Kickoff Zone College Football Blog

After yesterday’s post, which speculated on whether UGA is at a crossroads of the Mark Richt Era, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the program which that basis was mirrored upon… in other words… can Derek Dooley be successful as the head coach in Knoxville?

We’ve done numerous posts here about the downfall on Rocky Top, but up until this point, have not offered any prognosis on what is needed to be done for the program to recover. 

The coaching problems the Vols have faced are well documented, but the major issue facing Coach Dooley is depth.  Dave Hooker outlines this problem quite nicely in this article.

Example #1:

Five players from the 2006 class left the program, didn’t qualify academically or were dismissed. Four have been lost from the 2008 class. From those two classes, UT lost four offensive linemen, a glaring weakness for 2010.

Example #2:

UT’s 2007 class is another matter entirely. It was highly ranked, but has since been one of the most disappointing signing classes in recent memory… 17 of those signees didn’t complete their eligibility. They either never made it to campus because of academic issues, were dismissed after they arrived or left the program.

Example #3:

Then there’s the attrition that one would expect from two coaching changes in little more than a year.

All that has resulted in 30 UT signees failing to complete their eligibility.

Then, there are 19 one-time UT commitments who went elsewhere after a coaching change was announced.

A dozen left in the Fulmer-Kiffin transition. Another seven left in the Kiffin-Dooley transition.

For any program, this is the key when having to replace a head football coach.  In the BCS era, where success and championships still rely on numerous sets of college football power rankings and ratings systems, program stability is still  the key to sustaining that tradition.  The are many examples of top programs who have suffered after the departure of a coach who has been the selling point of a program for over a decade. 

The fan base and the team lose that comfort zone and the stability which the program had come to rely upon, and in many cases, it takes the administration a couple of tries before they find the right ingredients for that stability again.  Traditional powerhouses such as Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida and Nebraska have all experienced this at some point in the last decade or so, and only the Crimson Tide and the Gators have fully recovered from this transitional period. 

Alabama’s situation may be the most similar, considering the length of coaches tenure between Gene Stallings and Nick Saban.  For all the success the Tide has achieved under Nick Saban, the fans had to endure the painful realities of irrelevance during the eras of Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, and Mike Shula, while conviently trying to purge the Mike Price era from their memories.

With every coaching change comes a large exodus of players and recruits who were either loyal to the former staff, or don’t fit the philosophy of the new one.  Three coaching changes in as many years can cripple a program for many seasons before they are able to regain their footing.  For any program to sustain their position among college football power ratings, there must be stability within that program. 

Between Tom Osbourne and Bo Pelini were Frank Solich and Bill Callahan.  Notre Dame has yet to find their former success as Lou Holtz was succeeded by Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weiss; and that doesn’t bring into account the Alabama-esque debacle they faced with George O’Leary.  There are major doubts about whether or not Rich Rodriguez is the right man to bring the program back to the level of Lloyd Carr’s prominent run in the late 1990’s.  Between Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, Ron Zook was the head coach at the University of Florida. 

When it comes to continuing a tradition of excellence within a major football powerhouse, quick fixes are rarely the best answer.

Is Derek Dooley another quick fix, or will he last longer than his immediate predecessor? 

We’ll look at this question in Part 2…

Tags: College Football, College Football Power Rankings, Derek Dooley, NCAA, Recruiting, Southeastern Conference, University of Alabama, University of Georgia, University of Tennessee, coaching carousel, transfer by Tommy
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Two high profile QB positions are getting some publicity from the media.  The first is the race to replace the suspended Jeremiah Masoli at the University of Oregon.  Masoli was considered a possible Heisman candidate for the upcoming season, but he found himself in a bit of trouble this offseason and won’t be seeing the playing field next year.  The two candidates to replace him will continue their heated battle during summer practice.  From the Register Guard:

Nate Costa has big-play ability — seriously. Darron Thomas can be consistent without enduring spectacular ups and downs — honest.

 In Saturday’s Oregon spring football game, however, the two played to convention. And their competition to replace Jeremiah Masoli as the Ducks’ starter showed all signs of bleeding well into the summer and fall.

 “To be honest with you, it is a little bit of a strange situation, but it’s something I’m comfortable with,” Costa said of sharing the team’s primary leadership role with Thomas during voluntary workouts this upcoming summer. “We’re just going to make it work. We know if we work together, we can’t be stopped.”

 Costa was the picture of efficiency in the early going at Autzen Stadium, completing four of his first five passes to stake the White team to an early 17-7 lead. Thomas shook off an interception returned for a touchdown on the game’s first possession to lead three scoring drives and stake the Green team to a 21-17 halftime lead.

 Neither veteran was around for the second half, which featured just four possessions with a running clock. The White team scored twice behind third-string quarterback Daryle Hawkins to win the game, 26-21.

 More important than the final score were the indications of what’s to come in the fall. Based on Saturday, it will include a quarterback competition when camp begins in early August.

 The other high profile QB position up for grabs is at the University of Michigan, where Denard Robinson may very well unseat returning starter Tate Forcier as the Wolverines’ man under center.  While Coach Rich Rodriguez has been quick to play down the comparisons to former WVU star Pat White, he has acknowledged that Robinson’s dynamic athletic ability reminds him some of his former school’s signal caller.  From the Free Press:

The Pat White comparison makes Rodriguez cringe. He has tried to downplay the expectations of his quarterbacks, having seen how Forcier went from star to disappointment during the course of last season. But when asked directly about the White-Robinson comparison after the spring scrimmage, he had to concede the point.

While Rodriguez is quiet about whether or not Robinson can beat out Forcier, Athlon Magazine believes that Robinson may well end up being the starting QB.

Tags: College Football, NCAA, Rich Rodriguez, Spring Game, Top 25, University of Michigan, University of Oregon, Wolverines, recap, rumor mill, spring practice by Tommy
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According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, The Michigan Wolverines’ Tate Forcier may not be all that safe in keeping his job going into next season:

When Michigan opened spring practice last month, many wondered how much longer Denard Robinson would remain a quarterback.

The better question these days: Could Robinson win the Wolverines’ starting quarterback job?

The competition under center appears to have tightened between Robinson and Tate Forcier, who started all 12 games for Michigan as a true freshman in 2009. Head coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday that Forcier and Robinson are “in a battle” for the top job this spring, and no decision is imminent.

Robinson appeared in every game last fall and showcased his incredible speed, but he often looked unpolished as a passer, completing less than half of his attempts (14 of 31). Rodriguez on Tuesday said Robinson has improved his reads and fundamentals.

Rodriguez also said Forcier has responded well to some recent challenges from the coaches.

“We’ve talked a little bit about how we were going to challenge him — not just football-wise but how we were going to challenge him academically and how our expectations are for him as a student-athlete,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve had a couple conversations with Tate, particularly because he plays that high-profile position, and how we expect him … to continue to progress and get better each and every year.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the two quarterbacks fare in Saturday’s scrimmage, which Rodriguez is calling more important than the spring game. Robinson is the more dynamic athlete of the two, but in my opinion, he’ll really need to make a jump to overtake Forcier.

Forcier looked pretty decent last season, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire.  Yes, he did play well against the Fighting Irish, but that wasn’t saying much with Notre Dame’s inept defense.  Robinson is an incredible athlete who, in my opinion, could very easily be more suited to run Rich Rodriguez’s offense, although Forcier is a good athlete himself.  This is one race to definitely keep an eye on.  While Rittenberg feels that it will take a lot for Robinson to win the job, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.

Tags: College Football, NCAA, Rich Rodriguez, University of Michigan, Wolverines, recap, spring practice by Tommy
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For now, it seems that Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez will still have a job when the 2010 college football season starts this fall.  New Athletic Director Dave Brandon reiterated that he is standing behind the embattled coach during NCAA inquiries.  From the Associated Press (via rivals):

Michigan’s once-proud team has been embarrassed on and off the field lately.

The NCAA notified Rodriguez and school officials two weeks ago that the football program is facing five potentially major rules violations in part because its report said Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program” in regards to time spent on practice and football-related activities.

Brandon backed his coach then and on Monday reiterated his support for Rodriguez.

“He’s our coach for this season,” Brandon said. “There’s nothing within the framework of the NCAA allegations that led me to believe that it should change his status as our coach.”

Michigan was given 90 days to respond and is scheduled to appear at an NCAA hearing on infractions in August. Brandon said he is “very” involved in formulating the school’s response, but declined to comment much about it.

“We’re going to continue to be in a quiet period as all of this evolves,” Brandon said.

Rodriguez lost a school-record nine games in his debut season two years ago, then finished 5-7 last year after a 4-0 start.

“Rich knows football, he’s passionate and his track record for success— winning everywhere he’s been—is there for the world to see,” Brandon said. “He’s feeling very good about the upcoming season.”

Then, Brandon paused and simply said what many in Ann Arbor and around the country are saying.

“It’s a big season ahead,” Brandon said. “A big season.”

Though not unemployed, Rodriguez now sits squarely on one of the hottest seats in America.  Brandon put a lot of emphasis on next season, meaning that if the Wolverines continue to underperform, then they may be searching for a new coach come next winter.  On a related note, Lane Kiffin has not said whether he is interested in the job were it to become available.

Tags: College Football, Hot Seat, Infractions, Rich Rodriguez, University of Michigan, Wolverines, coaching carousel, rumor mill, violations by Tommy
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With the latest news making the rounds regarding Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines, one has to wonder just how much the school administration is willing to put up with.  Last week, the NCAA revealed  that “major infractions” had taken place under the head Rodriguez’s watch.  Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated has more on the subject:

But after reading the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations — which, to the school’s credit, it released in its entirety to the public — Michigan fans’ greatest cause for concern isn’t the impermissible practices themselves; it’s the NCAA’s rather blunt assessment of Rodriguez and other school officials’ handling of the matter.

There are five allegations of major violations contained in the letter, only two of which address the actual practice-time violations. In one, graduate assistant Alex Herron is accused of providing misleading information to investigators. Ask Dez Bryant how the NCAA feels about misleading investigators.

Of more import, the NCAA says Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program.” That’s not exactly a cap in the feather for a guy already saddled with an 8-16 record. On top of that, Michigan’s athletic department allegedly “failed to adequately monitor its football program.” The school avoided the dreaded “lack of institutional control” tag, but “failure to monitor” is the next step down.

Mandel goes on to say that:

The party with the most to lose is clearly Rodriguez, whose 26-month stint in Ann Arbor must seem like an eternity at this point both to him and the school’s followers. As if the indignity of overseeing the Wolverines’ first losing seasons since 1967 wasn’t enough, he now stands accused of allowing the first major violations in the program’s history.

That’s the million dollar question that many of the Michigan faithful are surely wondering.  There’s no question whether or not Rodriguez is a good coach because he’s already proven himself at West Virginia University, but the fans in Ann Arbor could care less about RichRod’s record anywhere else.  Former Head Coach Lloyd Carr ran a clean program and kept the Wolverines in the national limelight on a consistent basis for many years.  Rodriguez needs something to go right this season to win the school’s rabid fanbase back over to his side.

Tags: Law, NCAA, Rich Rodriguez, University of Michigan, Wolverines, violations by Tommy
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The coaches in today’s post are not considered to be on the hot seat  at the moment, nor is a poor 2010 season going to necessarily find them out of a job.  However, a championship caliber season would ease a lot of pressure on them at the moment.

Rich Rodriguez- Michigan

Coach Rodriguez goes into the 2010 season with a lot on the line.  Changing an offensive system that has been in place for many years takes time.  The University of Michigan did not have the right type of players in the system who could adapt to an offensive scheme like the spread.  I have no doubt in Rodriguez’s ability as a coach or a recruiter, but the question that still remains is whether or not he can change a long established mindset.  After 2 years and an 8-16 record, this should be a make or break year for Rodriguez and the Wolverines.

Derek Dooley- The University of Tennessee

It’s never fun to have a “make or break” season in your first year on the job, but that is exactly what faces the new staff in Knoxville.  Sources have varied in their accounts of who was offered the UT job, and who was considered the department’s top pick.  In reality, it doesn’t matter to most Volunteer fans.  The last month (and in reality the last 5 years) have seen this perennial powerhouse crumble to the status of also ran.  After the Kiffin disaster, Vol fans were hungry for a big name who could come in and immediately get the program back on track.  In that regard, Derek Dooley was a curious choice.  He may very well turn out to be the right man for the job, but he has yet to prove himself on the big stage- and the Volunteer faithful are out of patience.

Lane Kiffin- Southern California 

Well, you knew it would be impossible to mention Derek Dooley’s new job without bringing up Lane Kiffin.  While Dooley has stepped into a difficult situation, Kiffin has stepped into one of the few jobs that most coaches covet, the head coaching position at the University of Southern California.  Along the way, he left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.  From his constant bickering and chatter to his abrupt departure from the University of Tennessee, Kiffin has built up a long list of people who would love to see him fall on his face.  With a paper thin resume and one of the most prestigious jobs in all of sports, Lane Kiffin must prove right out of the gates that he can back up his talk with victories.  USC has a lot more talent, and 7-6 records are not what the Trojan faithful expect out of their football program.

Conclusion coming tomorrow…

Tags: College Football, Hot Seat, Lane Kiffin, NCAA, Rankings, Rich Rodriguez, Trojans, USC, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Vols, Wolverines by Tommy
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