HC Candidate/Rumors/Info Thread

[CEB]

I hear you. But it kind of makes my point. We are so starved for wins that we are overreacting to every win at this point. Beating an extremely bad VPISU by one point is neither impressive nor a resume builder, even if we have stunk for the last 3+ years. Again, you do not get ten days to prepare for UVA and play like we did. We then had another nine days to prepare for FSU and had one of worst performances on the year on both sides of the ball. I am more forgiving of the FSU because they are a quality team, but losing to UVA at home is deal breaker. I like Brent Key. I think he will make a fine head coach one day. But there are too many excellent head coaches available to give him the job.

I get it... this isn’t where we want to stay. It’s not a huge accomplishment in the grand scheme. I think it’s ok to feel good about it in the context of where we’ve been and who we are. Key has made chicken salad (out of you know what). No idea what that means for his ability or our future. I think we will part ways with him and I hope we don’t regret it. If we make a good hire, we won’t

 

[leatherneckjacket]

I get it... this isn’t where we want to stay. It’s not a huge accomplishment in the grand scheme. I think it’s ok to feel good about it in the context of where we’ve been and who we are. Key has made chicken salad (out of you know what). No idea what that means for his ability or our future. I think we will part ways with him and I hope we don’t regret it. If we make a good hire, we won’t

Oh, make no mistake. I am happy and feel great about winning even if it was maddening watching us almost blow the game to that pitiful team. But that does not mean I am ready to give Brent the job.

 

[JacketFan137]

Oh, make no mistake. I am happy and feel great about winning even if it was maddening watching us almost blow the game to that pitiful team. But that does not mean I am ready to give Brent the job.

when i look at it as a diehard fan it’s hard not to love key but when i really look at it all under a microscope it doesn’t make sense to hire a fundraising expert as an AD just to settle for a cheaper coach that is likely not as good as some other choices out there

 

[4shotB]

I am not ready to annoit Key. I get that VT was awful and we had bad games aginst UVA and FSU. But, I also think he needs the next three weeks before he is dismissed. He is passing the eyeball test and the team is progressing. We have won two games on the road, one with a double digit deficit in the second half and once as a 24 point underdog. More importantly is the way that the team looks during games. No more confusion, hurrying to get plays called, wasted timeouts, a 2 minute drill before halftime that was well thought out and executed,etc. Are there still issues, esp. with the talent and depth in certain areas? Of course..but I, for one, am not ready to dismiss him today. I do understand that others feel differently on this. But, thrust into a bad situation without time in advance to prepare, I think he has done as well as anyone could have.

 

[orientalnc]

I am not ready to annoit Key. I get that VT was awful and we had bad games aginst UVA and FSU. But, I also think he needs the next three weeks before he is dismissed. He is passing the eyeball test and the team is progressing. We have won two games on the road, one with a double digit deficit in the second half and once as a 24 point underdog. More importantly is the way that the team looks during games. No more confusion, hurrying to get plays called, wasted timeouts, a 2 minute drill before halftime that was well thought out and executed,etc. Are there still issues, esp. with the talent and depth in certain areas? Of course..but I, for one, am not ready to dismiss him today. I do understand that others feel differently on this. But, thrust into a bad situation without time in advance to prepare, I think he has done as well as anyone could have.

It's hard for an interim coach to improve the roster mid-season. Key is getting better results and it's impossible to deny the impact he is having on the team and the fans. I am happy with him right now. But, I am still neutral on the future coach decision.

 

[4shotB]

But, I am still neutral on the future coach decision.

As am I. I really trust the AD and selection committee process as I think all of us as fans are too emotionally involved to make wise choices. I am throwing out the idea that Key has earned the right to continue his "interview process". But it is also quite possible that a decision regarding the next HC has already been made. I know the AD was a name that came out of left field. BTW, was last night the night of the time change?

 

[UgaBlows]

The fans like passing.

Ol Holding is legal by pass blocking .

Blocking below the waist is on way out. Chop blocking is called at drop of hat.


Question
If we hire the cc guy that has his system and it doesn't work, what do we do? Lets not spend a half decade married to a system thats not working and no one else uses .

Have you watched Coastal play? They throw the ball a LOT, uses shotgun almost exclusively, rpo, and a ton of different formations, it does not rely on the PJ/Sewak option cut blocking scheme, and most of the option plays that I have seen are speed option to the corners, not triple-o. It’s a completely different deal than PJ’s spread. Reminds me a lot of Ralph Feiegen’s offense.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

Key’s biggest mistake was not having a backup QB ready. He should have recognized that with Sims injury history. That would have put another W in his resume. He’s cleaned up alot of the obvious errors and FSU game may not look as bad if they keep playing at this level. If he can get a W against Miami and play a good close game against UNC, I think he’s back in consideration. Another thing to note, while Thacker has the D playing good now, we lose our best D players after the season, so regression will be there regardless of D coordinator.

Collins had Pyron running the scout team. Key immediately moved him over to get actual practice reps, but he'd had 2 weeks of practice in the offense by the UVA game. It's understandable that he wasn't ready. I don't put that blame on key.

 

[Richard7125]

Have you watched Coastal play? They throw the ball a LOT, uses shotgun almost exclusively, rpo, and a ton of different formations, it does not rely on the PJ/Sewak option cut blocking scheme, and most of the option plays that I have seen are speed option to the corners, not triple-o. It’s a completely different deal than PJ’s spread. Reminds me a lot of Ralph Feiegen’s offense.

I watched the game against App St. To the handful of TO experts on this board, CC’s offense might be completely different than PJs offense but to everyone else (including the announcers of the game), >75% of Coastal Carolinas plays were triple option related. Tech didn’t spend $23m and four years transitioning away from a TO offense only to go back to some other form of TO offense. Chadwell is a good coach, but right or wrong, I just don’t see him as a realistic candidate.

 

[85Escape]

If we hire Primetime or Chadwell, I'll give up on GT football and start rooting for someone else.

Can I have your GT stuff?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I watched the game against App St. To the handful of TO experts on this board, CC’s offense might be completely different than PJs offense but to everyone else (including the announcers of the game), >75% of Coastal Carolinas plays were triple option related. Tech didn’t spend $23m and four years transitioning away from a TO offense only to go back to some other form of TO offense. Chadwell is a good coach, but right or wrong, I just don’t see him as a realistic candidate.

Maybe the total transition away was a bad idea. Maybe the smarter thing to do was to run a hybrid that incorporated many styles including some option.

 

[85Escape]

I am not ready to annoit Key. I get that VT was awful and we had bad games aginst UVA and FSU. But, I also think he needs the next three weeks before he is dismissed. He is passing the eyeball test and the team is progressing. We have won two games on the road, one with a double digit deficit in the second half and once as a 24 point underdog. More importantly is the way that the team looks during games. No more confusion, hurrying to get plays called, wasted timeouts, a 2 minute drill before halftime that was well thought out and executed,etc. Are there still issues, esp. with the talent and depth in certain areas? Of course..but I, for one, am not ready to dismiss him today. I do understand that others feel differently on this. But, thrust into a bad situation without time in advance to prepare, I think he has done as well as anyone could have.

That's where I am mostly. My heart wants to hire Key. He treats me well. He looks good on my arm. And he does things on the field that I had forgotten what it felt like. But he's my rebound coach, and rebounds can be super bad decisions. My head says it's probably not the right decision.

When I ask myself "Would I expect Key to have Coast Carolina or Jackson State or Tulane where they are today?", I realize I don't see that yet. I think Key needs to go to a CC or Tulane for three to five years before he takes a P5 HC job.

We could do a LOT worse than Key as HC. But we can do better as well.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

As am I. I really trust the AD and selection committee process as I think all of us as fans are too emotionally involved to make wise choices. I am throwing out the idea that Key has earned the right to continue his "interview process". But it is also quite possible that a decision regarding the next HC has already been made. I know the AD was a name that came out of left field. BTW, was last night the night of the time change?

Yes it was the night of the time change

 

[JacketFan137]

That's where I am mostly. My heart wants to hire Key. He treats me well. He looks good on my arm. And he does things on the field that I had forgotten what it felt like. But he's my rebound coach, and rebounds can be super bad decisions. My head says it's probably not the right decision.

When I ask myself "Would I expect Key to have Coast Carolina or Jackson State or Tulane where they are today?", I realize I don't see that yet. I think Key needs to go to a CC or Tulane for three to five years before he takes a P5 HC job.

We could do a LOT worse than Key as HC. But we can do better as well.

if key fell into this same situation but at another bad ACC team like VT or UVA. 3 bad seasons and then took over as interim with pretty unconvincing wins over boston college, duke and pittsburgh would anyone in here be saying anything about key?

it is slightly different as key is proving he can win with the guys that will be here next year, but i’m not sure on paper that’s some spectacular accomplishment to beat those teams

i think the correct decision is to let someone else experiment with key and if it’s a success we bring him back and admit we made a mistake.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

if key fell into this same situation but at another bad ACC team like VT or UVA. 3 bad seasons and then took over as interim with pretty unconvincing wins over boston college, duke and pittsburgh would anyone in here be saying anything about key?

it is slightly different as key is proving he can win with the guys that will be here next year, but i’m not sure on paper that’s some spectacular accomplishment to beat those teams

i think the correct decision is to let someone else experiment with key and if it’s a success we bring him back and admit we made a mistake.

O'Leary didn't win a game as interim.

 

[MAT 2005]

I like Key but I can’t see how you give the job to an O-Line coach when our O-line is our weakest unit!! We need something/somebody new. I would love Dan Mullen, or Deion. Hell I’ll give anybody the AD hires a chance just as long as it’s not Key

 

[Vespidae]

Tech didn’t spend $23m and four years transitioning away from a TO offense only to go back to some other form of TO offense. Chadwell is a good coach, but right or wrong, I just don’t see him as a realistic candidate.

Tech has spent a lot of time and energy (and raising money) on the premise that GT can provide a pathway to the NFL for those SA's who want to pursue that and a degree for those who don't.

CPJ, and certainly Gus Malzahn, were highly criticized for their inability to provide an effective pathway, which in turn, affected recruiting and ... along with the lack of development, depleted the roster.

Tech is going to need someone, anyone, with NFL chops who can breathe life back into that vision. Do I think it's Bill O'Brien? He might make sense, but he's also being tossed around as a potential candidate at several other schools. If it's Auburn, we're talking about $6-8 million a year, so Tech would have to compete with that. I don't see it.

I've opined this before, but the after action review on Harsin was that while successful at his previous stint, he was completely out of his depth in the SEC. I think that lesson will influence the decision makers that ... we need someone with experience, not a hope.

 

[Jacket05]

I hear you. But it kind of makes my point. We are so starved for wins that we are overreacting to every win at this point. Beating an extremely bad VPISU by one point is neither impressive nor a resume builder, even if we have stunk for the last 3+ years. Again, you do not get ten days to prepare for UVA and play like we did. We then had another nine days to prepare for FSU and had one of worst performances on the year on both sides of the ball. I am more forgiving of the FSU because they are a quality team, but losing to UVA at home is deal breaker. I like Brent Key. I think he will make a fine head coach one day. But there are too many excellent head coaches available to give him the job.

I do not agree with the last sentence. There are plenty of candidates out there that have been talked about for 117 pages but I would argue none are "excellent head coaches available". Everyone we have mentioned has some positives that make them a good candidate but also have glaring questions on if they would succeed at Tech. Honestly I would put Key in the same boat as all of them. He has some big question marks but has also shown improvement in the way the team has played the last few weeks. I don't know if it is enough to justify not clearing house (or overcome the terrible OL issues) but I still think he should be at least considered with everyone else.

 

[bobongo]

I like Key but I can’t see how you give the job to an O-Line coach when our O-line is our weakest unit!! We need something/somebody new. I would love Dan Mullen, or Deion. Hell I’ll give anybody the AD hires a chance just as long as it’s not Key

It's ironic that the biggest thing holding us back right now is the OL. But Key would be applying for the HC job, where he has done well - not OL coach. He's been a disaster as OL coach, but HC is a different animal altogether. He can hire a gool OL coach if he gets the job. Not saying I'm for him - I will trust the new AD when he makes that call. And, he'll have to win the next two and play Ugag to some reasonably respectable outcome to even get consideration, IMO. But even if he moves on, I think he's got a good shot at a gig in FCS as an HC.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

I do not agree with the last sentence. There are plenty of candidates out there that have been talked about for 117 pages but I would argue none are "excellent head coaches available". Everyone we have mentioned has some positives that make them a good candidate but also have glaring questions on if they would succeed at Tech. Honestly I would put Key in the same boat as all of them. He has some big question marks but has also shown improvement in the way the team has played the last few weeks. I don't know if it is enough to justify not clearing house (or overcome the terrible OL issues) but I still think he should be at least considered with everyone else.

Yes, "excellent coaches." I think many of you are incorrect in saying otherwise. Chadwell, Bill O'Brien, Dan Mullen, and Bill Clark are excellent coaches. They all have a higher floor and a higher ceiling than Key at this point in their careers. Could any of them not succeed at Tech? Yes, but it is much less likely than with Key. To suggest that they are equivalent is absurd in my opinion.