HC Candidate/Rumors/Info Thread

Techster

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I also think with the recent conference scheduling (wake and UL as permanents??) and now the possibility of unbalanced payouts, that’s basically asking us to leave. We’ve never felt like a priority to ACC so if there’s another option, why shouldn’t we take it, especially now.

GT is more important to the ACC than they want to admit. It's the school in the largest market in the South (unless you count FL as one giant market...which makes FL 3rd largest overall), with the largest alumni base of ACC and SEC schools. If GT leaves, that's a HUGE hole in the ACC's map, and it would help the B1G cast a large shadow over the ACC, much like the SEC does now. The ACC media contract also looks a lot different if Atlanta market isn't part of the equation.

GT did not leverage their importance to the ACC at all when the ACC talked GT into not leaving for the B1G. Remember the odd/even year scheduling imbalance? That could have easily have been remedied had GT used any leverage at the time.
 

Techster

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Did he give any insight into who we might be going after?

It's not something I would ask, nor would he tell me. We're more "business friends" than anything, and GT and our industries are the common bond. Before Collins was hired, all he said was the new coach had ties to a former GT coach.

The one thing he did say to me in our last conversation is how impressed he's been with how Cabrera has dealt with firing Collins/Stansbury and how the search for Batt went. Cabrera is different from other GT ADs. He was shocked Stansbury was let go, but he understood...he told me over the summer Collins had a steep hill to climb to keep his job, but he thought Stansbury was safe. Then Stansbury was fired. He's not involved in any of that, and he's far from being an "activist donor". He just loves GT and does everything he can for Ma Tech. He gets information from other donors, and he'll never betray their confidence and tell me (or anyone) any specific names or what specifically GT is doing. I would never ask him anyhow.
 

bikeseat

GT Athlete
Messages
301
It's not something I would ask, nor would he tell me. We're more "business friends" than anything, and GT and our industries are the common bond. Before Collins was hired, all he said was the new coach had ties to a former GT coach.

The one thing he did say to me in our last conversation is how impressed he's been with how Cabrera has dealt with firing Collins/Stansbury and how the search for Batt went. Cabrera is different from other GT ADs. He was shocked Stansbury was let go, but he understood...he told me over the summer Collins had a steep hill to climb to keep his job, but he thought Stansbury was safe. Then Stansbury was fired. He's not involved in any of that, and he's far from being an "activist donor". He just loves GT and does everything he can for Ma Tech. He gets information from other donors, and he'll never betray their confidence and tell me (or anyone) any specific names or what specifically GT is doing. I would never ask him anyhow.

Not to be rude, but how was this guy shocked Stansbury was fired?
 

JacketFan137

Banned
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2,536
does anyone have any insight on a timeline? i feel like we should try to get a head coach lined up before december to give us a shot at some early signing guys.
 

Techster

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18,235
Not to be rude, but how was this guy shocked Stansbury was fired?

He was not shocked when it happened. When we specifically talked about Stansbury over the summer he thought Stansbury was safe...if you go back to my posts about Stansbury's job security, I was pretty much relaying what he told me. I guess I worded that part poorly.

He's not intimately involved with GTAA like a select few donors are, but he does get information from them. Sometimes those donors are wrong as well. Like I said, he said Cabrera is different...he likes to keep things close to the vest with a few trusted people involved. That's why a lot of rumors of ADs were completely wrong, and names of coaches attached to GT should be taken with a grain of salt. We probably won't know about our coach until things are finalized.
 

Oldgoldandwhite

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5,761
Prime isn’t a fit at Auburn and he knows that. Tech is going to get out of the ACC soon, just know that. The NIL piece is going to be fixed from what I’ve heard from the people I know at Tech. I mean heck, they got Jeff Sims a huge NIL deal worth 6 figures this past off season just to get him to stay. He already had a big deal with Mercedes Benz. If someone is willing to give Jeff, a unproven and inconsistent QB a 6 figure deal then imagine what they would give to the highly rated recruits that Deion would bring in. Deion’s name itself would fix the NIL part at tech. He got Travis Hunter a massive deal with barstool sports and Celcius Energy Drink. Deion’s got connections with anybody and everyone, you don’t have to worry about NIL with him at the helm. It’s even been discussed about making it easier to get into Tech for a new HC and the players he would want to bring in. Tech is fixing things each day between academic restrictions, majors, NIL money, fundraising, getting out of the ACC, etc.
My thinking as well.
 

inGTwetrust

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
720
My unprofessional opinion ... that will inevitably be wrong. But I'm going to say the stars are aligning for the next coach to be Dan Mullen. My thoughts below ...

Tier 1 (in order)
1) Dan Mullen
. He's my first call, and I make him tell me no. He put Miss St on the map for an extended period of time. Nobody has won at the same level there since. Same thing with Florida ... he's won more than anyone there in the last 2 decades not named Urban. I think the personality fit was terrible with Florida, their fans & expectations. His family hated it too per reports. I think he would be a slam dunk with ours. I'd LOVE to see him bring in Corey Dennis as OC/QB coach. Both come from the Urban Meyer tree. Corey would immediately help with QB development & QB recruiting ... 2 things vital to Dan's success (was the only reason he did so poorly his last year at FL in my opinion). Plus he already lives in GA and his family likes it here from my understanding. He literally checks every realistic box I have. Just make it happen!

Tier 2
2a) Jamey Chadwell
. Pretty obvious why. He's built a routinely strong program at Coastal Carolina (as well as other stops along the way) and I love his offense.

2b)Gus Malzahn. For the same exact reasons I want Dan, I would want Gus. I just want Dan a lot more ... probably because I am of the belief Mullen got the short end in FL, and he's one of the few blue chip coaches out there.

Tier 3
3) Bill O'Brien
. Not the most exciting hire, but what he did with Penn State was nothing short of outstanding. He'd steady the program, likely leave in a few years when he did, and then we'd be a much more attractive option to potential coaches. I think there is a disconnect between Alabama's fans and his results too. Is he the best OC? No, but he's a great coach. I'd like to see him bring in a guy like Brennan Marion to be his OC (check out the Go Go offense created by Brennan ... it's fun). I think BOB could implement some components of that offense, and we'd be better for it.

4) Everyone else. The Dell McGee's, Coach Prime's, Garrett Riley's, etc of the world. As long as they are coming with experience either at the P5 level showing success as a coordinator OR the ability to develop a lower tier program, I will be cautiously optimistic of the hire. The more you hang your hat on recruiting without the benefit of showing success - the more the scale tips to cautious than optimistic. Thanks Geoff.

Also worth a note ... Dan Mullen, Gus Malzahn and Bill O'Brien have all crossed paths with the new AD. He's seen them all up close so he'd have the inside scoop/confidence from that experience if he pulls the trigger on any of them.
 

yeti92

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3,042
My unprofessional opinion ... that will inevitably be wrong. But I'm going to say the stars are aligning for the next coach to be Dan Mullen. My thoughts below ...

Tier 1 (in order)
1) Dan Mullen
. He's my first call, and I make him tell me no. He put Miss St on the map for an extended period of time. Nobody has won at the same level there since. Same thing with Florida ... he's won more than anyone there in the last 2 decades not named Urban. I think the personality fit was terrible with Florida, their fans & expectations. His family hated it too per reports. I think he would be a slam dunk with ours. I'd LOVE to see him bring in Corey Dennis as OC/QB coach. Both come from the Urban Meyer tree. Corey would immediately help with QB development & QB recruiting ... 2 things vital to Dan's success (was the only reason he did so poorly his last year at FL in my opinion). Plus he already lives in GA and his family likes it here from my understanding. He literally checks every realistic box I have. Just make it happen!

Tier 2
2a) Jamey Chadwell
. Pretty obvious why. He's built a routinely strong program at Coastal Carolina (as well as other stops along the way) and I love his offense.

2b)Gus Malzahn. For the same exact reasons I want Dan, I would want Gus. I just want Dan a lot more ... probably because I am of the belief Mullen got the short end in FL, and he's one of the few blue chip coaches out there.

Tier 3
3) Bill O'Brien
. Not the most exciting hire, but what he did with Penn State was nothing short of outstanding. He'd steady the program, likely leave in a few years when he did, and then we'd be a much more attractive option to potential coaches. I think there is a disconnect between Alabama's fans and his results too. Is he the best OC? No, but he's a great coach. I'd like to see him bring in a guy like Brennan Marion to be his OC (check out the Go Go offense created by Brennan ... it's fun). I think BOB could implement some components of that offense, and we'd be better for it.

4) Everyone else. The Dell McGee's, Coach Prime's, Garrett Riley's, etc of the world. As long as they are coming with experience either at the P5 level showing success as a coordinator OR the ability to develop a lower tier program, I will be cautiously optimistic of the hire. The more you hang your hat on recruiting without the benefit of showing success - the more the scale tips to cautious than optimistic. Thanks Geoff.

Also worth a note ... Dan Mullen, Gus Malzahn and Bill O'Brien have all crossed paths with the new AD. He's seen them all up close so he'd have the inside scoop/confidence from that experience if he pulls the trigger on any of them.
The 'cruit-firsters would **** their pants and throw a temper tantrum until Mullen was fired, regardless of actual results on the field.
 

inGTwetrust

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
720
The 'cruit-firsters would **** their pants and throw a temper tantrum until Mullen was fired, regardless of actual results on the field.
But that's just it to me. Recruiting is the big red mark against him? I think that's overblown.

He may not enjoy it, but he's proven to do perfectly fine with it. Plus why not hire some assistants that are excellent recruiters too? Plus his recruiting at UF was right in line with their historical averages - arguably a little below. He was pulling in a class ranked on average around ~12 vs ~7 even though the average recruit rating was about the same as Muschamp + Urban. Then he took Miss St the next level in recruiting.

Long story short. His recruiting woes are overblown.
 

Sheboygan

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Location
Oostburg Wis. ( It's DUTCH !)
My unprofessional opinion ... that will inevitably be wrong. But I'm going to say the stars are aligning for the next coach to be Dan Mullen. My thoughts below ...

Tier 1 (in order)
1) Dan Mullen
. He's my first call, and I make him tell me no. He put Miss St on the map for an extended period of time. Nobody has won at the same level there since. Same thing with Florida ... he's won more than anyone there in the last 2 decades not named Urban. I think the personality fit was terrible with Florida, their fans & expectations. His family hated it too per reports. I think he would be a slam dunk with ours. I'd LOVE to see him bring in Corey Dennis as OC/QB coach. Both come from the Urban Meyer tree. Corey would immediately help with QB development & QB recruiting ... 2 things vital to Dan's success (was the only reason he did so poorly his last year at FL in my opinion). Plus he already lives in GA and his family likes it here from my understanding. He literally checks every realistic box I have. Just make it happen!

Tier 2
2a) Jamey Chadwell
. Pretty obvious why. He's built a routinely strong program at Coastal Carolina (as well as other stops along the way) and I love his offense.

2b)Gus Malzahn. For the same exact reasons I want Dan, I would want Gus. I just want Dan a lot more ... probably because I am of the belief Mullen got the short end in FL, and he's one of the few blue chip coaches out there.

Tier 3
3) Bill O'Brien
. Not the most exciting hire, but what he did with Penn State was nothing short of outstanding. He'd steady the program, likely leave in a few years when he did, and then we'd be a much more attractive option to potential coaches. I think there is a disconnect between Alabama's fans and his results too. Is he the best OC? No, but he's a great coach. I'd like to see him bring in a guy like Brennan Marion to be his OC (check out the Go Go offense created by Brennan ... it's fun). I think BOB could implement some components of that offense, and we'd be better for it.

4) Everyone else. The Dell McGee's, Coach Prime's, Garrett Riley's, etc of the world. As long as they are coming with experience either at the P5 level showing success as a coordinator OR the ability to develop a lower tier program, I will be cautiously optimistic of the hire. The more you hang your hat on recruiting without the benefit of showing success - the more the scale tips to cautious than optimistic. Thanks Geoff.

Also worth a note ... Dan Mullen, Gus Malzahn and Bill O'Brien have all crossed paths with the new AD. He's seen them all up close so he'd have the inside scoop/confidence from that experience if he pulls the trigger on any of them.
I would rank O'Brien #1 for his NFL success and who he has worked for in his past - O'Leary and Saban- with success. Then Mullen, then Chadwell. I am a " proven succeess at the highest level" guy............if , and it is a BIG if, we can afford it.
 

inGTwetrust

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
720
I will support whoever but I can’t get enthused by Mullen. His record at UF ( which has infinitely better resources than Tech) was pretty meh. It’s analogous to saying a student who struggled at Kennesaw State is going to do better somehow at Tech. This is hoping for a miracle IMO.
He won nearly 8 games a year at Mississippi State. With a few 9 and a 10 win seasons. You can’t tell me that program was/is better than what Tech has to offer. This is impressive to me.

Imo his downfall at UF was a lack of QB development. No coach is a sure thing. But one would hope he learned from that mistake. And his record was 10-3, 11-2 and then 8-4 (3 losses by a combined 12 points). Then I’ll give you the rails fell off the year he was fired … and that was also the year he had not developed a qb to take over from Trask. For comparison - post Meyer they were a combined .600. Including Mullins last year year - they were a shade over .69.
 

kg01

Get-Bak! Coach
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Fans who put recruiting first over any other qualities
Ah, ok. Kinda sounds like an overreaction to folks that cite recruiting ability as a desirable trait.

Ain’t gonna lie. I read that at first as cruit-fisters and wasn’t gonna ask questions.

Yeah, uh, I think I'll skip over that one too.
 

stech81

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8,897
Location
Woodstock Georgia
My unprofessional opinion ... that will inevitably be wrong. But I'm going to say the stars are aligning for the next coach to be Dan Mullen. My thoughts below ...

Tier 1 (in order)
1) Dan Mullen
. He's my first call, and I make him tell me no. He put Miss St on the map for an extended period of time. Nobody has won at the same level there since. Same thing with Florida ... he's won more than anyone there in the last 2 decades not named Urban. I think the personality fit was terrible with Florida, their fans & expectations. His family hated it too per reports. I think he would be a slam dunk with ours. I'd LOVE to see him bring in Corey Dennis as OC/QB coach. Both come from the Urban Meyer tree. Corey would immediately help with QB development & QB recruiting ... 2 things vital to Dan's success (was the only reason he did so poorly his last year at FL in my opinion). Plus he already lives in GA and his family likes it here from my understanding. He literally checks every realistic box I have. Just make it happen!
That would be a lot of money for a coach to avg 7 wins a year.
 
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