University of Houston looking to hire Austin Armstrong as DC

I have wondered if one of our DCs would be moving on.

 

Does that mean Ron Roberts has been the real DC here for the majority of the season (e.g., post-Miami/aTm games)? I actually hope Roberts stays to continue the defensive improvement we've seen the during last part of the season.

 

Hate to see this

 

Defense is gonna take a step back now. Would much rather keep Armstrong and get rid of Roberts

 

He accepted.

 

How so?

 

Well if a bunch of the defensive players bolt now we know who was running the defense

 

I don't think any of our players signed exclusively because of Armstrong.

 

What is the attraction to Houston? Just more money?

 

This feels like one of the regular "Napier firings". I doubt that there was a power struggle for ownership of the defense. I have to believe Roberts came available at a good time and then Armstrong became more of an analyst.

Until further notice, Napier is still in Mullen territory in letting his assistants decide his fate. As I have posted before, it is plausible that Napier knows what he wants in his players, but he doesn't know what he wants and needs in his coaching staff.

 

I heard rumors of a Randy Shannon sighting in Gainesville….

 

He was set to make $1.3mil in 2025, the last year of his 3yr contract at UF. I’m guessing maybe no new contract was being offered. The handwriting was on the wall when a sitter was brought in as Executive HC over the defense. Over $2mil per year for both. That would buy the best DC in the country.

 

Who was running the defense this year? Was there a significant role change after the bye week? If it was the same guy at the beginning of the season as at the end, I'm torn and don't know what to think. If roles were switched up and someone else took over during the bye week, I'd like to keep that guy.

Since we'll likely never really know, I'll greet this departure with a big fat meh.

 

A great question. One that makes you wonder if this was AA going for another job, or AA needing another job.

Is Houston paying more than $1.3m? Seems unlikely. Not a step up in exposure.

Maybe he didn't like the two headed approach, but one could also ask why we needed to add a second head in the first place.

I like AA's passion and energy, but have no ability to speak to his coaching prowess.

How good of a recruiter is he?

 

Doesn't have to share a DC job with his mentor who happened to create the defense he has been trying to execute. To me, if Roberts stays and we get through the defensive mechanics and logistics of the bowl game, the impact should be minimal. But, I guess we'll see...

 

Roberts moved up into the press box at one point during the season, and was apparently calling the plays from there. Is that when we started getting better defensively (at least in a bend-but-don't break kind of way)?

 

Or, at least which DC they liked more...

 

I've heard rumors that the play caller changed during this time, but haven't seen confirmation (at least not from a reputable source), and doubt we will.