Fire Kugler now

[Minerforlife]

I dont beleve in mid year firings but Kugler has to be fired now. Tom Mason has been an interim coach twice before. He can manage the last six games.

This loss was inecusable. FIU had been dealing with poor weather and hurricane prep all week. They are bad team and came cross country and kicked our ass. This is rock bottom.

There is no excuse for these perormances week after week in Kugler's fourth year. The issue is not talent. We have as much or more talent than any other school in cusa. The issue is player development and scheme. Kugler has lost this team.

This is sad to watch. I appreciate Kugler fixing the academic and institutional issues in the program. However, his performance through the first half of the season has made this team the worst in the country. We cant continue with this. If Stull has any sense Mason will be the interim coach in the morning.

In the meantime I hope i can stay away from bridges and sharp objects. I cant remember a more disapointing season.

 

[CubsFan81]

If your the worst team in CUSA, talent is definitely an issue.

 

[miner661]

Pretty much. I can't argue with any part of that statement.

 

[utep2step]

After listening to Kugler on the post game interview on the radio, Kugler sees the writing on the wall and it didn't sound good. Perhaps Stull will pull the plug?! Something's up.

Just no improvement and this team appeared to have no passion tonight. Kugler has crossed into...."The (David) Lee Zone"

 

[kickballpro]

When you're dead last in recruiting year after year, then talent is an issue. We can't continually say that maybe that 2 star recruit is another Thomas Howard.

 

[Minerinciter]

 

[kickballpro]

This is what sucks, Kugler is a good dude, a good coach, and is what is right about college football. He holds athletes accountable. Athletes learn how to be men. He is the coach you want to send your son to college to play for.

Unfortunately, college football is a business. They say they're students first and then athletes. That's far from the truth. Coaches don't care if kids graduate, they just want them to stay eligible. College Football has to make money and has to win.

Stull needs to treat the department like a business. Get coaches here that recruit. Barbee wasn't a great coach, he was a recruiter. Stull was a recruiter. Find that coach who is going to get the athletes here.

 

[CubsFan81]

It's interesting you brought up Barbee and it got me thinking. Barbee was very young and didnt have a lot of coaching experience when UTEP hired him. He worked for Calipari, a great recruiter with a lot of connections, and Calipari was a father figure to Barbee. Barbee ran an offense that was fun to watch and players wanted to play in that style of offense. Barbee recruited very good players and was successful.

Kendall Briles reminds me a lot of Barbee. He is young and inexperienced in the coaching world. But his dad has a lot of connections with Texas high schools and I think Kendall can bring in some pretty good talent here. Kendall's style of offense will attract a lot high school players and it will put up points and put butts in the seats. I'm pretty sure his dad will use his Texas high school connections to help his son succeed here.
I know some people on here are going to say we need a former head coach who can recruit. The only way we can afford that coach is if he has baggage. UTEP doesn't have the money to pay a former successful college coach who can recruit with no baggage.

 

[unihorn]

It's interesting you brought up Barbee and it got me thinking. Barbee was very young and didnt have a lot of coaching experience when UTEP hired him. He worked for Calipari, a great recruiter with a lot of connections, and Calipari was a father figure to Barbee. Barbee ran an offense that was fun to watch and players wanted to play in that style of offense. Barbee recruited very good players and was successful.

Kendall Briles reminds me a lot of Barbee. He is young and inexperienced in the coaching world. But his dad has a lot of connections with Texas high schools and I think Kendall can bring in some pretty good talent here. Kendall's style of offense will attract a lot high school players and it will put up points and put butts in the seats. I'm pretty sure his dad will use his Texas high school connections to help his son succeed here.
I know some people on here are going to say we need a former head coach who can recruit. The only way we can afford that coach is if he has baggage. UTEP doesn't have the money to pay a former successful college coach who can recruit with no baggage.

UTEP isn't getting K. Briles.

 

[MinerInWisconsin]

Kendal Briles, OC at Baylor or Eric Morris, OC at Texas Tech. Both are affordable but have no idea how they would perform as head coaches.

 

[Minerforlife]

Jim Leavitt would be a homerun.
Sterlin Gilbert is intriguing but would be a risky hire.

 

[DAYDEV]

Kendal makes more at Baylor than what we will pay him.

 

[unihorn]

Jim Leavitt would be a homerun.
Sterlin Gilbert is intriguing but would be a risky hire.

Gilbert is making $850k/yr. at Texas.

 

[Minerforlife]

Gilbert is making $850k/yr. at Texas.

We could pay that. Also he wont be employed by Texas after this season.

 

[unihorn]

We could pay that. Also he wont be employed by Texas after this season.

Gilbert is exactly the kind of coach we should go after, but we'd really have to step up moneywise.

 

[UTEP05]

We could pay that. Also he wont be employed by Texas after this season.

Unless you know something I don't know, I don't think UTEP can afford that.

 

[Minerforlife]

Unless you know something I don't know, I don't think UTEP can afford that.

We're not near as poor as many people would like to believe. We have many boosters who are willing to step up. We could pay a coach between 1 and 1.5 million a year. The money is there.

 

[UTEP05]

We're not near as poor as many people would like to believe. We have many boosters who are willing to step up. We could pay a coach between 1 and 1.5 million a year. The money is there.

And you know this because? Why hasn't it been done that? Not doubting you, but a coach has never been paid close to that amount.

 

[unihorn]

Fleck at Western Michigan is tearing it up, and will likely need an intermediate step up before a big $ school will give him a shot.

 

[Tribalwarriorx]

I actually feel bad for Kug's. I think he righteously wanted to improve the program, but it's clear the players have stopped buying into what he's selling. That's the sad part.

IMO, part of Kug's problem was him being the type of coach he is. These are still kids and you want them to be accountable, be good students, be good members of the community, but they're still kids. They have their own insecurities and concerns and sensitivities. Yes, they are football players, but they aren't paid professionals. The hard hand is fine, but you've got to mix that with some reassurances and sometimes use a softer touch.

I think his loyalty did him in as well. He should've ditched his previous staff a year sooner than he did. I've said this before, when you're a small school, you have to work on developing your players more than trying to grab stars (ie see Chris Petersen when he was at Boise). Part of that is modifying your coaching philosophy into something that works. It's fine to be run orientated, but you can't be all that without developing your passing game. Even more, you can't be one dimensional when it comes to your players. That's a failed strategy.

I'm sure he's seen the writing on the wall and I'm sure it's frustrating and hurts at the same time. He's a good man, who means well. It's just the execution of how that plays out that needed an adjustment. Now it looks like it's too late.