http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--fbc-the-best-coaching-staffs-in-coll...
No real surprises for me, expect for maybe Mack Brown/Texas being relatively high considering the last two seasons. It was interesting that they chose to give Everett Withers top billing rather than Luke Fickell, who is supposedly the one calling the defensive plays next year, right?
Thoughts?
got a problem with oregon and texas ahead of us. Really like Va Tech as a team and cheer for them when not watching my Buckeyes, but i don't know about their spotting.
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
trying not to be a homer..but...ya know
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
As much as it pains me to say it, I am actually kinda surprised Michigan didn't make this list. I know they've only been together one season (but OSU hasn't even played a game under the new regime and they're listed) but the trio of Hoke, Borges, and Mattison is a good group.
I'm a sucker for pointless lists like this, so here are a few of my thoughts.
First,I think Oregon, Va Tech, and Texas are all over-rated at 2,3,4 respectively. Mack Brown has been doing less with more for years now, and Beamer ball doesn't seem to do much beyond chew through that soft cookie of the ACC each year. I also think that it's strange that Les Miles doesn't get more respect for what he and his staff have done there. Saban might have brought LSU up to the national elite, but it's Les Miles that has kept them there. I get that he makes some strange decisions, and that he chews grass, but he also gets results. Finally, I'd say six is about right for the OSU staff as a group for right now, but by the end of the season I expect there will be a lot of buzz around Herman. If Urban can hold onto this group for a couple seasons their national reputation will only grow.
Oh, and where is Hoke and his gang? Somewhere behind Dantonio's group I guess.
My guess with VA Tech being up so high is because of their consistency more than anything else. Frank Beamer and Bud Foster (DC) have both been there for quite a while. Foster is viewed as one of the best defensive coordinators in the country.
@Tenn
That's exactly why I had no problem with Va Tech being on this list. I have nothing, but the utmost respect for Beamer and Bud Foster. I've never seen that staff put a subpar team on the field in the past 10+ years, which is amazing even if it is the ACC.
I think the reason Hoke and co. missed the list is because out of those three only Mattison has had a lot of success being coordinator or higher in a Big Six conference. You could definitely make the case for Hoke seeing as he's won COY in the MAC, MWC and B1G, but personally I want to see him suceed consistently in the B1G before I pass any judgement on him.
@ Tenn
I'm not sure consistency is really indicitive of a great overall staff. Under Tress we were the definition of a consistent program, but look at how that staff was maligned. While there were some good young coaches over the years, I don't think anyone would consider Bollman, et al a top coaching staff. Then again I can see the reasoning because they (VA Tech) have at least have shown something that their current position unlike our staff and what Texas has shown since their turn over.
Mack Brown is a tremendous coach. His 10 year run at North Carolina.. to what he has done at Texas is top 5 stuff.
Mack Brown is a terrible coach. Texas should be challenging for the title every year with the talent he gets. Young and McCoy made those teams he had in the past. Dude hasn't done anything with the past few Top 3 classes he has brought in. Harsin has flopped since he left Boise. Also VaTech is perennially overrated, once they play outside the ACC they get their ass kicked every year.
@Scarletina
I respect Beamer and Foster at VaTech, as well. But after watching them (Beamer, moreso) giftwrap the Sugar Bowl for us (thank you), that is slightly diminished.
I can care less about these stupid Yahoo lists...they've put out some winners, here lately, mind you. Al Borges has had quite a bit of success in major conferences, most noteably Auburn during their 13(14)-0 season when they did not get a chance to play for the title.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
In recent memory, Va. Tech. lost (at home) to FCS James Madison, twice to Clemson last year (by a combined score of 62-13), then the gift-wrapped Sugar Bowl. That's consistency? Bud Foster (and their D) is usually solid, but their offiense is woeful. Any team that loses at home to an FCS team is lacking somewhere in coaching. Losing at home to an FCS team is just unthinkable. Oh wait, it's also really funny (if you're stoned, that is- allegedly)
WB
Mack Brown is not terrible. To me he represents Texas very well and has gotten them to 2 BCS NC games, winning 1. 3-1 in BCS games and 141-39 record at Texas.
He went 69-46-1 at North Carolina, despite having to turn around the program. His first 3 years there the team went 8-24-1. So he finished an amazing (for UNC that is) 61-22. He took them to 5 straight Bowl games.
Sorry, JohnBlair, I gotta agree with 'Ahh Sat' and 'William' on the Mack Brown question. He is a good manager, recruiter, and leader of the program but he is not very good with player development and X's and O's. He is nothing without his coordinators; as they go, so goes the team. Mack Brown is the most overrated big-time coach in America in my opinion. We used to sarcastically tell Mack to "keep winning those recruiting national championships" before VY finally actually won him one.
@ATX, Thad Matta gets a lot of that exact same criticism (only good at recruiting, horrible at X's and O's). You buy it in his case?
When told OSU set school record for 50+ games this year, UFM said "That's good. We're gonna break that next year."
That's a good point, OSUBIAS. I hadn't really thought about that. I haven't heard of it in the case of Matta as much as I have about Mack, but maybe that is because I'm down in Austin. However, I think the X's and O's for CBB are less complex and Matta probably knows his chit. Mack sometimes comes across as quasi-senile. Great guy on a personal level, but not the person I would want coaching my beloved Buckeyes.
Yeah I have some fanatical CBB fans as friends (I'm a CFB man primarily), and whenever we talk about OSU they just rip Thad to shreds. In one sense, I can sort of see it. I mean, it's not like our offense is that complicated or anything. And he does bring in a top-5 or top-10 class every year and has zero national championships to show for it (2 Final Fours ain't too shabby, IMO). I think Mack Brown has been doing less with more for longer at Texas, but I always come back to the question of what makes a great college coach. Recruiting top talent has to be half the battle, doesn't it? Or something close to half. So if you're an elite recruiter and a mediocre X's and O's coach and talent developer, maybe that still makes you an above average coach. You can be the best X's and O's guy on earth, but with crappy recruiting you max out at being an average coach, at best, because at some level you can't outcoach a huge talent gap.
I see those talents (recruiting and X's and O's) going hand in hand, and throwing one out to determine who is a "better coach" just seems like it is looking at an incomplete picture.
I freely admit I don't follow Mack Brown that much. I just know that they have great recruiting classes year in and year out, they are generally good but tend to underachieve in the view of the CFB world.
When told OSU set school record for 50+ games this year, UFM said "That's good. We're gonna break that next year."
i completely disagree with osu being 6 on this list... meyer with 4 random guys is top 5..... this is not mentioning the rest of the staff.... the mariottis pantonis coombs drayton.... very disappointed with that article... as a bball coach myself (at a far lower level) getting it done is what matters... buckeye fans that get mad at thad are ridiculous bcuz where was the program before? how many final fours has tosu been to? thad isnt the best x's and o's guy but neither is calipari.... as far as college bball coaches, that get the most out of the least its hard to argue with shaka smart, brad stevens, and mark few imo
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
Thad Matta is in fact not horrible at Xs and Os. You don't have the significant success he has had in one of the toughest leagues in America (and 2 Final Fours) and be a bad game coach. Matta has had to deal with having young immature players every year because he has a whole new team every time he turns around with players leaving early. When he actually had a team that was a core group that stuck together for multiple years we saw how dominant that team was (Diebler, Lighty, Buford, Lauderdale, etc). I think Matta does a tremendous job considering he has to start over seemingly every year with a new core of guys, talent, personalities, etc. Aside from that...it's not like Matta has sub 500 years sprinkled in with all of his success like Mack Brown does even though Mack Brown brings in hands down one of the top 1, 2, or 3 classes EVERY year. Thad's had a top 3 recruiting class twice I think. Not an accurate comparison at all in my opinion.
Besides...how great of a recruiter is Mack Brown anyway? He is the head coach at Texas. In that state I could put together great recruiting classes. He's in far and away the most fertile recruiting ground in the country.
All valid points. I agree that Thad is a pretty great coach to have. And maybe I am a little too hard on Mack, but he does seem to take 5 star recruits and turn them into 2 or 3 star players. In any event, I would take Thad over Rick Barnes any day. Rick has 1, maybe 2 years of mediocrity left before the fans run him out of town. No one has put more players in the NBA and done so little with the talent while at Texas (Kevin Durant, DJ Augustin, TJ Ford, LaMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, Tristan Thompson, Royal Ivey, Chris Mihm, and several less notable guys.). One lousy Final Four in all his time at Texas. Talk about an underacheiver.
ive said for yrs i have no idea how barnes has a job. i always figd it was recruiting. but like others said who couldnt recruit at texas?
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
Wow, ATXBUCK. Evan Turner would disagree. I don't completely disagree with you though. My contention would be he's trying to get 18yr old kids to play like 5-stars, with mixed success. Conley- yes; Oden- when he played, yes; mullens- headcase; sully- yes
WB
List are pretty pointless but just because you get a couple top recruiting classes does not transfer to wins. Mack Brown has won a lot in college football he deserves to be mentioned with a lot of these coaches and programs. List are always biased and skewed to whomever makes them.
Michigan Sucks!
imo top recruits do lead to wins... if you dont have the horses to run the race.... well then u cant compete in the race. sometimes special talents dont get noticed, but make no mistake, 98% of college coaches win last yrs national championship with kentuckys team
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
I hear and to me basketball is different but same can be said about the UK team with wall and cousins and them those were five first rounders and ousted by a way less talented WVU team, not sure what the correlation is between number one recruiting football classes and NC im sure they are usually in the top ten or fifteen. I guess im saying that i dont think mack brown is in there just strictly on top recruits.
Michigan Sucks!
I've found one other thing I agree with Hail on...these types of lists (especially from Yahoo).
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987