Well it's official we have fired golly schucks jim. So now the replacement head coach search starts. We have made 2 bad hires and cannot afford to miss this time, or we end up like Nebraska imo. My top 3 are
1. Fuente
2. Mullen
3. Frost
It's a great day to be a Florida Gator!
Well, it's finally here--even it DID come "suddenly and quickly" in the end. And even THAT was mostly by his own hand, er, mouth in fact. NOW we're finding out how there have been growing rifts, factions and counter-charges developing and growing behind-the-scenes--and a full on gulf already spreading between MacEllwaine himself and the UF administration, even his own AD. No WONDER it was looking steadily worse...things were collapsing on and OFF the field.
But all that, though interesting, is now beside the point: We put it in the rearview and turn our attention (and whatever reason and influence anyone has on anything or anyone who will play a part in the decision) to who will replace him.
This CANNOT be the usual combination beauty pageant/media circus/turf-war it had been last two times. All that must be set aside, open and realistic appraisal and clear-headed evaluation enhanced by bottomline, gut-level insight for the good of the TEAM, PROGRAM AND FUTURE.
We have GOT to do this right, GET IT RIGHT, in order to stop a slide about to turn plunging fall that will take a decade or more to fully undo if not accomplished NOW.
As for any "list", yours is one I've seen (with a few notable variations here and there) in a number of places...Mine isn't that different--But from INSIDE the UF Athletic Department the solid rumor is that unless one of the "contrarian alternatives" pushed by a handful of independent-but-powerful voices among boosters gains traction, it appears to already be coming down to Frost or Strong--where Strong is the guy many "have wanted all along", but whom timing may be eliminating a SECOND time. A year too early in both cases, it is looking like: WE weren't ready when Texas fired him (Mac already here--as much because CHARLIE not avail year before), Charlie not ready this time. Irony is that he was strong (haha) on our radar BOTH times--and I'm with those who say that it is doable THIS time if we really wanna go after him, hard.
To me, Frost is too much like MacEllwaine last time: Younger, still inexperienced in BIGTIME college football. Between the two, not only do we have more to go on between them, but in addition to longer, stronger state and regional ties, Strong has that direct FLORIDA GATORS experience and success here. And he wants it, by all accounts--he just also endeavors to make good his commitments and promises made to others.
I talk about all of this in much more detail and background in earlier posts (last 24 hours) over on the "MacEllwaine's Contract"-thread.
For now, lets just say that I'm not inherently AGAINST Frost's hiring, just feel pretty strongly that he's much more a gamble, a rather distant "2nd choice" at BEST--and some (possibly myself as well) would make good cases that he's not even that high, that among the various "gambles" every choice currently embodies, there are several that are better ones.
On "first consideration", anyway, I repeat: Frost just strikes me as too similar a risk to the one we made less than 3 years ago on MacEllwaine...That's probably because it'd basically have been made following the reasoning and advice of the same men as then. And we can't FIRE them: they operate thru "influence" (plus MONEY, as much as anything) behind the scenes. That'd seem to leave US powerless, but for one thing: They DON'T like direct public attention...They can be somewhat controlled, if necessary even blocked by the implied possibility of explicit, growing scrutiny. Of course, every BIG program has such men among them--and for good or ill, these men are often financially necessary to that elite status, challenges that must be met and moves that must be made, quickly and decisively, in order to stay there. So the rest try to work WITH rather than directly against them, even if/when they disagree.
Overall, though, we are DEFINITELY "better off today than yesterday". But "how MUCH better" can be proven or blown in this decision--how we make it and whom it leaves us choosing, molding and leading this team and program as its next Head Coach.
