I recall Ward having the highest completion percent on the team his first year under Levine. And it carried over into the highest in the conference his first season under Herman.
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I give Tom Herman zero credit for anything related to Greg Ward, Jr.
Tom Herman did NOT make or develop Greg Ward, Jr. The Good Lord and Mr. and Mrs. Ward made Greg Ward, Jr. It was Greg Ward, Jr. that developed Greg Ward, Jr.
It was Greg Ward, Jr. that developed the coaching status of Tom Herman!
The Tom Herman family should send Greg Ward, Jr. a Christmas card and gift for life!
Go Coogs! Peace.
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I know this will not be the most popular thing to say, but both Herman and Ward credited Applewhite with his development during the 2015 and 2016 years.
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I think Applewhite is a good QBs coach.
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Might want to talk to Kyle Allen …
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I think he excelled at viewing video boards !!
Applewhite has no clue what it takes to be a good QB because when he played he was pretty good, but it didn’t take much talent to hand the ball off to Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson and watch them do all the work.
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Applewhite was a good QB, I will give him that. But one does not have to be a great former player to be a good coach, there are many examples of that. The two years here as OC, he has Ward and Ward had weapons that would make me a good OC and I never even played FB!
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Our defense was pretty stacked back in 2015! The Jack Boyz were turnover machines! Stewart always seemed to be in position to get a pick. Jackson was one of the best corners in the country. Matthew Adams and Elandon Roberts were monster LBs. Cam Malveaux and Tyus Bowser could get constant pressure. If only Ed Oliver were a year older, we would have had a top 5 defense nationally!
" Matt Rhule, Baylor head coach
It’s hard to imagine this 44-year-old won’t be at the top of their list, since he’s one of the most highly regarded candidates in the league – one who came very close to becoming the Jets head coach last January.
Just look at the job he’s done. He took over a dead Temple program and turned the Owls into a 10-win, bowl-team in just three years. Then, he did the same for a Baylor team that is currently 11-1, ranked eighth in the country, and hoping to squeeze into the college football playoff.
He doesn’t have a lot of NFL experience, but his one year came as the Giants’ assistant offensive line coach under Tom Coughlin. And he left quite an impression."
What he has accomplished at Baylor in just 3 years is nothing short of brilliant. Particularly when you consider his first recruiting class was disastrous. Personally I believe Baylor will be dominant Big 12 program (after OU) for the next several years. High school coaches like Rhule a lot more than they like Herman. They’ll steer hidden gems his way, plus more than a few studs any program would want to recruit. He may not out always recruit Herman on signing day, but he will definitely out coach and out compete Herman more often than not.
Rhule can coach up players like few coaches can. He can take 2 and 3* players and have them playing at 5* level by year 2-3. Heck some of his freshman this year were playing amazingly. Baylor lost their top LB to injury and replaced him with a freshman without missing a beat.
Unless he has some exception for NFL, his contract buyout is something like $70million+. Somebody with deep pockets would really have to want him to pay that. No college program can afford that and I cant imagine many pro teams being willing to dish out that much either.
I don’t think he’s leaving Baylor for a long time. He’s only 44, can coach for another 20 years. If he averages just 8-9 wins a season with regular Big 12 CG appearances say once every 3-4 years, no way Baylor will ever fire him. He has a sweet deal at Baylor, I don’t see him leaving even for more money. He’ll stay and have Baylor playing for conference championship appearances. I bet by time he retires or leaves Baylor, they have more Big 12 CG appearances and possibly championships too than UT, maybe even more playoff (although that’s unlikely) appearances.
Herman used to say he didn’t just have talk, he had testimony. Well, at UT, he has talk and Rhule has the testimony. HS coaches can push one team or the other, but the kids (and their parents) make the decisions on where they will go. Right now, BU has a better product with a better salesman. LTH shot his credibility when he ditched the UH players the way he did. They can see the kisses as a tinhorn ploy.
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Rhule will be the next New York Giant coach count on it. It’s a done deal.
Echoes my thoughts. I think he had terrible luck here—a hurricane, injuries left and right, a big downturn in interest after Herman, fan antipathy because of his alma mater, etc.—and wasn’t as bad as some want to make him out to be, but I also thought he needed to be replaced. I’m not sure who doesn’t think that other than ElvisCoog.
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I think if he does leave it will be for the NFL.
Not really sure how good Baylor is.
The big 12 lately has been OK and the 9 dwarfs.
We will have to see how the big 12 does in competitive bowl games. I think they have 7 bowl teams.
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