(10-06-2021 12:33 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-05-2021 01:10 PM)eaglewraith Wrote:  

(10-05-2021 12:57 PM)stingingeagle Wrote:  

(10-05-2021 12:22 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-05-2021 12:00 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  The general feeling around Statesboro is that the new coach will be from outside the program. However no one really saw the Lunsford hire coming until just a day or two before it was announced. This coaching search is much more tight lipped than the others so most of us have no clue who is even being looked at.

I know Lunsford was a coach prior to being hired but what was his connection to Georgia Southern? Obviously former players don't always make the best coaches, and I don't know Whitley's background, but I'd think Georgia Southern could explore that avenue so that they have someone who respects where GS has been and can utilize that passion to get them where they can go.

Lunsford was brought over either by Monken or Fritz, I can't remember which.

Kevin Whitley was a head coach at a Georgia high school for a long time. Brought them from nothing to winners running the old school triple option. I want to say is Paul Johnson style, but the limited film I saw looks like the triple option GS ran in the 80s more so than in the 90s. If he wins out including the bowl, I would imagine he'll be here next year. Otherwise, I think the AD will go a different direction.

He's never had to run a program or handle heavy recruiting responsibilities for a program at the D1 level, much less an FBS program.

I like what I've seen from Whitley so far on a day to day type basis, but there's a lot more to running/building/maintaining a team at this level than just the activities during the season.

If he'd had more experience on college staffs with more responsibilities, then I could see him being a serious candidate in this search but as it stands, I'm not sure that he should even if we win out.

This is essentially a very similar discussion to the one we had regarding Dell McGee at the time in 2015. He hadn't had as long of a career as a HS HC like Whitley has, but his college coaching experience at the time was somewhat similar. At the time I didn't think it was a good decision to go with McGee either. That being said, if I knew we were going to pick someone without a huge amount of experience as well, I would have hired him then and just rolled with it.

I do think he'd be a key person for whoever comes in to retain on the staff for continuity for the players and overall roster, as well as a way to keep that bridge to our roots and foundation. And who knows, he could be a legit candidate to replace whoever we bring in then, especially if they're successful and move on, with more experience and responsibility in the college ranks.

He's definitely someone I'd love to keep involved with the program. I'd like to see if we could get more former players involved as assistants to try and build our own farm of coaches with our DNA and culture instilled in them. There's plenty of HS coaches in GA that played at GS, we just need to start working to groom that a bit.

There are additional staff members around him to help him work through the kinks. Eli Drinkwitz had never had a huge responsibility in managing a staff or recruiting and look where he ended up.

Shawn Clark had been a running game coordinator and I believe a recruiting coordinator but had never had to build a staff, look how App is playing right now; Tony Peterson was a bad hire but anyone other than Ponce in 2020 probably would've had issues with the pandemic.

If Whitley shows he can be the guy to learn, and he looks capable of doing that because his passion for the job goes beyond how much cash is in his bank account, I'd say you go with that. The intangible benefits of having someone who loves your program are real.

Or you could end up with a Fritz who couldn't get out of Statesboro fast enough.

What you just described is Lunsford all over again. I do't think we would do that, and I think if we did that our fans would revolt. Whitley is a great guy, but he's only been on staff for a year and he was coaching HS before that. I don't see him getting hired no matter what we do the rest of the year.

We are cleaning house. If the new guy retains one coach I ll be surprised

We are really conducting a true search this time. I am told no type of offense is being excluded. No requirement that new coach runs the triple option. In process of getting it down to 6-8 then to likely final 3 to bring in for formal interviews. Expect a new coach named sometime in December. No coach on staff now will be considered

Zero chance we hire Whitley, we just did that. Too much of a risk for Benko, he is basically done if it does not work out. Plus just lost two in a row to average Belt teams with the last game being a blowout embarassment.

(09-30-2021 09:09 AM)Tmac13 Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 08:50 AM)NewJersey GATA Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 08:30 AM)Tmac13 Wrote:  From an outside observer..

I can't imagine Chizik or Pruitt would be candidates.. Pruitt is fresh off a cheating scandal and never had success, and Chizik only had success with one of the greatest QBs in college football history.

Johnson, Davis, and Bohannon are only candidates if you want to run the flex bone. But, with the AD being an SEC guy, I sort of doubt he wants to go back in time.

Because the AD is an SEC guy, I'm betting he goes the SEC assistant route..

Dell McGee..Great recruiter, good offensive mind, very good leader..Once wanted the job, but was rebuffed..He would be my top target, if he is interested..

Mike Bobo..Before you laugh, GS is a very good fit for him..Great recruiter, especially in GA. Good offensive mind. Failed at CSU, mostly because he couldn't get enough southern players to go to Colorado to play..That wouldn't be a problem at GS. He has also expressed interest in the job in the past..

Kendal Briles...Don't hold his fathers reputation against him..Very good recruiter, great offensive coordinator.

A longshot name to keep an eye on..Mason Miller.. Offensive line coach and defacto offensive coordinator at Mississippi State. He is a longtime Leach assistant, and a Georgia native. Remember, Benko was on the Mississippi State search committee that hired Mike Leach.. Miller might also be more affordable than most other names being mentioned.

The HC candidate that caught my eye was MASON MILLER. Air Raid coaching scheme, success that he had was incredible, offensive lines that he has had is also impressive.

Would Southern go away from run oriented style? That's a tough sell to the fan base.

Married Georgia native with 2 young children (time for him to come home and settle down).

Does he have a desire to be a HC?

Love the curveball candidate in MASON MILLER. Can't dismiss his success but is he best for Southern? Southern AD Benko has some great candidate to look over

I think the fanbase needs to be realistic.. I totally get the nostalgic love for the flex bone and the days of Erk, Monken and Johnson..But the goal is no longer to dominate the FCS. The goal is to win the Sunbelt, and be among the G5s considered for a New Years 6 bowl and or an eventual playoff spot if/when playoff expansion happens.. The ONLY triple option style offense to make a New Years 6 type bowl in the last 35 years was Ga Tech under Johnson.. Good modern college defenses are just too fast for most triple option offenses to succeed.. Sure, you can beat up and control the clock against mediocre competition, but there is a reason no top schools run the flex..

Can't tell this GS bunch that. GS can recruit better than the service academies and GT with world beater QBs and 6'2" offensive linemen that can bench press a house and run 4.7 forties up hill and stand flat footed in snow shoes and hop a fence. It's fun when it works and all the pieces are in place but that's the problem. It's too hard to get the pieces in place and keep them there.

Willie Fritz may be back on the market after this year.