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Steve Sarkisian - former UW/USC HC/ Alabama OC (does CU have the balls to make this hire?)

But they were there. And unlike with other coaches who have alcohol issues (I don't want to know how many in the profession have substance abuse issues and just how much **** gets swept under the rug), with Sark those issues got to a point where they were impossible to hide as they played out in public and affected his job performance.
Right, and I'm simply saying that he didn't fail as a coach because he couldn't recruit, develop or coach at a high level. He failed because he had addiction issues that, according to most people, have been dealt with and put behind him. The top programs don't need to take that risk. CU does.
 
Sounds good to me if he is really dried out, and can he stay dried out with the pressure that comes of being a P5 HC.
 
Right, and I'm simply saying that he didn't fail as a coach because he couldn't recruit, develop or coach at a high level. He failed because he had addiction issues that, according to most people, have been dealt with and put behind him. The top programs don't need to take that risk. CU does.

Actually, development was a huge criticism at both Washington and USC.

He is not a bad coach, but this idea he is an elite if not for alcoholism is an extremely faulty assertion.

He can recruit, but go back and look at his staffs at both Washington and USC. They were loaded.
 
Actually, development was a huge criticism at both Washington and USC.

He is not a bad coach, but this idea he is an elite if not for alcoholism is an extremely faulty assertion.

He can recruit, but go back and look at his staffs at both Washington and USC. They were loaded.
He developed Jake Locker into a 1st round pick. Jake ****ing Locker
 
A 31-26 record in conference is definitely not the most amazing, duff is right on that. I guess I just give him a bit of a pass for several years at UW since that place was such a mess when he rolled in. idk what would've happened at USC if he stayed, he was obviously recruiting up a storm, but so was Lane Kiffin there. Save Helton's recent hold my beer, I'd say anyone could recruit up a storm at USC.

I see the downside of Sark as (overlooking the alcohol thing) he rolls in, recruits up a storm, and perpetually is 6-8 wins. Maybe we're not super excited by that after a few years, but it'd leave the cupboard nice and stocked for the next guy. And honestly I'm just so ****ing tired of not making a bowl game. A guy that took a 0-12 team and almost immediately had them perennially bowling appeals a lot to me.
 
Actually, development was a huge criticism at both Washington and USC.

He is not a bad coach, but this idea he is an elite if not for alcoholism is an extremely faulty assertion.

He can recruit, but go back and look at his staffs at both Washington and USC. They were loaded.
I mark it as a positive that a coach values recruiting so much that he loads his staffs with guys like Lupoi, Ogeron and other heavy hitters.

I mark it as a positive that he is one of the best offensive minds & QB developers in the game.

I mark it as a negative that he never has parlayed that into a big season as a HC, since it may point to him being an elite #2 guy but only a pretty good #1 guy.

But with the negative, I also think that it's fair to say that the additional responsibilities in the HC role were likely overwhelming & things had to be falling through the cracks if his drinking wasn't under control while he was in those jobs. Especially since we're talking about a guy trying to handle all that in his 30s, which is awfully young for that responsibility anyway.

So where I land is that I know we'd have the cupboard filled with talent, great QB play and see a winning program with Sark. I think the jury is out on whether he has the makeup of an elite HC, but I do think the potential is there.
 
Recruiting ranks as HC:

Washington
2009 - #75 (transition class he closed coming off 0-12 season - hired in December)
2010 - #19
2011 - #24
2012 - #24
2013 - #18
2014 - #38 (transition class that Petersen closed - left in December)

USC
2014 - #10 (transition class after Kiffin fired, Ogeron passed over as interim - hired in December)
2015 - #2
2016 - #10 (transition class that Helton took over recruiting in September '15)
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Not trying to be overly combative, just prying to get more than "That's a stretch".

He is an above average coach, which is not a bad thing.

Nothing in his resume suggests he would be an elite coach if not for alcoholism. I have no idea where that assertion comes from to be honest. So yes, I think it is a stretch to say he would have USC as a perennial CFB playoff contender.
 
He is an above average coach, which is not a bad thing.

Nothing in his resume suggests he would be an elite coach if not for alcoholism. I have no idea where that assertion comes from to be honest. So yes, I think it is a stretch to say he would have USC as a perennial CFB playoff contender.
Definitely not an elite coach, but you don't think he is an elite recruiter? Seems to have recruited Washington out of a terrible position and had quite a few controbutors to that 2016 UW playoff team.
 
He is an above average coach, which is not a bad thing.

Nothing in his resume suggests he would be an elite coach if not for alcoholism. I have no idea where that assertion comes from to be honest. So yes, I think it is a stretch to say he would have USC as a perennial CFB playoff contender.
Interesting that a guy who is known as an elite recruiter wouldn’t be very high on your list. That seems contradictory to your historical perspective.
 
Let’s not go overboard here. He is a quality coach that I would put a peg or two above a Clay Helton. Hopefully he learned from his mistakes and from Saban
 
Definitely not an elite coach, but you don't think he is an elite recruiter? Seems to have recruited Washington out of a terrible position and had quite a few controbutors to that 2016 UW playoff team.

I don't know how to separate him and his staff at the time. I think he is likely a very good recruiter, but I am not sure he elite by himself.
 
He is an above average coach, which is not a bad thing.

Nothing in his resume suggests he would be an elite coach if not for alcoholism. I have no idea where that assertion comes from to be honest. So yes, I think it is a stretch to say he would have USC as a perennial CFB playoff contender.
I agree, it appears the ceiling is questionable seeing as how he topped out at 9 wins (once), but the floor is high—seems like a safe bet that we’d be bowling most years, which is all we can ask for, right? Also, aside from his hx of addiction (obviously a big IF) the risk that he’d jump I see as small. At least we all know his alma mater is not in play, and it would be surprising to me that many other top programs would take the chance (and perhaps the PR hit) on him, even if he is successful here, given any alcoholic’s propensity for relapse. In terms of risk, I’d put Sark at or ear the bottom of any list of viable candidates, including Bieniemy.
 
I see Sark as a smarter and much less douchey Lane Kiffin. Recruiting results and offensive production will be about the same between those guys, with Sark probably getting you better QBs and Kiffin being a better promoter with maybe a bigger tree to draw from & greater organizational awareness since he grew up around it through his dad. Their win-loss records as college HCs are pretty similar with much of their problems coming from self-inflicted wounds.
 
For reference, here is his recruiting rankings in the conference (Pac-12 Rank by total, Pac-12 rank by average stars)
2010: 4-7
2011: 5-5
2012: 5-6
2013: 3-4
2014 (USC): 1-4
2015: 1-1

Keep in mind the Pac-12 was the second best conference in college football for most of those years.
 
He is an above average coach, which is not a bad thing.

Nothing in his resume suggests he would be an elite coach if not for alcoholism. I have no idea where that assertion comes from to be honest. So yes, I think it is a stretch to say he would have USC as a perennial CFB playoff contender.
Fair, and it was my assertion based on the fact that he was a young coach who rebuilt a terrible program, had them recruiting at a high level (for their standards), developed good QB play, and then was the choice of a blue blood program coming off an 11 win season and maintained recruiting there as well. Maybe playoff contender every year and top 10 HC was "a stretch", but I do think he would be a very good coach who would have kept USC as the class of the conference.
 
Fair, and it was my assertion based on the fact that he was a young coach who rebuilt a terrible program, had them recruiting at a high level (for their standards), developed good QB play, and then was the choice of a blue blood program coming off an 11 win season and maintained recruiting there as well. Maybe playoff contender every year and top 10 HC was "a stretch", but I do think he would be a very good coach who would have kept USC as the class of the conference.
Not with Haden as AD (then Lynn Swan) and them deciding to let boosters run the show during that period, probably. But I'm completely confident that USC wouldn't have had a 5-7 season under him or a recruiting class at the bottom of the Pac-12.
 
Interesting that a guy who is known as an elite recruiter wouldn’t be very high on your list. That seems contradictory to your historical perspective.

I have a general aversion to head coaching retreads.
 
I understand the aversion to retreads but Sark’s case is pretty unique. He was never fired for failure to produce results on the field - his departure was entirely related to off-field issues. Assuming his demons are under control, I don’t look at him like other retreads who had been fired for failure to deliver.
 
I understand the aversion to retreads but Sark’s case is pretty unique. He was never fired for failure to produce results on the field - his departure was entirely related to off-field issues. Assuming his demons are under control, I don’t look at him like other retreads who had been fired for failure to deliver.
And also his demons, as far as we know, are far less pernicious than, say, those that occurred at Michigan State.
 
I have a general aversion to head coaching retreads.
I feel that way, too. But I make a differentiation on a retread whose chance was as a young coach who had to be exceptional to get the opportunity at an age when very few are ready for it.

I think coaches in that age range of their mid 40s to around 60 is usually their professional prime.
 
I don't really care about head coaching experience either but when someone has proven they did a good job at another Pac-12 school and then gets a job opportunity at one of the top 5 jobs in the country I think you have to consider that.
That some of us think we are too good for the offensive coordinators of Alabama and the Super Bowl champions, hired and trusted by Nick Saban and Andy Reid, particularly at this particular moment, is amusing.
 
That some of us think we are too good for the offensive coordinators of Alabama and the Super Bowl champions, hired and trusted by Nick Saban and Andy Reid, particularly at this particular moment, is amusing.
Yeah I would be so happy with either one of those guys. They are clearly a cut above Grinch and Avalos but I do understand that with the timing it could be a good opportunity to take a risk on those two younger coordinators and see what they could do.
 
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