Rick George releases a statement

[ahoelsken]

Right. But that’s what we did with MM. Then a better gig comes along…. And we are a stepstool. We are going to have to find lightning in a bottle.. a lower level coach who wants to build a program over time? Is that a thing anymore?
Anyone believe we can land a splash hire, anyway—even if only for 15 months?

Two points-we need to start thinking about who might get fired elsewhere. We'd probably have hired a G5 or FCS HC had we dumped Eeyore last year because of how many blue bloods made moves.

I'm taking 2-3 big time shots-Tom Herman's one. A couple friends of mine who went to UT said his politics pissed a lot of their donors off. They thought he'd fit really well at CU. They don't think he'll get a lot of interest from SEC schools. Maybe Dan Mullen too? I'm calling Jeff Lebby from Oklahoma too. Both these guys get the portal and NIL. If we get either, the buyout if they want to use us as a stepping stool is the remainder of the contract.

Don't rule out Blake Anderson and Jay Hill. Anderson has an authenticity to him that makes me think he could recruit at a power 5 level. Gets the portal and NIL from what I know-He got his QB from Arkansas State to follow him to Utah State. Also connects with his own kids-look at what he did last year at Utah State. Hill worked under Kyle Whittingham for 12 years before he went to Weber. That blueprint isn't a bad one to follow. To have any sort of success at the FCS level, you have to know how to make the transfer portal a resource for you. I hit up a Ute fan I go back and forth with on twitter about Hill out of curiousity.

 

[BuffLuke80]

Anyone working as a HC below the P5 is making under $2M a year, most under $1M. Almost all coordinators even at P5 make under $1M per year.

If you don't have a P5 HC job, your agent is almost certainly very open to furthering the conversation if CU calls.

There are plenty of smaller school coaches out there I'd be plenty happy for CU to get.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

We got nothing but pain from being MT’s step-stool. One win against NUBs, maybe? 5-7 season. And left in a horrible situation, leading to hiring KD.

Tucker was poached from Cu because MSU was desperate. They were essentially hiring UGA’s DC, who happened to spend one season as HC of a middling program and maintained status quo. In a more traditional sense, a stepping stone job typically wins a decent amount. Yes, it was the worst of both worlds for CU in that situation

 

[ahoelsken]

There are plenty of smaller school coaches out there I'd be plenty happy for CU to get.

Jay Hill might now be at the top of that list for at least me now.

 

[BuffLuke80]

Jay Hill might now be at the top of that list for at least me now.

What his job there? OC, DC or something else? I've heard the name but don't know much about him.

 

[Fogo]

I have no clue if RG can do this or not, but swing for the top name coaches available, then work your way down. For each coach that turns you down, you list out their objections why they turned it down. It's one thing when 1 coach tells you something. It's another when you document 5 coaches telling you the same laundry list of what it will take to be successful.

Then you find out if anyone in the room is listening, starting with RG.

 

[GawainBuff]

Tucker was poached from Cu because MSU was desperate. They were essentially hiring UGA’s DC, who happened to spend one season as HC of a middling program and maintained status quo. In a more traditional sense, a stepping stone job typically wins a decent amount. Yes, it was the worst of both worlds for CU in that situation

Certainly, that is the “traditional” way it works. However, with the massive money disparities at play these days, I’m not sure much of anything “traditional” will remain of college football. The numbers can just be so out of balance. Any flickers of success may bring the vultures.

Again, I’m just not sure I can wait out another rebuild. Don’t have much CU fan left in me. We’ll see

 

[Not Sure]

Sooner the better. Like mentioned above, it gives time to research and negotiate. Not sure who will be placed as interem?

I appreciate the endorsement, but I’ll pass.

 

[Hank]

Tucker was poached from Cu because MSU was desperate. They were essentially hiring UGA’s DC, who happened to spend one season as HC of a middling program and maintained status quo. In a more traditional sense, a stepping stone job typically wins a decent amount. Yes, it was the worst of both worlds for CU in that situation

Yep. Our descent to the bottom has been a combination of both (1) dip**** decisions, and (2) unlucky results.

Hawkins - not a dip**** decision. We were hoodwinked. Just like everyone else. National media thought it was a great hire.

Embree - dip**** decision. Nothing else to add.

MikeMac - whatever - I don't even know what to make of this era.

Tucker - good decision - this is where unlucky comes into play. On Feb 4, 2020, Mark Dantonio randomly retires. MSU hires Tucker. Leaving us coachless after the carousel already spun. We almost land Sark. We f*ck it up because it's amateur hour. Saban intervenes cuz he's like "what the f*ck they suck. don't agree to that amateur bullsh*t." Then we give KD the contract meant for Sark. Covid hits. Had it hit two weeks earlier, we would have never hired KD.

KD - death blow to CU football

 

[BuffWarHog]

Anyone working as a HC below the P5 is making under $2M a year, most under $1M. Almost all coordinators even at P5 make under $1M per year.

If you don't have a P5 HC job, your agent is almost certainly very open to furthering the conversation if CU calls.

Bobby Petrino

 

[HockeyBuff]

After another year of interviews and rejections, has he seen that his future might not be a HC in the NFL? Would he reconsider the CU job now?

Please no more B4life coaches. I’d like to see us go with someone who is completely new to CU. And not someone from the NFL. We need someone who gets college football.

 

[leftybuff]

Two points-we need to start thinking about who might get fired elsewhere. We'd probably have hired a G5 or FCS HC had we dumped Eeyore last year because of how many blue bloods made moves.

I'm taking 2-3 big time shots-Tom Herman's one. A couple friends of mine who went to UT said his politics pissed a lot of their donors off. They thought he'd fit really well at CU. They don't think he'll get a lot of interest from SEC schools. Maybe Dan Mullen too? I'm calling Jeff Lebby from Oklahoma too. Both these guys get the portal and NIL. If we get either, the buyout if they want to use us as a stepping stool is the remainder of the contract.

Don't rule out Blake Anderson and Jay Hill. Anderson has an authenticity to him that makes me think he could recruit at a power 5 level. Gets the portal and NIL from what I know-He got his QB from Arkansas State to follow him to Utah State. Also connects with his own kids-look at what he did last year at Utah State. Hill worked under Kyle Whittingham for 12 years before he went to Weber. That blueprint isn't a bad one to follow. To have any sort of success at the FCS level, you have to know how to make the transfer portal a resource for you. I hit up a Ute fan I go back and forth with on twitter about Hill out of curiousity.

I like Anderson, I like the Hill idea. Herman would be great, but why would he come to dumpster fire the CU AD is? He will have other, better options. Mullen doesn't like to recruit, that would be a disaster. Take big swings at Lebby et al. but the Anderson/Hill level is where CU is going to find traction IMO.

Of course, none of this matters unless Pres. Saliman channels his inner Gordon Gee. Leaving the same clowns on the organizational chart above the HC and you'll get the same results. Fire RG, fire LC, fire Dr. Phil.

 

[manhattanbuff]

I like Anderson, I like the Hill idea. Herman would be great, but why would he come to dumpster fire the CU AD is? He will have other, better options. Mullen doesn't like to recruit, that would be a disaster. Take big swings at Lebby et al. but the Anderson/Hill level is where CU is going to find traction IMO.

Of course, none of this matters unless Pres. Saliman channels his inner Gordon Gee. Leaving the same clowns on the organizational chart above the HC and you'll get the same results. Fire RG, fire LC, fire Dr. Phil.

Saliman can neuter Phil D with a strong AD and indicator that he needs to focus on retirement. Rick George gotta go and cannot hire the next coach. That person has to be able to bring in their hire to be the football coach who selects 100% of the staff.

 

[leftybuff]

MikeMac - whatever - I don't even know what to make of this era.

MikMac was a solid CFB coach. He sucked at recruiting. How much of that was his vanilla presentation and how much was the clown show in the AD and Chancellor's office is hard to say. CU played solid, not great FB with him at the helm. Recruited a handful of high caliber players (Olugbode, Awuzie, Carrell, Oliver) and balanced the roster. He did what he was hired to do, which was repair the damage done by the DII Danny "I am just here to play my son Corky" Hawkins regime. It was time to upgrade and Tucker was just the ticket.

When he left, RG went big game hunting again, and when he screwed that up, he compounded his error by hiring a total dud, and guaranteeing the whole deal to boot. He has to go and cannot be allowed to screw anything else up. JMO.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

To sum up This thread....

1. Rick George worse then Mike Bohn
2. Total loss of confidence in RG.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

I like Anderson, I like the Hill idea. Herman would be great, but why would he come to dumpster fire the CU AD is? He will have other, better options. Mullen doesn't like to recruit, that would be a disaster. Take big swings at Lebby et al. but the Anderson/Hill level is where CU is going to find traction IMO.

Of course, none of this matters unless Pres. Saliman channels his inner Gordon Gee. Leaving the same clowns on the organizational chart above the HC and you'll get the same results. Fire RG, fire LC, fire Dr. Phil.

Agree that all three need to go, but the order in which they go and hire replacements needs to be top down. And with PDS not retiring until the end of the year, I get very concerned with the timeline for getting better.

If we can KD, pay out his large severance, and hire a replacement this year, it will ultimately be done by the same clowns, with the same crappy contracts and restrictions that got us into this mess. We might still need to go through one ****ty coaching cycle until we have things in place to get serious.

 

[1989Buff]

I don't know how likely it is we could lure him but Jeff Tedford I believe makes about $1.65 million a year right now ( don't quote me on that). He's a proven commodity. He'd sure be an upgrade I'd think. Look at what he'd doing in Fresno.

 

[Hank]

MikMac was a solid CFB coach. He sucked at recruiting. How much of that was his vanilla presentation and how much was the clown show in the AD and Chancellor's office is hard to say. CU played solid, not great FB with him at the helm. Recruited a handful of high caliber players (Olugbode, Awuzie, Carrell, Oliver) and balanced the roster. He did what he was hired to do, which was repair the damage done by the DII Danny "I am just here to play my son Corky" Hawkins regime. It was time to upgrade and Tucker was just the ticket.

When he left, RG went big game hunting again, and when he screwed that up, he compounded his error by hiring a total dud, and guaranteeing the whole deal to boot. He has to go and cannot be allowed to screw anything else up. JMO.

I dunno. Take away Leavitt and he went 6-39 in conference play.

Edit: I guess Leavitt was there in 2015 too. So probably more accurate to say "except for 2016, MikMac went 6-39 in conference play."

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

Agree that all three need to go, but the order in which they go and hire replacements needs to be top down. And with PDS not retiring until the end of the year, I get very concerned with the timeline for getting better.

If we can KD, pay out his large severance, and hire a replacement this year, it will ultimately be done by the same clowns, with the same crappy contracts and restrictions that got us into this mess. We might still need to go through one ****ty coaching cycle until we have things in place to get serious.

I don't think there needs to be a specific order of events, but it's dependent on Saliman overseeing it all, keeping Phil D away from any decision making (not hard to imagine this would happen), and doing what is necessary to remove the basic hurdles that make the HC job less attractive.

Saliman can be the defacto CU Boulder Chancellor in the process and then hire an actual Chancellor after Phil retires who aligns with his vision of athletic excellence. I know most want RG gone, and I don't disagree, but I do think he's capable of hiring a quality football coach. Part of me would like to see what he can do without Phil D stepping on his dick at every turn.

Of course, this all relies on Saliman being that guy following through on a multitude of things

 

[leftybuff]

Agree that all three need to go, but the order in which they go and hire replacements needs to be top down. And with PDS not retiring until the end of the year, I get very concerned with the timeline for getting better.

If we can KD, pay out his large severance, and hire a replacement this year, it will ultimately be done by the same clowns, with the same crappy contracts and restrictions that got us into this mess. We might still need to go through one ****ty coaching cycle until we have things in place to get serious.

You cannot let Dr. Phil have a say. If he is on his way out the door, he will have even less reason to avoid being an idiot. Any competent organization keeps him OUT of long term strategy decisions being made within a short time before his retirement.

 

[leftybuff]

I dunno. Take away Leavitt and he went 6-39 in conference play.

Edit: I guess Leavitt was there in 2015 too. So probably more accurate to say "except for 2016, MikMac went 6-39 in conference play."

I can see your point. 2016 was a happy accident. Senior laden team, Leavitt, finally had a core of actual P12 talent. MikMac was a part of that, how much is hard to say.

 

[Hank]

I don't think there needs to be a specific order of events, but it's dependent on Saliman overseeing it all, keeping Phil D away from any decision making (not hard to imagine this would happen), and doing what is necessary to remove the basic hurdles that make the HC job less attractive.

Saliman can be the defacto CU Boulder Chancellor in the process and then hire an actual Chancellor after Phil retires who aligns with his vision of athletic excellence. I know most want RG gone, and I don't disagree, but I do think he's capable of hiring a quality football coach. Part of me would like to see what he can do without Phil D stepping on his dick at every turn.

Agree. The contract given to KD is unforgivable. But it's reasonable to think that RG would not make the same mistake again. It's also reasonable to think that he would. But if Phil D is not gone until the end of the school year, the Buffs can't wait that long to make a coaching change.

 

[ahoelsken]

I like Anderson, I like the Hill idea. Herman would be great, but why would he come to dumpster fire the CU AD is? He will have other, better options. Mullen doesn't like to recruit, that would be a disaster. Take big swings at Lebby et al. but the Anderson/Hill level is where CU is going to find traction IMO.

Of course, none of this matters unless Pres. Saliman channels his inner Gordon Gee. Leaving the same clowns on the organizational chart above the HC and you'll get the same results. Fire RG, fire LC, fire Dr. Phil.

I keep coming back to a word Venables used alot when he went back to Oklahoma-alignment. He passed on Auburn in 2020 because they didn't have it. He took Oklahoma because they did-they've got one of the best ADs in the country and a very pro-athletics president. We have an AD who I think wants to win. Rick hired Mel Tucker in the first place. I think he's capable of pulling another rabbit type candidate out of the hat now-if he's learned from what he did wrong with Tucker and Dorrell.

We're probably stuck with him for now-but hopefully we can send Lance packing.

Take a big swing or two-I'm perfectly fine with talking to Herman, Lebby, Anderson, and Hill.

 

[Buffnik]

I can see your point. 2016 was a happy accident. Senior laden team, Leavitt, finally had a core of actual P12 talent. MikMac was a part of that, how much is hard to say.

Mike Mac is a hell of a DB coach and evaluator of DB talent. That 2016 secondary was tremendous and was the main group which drove the success of that team. I give MM a ton of credit. It's deserved.

I also think that season showed MM's limitations and ceiling since he wasn't able to capitalize in recruiting on a 10-win season.

 

[ahoelsken]

Agree. The contract given to KD is unforgivable. But it's reasonable to think that RG would not make the same mistake again. It's also reasonable to think that he would. But if Phil D is not gone until the end of the school year, the Buffs can't wait that long to make a coaching change.

Some of you might now better than I would-but couldn't Saliman feasibly start easing Dr. Phil out the door now?

 

[leftybuff]

I keep coming back to a word Venables used alot when he went back to Oklahoma-alignment. He passed on Auburn in 2020 because they didn't have it. He took Oklahoma because they did-they've got one of the best ADs in the country and a very pro-athletics president. We have an AD who I think wants to win. Rick hired Mel Tucker in the first place. I think he's capable of pulling another rabbit type candidate out of the hat now-if he's learned from what he did wrong with Tucker and Dorrell.

We're probably stuck with him for now-but hopefully we can send Lance packing.

Take a big swing or two-I'm perfectly fine with talking to Herman, Lebby, Anderson, and Hill.

There really are mistakes you do not come back from, in my opinion. Hamstringing the AD he did with the inexplicable hire of KD and that ridiculous contract are that level of mistake. I do not want RG around the CU AD anymore. Not even as a ticket buying spectator. I am sure the captain of the Exxon Valdez was good at his job too.

 

[Buffnik]

Some of you might now better than I would-but couldn't Saliman feasibly start easing Dr. Phil out the door now?

There's a certain level of professional respect PD is owed, no matter my feelings about the guy. And he did hang on an additional year so that CU wouldn't be in the midst of hiring a new President and a flagship Chancellor at the same time.

In the end, I think PD would welcome it if a HC firing and AD budget shortfall was on someone else's shoulders. I think his role will be ceremonial.

 

[leftybuff]

Some of you might now better than I would-but couldn't Saliman feasibly start easing Dr. Phil out the door now?

Yes. He could simply say, congrats on your retirement. Keep hacking away at your day to day responsibilities, but strategic planning is now no longer your concern.

 

[Bison]

Jay Hill might now be at the top of that list for at least me now.

Ohio State did that with Jim Tressel by taking him from Youngstown State. It can work.

 

[ahoelsken]

There really are mistakes you do not come back from, in my opinion. Hamstringing the AD he did with the inexplicable hire of KD and that ridiculous contract are that level of mistake. I do not want RG around the CU AD anymore. Not even as a ticket buying spectator. I am sure the captain of the Exxon Valdez was good at his job too.

I agree, but I'm also realistic. If I had my way, Rick and Lance would follow Stoneface out the door. Rick's not leaving, unfortunately. If he was on the hot seat, Saliman would be the one putting out the statement that RG did the other night.