Simple question, my answer, Kalen DeBoer. He and Napier were hired by their respective schools withing seven days of each other.
It’s easy to say Deboer but he would have been pretty left field coming out of Fresno State. The best answer I would had was Dave Clawson from Wake Forest.
It's only left field for someone on the east coast. From my perspective Napier came in from the dugout. You're right though, hindsight is easy, but it does make the point that a lot of this is just good fortune.
I won’t fire Mullen. Give him one more year. If the next year it didn’t work out urban was available and hire him.
Addendum: The contract is absurd, so I hire Billy to 5 years and his buyout % is equal to his win %. Win half your games, get paid out half your contract.
Hindsight is 20/20. DeBoer didn't have anything to separate himself from Napier at the time. Napier looked like the best fit for us at the time. Looking back I think he was still the best fit for us. But he didn't step up to the challenge and we haven't seen any improvement in the team over the last three years.
Dave Arranda, and it's probably as bad as Napier. If 20/20 hindsight but with the contract restrictions you've set Deboer without a doubt.
I’m not sure anyone would come here without a contract that all but guaranteed them 4-5 years. As an outsider, I wouldn’t. If they had Kiffin’ baggage maybe, but outside of that, I just don’t see it. I liked Arranda, but he’s not looking like a world beater. It’s all a crapshoot. I don’t think Deboer was on my radar.
Also, based on my firm belief that the coaching hire is a crapshoot. I don't let a group of 5 HC with little else under his belt ever dictate to me the AD of a potential power program in the best conference in CFB the terms of his contract anywhere in the galaxy of what he received. Stickland should be sued for dereliction of duty for that albatross contract that is the only reason we are even discussing should we get rid of this historically bad coach. Again with 20/20 could we have got a Jedd Fisch for less? Of course, so thanks for your time Billy good luck next year at UL.
Man Napier has gotten paid roughly $3M per win (including the gimme games)...he likely doubles this if we buy him out. Amazing he currently gets per win more than Spurrier got on his 5 year contract when he signed at UF in 1990. Urban was getting $4M per year at UF and BN gets this per win (assuming it isn't doubled when he is fired). How times have changed.
Based on what? Two good seasons in the Sun-Belt? He would’ve been an acceptable hire at OC with that resume, not HC at Florida.
This. Have the Come to Jesus about recruiting and cutting bait on failed coordinators, then give him 2022 to turn it around or not. If not, hire Kiffin in 2023.
I don’t think your views on the contract are very realistic. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s what the current system dictates. The crazy buyouts are a part of the game, and when you fire three coaches in a row whilst barely giving them enough time for their transition class to become seniors, the next guy that comes in is going to demand some job security. I’d be fully prepared for the next one to be just as ugly.
To a certain extent. Let me just say this.... I'm glad my professional success isn't measured by my ability to read the tea leaves and predict which up-and-coming* coach might be successful at a P5 school. (* to be clear, I'm not certain Napier was even a strong "up-and-coming" candidate. I watched their bowl game after he was hired, and walked away underwhelmed. Third year at UF, and I'm still puzzled what people were seeing in his Louisiana teams, other than some year over year improvement in a middling conference.)
Mullen had quit on the job. He lost his fire and has no desire to coach anymore which is a point made ever more obvious by the fact that he still isn’t coaching.
