GRUDEN???
(Suddenly, it's a thing.)
(Suddenly, it's a thing.)
Gentlemen, we have been through this enough times to know that as long as Florida is cycling through coaches every 3-4 years that we are going to hear every rumor imaginable. In 2022 it was James Franklin, Lane Kiffin, or Kalen DeBoer but we got Billy Napier (ref: https://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/re-evaluating-the-coaching-search-2022.21398/). In 2018 it was Chip Kelly and Scott Frost but we got Dan Mullen (ref: https://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/2018-coaching-search-retrospective.21272/#post-92184). In 2014 it was Mark Hudspeth (Billy Napier's predecessor who was fired for NCAA violations) and Chip Kelly (ref: https://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/a-look-back-at-the-2014-coaching-search.19668/). Amongst all those coaching searches there was always a mention of Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Bill Belichik, et cetera.
I am actually fascinated by the idea of bringing in Jon Gruden as a general manager of football operations.
I hate to be the one to break this to you, but just about any younger Baby Boomer, any Gen X or older Millennial coach says these kind of things in a football environment or an office environment and they are not racists. They are products of their environment and it takes at least a generation to fully change culture. The only difference between Gruden and others is that his comments were shared in public. Name for me one "nice" and "DEI friendly" coach who has won at a high level and I will show you oceanfront property in Arizona. Florida has been fortunate that coaches like Urban Meyer did not coach here while the Internet was at its peak like it is now. You can find reports on Nick Saban saying these kind of things in the locker room, and now that he is in the public eye as a media member in the peak of the Internet age he has to change his tone. Lucky for Saban, he has Jon Gruden as an example of what not to do.Not against it but with the state legislature removing DEI programs which is bad enough trying to recruit students-athletes especially for football, does the Gators want to hire a guy who said some racist stuff among other things?
I mentioned in a couple other threads the idea of interviewing Gruden for head coach but countering with an offer as a GM. That would make best use of his NFL connections while isolating his non-politically correct personality from the public. Also by hiring him as a GM he could start in October before Napier is fired and manage the roster for the interim coach. With Gruden s as GM and consultant he can use his connections to mitigate the chaos that goes with firing head coaches. This could give Gruden a long term job at slightly lower salary where he could retire in 10+ years rather than being cycled through college football programs every 4 years… or fired for his inability to play the politically correct game.I know there's no oceanfront property in Arizona, my dad lives there and I've been there a few times. It's dry and one time I went during a summer. Anyway, I don't see Gruden getting hired as a coach (besides what I listed) because he had a tendency to start older quarterbacks plus he was behind the downfall of the Bucs (him and Bruce Allen). I don't know if he would be patient with a young QB. Him as a GM, maybe. I did see he was an advisor with the Saints and if they hired him, others might. I'm sure you're right about other coaches saying similar things however Gruden got caught.
AND the way our crap defense allowed MSU to stay in THIS one til the 4th quarter--With BOTH our quarterbacks with hot hands against a defense even worse than OURS!In today’s era of transfer portal free agency, there is a high probability of 60+ players transferring out no matter when Napier is fired. The reason is not due to the losses, but the way the Gators lost and the way they barely stayed ahead of Samford in the first half.
AND the way our crap defense allowed MSU to stay in THIS one til the 4th quarter--With BOTH our quarterbacks with hot hands against a defense even worse than OURS!
I guess I could even understand sticking with Billy at this point--if only he were recruiting and HOLDING ONTO better players each year.
He HAS grabbed some talented playmajers at some key positions--but not enough of them, and on defense hardly any at ALL.
Seldom have I been left so frustrated and unsatisfied by a road win in the SEC!
I only hope we can somehow keep him.A win is a win, but this might be the last win of Napier's reign as coach. I did like seeing Lagway work with a bunch of freshmen and redshirt freshmen. They seem to have better chemistry amongst themselves. Without a GM, it will take leadership from Lagway, assuming he stays, to keep this team together through a coaching change. Nothing against Mertz, who performed well, but once Napier is fired this team will turn to Lagway for the future.
I don't know that maybe we shouldn't start a thread JUST dedicated to tossing up the latest "hot rumor" or "crazy idea" that is making the rounds out there regarding who is supposedly being "seriously considered" for hire here come the supposedly "long since inevitable" firing of Billy Napier indeed comes to pass...and here is the LATEST such name:
Cliff Kingsbury.
Now, this one is intriguing if only because it sort of ticks a wider range of the possible "qualification satisfying boxes" than a lot of the others so far. Not in any "slamdunk" sort-of-way, but interestingly so nonetheless.
MIGHT be another "risky 'cause it's EARLY in his career-trajectory" situation--and we've not done well with those thus far--but win or lose, at least it might be a fun ride!
That's about the most hopefully positive thing I can say about it, though.
As for overseeing holding the few key pieces we've got, PLUS overseeing a complete rebuild of the Defense AND elsewhere, all via the new and fast-developimg realities of modern college football's NIL and transfer portal rules and processes, well, who-the-frell KNOWS???
The more I see--and DON'T see--the more I begin to suspect that for the moment at least, NO such moves will be made regarding the Head Coach:
"The moment" ending either when some sudden DEEPER disaster befalls us, a stunningly apt (and AVAILABLE) candidate arises, and/or the season comes to an end and all kinds of "additional possibilities" begin to become "theoretically available".