– Chris Giannini
On this Thanksgiving, I found myself feeling strangely torn emotionally. If you have followed Gary’s writing, you know he has been covering the coaching carousel in college football closely and has a belief that my Tigers will end up with Mike Gundy, whose name has came up recently, but not with a lot of steam behind it.
Gary was first on this trail months ago just after Les Miles was released. If it doesn’t come to be, it is still a fantastic job by him to make a call like that so far in advance when we don’t have the access full-time journalists do…
So where does my emotional struggle come from?
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Tonight, during the LSU @ Texas A&M game, reports leaked of a meeting between LSU AD, Joe Alleva, and Houston head coach, Tom Herman, stating they are “closing in on a deal” for Tom Herman to become the next head coach at LSU. Many believe this is being done to motivate the University of Texas to make a move for Herman, as that is his most desired destination. Others reported LSU’s current defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda was Herman’s roommate in college, and this bode well for LSU as a more desirable landing spot for him.
There is also a line of thinking that after yet another end of season collapse by Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies, Texas A&M may be finished with him and they want to take their chances with landing Herman. (Okay, this is getting ridiculous. What are the chances that during the LSU vs. A&M game it is reported that Herman is close to a deal with LSU as LSU beats the hell out of A&M and now A&M decides they should fire their coach to try and beat LSU out of getting the coach they want since they can’t beat LSU on the field?) Everyone follow all of that? I thought it and wrote it and I don’t think I completely follow it. With all the uncertainty it is impossible to know what is actually going on with these meetings and where everything stands.
Being a fan it is difficult because I love Tom Herman and think he is the best coach available. Gary leans towards the side of Herman’s agent using LSU as leverage to get a better deal at Texas. This is where the bulk of the frustration comes from. If I had to be honest, that would be what is most probable. If his friendship with Aranda is so strong once the coach at Texas Herman could hire him away. These contracts in college mean nothing.
Gary is also of the opinion that Ed Orgeron, the interim head coach at LSU currently, has no chance at getting the job due to violations that will come out in the Ole Miss investigation in the next year or 2. This is another frustrating part to the situation. If not for Gary’s reporting I would know nothing about the Ole Miss allegations and definitely wouldn’t know about how Orgeron could be involved since he hasn’t been at Ole Miss in 10 years. Aside from the possible baggage Coach O could bring, I feel that he has earned the job. I was slow to come to this conclusion, but now that I’m here, I am not getting off this mountain until I know he is a part of the trouble at Ole Miss. What he has done to turn the program around in the middle of the season is remarkable. Has he been flawless? No. But the Tigers have vastly improved under Coach O, and there is no question the recruiting will continue to be strong. The quarterback position will be better than it has ever been under Miles and the team will follow him to the depths of hell! (And, to be honest, so would I.)
If his troubles with the NCAA are true, then O is, unfortunately, not hire-able (it breaks my heart to admit that). With that being said, let me help Coach Herman work through this difficult decision he has in front of him.
First about the A&M job: You would look ridiculous in maroon. And their mascot is a collie. It’s not even a cool dog. You would be led out on the field by Lassie. (Talk about lame.)
And for Texas: the administration there is a joke. The amount of time you will have to spend playing politics and not focusing on football is unreasonable and unacceptable. (And they wonder why they can’t find a coach that can win consistently.) Plus, think of the conference they are in. Your current conference, the AAC, has been stronger than the Big 12. (That started out as a joke and surprisingly it is backed up by statistics!) And think about the difficult competition you will face there playing against Big Game Bob and a team known as the Jayhawks. (I don’t even know what a Jayhawk is, but is sounds ridiculous.)
Okay, I’ll be serious for a moment; you are the best young coach the game has to offer and you are holding a winning lottery ticket. The school where you cash that ticket in will determine your legacy. In 5 years, no one will remember how you did at Houston, or what you did before getting there. Turning a program like Texas around would cement your legacy… but with an administration that could hold you back, failing there could destroy your legacy. (i.e. Charlie Strong) Remember back to how good of a coach he was before taking that job. How could a coach that good fail at a school like Texas? Maybe he didn’t fail at Texas. Maybe Texas failed him. Now Coach Strong will be looking for another coordinator job until he can get back on his feet. LSU is stable. LSU is loaded with talent and has shown that, with a great coach, they can play at a top tier level now. Not to mention you would look fantastic in purple and gold. So to use a phase coined by my favorite politician this past election season: Coach Herman, Our Best LSU Yet. You in?
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