reports are they are looking for an AAC Coordinator to take over - good luck with that
no one questions Bailiff is a good guy but that’s got to be one of the hardest jobs in the country with high academic standards, no alumni support for football and an athletic department that’s more interested in selling “buy a win” games to Texas than creating a schedule that can produce some wins
UCF OC’s name has been tossed around for that job.
I’m starting to believe that the best head coaches are the ones with the most connections so they can hire the best coordinators.
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This is my thought, too. Though I think a handful of good connections and an ability to sort the good coaches from the bad obviously beats a rolodex full of garbage.
The guys at USF know the Houston and Texas recruiting landscape and may run more of Briles offense. Not saying it would happen…
I’d like to recommend Brian Johnson and Mark D’Nofrio to Rice. I think they would be excellent hires.
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One of the nicest people in sports. I wish the best for coach Bailiff.
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Briles
Rice is crazy.
Bad deal for Coach B, The Flock is smoking pocket rockets if they think going to find any one like CDB that can win and stay there. I smell lots of 1-win seasons coming on
Tony Levine to Rice?
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What was Bailiff’s downfall? After reaching bowls, the Hooters fell off dramatically this year. It almost seems like he’s given up. Is there something systemic at the Rice admin level that’s caused results to decline or is it correctable?
I saw a couple of Rice games this year and one or two last year. Looked to me like the staff was trying to fit round pegs (players) into square holes (a system they were not cut out to run) on both sides of the ball. I don’t follow recruiting (especially RU recruiting!) so I don’t know if they tried and failed to find kids who fit their scheme or failed to coach up the ones that did. Coach B is a helluva good guy but maybe he failed to adapt to what talent he had.
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Bailiff is a quality coach and person, and I wish nothing but the best for him.
But there’s been a clear trend over a period of time.
2013 – 10-4 (C-USA champs, loss to Mississippi State in Liberty Bowl)
2014 – 8-5 (victory over Fresno State in Hawaii Bowl)
2015 – 5-7
2016 – 3-9
2017 – 1-11
Rice understandably thinks that Bailiff isn’t the guy to reverse that clear trend.
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In 2013, they won four games by four or fewer points. We beat them by five at Reliant (yuck). It’s just an odd collapse after climbing up to those two bowls. He had plenty of time to have “his guys” in there. Maybe asst coaches were leaving or he couldn’t hire good ones.
He definitely had some turnover at the assistant level. Over the years, I think he has had Herman, Applewhite, and David Beatty on that staff so he has had some good ones come through RU.
2012 was the last year that Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF were in C-USA. Tulane, Tulsa and East Carolina left the year after. You can also throw in the addition of UTSA and North Texas into C-USA in that mix.
My guess is that kids in Houston/Texas stopped seeing Rice/CUSA as a viable alternative for football after we left. In fact, it looks like both the Texas schools that were left behind, UTEP being the other, have struggled with that perception.
Rice should probably just drop down to FCS where they’d have a chance.
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OC John Reagan left after the 2013 season and returned to KU where coaches die.
He lasted one year and has been at Penn for the last three years. That’s quite a step down in pay but much lower expectations.
It’s all about the assistant coaches. Think about the ones he has had and where they are now.
Someone like Les Miles?