Inside info that I can't say at the moment is that Graham Harrell former TT QB and current N.Texas O Cord is at the top of the New Utep HC list. He's young, Very Young, but can really get this program going with an exciting fun offensive that will attract recruits. I'm good with this, if it happens he knows Texas and how hard it is too recruit to places like Lubbock and El Paso. Only downside, is his age and experience, but he's doing wonders for N. Texas offensive. So Utep may be going up against their future Coach later this year.
in Graham we trust!
- Thread starter nattybry
- Start date
Unless this is coming from the "unofficial" future AD, how reliable can this info be?
I'd be ecstatic if GH got the job, by the way.
I'd be ecstatic if GH got the job, by the way.
Yeah, UNT is only putting up 38.5 points per game. Take away the two outliers, Iowa and Lamar, and it's 40. When was the last time unt averaged anywhere near 40 pts/gm?
Yeah, I thought the new AD was hiring the next coach, hmmm?
Utepis narrowing down AD process, and
Outside Firm doing coaching search as well as AD Search. AD, decision all but wrapped up, awaiting sign off from Utep President and UT board. Finalists for coach search brought in by agency then will have final interview with new AD and President.
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They don't do the hiring. My understanding is they round up interest and the best candidates from that pool of interest.
No, it's not at all stupid question, in fact just the opposite. Rest assured it's not simply a matter of gathering and funneling resumes, looking for the AD/coach "flavor of the month", or looking at fan favorites on message boards. Good consultants do NOT tell the client what they need, rather, they're expert in listening, asking questions, establishing values and priorities, determining "wishes, wants, and must haves", and generally developing a framework and profile for desired candidates. Hard issues, such as salary ranges, are easy to gauge. Softer issues, such as willingness to do a complete program rebuild, are another matter, but all factors vital to the process. Once a profile is established, the firm will begin to reach out to agents of potential candidates and confidentially do their own screening of those who potentially fit the profile; generally a small list (2-4) of qualified contenders will be provided to the client.
For obvious reasons, confidentiality is typically vital to a successful search. Any viable candidate will likely be working, you wouldn't want YOUR employer to know you're out kicking tires, would you?
Probably more information than you need or asked for, but, although there are no guarantees of success (after all, we're dealing with PEOPLE here)), but usually this is money well spent. Each search is unique, driven by the client and a multitude of variables...
That was very detailed and true, but I just gave y'all a name that's supposedly high on thr list and a personally favorite of mine. What I do know he's applied and has been talked to by Agency. It's too early to say how far along they are in the process however I recognize that.
It's call "head hunting". However, the business community does not like that term any more for obvious reasons. It was a popular term in the 80' and 90's for such type business because it made them look aggressive and part of culture that "gets the best" for their client and when corporate take over culture was popular.
Dude's got the bedside manner of a blacksmith and the personality of a rattlesnake. He'd leave you in the middle of the third quarter of your home opener if he had a whiff of a better deal. 1,000 better options.
The client makes the hire decision based on options and input provided by the consulting firm. It's called risk management.
But sure, you can always go on the cheap, happens all the time. Take Bob Stull's committee of one for example, how'd that work out? In real, live, Yankee dollars and in opportunity costs, how much has THAT decision cost UTEP football over the past five years? And the next five? You know better than most, next AD and HC are looking at a full blown rebuild here, literally ground up. Better get it right and hope is not a plan.
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Okay, seriously, so "inside info" would take Harrell over K.C. Keeler? If so, "inside info" better do their homework. And BTW, while Harrell played at TT, he is NOT a West Texas guy, not that you necessarily need a WT guy...
I'm kind of jaded about these firms. I mean, WTF do they know about football? Sometimes it's just a cover your ass exercise.
Yes, obviously some scar tissue there. But if you think these are a bunch of Finance MBA interns running around burning up speed dial on their iphones, guess again. Some of the best (and most connected) football minds in the business are consultants.
But, yes, as I said earlier, you can follow the Bob Stull model, happens every day. That's also the kind of thinking IMO that explains why the never wuzzes never were and never will.
UTSA used a consulting firm to assist in finding their current HC, seems to be working fairly well for them right now. Hope they remembered to build in a SERIOUS buyout agreement in HIS contract...
Yeah, it can work.
I just hope for UTEP's sake Stull carved out a short list of candidates (all named Price) that aren't eligible for commissions.
Yeah, I don't see the need to hire an OC, and he is a good one apparently, that is in his 2nd year of being an OC at UNT. He may be very good but there are candidates that have more experience and great results that should be in the mix.
I don't get it, we are talking as if the best available Head Coach comes in will solve our problems. No matter who comes in it will take some time to rebuild.
Coach Kug hand picked his players who might not fit the next coach game plan.
I am going to sit back wait for the basketball season and enjoy life.
Go Miners...
Coach Kug hand picked his players who might not fit the next coach game plan.
I am going to sit back wait for the basketball season and enjoy life.
Go Miners...
I don’t think we should chalk up next season as a lost cause just yet. The sooner we get a new coach in, the sooner he can evaluate the talent and get started on rebuilding this program. In a perfect world all we need is just some new life in this program. Price was able to bring in some big time recruits right off the bat (Thomas, Boyd, Sam) and he was able to get change the whole offensive philosophy in one year. Now will the next coach be able to work such a quick fix? Probably not, but let’s see what this team’s recruiting class looks like and what they do in spring practice. Only way to go is up.
Uh, but Nord left the fridge stocked for the winter for CMP. Those first two bowls were possible because of Price's offense and the defensive coordinator at the time which brought out the best in those players which Nord struggled to accomplish. Thomas came later as did Sam.
There are a ton of tweeks Price can easily do with the existing offense. He has the player personnel. If I were Price first thing I would do is to loosen up those damned linebackers and put them on their heals instead of vice versa. Second, get Alvin on his side. That defense is extremely dependent on Alvin Jones. No Jones, no defense. We all saw how lack luster this defense was when he's hurt. That is #1 priority for next year to replace for the new HC.
Yesterday I was like WTF is wrong with UTEP when I read this post about Harrell being the frontrunner. Today I thought about it and he is my favorite now.
Very young coaches getting HC jobs is happening a lot in football now. If Harrell can average 40 points a game here, we will be competitive in every game, and that will make up for any inexperience he has in coaching. This dude is an offensive genius. He has learned under Leach. I checked their recruiting commitments and most of their top recruits have been WR's who had offers from some pretty good schools. Harrell's offense is going to attract some pretty damn good recruits and he has a lot of recruiting connections in Texas. Good QB's and WR's and RB's will want to play in an offense that scores almost 40 points a game.
North Texas is going to be a force in our division and they are going to give us problems. They are an up and coming program. Taking Harrell away from them instantly weakens North Texas. If he is our HC, he already has 2 years on coaching experience in CUSA and knows the conference already.
We need to get this guy now before his coaching stock soars upwards and he is out of our league in 3 or 3 years.
Very young coaches getting HC jobs is happening a lot in football now. If Harrell can average 40 points a game here, we will be competitive in every game, and that will make up for any inexperience he has in coaching. This dude is an offensive genius. He has learned under Leach. I checked their recruiting commitments and most of their top recruits have been WR's who had offers from some pretty good schools. Harrell's offense is going to attract some pretty damn good recruits and he has a lot of recruiting connections in Texas. Good QB's and WR's and RB's will want to play in an offense that scores almost 40 points a game.
North Texas is going to be a force in our division and they are going to give us problems. They are an up and coming program. Taking Harrell away from them instantly weakens North Texas. If he is our HC, he already has 2 years on coaching experience in CUSA and knows the conference already.
We need to get this guy now before his coaching stock soars upwards and he is out of our league in 3 or 3 years.
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Who knows and you'd better hope so...
Just can't help wondering what, if anything, this fan base has learned over the past five years. For that matter, why would UTEP even be looking at head football coaching candidates before hiring an AD?
Who knows and you'd better hope so...
Just can't help wondering what, if anything, this fan base has learned over the past five years. For that matter, why would UTEP even be looking at head football coaching candidates before hiring an AD?
Houston has had pretty good success over the past 10-15 years hiring coordinators. Briles, Sumlin, and Herman come to mind, Applewhite is a TBD but with a hell of a resume. But all of these guys had significant experience and tutelage under some pretty successful head coaches. It's one thing to nab a clear, up and coming assistant with a hell of a pedigree and proven experience at the assistant level, quite another to give the keys to a sub-30 year old kid with minimal experience.
This fanbase learned over the past five years that Bob Stall is more committed to his buddies than to the improvement of the UTEP athletic department. He will be gone soon and hopefully a better era is about to begin.
Why should we hope Keeler applies? The guy will be 59 years old in his first game coaching UTEP. He is from Delaware and has only been in Texas 3 years. I don't see him as a very strong recruiter at this level of football.
These past 5 years have taught us that we need someone who can generate offense and pick apart defenses. Not run, run, and throw a 3 yard out route pass on 3rd and 10. And it also taught us we need someone who can recruit Texas, not El Paso Texas.
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Stull helped lift the UTEP logo across the fans base. He brought a lot in capital improvements which energized the Mesa/Cincy district. He brought private investment so badly needed to football and basketball. Private and public money were flowing. He hit his stride by the mid 2000's. Billy Clyde was the cherry on top. Those dark blowouts appeared to fade away for football. Jesus crossed the Rio Grande.
Then Price's promises were falling apart. The late season meltdowns were back. Mumme in Cruces had Price dead in his sights and stole away some embarrassing games UTEP should have won. UTEP football was back to it's 80's and 90's ways. Stull hired Kug to clean the dumpster fire. He did. Then made his own.Then last years' basketball meltdown was the final nail as they say. Floyd supporters waged war on Kap on KROD and the "Fire CTF" crowd for even bringing up the idea that he be fired.
It. Is. Clear. There are very clear distinct levels of miner fans.
The next AD has to be a bridge to all of El Paso. It can be done. But there is war right now. It's just went into stalemate mode because Kug did the right thing. Kug is not head coaching FBS material. But he is a man of great character.
Then Price's promises were falling apart. The late season meltdowns were back. Mumme in Cruces had Price dead in his sights and stole away some embarrassing games UTEP should have won. UTEP football was back to it's 80's and 90's ways. Stull hired Kug to clean the dumpster fire. He did. Then made his own.Then last years' basketball meltdown was the final nail as they say. Floyd supporters waged war on Kap on KROD and the "Fire CTF" crowd for even bringing up the idea that he be fired.
It. Is. Clear. There are very clear distinct levels of miner fans.
The next AD has to be a bridge to all of El Paso. It can be done. But there is war right now. It's just went into stalemate mode because Kug did the right thing. Kug is not head coaching FBS material. But he is a man of great character.
Why do you have to keep beating a dead horse?
- How about the fact that Kugler texted Mike Price on Wednesday to congratulate him and wish him success this season. Price talked about this on his Radio Show. That was a high character move that Kugler didn't have to do.
- Kugler never had a single NCAA violation incident come up in his more than 22 years as both a college assistant and head coach.
- He led the men on his team to a perfect off-the-field record during his final year as a head coach here. There wasn't a single arrest and they scored a perfect APR score over his final year as UTEP Head Coach, meaning that every single player in his program is on track to graduate.
- He has 3 succesful children who are college graduates/near college graduates.
- He left UTEP at a lower cost to the University, instead of fighting for his full contract.
- He left a well paying job in the NFL in order to go back to his Alma Mater and try to fix a program that had 7 consecutive losing season at that point.
- He was never fired from a previous job for an off the field incident like our current and past Head Football Coach was.
- He was never previously fired due to scandal like our current Head Basketball Coach was.
- He never had a DUI while Head Coach, like one of our recent Head Basketball Coaches had.
- He promised to leave on his own if he couldn't fix it and he did exactly that. He left after he had 2 1/2 consecutive losing seasons.
- He is frustratingly known and will be remembered for constantly saying "That's my fault". He said that so much it got to a point where the fans got pissed at hearing that from him, but he did that and did not blame a college transfer epedimic or something else.
Yes, he failed here. Yes, you were right that he would not succeed. But the man tried, he put 4 1/2 years of effort and simply failed on the field. Yes, he had flaws as a Coach(granted that happens sometimes with a first time head coach) and he is likely far from being a perfect person as well. But the man did have a lot of quality characteristics. These characteristics resulted in him having more success off the field than on the field. Trying to continue to beat Kugler up by referring that he doesn't have a good character is not the correct thing to do in my opinion.
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I couldn't say it any better UTEPDEFENSE!!! Those were my exact thoughts of Kugler. We all new he was going to have a tough time as a head coach and I especially blame Bob stull for all of this. I think if he would have had some good assistance, he would have done a lot better, "You are only as good as the people below you." All great head coaches have great assistant coaches.
