2021 Coaching Carousel

[Xmas32]

Gary Patterson's leaving sooner, rather than end-of-season, seems to be a good strategic move (for him) if he is looking at another position somewhere else. If he is already talking with another A.D. (or three) it seems to also free those A.D.s to make a firing before the season ends. It seems to me that if we don't want to completely blow a recruiting class, it would be helpful to have our next staff in place sooner, rather than later. Nobody is going to want to commit to a staff that (odds are) isn't going to be there next year. I also wonder if Patterson would be taking any assistants with him to his new destination?

Which leads to another question in my mind: Are there any current assistants who would stay and remain an asset to a new incoming HC?

I think Patterson is done personally.  He's 61 and has been in the game for a lot of years.  I could see him taking a year or two to crank out country music albums (I'm serious) and then maybe he comes back.  I could also see him riding off into the sunset.

Dan Mullen's tenure at Florida may be coming to an end.

*Crosses fingers**

 

[Jeremy]

The ONLY way the fan base would be OK with this is if there's major changes in the program with assistants...etc.  If Frost is retained, the fan base needs to be given something major that the program can hang it's hat on that would show the fan base...a) we don't like where we are at...and b) we are willing to do XYZ to get better.

Just telling the fan base that everything is fine...trust us....isn't going to cut it.

I can agree with that. Sounds like Austin and Verduzco would be on the chopping block in that case; anyone else...maybe Held? 

I have to wonder, though, if that's just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. What assistants could even come here and improve things, Bo Pelini-style?

 

[cheekygeek]

When Sipple becomes critical (he was yesterday) then you can assume that the seat is much warmer than you think. I have always viewed Sipple as the mouthpiece of the Athletic Department. Once he starts to get critical and talk of "the end" well that usually means he was given the greenlight to do so. 

Yes, yesterday's column included this bit: "I definitely know it got the attention of other people in leadership positions when the embattled Nebraska coach told reporters, "A team shouldn't need the head coach to motivate them all the time."

Interesting turn of phrase. 

 

[BigRedBuster]

I can agree with that. Sounds like Austin and Verduzco would be on the chopping block in that case; anyone else...maybe Held? 

I have to wonder, though, if that's just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. What assistants could even come here and improve things, Bo Pelini-style?

I don't know enough about various assistants around the country to even guess who they might be.  But, the coaching world is weird.  They are used to moving every year or two.  If you are going to keep Frost, force him to make major changes to the offensive side and ST.  Throw a ton of money at the best you can get and see what happens.

A new offensive staff might reinvigorate recruiting and the ability to get some good transfers.

 

[TGHusker]

Here is what concerns me if he is retained 1 more year or 10.....

When talking about 1 score games:

It(NU) has had an opportunity to drive to tie or win a game in the last four minutes 16 times under Frost and gone scoreless on 15 possessions. 

https://hailvarsity.com/football/nebraska-scott-frost-are-running-out-of-time-to-find-the-answer/

Some realism here:

But Nebraska is 0-8 under Frost against the remaining teams on its schedule. It has never won three straight games at any point under Frost and endured three-game losing streaks three different times. Probabilistically, the most likely scenario now might be that Nebraska loses out and drops to 3-9, what would be the program’s worst season since 1957.

With a recruiting class that currently ranks last in the Big Ten and 77th nationally, an uphill battle trying to recruit on the heels of five straight losing season, and the impending departure of quite literally one of the most experienced defenses Nebraska will ever have, is there a better time to cut ties and start over? If you require the head man make wholesale changes to the staff, do you trust his ability to identify the right pieces to add or his ability to convince them to come aboard?

 and here

NU ran 27 plays. Yant is averaging 7.4 yards per rush attempt this year, nearly 3 yards more than any other back. Johnson has come on strong, but is it not possible to find opportunities for both? Nebraska wasn’t in a position where it had to abandon the run, especially not with a halftime lead against an average run defense.  

This isn’t the first time Yant has been planted on the sideline for a mistake, and he’s not the only one in that position. What keeps Zavier Betts off the field? What keeps Alante Brown off the field? What happened to Oliver Martin? Some players can play with no fear of failure. Others, it seems, cannot.

Martin—one of two Husker receivers with a 100-yard receiving game this season—has five catches in the last four games. Samori Touré didn’t get his first catch Saturday until the game’s final six minutes after just one catch against Minnesota. Take away Yant’s 100-yard game against Northwestern and he has 21 total touches in the other eight. Stepp has 15 total touches since his 100-yard performance against Fordham. Betts’ 19 yards per touch this season is the best clip among Huskers with at least five touches; eight skill guys have more touches on offense than he does. 

If guys are hurt to the point they’re unavailable, it would benefit Frost to be more forthcoming. In lieu of that, it looks like they’re just not being put on the field. Perhaps that’s a misrepresentation of the situation, but it’s one Frost could easily fix. If it is about consistency, then there are different standards different players are being held to.

and here:

But Frost’s unwillingness to engage in that discussion is also becoming a talking point. Not because he should, but because he has voluntarily painted himself into a corner. Nebraska doesn’t have an experienced quarterback to back up Martinez because Frost decided against adding one. And players who have proven capable of making plays are unable to stay on the field and watching other guys (not just the quarterback, to be clear) make mistakes to no consequences. Sometimes players don’t care about the context.

and here

Scott Frost will have been fired 37 times over by the time you read this. Those preaching patience even up until Saturday seemed to feel like a 28-23 loss to Purdue was the beginning of the end. It remains to be seen what Husker Athletic Director Trev Alberts thinks. What we do know is Frost will get a chance, at the bare minimum, to coach out his team’s final three games. Maybe Nebraska catches fire. Maybe this all gets worse. If Alberts is still asking questions, it’s not a good sign that Frost seems out of answers. 

“There (are) no new answers,” the Husker coach said after the game. “We’ll look for them. We’re always looking for more ways to get better.”

 

[Jason Sitoke]

When Sipple becomes critical (he was yesterday) then you can assume that the seat is much warmer than you think. I have always viewed Sipple as the mouthpiece of the Athletic Department. Once he starts to get critical and talk of "the end" well that usually means he was given the greenlight to do so. 

I agree that Sipple is a stooge, but not because he's being directed by the AD (but maybe I'm wrong).  I just think he's a bad writer that lacks courage to be objective.  He writes negative stories only when things are so obviously bad.  Right now would qualify.

 

[Savage Husker]

What does Frost need that he doesn't already have? Just curious.

Not sure, it’s simply speculation as to maybe why Alberts would keep him - maybe he is fixing the athletic department who surprisingly forced an old AD into retirement

The author may have been eluding to yet another contract extension or perhaps a raise in salary.  A 3-9 finish demonstrates real progress after 4 years.  As we all know, we are so close....

Hey look at me, I have a keyboard!

-All Hail Herbie. 

 

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

In my opinion, if Frost is retained it would be for one reason and one reason only: none of the guys on Trev’s short list were interested.

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

I agree that Sipple is a stooge, but not because he's being directed by the AD (but maybe I'm wrong).  I just think he's a bad writer that lacks courage to be objective.  He writes negative stories only when things are so obviously bad.  Right now would qualify.

Sipple is terrified of losing his access. I can promise you that. He only starts to get critical of a HC when those high enough up the totem pole say hey Sip go ahead and get critical the tides have turned. 

 

[Jason Sitoke]

Sipple is terrified of losing his access. I can promise you that. He only starts to get critical of a HC when those high enough up the totem pole say hey Sip go ahead and get critical the tides have turned. 

I guess I agree with that.  Would hate to lose his ability to get behind closed doors and ask all those hard hitting questions he's always armed with.

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

I guess I agree with that.  Would hate to lose his ability to get behind closed doors and ask all those hard hitting questions he's always armed with.

Sipple likes being a lap dog. If he isn't toeing the athletic departments line he then has to fall back on his quality of writing. Which we both know is below average. 

 

[HuskerNation1]

In my opinion, if Frost is retained it would be for one reason and one reason only: none of the guys on Trev’s short list were interested.

That could be true but I am hoping his short list is not too short in that case.  We need a proven winner to lead this program.  Here is a summary of our last 4 hires:

• Callahan-Was 15-17 as a head coach for 2 years at Oakland before Nebraska hired him
  
• Pelini-He was not a proven head coach but we lucked out with the W/L record.  He struggled with some CEO qualities needed to lead the Nebraska program. 
  
• Riley-He was a proven .500 coach and that is what we got. He was not a proven winner
  
• Frost-Had one losing season and one winning season which was not enough to say he had proven himself as a HC and we are now seeing the results of that risk
  

I think there are a handful of proven winners at the non-P5 level that would take this job if the top names say no or are not ready to make a move.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

In my opinion, if Frost is retained it would be for one reason and one reason only: none of the guys on Trev’s short list were interested.

If Trev doesn't fire Frost, I will be extremely frustrated.  First step in replacing an underperforming coach is to FIRE that coach.  This is not like where NU is looking at replacing a fairly successful coach like Solich or Bo.

 

[FrantzHardySwag]

If Trev doesn't fire Frost, I will be extremely frustrated.  First step in replacing an underperforming coach is to FIRE that coach.  This is not like where NU is looking at replacing a fairly successful coach like Solich or Bo.

If we lose 2-3 more games, IDK how they could even possibly justify keeping him. 2-8 or 1-9 against power 5 schools is an auto-firing at Nebraska. 

 

[HuskerNation1]

If Trev doesn't fire Frost, I will be extremely frustrated.  First step in replacing an underperforming coach is to FIRE that coach.  This is not like where NU is looking at replacing a fairly successful coach like Solich or Bo.

I agree.  It's laughable that some fans think Frost should be given a chance to make staffing changes as justification to get a 5th year. Do they not realize Frost has had the ability to make staffing changes all along and chose not to?  This staff and these players are all what he built.  Moos did not pick the staff for him nor did he pick the players.