it back to its previous glory. Well, that's all I got but you can bet my son and daughter will be a real hoot going at one another around the thanksgiving table if this isn't resolved by then.

 

It just seems that now is the time to strike and not pull any punches. Florida State is down. Time to strike and gain the edge in recruiting in the state. Saban has to be ready to quit any year now. Time to pull no punches. Make a move in the SEC. There is a young energetic coach 125 miles south at a directional school who has had great success, great success, is building a program with no tradition and no real game day campus atmosphere. This coach seems grounded in middle American values, but he is well spoken and not prone to speaking McElwainese. Party kewl. With his big neck and blond hair he looks like Mickey Mantle. He is not a 40 year old man with a mullet. He does not look like a slob, but is a mean lean fighting machine. A former legendary quarterback at Nebraska, he's everybody's All-American.

He is well grounded and not a flake like his less than esteemed colleague over in Boca Raton. He plays an uptempo fast paced offense, but he also develops a running game and his teams play defense. The complete package. He likes fast players and knows where to find them. He is not a wacko pirate who throws the ball all over the park but whose team lacks the toughness to go toe to toe with Bama, Georgia, LSU, and yes even Mississippi State. His style can win in the SEC. He is not a Champion of Life and I haven't heard that he ever was in a marching band. And though he can relate to players, he is no "players coach" so we are not getting Mike Shula. He wants to make football fun. It hasn't been fun around here for a long time.

This coach has already built relationships with high school coaches in Florida. He's not a snob the way Derek Dooley was who wouldn't talk to the high school coaches. He recruits Florida first. He's from the Midwest but he likes Florida. His wife, as far as I can tell, likes Florida and would not threaten to leave him to move to Starkville. His parents were school teachers and coaches so Stephen PE should be on board, but hey he's on board with everything Gator anyway. He doesn't scream and yell at players the way the old style Chimp did, but rather gets their attention by teaching them. A novel approach. Actual teaching. Administrative types would welcome him and he would not be the subject of any ESPN snowflake rants.

Listening to that recent press conference of Scott Stricklin's I think Stricklin already had his choice for head coach already picked out before he even spoke into the microphone. Scott Frost checked every box on Stricklin's list. Uncanny. So we've seen Meyer's psychological collapse, leave of absence, and subsequent move to Ohio. We've seen Muschamp come and get some on the job training before moving to South Carolina. And we've seen McElwain come South to develop some barbeque sauce. It's time for Florida to put up or shut up.

 

Seriously, WTF difference does it make who we hire any more? What we so desperately needed was a program changer. Someone so different and transformative that he would flush out all the sludge and garbage that has choked the life out of Florida football over the last 8 years. In my opinion only two guys fit that bill, Frost and Kelly. At least they were the only two that were realistically available. We are not getting either of those guys so who gives a sh!t who we get? We are going to remain a mediocre to bad program for the foreseeable future. We sure as hell are not going to be contending for championships.

Like it or not, love of UF or not, Florida currently is giving off the stench of a loser and premier coaching candidates sure don't want that rubbing off on them. I don't think Kelly ever really even considered Florida. I think he met with our "Gang of Four" out of courtesy as much as serious interest. Sure he may have been slightly intrigued so he gave us a meeting but it sure didn't pique his interest enough to keep him from jumping at UCLA the minute they came calling. And I just don't see Frost coming to UF. Nebraska maybe, but not UF. If he's going to start over rebuilding a program again like he did two years ago, I think he'd prefer doing it at Nebraska than more so than Florida.

So again, who cares what 3rd, 4th 5th or 6th choice we hire? Our football program is so screwed up and it's going to take so many things to get it right that I don't see any of the realistically available coaches fitting the bill. Hell, Chris Doering was almost in tears on TV talking about how far we've fallen and how bad we've gotten.

I've had season tickets for decades. No matter the circumstances I've always looked forward with excitement to the start of a new season. That's turned to total indifference with a hint of dread. And perhaps after sitting in the stands watching yet another sh!tshow of a UF/FSU football(?) game I may be feeling overly negative, but the last 8 years have conditioned me to not believe a damn positive thing I hear about Florida football because each time it turns out to be total bull$h!t.

 

And this is just one more bit of evidence as to why we want Frost.

"Frost did something at the end of the first half that stood out – something Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer might’ve tried, but certainly not Will Muschamp or McElwain.

UCF took over at its 30-yard line with 12 seconds left and two timeouts. Take a knee and go to the half up 21-14, right?

Nope.

Frost was bold. UCF easily executed a 12-yard pass that took six seconds. The Knights then connected on a 21-yard pass to SMU’s 37 with one second remaining.

Frost elected to try a 54-yard field goal. It was no good. Still, Frost’s decision-making was brilliant.

This is the mindset that allows a team to rank first in the country in scoring. It sends the perfect message to the whole team."

 

Asked Zach if he’s heard anything. Let’s see if he picks up the slight Easter egg

 

THAT is the IT.

 

Let me start off by saying...I'm not saying it's our fault. but!! We live in such an age of instant information and social media that we have created a concept of failure on the part of our administration. We have jumped to the conclusion of verbal deals, signed deals, ck sightings, done deals when actually we were probably never even close or maybe even trying that hard to seal a deal quickly.

The trip to NH was probably just the administration trying to figure out if this guy we have concluded our self is crazy, is crazy! We were told from the get go not to jump to conclusions, yet we did, and then we are ready to string up SS. Maybe we are the crazy ones! I know it's hard in our world of microwaves, social media, and instant gratification but let's be patient. I'm not saying not to speculate! I love reading all of the speculation that has gone on these past weeks. Let's not go crazy! We are making ourselves look bad.

If we end up with a Chump or Butters after all is said and done, then go crazy! But I love our passion.

 

Was McElwain trying to hang a 69 on the shark?

 

Say Done Deal one more time!

 

We brought this on ourselves through our own ignorance and arrogance. Or, perhaps I should say, through Jeremy Foley's ignorance and arrogance.

It's fair and objective to now say Foley is the worst thing that ever happened to Florida football.

 

"Established" coaches who have a long history of mediocrity. People keep asking, "What has Frost done?" But what the hell have these coaches done? Gundy = 1 Big 12 championship in 12 years. Milquetoast. All these guys bring is their history of being good enough to keep their jobs. They aren't transformative, which is what UF needs in the worst way.

Frost brings as much, or more, in the way of offensive bonafides as Gundy in that he's done it in less that two years starting with an offense which was dead last. Not just bad, dead last. He took a moribund program, (sound familiar) and brought it to life by transforming the mindset and creating excitement among players, recruits and fans. I can't think of a program in the country that needs that more than Florida.

 

Actually his first big test was getting his sitting HC to fire an absolutely abysmal OC. Instead, the coordinator who’d been a complete disaster and cost us countless games walked away with a raise and extension.

Probably should’ve given us a clue as to his abilities.

 

1. Frost
2. Norvell
3 Kelly
4. Gundy
5 Drag stoops out of retirement
6 drag spurrier out of retirement
7 Close down the entire football program

There's nothing else that even remotely gets me excited. If you think anybody else is going to revive this dying program, I'd love to know what you're smoking. Guys like Mike "Only Real Talent is Public Speaking" Campbell aren't going to make the needle move

 

It all good, and yet, I posted my tail off on those 6 post, and you know what, proud of those posts.

 

I can see Stricklin and Fuchs driving down to Orlando and Frost answering the door....my baby is sleeping, what's your problem.

 

For goodness sakes give the Bell/Matthews crap a rest one is a junior college coach and the other is a radio commentator locally. Listen to what your saying.. This is The SEC. Not 3 mothers School of the blind. Good grief!!

 

Be careful what you inherit.