Head Coach Candidates?

[Mathew81]

Barf, I hate Mazzone's offense. I do however hope Sumlin (or whomever the next Coach is) keeps Steve Brussard on the staff, he seems to be ASU's best recruiter and put together a good portion of this nice class....if he stays maybe the majority of the class can be held together.

Sumlin and Broussard know each other too. Broussard was a running back at Washington State when Sumlin was a graduate assistant there (in a funny twist Erickson was the head coach).

 

[azsportsfan01]

Sumlin's and Mazzone's offenses aren't like each other at all. I can't stand Mazzone's swing pass on every play. Sumlin's is a quick strike that throws the ball down field. He was the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma in 2006 (loss to Boise in Fiesta Bowl) and 2007. Think more that style of offense.

 

[Gaddabout]

After Calvisi's tweet last night about "multiple sources" on the Sumlin discussions, I was expecting the Arizona Republic would be following up and have some details on their website this morning. But they got nothin!

I believe Calvisi broke part of an embargo everyone else has been otherwise obeying.

 

[Gaddabout]

Sumlin's and Mazzone's offenses aren't like each other at all. I can't stand Mazzone's swing pass on every play. Sumlin's is a quick strike that throws the ball down field. He was the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma in 2006 (loss to Boise in Fiesta Bowl) and 2007. Think more that style of offense.

It's the exact same offense. Identical in almost every way. They call plays differently, but the playbooks are interchangeable. Only real difference is the terminology.

Sumlin and Mazzone co-host the 1-back summit every year. They are good friends.

 

[Lefty]

I hope ASU gets Sumlin because I don't think he is all what everyone is making him out to be. When Briles left, the program was in very good shape. He has not coached at a big football program yet and last year Houston was not that good a team. I was afraid ASU was going to get Leach. That would of won the press conference. I think one coach out there that as a UofA fan I would not want to see ASU get is Bellotti. He would be there 6 or so years and then have someone in place to take over, just like he did at Oregon. If Sumlin gets hired, to me it's another Erickson/Koetter hiring.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

It's the exact same offense. Identical in almost every way. They call plays differently, but the playbooks are interchangeable. Only real difference is the terminology.

Sumlin and Mazzone co-host the 1-back summit every year. They are good friends.

Thoughts on Sumlin? Not too much out there to go on in terms of a track record.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

I hope ASU gets Sumlin because I don't think he is all what everyone is making him out to be. When Briles left, the program was in very good shape. He has not coached at a big football program yet and last year Houston was not that good a team. I was afraid ASU was going to get Leach. That would of won the press conference. I think one coach out there that as a UofA fan I would not want to see ASU get is Bellotti. He would be there 6 or so years and then have someone in place to take over, just like he did at Oregon. If Sumlin gets hired, to me it's another Erickson/Koetter hiring.

Wow, I must disagree

Erickson and Bellotti, old farts on their way out to pasture, no disrespect intended. Bellotti seems like a very mellow dude. Who cares what U of A thinks.

Sumlin--youth, enthusiasm, excitement, and importantly--intensity. He's an ex linebacker. Do you see that "I'm a bad ass" look on his face? You don't think he would bring some much needed discipline here? I think he would bring some energy to the recruiting effort and kids would want to come here and play for him.

 

[Gaddabout]

Thoughts on Sumlin? Not too much out there to go on in terms of a track record.

All coaching hires are defined by what kind of staff they could put together. Sumlin's Houston staff is too young and lacking in West Coast contacts to simply import wholesale. It's not like when John Cooper, a former UCLA guy, bringing his mostly-West-Coaster staff from Tulsa.

You want to sell me on Sumlin? Tell me about who he's going to hire.

 

[AsUdUdE]

i heard this before and not because both are young ex players, but there have been favorable comparrisons of Sumlin to Rheem Morris..

I could see it.. Sumlin seems like the type of coach players would run through walls for.. That is something that couldn't be said of Koetter for sure, and not neccessarily about Erickson either...

I agree with Matt, Sumlin needs to hire a strong D cordinator and recruiting staff who have connections in SoCal.. if he does that we are in good shape...

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

Looks like Texas A&M may make a play for Smulin if they get rid of their coach.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DouglasHaller/149810

 

[Renz]

Thoughts on Sumlin? Not too much out there to go on in terms of a track record.

Sumlin's flavor-of-the-month, like Koetter and Hawkins were at one time, but not a lot to go on really. He's done a good job this season, but Conference USA is pretty weak. Houston has only beaten 2 teams that have winning records. It's also notable that Keenum wasn't recruited by Sumlin.

Some ASU fans are ripping the Rodriguez hire (not here necessarily, but other sites), but he at least had success at a BCS conference school as a head coach. I think he was 32-5 his last three years at West Virginia.

Rodriguez was a square peg in a round hole at Michigan. He was brought in to change things and then the administration didn't like it when he did.

 

[Gaddabout]

Looks like Texas A&M may make a play for Smulin if they get rid of their coach.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DouglasHaller/149810

That job has to go to Fedora. I was thinking they fired Sherman for the sole reason they don't want to miss out on Fedora. If they don't hire Fedora, that should tell the rest of the country they shouldn't hire Fedora, either.

 

[Gaddabout]

Sumlin's flavor-of-the-month, like Koetter and Hawkins were at one time, but not a lot to go on really. He's done a good job this season, but Conference USA is pretty weak. Houston has only beaten 2 teams that have winning records. It's also notable that Keenum wasn't recruited by Sumlin.

This is a criticism I've never understood. Houston is not UT competing in the CUSA. Houston is a CUSA program competing against other CUSA programs on equal footing. The schematic value of the CUSA is every bit as complicated as any AQ conference. The difference between winners and losers, as it is at most any competition between otherwise equal programs, is athleticism and coaching.

There are a lot of things you can knock Sumlin for, but coaching in the CUSA isn't one of them. Great coaches usually start someplace small.

 

[Renz]

Sumlin has beaten up on weak competition (which he didn't do last season, BTW) just like Koetter and Hawkins did at Boise State. Can Sumlin win and recruit against elite competition? That's the unknown, isn't it? Koetter and Hawkins failed at it.

 

[Gaddabout]

Sumlin has beaten up on weak competition (which he didn't do last season, BTW) just like Koetter and Hawkins did at Boise State. Can Sumlin win and recruit against elite competition? That's the unknown, isn't it? Koetter and Hawkins failed at it.

The only question is can Sumlin recruit on the West Coast. He was a dynamite recruiter for Oklahoma. He's not a guy who would be caught off guard by the big leagues. I'm not sure why he draws comparisons to Koetter and Hawkins and not Chip Kelly, who's previous experience had been as a long-time assistant at New Hampshire before spending two years as OC at Oregon. Or Jim Harbaugh, who's only HC experience came at a tiny San Diego Catholic school before taking on Stanford.

I'm not saying he's any of those guys, but a coach's quality isn't graduated like the level of competiton on the field. Some of the best minds in football are fat and happy at FCS schools. In fact, that's usually where innovation happens most, before we see it in college or the NFL.

I do think Sumlin is a big risk, if only because we haven't seen him build his own program yet. I fear him coming in and having success with Erickson's recruits then bailing before we get to see him with his own ... much like he's doing at Houston with Briles' recruits.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The only question is can Sumlin recruit on the West Coast.

Specifically defensive players.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I do think Sumlin is a big risk, if only because we haven't seen him build his own program yet. I fear him coming in and having success with Erickson's recruits then bailing before we get to see him with his own ... much like he's doing at Houston with Briles' recruits.

This smells like a flavor of the month situation to me, unfortunately.

If they're willing to pay $2.5m per year, can't they attract someone with a better history?

USA Today says that would be about #18 in the NCAA, pay-wise - same as what Wisconsin pays.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/coll...ege-football-coaches-salaries-rise/51242232/1

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The question isn't how much they are paying Sumlin, it's how much they are paying his assistants. Gadd talks ad nauseum about the importance of staff and he's 100% right especially with a guy like Sumlin who's not going to have Meyer/Saban/Carroll clout on the recruiting trail or doezens of high major recruits within a stone's throw of campus. If the $2.5 gets Sumlin here but he has to surround himself with drek then it's a waste of money.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

I would rather have Patterson from TCU. Sumlin seems like a one hit wonder and he hasn't shown he can win consistently.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

The question isn't how much they are paying Sumlin, it's how much they are paying his assistants. Gadd talks ad nauseum about the importance of staff and he's 100% right especially with a guy like Sumlin who's not going to have Meyer/Saban/Carroll clout on the recruiting trail or doezens of high major recruits within a stone's throw of campus. If the $2.5 gets Sumlin here but he has to surround himself with drek then it's a waste of money.

Logically, it seems like at least Mazzone and possibly Broussard would be retained. Overall, I think the talent level has improved, so if he could bring someone on the defensive side that can recruit, I could see a pretty good staff shaping up.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I personally don't know what some of you guys see in Mazzone. His offense only works in between the 20's and he doesn't recruit.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I personally don't know what some of you guys see in Mazzone. His offense only works in between the 20's and he doesn't recruit.

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the offense, hate the dinky WR screens, I guess the argument is that players seem to love him. He doesn't do any recruiting?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the offense, hate the dinky WR screens, I guess the argument is that players seem to love him. He doesn't do any recruiting?

I doubt it, he's at the Camelback Zipp's almost every time I go by. His offense just starts to far behind the LOS for me and he abandons the run too quick.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the offense, hate the dinky WR screens, I guess the argument is that players seem to love him. He doesn't do any recruiting?

He does some recruiting, albeit not very much at all. I was watching game film on Osweiler not too long ago, and there was a time where he did 6 straight swing throws. I can't imagine being a coach at any level and doing the exact same plays over and over and expect different results. Personally, I hope that Mazzone does not come back next year. His red-zone offense is pathetic, and his offense seems to generate more negative plays than any other offense in the country...

 

[FArting]

Lot of conflicting reports as to whether ASU has contacted Sumlin or not.

http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/12/...ing_sundevils.html?blockID=616828&feedID=3702

http://blog.chron.com/cougars/2011/12/sources-sumlin-has-not-been-offered-arizona-state-job/