Who Do You Want?

[AUEngineer2016 407]

7 minutes ago, meh130 said:

Fair points. Let me ask you this:

Who is the next P.J. Fleck, Justin Fuente, or Jeff Brohm?

Who are the top, young, up and coming, Group of 5 head coaches we could target?

If there are none, if the wave has passed, we have no choice but to either go after a Power 5 head coach, or a Power 5 assistant.

Another one who intrigues me is Joe Moorhead, the OC for Penn State, who was the former HC of Fordham (FCS). He was very successful as an FCS HC, and his offensive philosophy sounds like it would fit our players (Spread Option with heavy RPO emphasis). In other words, what we are supposed to be doing.

I agree on Moorhead, and off the top of my head I would also look at:

• John Grass, Jacksonville State HC
  • 33-6 as JSU's head coach, had the best 26 game start in FCS history (23-3). 23-0 in conference. 
  •  In three years, he has been named both the AFCA’s Region Coach of the Year and the Ohio Valley Conference Roy Kidd Coach of the Year three times and was the AFCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2015
• Scott Frost, UCF HC
  • Took a TERRIBLE 0-12 team to 6-7 in his first year as a HC. Coordinated a huge defensive turnaround (117th in the country to 42nd). Offense scored 28.8 points per game last year.
  • Oregon WR coach from '09 - '12, OC/QB coach from '13 - '15. Oregon's offense never dropped below 6th nationally while he was on staff. Position coach for Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. 2014 Broyles Award winner.
• Phillip Montgomery, Tulsa HC
  • In his first 2 seasons as Tulsa HC, he went 6-7 (2015) and 10-3 (2016). They were both improvements on the 2-10 team he inherited. 
  • Statistically, Tulsa was phenomenal last year. They were among the nation's best total offense (527 YPG, 4th nationally), scoring offense (42.5 PPG, 7th nationally), rushing offense (261.7 YPG, 8th nationally) and passing offense (265.3 YPG, 30th nationally). Their defense also improved, cutting their allowed-PPG by 10 from 2015. 
  • Before taking the Tulsa HC job, Montgomery worked with Art Briles at Baylor and Houston. He was Briles' OC from '05 - '07 in Houston and from '08 - '14 at Baylor. Montgomery won the Broyles Award in 2013. 

All 3 of my options are successful offensive minded head coaches who have shown year-over-year improvement in their programs. They are all successful play-callers and have shown the ability to install an offensive philosophy, build the team around it, and make them successful. Ideally, these coaches would keep the defensive coaching staff intact. 

[DAG 33,955]

8 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

It kind of is the same in many ways for some of those names.  Whoever we bring in here doesn't have to reinvent the wheel.  The cupboard is stocked and it wouldn't take much to be successful early for anyone who takes over.  My point remains though that there are numerous cases of blue blood programs handing the reigns to an unproven guy, yet succeeding.  Heck, look at the NFL now.  The trend is to go away from those with previous head coaching experience and instead look for the young up and comer.  Just wish Auburn would have the foresight to do this once, because we've missed some opportunities with coaches due to this type of thinking.  It still kills me that Kirby could be our coach right now.

1

It is not kind of the same. It is a huge gamble. If it pays off, great, but it doesn't pay off as much as you initially stated. The NFL is irrelevant man, they pay people in the NFL lol. You keep saying numerous but you haven't named numerous cases. How do you know how good Kirby Smart is? He has coached 1 year. 

AU may have to take another up and comer, but I seriously doubt they will be at the top of the board.

[AUTigergrad08 617]

My top 4 in order: 

Chip Kelly 

Josh McDaniels

Lane Kiffin

Dan Mullen

 

I think any 4 of those would be excellent hires.  All proven who know offenses and have tremendous success.  The more I think about it I think Josh McDaniels would be a home run hire.  He can develop QBs and bring some of the NFL nuances to Auburn's offense and that's exactly what Auburn needs.  

[AUIH1 1,515]

I am just not a fan of Mullen.  I feel like other than with Dak, he really hasn't doing anything to be labeled a good coach.  I know it is Miss State, but still...

No to Charlie Strong.  As DAG said, he would be a fool to turn it down, but what has he done to even be offered especially after his Texas flameout.

No to Pruitt - too unstable IMO

Chad Morris is interesting to me.

Venables is interesting to me. But does he want to be a HC?

Aranda is interesting to me.  Same as Venables?

Brohm is interesting

Fuente is interesting

I think the Gary Patterson ship has sailed, same with Petrino.

I don't want Holgorson or Fedora.

A lot of my uga friends seem to think Mike Bobo would be a good catch, but I just can't get enthused. 

I am not sure Fleck would be a good fit.

 

So at this early stage of wishing, my realistic wish list in no particular order is Morris, Venables, Aranda,  Brohm and Fuente. This list will surely change as the season progresses. 

 

wde

[DAG 33,955]

2 minutes ago, AUIH1 said:

I am just not a fan of Mullen.  I feel like other than with Dak, he really hasn't doing anything to be labeled a good coach.  I know it is Miss State, but still...

No to Charlie Strong.  As DAG said, he would be a fool to turn it down, but what has he done to even be offered especially after his Texas flameout.

No to Pruitt - too unstable IMO

Chad Morris is interesting to me.

Venables is interesting to me. But does he want to be a HC?

Aranda is interesting to me.  Same as Venables?

I think the Gary Patterson ship has sailed, same with Petrino.

I don't want Holgorson or Fedora.

A lot of my uga friends seem to think Mike Bobo would be a good catch, but I just can't get enthused. 

I am not sure Fleck would be a good fit.

 

So at this early stage of wishing, my realistic wish list in no particular order is Morris, Venables and Aranda. This list will surely change as the season progresses. 

 

wde

And as I stated earlier in this thread, I could see us hiring Chad...

[AUEngineer2016 407]

19 minutes ago, DAG said:

Charlie Strong couldn't win at Texas with all the money and influence in the world. In the big 12, which is one of the weaker conferences in the power 5 paradigm. So yes, If AU offered Charlie strong, He would be a fool to turn it down, but my question is, why would we offer him? 

He does have a reason. Do you really think if someone like UF offered Dan Mullen a HC position, he would say you know what I have an established base at Starksville, MS..He only can take them so far.

Wilson? Wilson went 6-7 at UTSA last year and previous to that he was mainly a recruiting coordinator and positional coach. Why would AU offer him a position as an HC? It has to be realistic from both sides man.

Like realistically, if Margot Robbie offered to date any of the males on this thread, they would accept, but why would she find that appealing?
 

You're correct, Strong didn't win at Texas. Right now, neither can Herman. Tom Herman is a damn good coach, but if you have enough cooks in the kitchen it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, you won't succeed. 

UF offering Mullen is a much different situation than AU offering. He has history with UF, including a Heisman winner. He has no connection with AU. Oh, and he took State to #1 in the country.  Like it or not, with Ole Miss likely out of the recruiting game for a while, he should own Mississippi recruiting, and he's shown he can do more with less already.

Take a few seconds and look past Wilson's record: He is UTSA's 2nd football coach ever. That 6 win season was the first bowl appearance ever for UTSA, and he followed it up by signing the #1 recruiting class in CUSA. Only 3 of his 7 losses came in-conference, the other 4 came to Colorado State, Arizona State, Texas A&M and New Mexico. The only game of those that I would say he should have won was New Mexico. Also keep in mind that the year before, UTSA went 3-9 (3-5 in conference), with their best win against a terrible Rice team.

• Biggest thing for me with Wilson is his recruiting prowess. Want to build what Bama has built? You can't do it schematically. You have to get top talent, year in and year out. Look at how Dabo has done it at Clemson, since he's been there- he did it by changing the culture of recruiting at Clemson. Currently, they have 2 of the top 3 players overall committed in Trevor Lawrence and Xavier Thomas. Bama has had the #1 recruiting class 7 years in a row. Clemson's last 4 recruiting classes have all been in the top 15, 2 of them were top 10. Ohio State's average ranking over the past 4 years was 5th. Florida State's was 3rd. All of these teams are in the title talk year in and year out. Coincidence?

Look above for a more detailed listing of my top 3 picks (even though I think this whole conversation is a bit premature), but they are (in no order): John Grass, Scott Frost, Phillip Montgomery 

[AUIH1 1,515]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

And as I stated earlier in this thread, I could see us hiring Chad...

I added Brohm and Fuente to my interesting list.

wde

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

It is not kind of the same. It is a huge gamble. If it pays off, great, but it doesn't pay off as much as you initially stated. The NFL is irrelevant man, they pay people in the NFL lol. You keep saying numerous but you haven't named numerous cases. How do you know how good Kirby Smart is? He has coached 1 year. 

AU may have to take another up and comer, but I seriously doubt they will be at the top of the board.

They pay people in the SEC too man.

I named at least eight cases of current (or just retired) coaches and three more that are trending upwards based on early results.  You disagree or have a different vantage point.  Fine.  But those names were never HCs before getting their jobs and all have been successful (three have won national titles).  Handing the reigns to an assistant, even if he's been in the program, is a huge risk because you don't know how they will react in the big job.

Regarding Kirby, look at the discipline his team plays with.  The guy took a true freshman QB on the road to a top 25 team last week, built a smart game-plan playing to his team's strengths, and won.  That's just really good coaching.  When was the last time you saw Gus do that?  Not to mention that his team got better as the season progressed last year.  I fully expect UGA to win the East this season.  Plus, he's one hell of a recruiter.

[AUTigergrad08 617]

9 minutes ago, AUIH1 said:

I am just not a fan of Mullen.  I feel like other than with Dak, he really hasn't doing anything to be labeled a good coach.  I know it is Miss State, but still...

No to Charlie Strong.  As DAG said, he would be a fool to turn it down, but what has he done to even be offered especially after his Texas flameout.

No to Pruitt - too unstable IMO

Chad Morris is interesting to me.

Venables is interesting to me. But does he want to be a HC?

Aranda is interesting to me.  Same as Venables?

Brohm is interesting

Fuente is interesting

I think the Gary Patterson ship has sailed, same with Petrino.

I don't want Holgorson or Fedora.

A lot of my uga friends seem to think Mike Bobo would be a good catch, but I just can't get enthused. 

I am not sure Fleck would be a good fit.

 

So at this early stage of wishing, my realistic wish list in no particular order is Morris, Venables, Aranda,  Brohm and Fuente. This list will surely change as the season progresses. 

 

wde

Mullen has done something no one else has able to do.  And that's field not only a respectable offense at Miss State but win there.  His offenses are very good, that's something Auburn desperately needs.

[AUTigergrad08 617]

3 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

They pay people in the SEC too man.

I named at least eight cases of current (or just retired) coaches and three more that are trending upwards based on early results.  You disagree or have a different vantage point.  Fine.  But those names were never HCs before getting their jobs and all have been successful (three have won national titles).  Handing the reigns to an assistant, even if he's been in the program, is a huge risk because you don't know how they will react in the big job.

Regarding Kirby, look at the discipline his team plays with.  The guy took a true freshman QB on the road to a top 25 team last week, built a smart game-plan playing to his team's strengths, and won.  That's just really good coaching.  When was the last time you saw Gus do that?  Not to mention that his team got better as the season progressed last year.  I fully expect UGA to win the East this season.  Plus, he's one hell of a recruiter.

And he's got a chip on his shoulder for Auburn not hiring him when he interviewed.  Not good for Auburn to have to face him every year.

[meh130 1,043]

46 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Just off the top of my head:

Dabo Swinney

Bob Stoops

David Shaw

Jimbo Fisher

Gary Patterson

Dan Mullen (does a ton with a less than desirable situation)

Mike Gundy (current top 10 ranking, favorite to win Big 12 this year)

Dana Holgerson (not my favorite, but has two 10 win seasons under his belt at WVU)

 

Not to mention that Kirby Smart, Clay Helton and Lincoln Riley are off to good starts.  Riley specifically showed more creativity last week than Gus has in 2 years.

Last year the fans were asking for Clay Helton's head after his 1-3 start in 2016 followed his 5-4 start as the interim HC in 2015. He recovered as the 2016 season went on.

Also, Swinney cratered in year three with a losing season. He adjusted and recovered.

Track records matter. You cannot tell anything by one season, or two, or even three. Helton went from one foot out the door last October to where he is now. Swinney went from the next Tommy Bowden in 2010 to the next Nick Saban in 2015.

Then there is cost. Many Power 5 coaches are unaffordable. Patterson makes $4.7M and has a $3.8M buyout. Mullen makes $4.5M with an unknown buyout. Gundy makes $4.2M with a 3M buyout. Justin Fuente makes $3.25M but has a $5M buyout. Even Major Applewhite, who only makes $1.5M, has a $6M buyout (Houston got tired of coaches leaving after a season or two).

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

2 minutes ago, AUEngineer2016 said:

You're correct, Strong didn't win at Texas. Right now, neither can Herman. Tom Herman is a damn good coach, but if you have enough cooks in the kitchen it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, you won't succeed. 

The problems at Texas are many.  I live 20 minutes from campus.  Here's a few:

1) Mack Brown left the program in a terrible spot.  Charlie Strong had to completely revamp everything, including discipline, and that killed his chances for a few years.  Texas players were some of the softest you'll ever see when Brown was let go.

2) Texas high school coaches struggle at teaching defense.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, here plays the spread.  Fundamentals are lacking, and considering that Texas primarily recruits the state, they will continue to struggle with stopping teams.  This is a big reason why Strong tried to recruit Florida more, because he knew he needed big, fast defensive lineman who could be disruptive.  Honestly, he wasn't given enough time to really implement the changes needed because people weren't realistically looking at the overall state of the program.

3) The expectations at Texas are unrealistic.  This goes back to point #2.  Folks here believe that their high school football is by far and away the best, when it's really lacking defensively.  Also, Texas coaches are expected to recruit Texas, not nationally like other programs do.

4) The Big 12 is a pretty average conference and doesn't attract a lot of top recruits.  Oklahoma is not a recruiting juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination.  But don't tell UT people that their beloved conference is lame.

[DAG 33,955]

Just now, AUEngineer2016 said:

You're correct, Strong didn't win at Texas. Right now, neither can Herman. Tom Herman is a damn good coach, but if you have enough cooks in the kitchen it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, you won't succeed. 

UF offering Mullen is a much different situation than AU offering. He has history with UF, including a Heisman winner. He has no connection with AU. Oh, and he took State to #1 in the country.  Like it or not, with Ole Miss likely out of the recruiting game for a while, he should own Mississippi recruiting, and he's shown he can do more with less already.

Take a few seconds and look past Wilson's record: He is UTSA's 2nd football coach ever. That 6 win season was the first bowl appearance ever for UTSA, and he followed it up by signing the #1 recruiting class in CUSA. Only 3 of his 7 losses came in-conference, the other 4 came to Colorado State, Arizona State, Texas A&M and New Mexico. The only game of those that I would say he should have won was New Mexico. Also keep in mind that the year before, UTSA went 3-9 (3-5 in conference), with their best win against a terrible Rice team.

 

I know UF is different than AU. My point is Missippi State is a stepping stone job. Yes, He took them to #1 in the country and then they flamed out and became forgotten once Dak left. So, if he can do more with less, Why in God's name would he reject a school who is full of talent? Think about that for a second. CGM has completely gone bonkers and yet we are still ranked in the top 15 in the country. We still get top 15 recruiting classes. Again, with a coach who seems to be unhinged. Why would Dan not even listen to the option? I am not even saying he will come here, but to think he would reject it because he has a solidify base in Starkville is not accurate in my eyes. Ole miss.

Tom Herman has coached 2 games at UT. Way too early to even write him off or on.

Listen, The site will crash if AU hired Frank Wilson as their HC. I applaud you promoting him.

[DAG 33,955]

28 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

They pay people in the SEC too man.

I named at least eight cases of current (or just retired) coaches and three more that are trending upwards based on early results.  You disagree or have a different vantage point.  Fine.  But those names were never HCs before getting their jobs and all have been successful (three have won national titles).  Handing the reigns to an assistant, even if he's been in the program, is a huge risk because you don't know how they will react in the big job.

Regarding Kirby, look at the discipline his team plays with.  The guy took a true freshman QB on the road to a top 25 team last week, built a smart game-plan playing to his team's strengths, and won.  That's just really good coaching.  When was the last time you saw Gus do that?  Not to mention that his team got better as the season progressed last year.  I fully expect UGA to win the East this season.  Plus, he's one hell of a recruiter.

What I meant by the NFL comment was the players get Paid. Come on keep up. You can't compare those two landscapes. Each team is essentially on equal footing. Coaching at AU is not the same as coaching at OU. I saw Gus take a CB, make him to a QB and lead us to the NC GAME. Now, you tell me when Kirby Smart does that. Four of those successful coaches I agreed with, but four coaches is not a numerous amount. Trending upwards does not mean you are great. Yeah they have won three, now you want to compare how many NCs were won by coaches who had some sort of HC experience previously? But like I said you like Kirby smart and Venables have at it, but to say it is flawed to prefer someone with HC experience is an inaccurate premise at best.

[meh130 1,043]

14 minutes ago, AUIH1 said:

I am just not a fan of Mullen.  I feel like other than with Dak, he really hasn't doing anything to be labeled a good coach.  I know it is Miss State, but still...

No to Charlie Strong.  As DAG said, he would be a fool to turn it down, but what has he done to even be offered especially after his Texas flameout.

No to Pruitt - too unstable IMO

Chad Morris is interesting to me.

Venables is interesting to me. But does he want to be a HC?

Aranda is interesting to me.  Same as Venables?

Brohm is interesting

Fuente is interesting

I think the Gary Patterson ship has sailed, same with Petrino.

I don't want Holgorson or Fedora.

A lot of my uga friends seem to think Mike Bobo would be a good catch, but I just can't get enthused. 

I am not sure Fleck would be a good fit.

 

So at this early stage of wishing, my realistic wish list in no particular order is Morris, Venables, Aranda,  Brohm and Fuente. This list will surely change as the season progresses. 

 

wde

Mullen has been too close to alleged or actual payments to players. I do not want him at AU. It would be Terry Bowden type rumors all over.

Remember Strong cleaned house at Texas. There were significant problems in that program. He got rid of a lot of players. He also recruited well. I think he inherited a bad situation and did the best he could do with it. Granted, by year three he should have done better.

There is a reason Pruitt's old boss Kirby Smart told Pruitt to hit the road.

Chad Morris has a 35% winning percentage so far, so that will likely raise some concerns.

Venables and Aranda are going to be hot prospects by the end of this year.

Brohm and Fuente will be expensive.

[bigbird 60,368]

15 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

The problems at Texas are many.  I live 20 minutes from campus.  Here's a few:

1) Mack Brown left the program in a terrible spot.  Charlie Strong had to completely revamp everything, including discipline, and that killed his chances for a few years.  Texas players were some of the softest you'll ever see when Brown was let go.

2) Texas high school coaches struggle at teaching defense.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, here plays the spread.  Fundamentals are lacking, and considering that Texas primarily recruits the state, they will continue to struggle with stopping teams.  This is a big reason why Strong tried to recruit Florida more, because he knew he needed big, fast defensive lineman who could be disruptive.  Honestly, he wasn't given enough time to really implement the changes needed because people weren't realistically looking at the overall state of the program.

3) The expectations at Texas are unrealistic.  This goes back to point #2.  Folks here believe that their high school football is by far and away the best, when it's really lacking defensively.  Also, Texas coaches are expected to recruit Texas, not nationally like other programs do.

4) The Big 12 is a pretty average conference and doesn't attract a lot of top recruits.  Oklahoma is not a recruiting juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination.  But don't tell UT people that their beloved conference is lame.

Agree with all but #2...but I'm pretty biased.  There are some stout defenses around here.  In fact, Katy 2 years ago(2015), when they won State, had the most dominant defense I've ever seen in HS. Unreal stats. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.footballstudyhall.com/platform/amp/2016/3/21/11264258/the-best-texas-high-school-defense-in-history-Katy-Tigers

https://www.google.com/amp/www.maxpreps.com/m/article_amp.aspx%3farticleid=1e8d8ab3-b682-4c82-939c-132ed1941b90

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

5 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Agree with all but #2...but I'm pretty biased.  There are some stout defenses around here.  In fact, Katy 2 years ago(2015), when they won State, had the most dominant defense I've ever seen in HS. Unreal stats. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.footballstudyhall.com/platform/amp/2016/3/21/11264258/the-best-texas-high-school-defense-in-history-Katy-Tigers

https://www.google.com/amp/www.maxpreps.com/m/article_amp.aspx%3farticleid=1e8d8ab3-b682-4c82-939c-132ed1941b90

Fair enough.  I'm more basing my comment on what I see broadcasting games every week.  I see a multitude of teams (never do the same team twice in a season), so the overall perception I have is that the defenses are lacking for the most part.

[bigbird 60,368]

3 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Fair enough.  I'm more basing my comment on what I see broadcasting games every week.  I see a multitude of teams (never do the same team twice in a season), so the overall perception I have is that the defenses are lacking for the most part.

There are a lot more 42-35 games now compare to the 17-10 games that used to dominate Friday nights, that's for sure. I think that is more due to some rule changes and offensive schemes that equalize some talent gaps. That said, the defensive coaching around is still some of the best.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

22 minutes ago, DAG said:

What I meant by the NFL comment was the players get Paid. Come on keep up. You can't compare those two landscapes. Each team is essentially on equal footing. Coaching at AU is not the same as coaching at OU. I saw Gus take a CB, make him to a QB and lead us to the NC GAME. Now, you tell me when Kirby Smart does that. Four of those successful coaches I agreed with, but four coaches is not a numerous amount. Trending upwards does not mean you are great. Yeah they have won three, now you want to compare how many NCs were won by coaches who had some sort of HC experience previously? But like I said you like Kirby smart and Venables have at it, but to say it is flawed to prefer someone with HC experience is an inaccurate premise at best.

I know what you meant by players getting paid.  That's why I said they get paid in the SEC too.  You didn't pick up what I was putting down.

Kirby's a good enough coach to not need to take a CB to play QB.  He'll just use an actual QB (as much as I love Nick Marshall).

And I never said it's flawed to prefer someone with HC experience.  I said it's flawed to make it a requirement.  In fact, the exact quote was "the best coach isn't necessarily a current HC."

[War Knight 514]

My vote is for Tom Herman. He can, at the very least, develop a quarterback.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

3 minutes ago, bigbird said:

There are a lot more 42-35 games now compare to the 17-10 games that used to dominate Friday nights, that's for sure. I think that is more due to some rule changes and offensive schemes that equalize some talent gaps. That said, the defensive coaching around is still some of the best.

I'll take your view over mine any day with regards to the coaching.  You're way more qualified

[metafour 4,958]

Just now, War Knight said:

My vote is for Tom Herman. He can, at the very least, develop a quarterback.

 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 minute ago, War Knight said:

My vote is for Tom Herman. He can, at the very least, develop a quarterback.

You don't leave Texas voluntarily unless you're retiring after 20 years.  Also, we could never win a money war with UT.

[wde1968 262]

You said anyone. Bill Belicheck. Seriously though IDC who it is as long as i don't have to see another sugar huddle lose 5 yardson 3rd and 1.

[DAG 33,955]

11 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

I know what you meant by players getting paid.  That's why I said they get paid in the SEC too.  You didn't pick up what I was putting down.

Kirby's a good enough coach to not need to take a CB to play QB.  He'll just use and actual QB (as much as I love Nick Marshall).

And I never said it's flawed to prefer someone with HC experience.  I said it's flawed to make it a requirement.  In fact, the exact quote was "the best coach isn't necessarily a current HC."

1

Actually, you said this is flawed thinking. No distinction being made. That was the exact quote. That is why you don't take one sentence and run with it, presumably thinking I am applying it as all or none. The example of Wilson being made as only having two years of HC experience was pointed out because he has marginal to none coordinator experience as well. He is very green, period. 

 

On September 12, 2017 at 4:49 PM, DAG said:

I think what we will have to realize as auburn fans is chances are we will have to bring in a veteran coordinator as a HC . I do not foresee us paying an exuberant amount of money for a veteran HC. I can also see them trying to keep it safe and consistent with KS as a head coach 

This is actually where I stand in this whole debate. 

Come on man. The NFL-SEC is a silly comment and comparison. Same thing with Kirby Smart with Gus Malzhan.