At least our coaching staff isn’t going to get poached this off season. As for the rest of the AAC this is what I expect,
Memphis HC, Mike Norvell to Tennessee
SMU HC, Chad Morris to Texas A&M
Tulsa HC, Phillip Montgomery to Arkansas
UCF HC, Scott Frost to Nebraska
If Willie Fritz can win at Tulane, I can see some P5 schools like Kansas come after him. Same for Charlie Strong at USF. If things go to crap at Florida they could reach out to him.
I don’t see these two happening. I think A&M will go bigger on this hire – I don’t have a name but, if they buy out Sumlin after this season, I will be very surprised it is for a sub-.500 coach in the AAC who has not even sniffed a AAC West crown much less a conference championship. I thought Montgomery would be a candidate for A&M but I assume this season has lowered his stock value. If two SEC teams hire away two coaches who cannot win in the AAC, I will be surprised. Frost and Norvell make a lot of sense given their recent success.
Morris should of taken the Baylor job when he was offered it. I think he tries to leave this year, but I’m not sure he’ll end up close by, maybe Kansas if it opens up?
What’s interesting is that Kansas has been recruiting relatively well (for Kansas), and Morris might have some guys transfer with him. Should make it harder for ole lying Tom to win in the big 12. haha
The bright side is that parking will not be a hassle the rest of the season, the beer lines will be short, and it will be easy to do a seat “upgrade” at TDECU for the remaining games.
Speaking of UNT, Graham Harrell is tearing it up as OC there. Wouldn’t mind seeing him here over what we have, but I’m sure Applewhite wouldnt go for it
I do believe Morris ends up at A&M unless A&M finishes 11-2 or if they somehow manage to land Chip Kelly. But I can see Montgomery heading to a Power 5 school with better resources than Tulsa. Arkansas is not too far off and he can recruit Texas and Oklahoma. Arkansas might be the place Montgomery lands if Norvell is offered the Tennessee job.
I tend to agree with this. And it is not like the AAC is in its 2015 form this season. Many questioned the Sumlin hire and he was undefeated in his final year and on the brink of the Sugar Bowl bid. Morris’ SMU teams have not come close to knocking off UH, Memphis and Navy for the West crown.
It may happen but most Aggie supporters will not be thrilled with the hire.
I am saying that I, like many other Coog Fans, are too scarred by the past to have patience for this. In my mind Applewhite was gift-wrapped a winning a program and he’s running it into the ground in half a season. When you collapse in back to back weeks in the 2nd half, that is on the coaches. When both your QBs become turnover machines, that is on the coaches. When you can’t put together 60 minutes, that is on the coaches.
I have been a huge supporter of Applewhite and want him to succeed. But the early indications are pretty dismal.
Houston is not a broken program, but this is how you break it. And the 25,000 plus empty seats per game the rest of the season agree with me.
9 months ago we crushed the heisman trophy winner, now it’s possible we don’t even qualify for a laughable mid-december bowl. That is on the coaches.