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What should the coaching staff look like next year?

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator
Fans keep fantasizing about head coaches without considering the realities of availability, stability, and chemistry.
Here are my top three fantasy coaching staffs for the 2018 Florida Gators:
  1. Chip Kelly as HC with Mark Helfrich as OC and Billy Davis as DC. This works well, because we would be hiring CK and two assistants who have worked under him at one point or another who need a couple years of grooming before considering a move to head coach elsewhere. MK and BD can help CK with recruiting duties, and coach players with the speed that is readily available in the Sunshine State. This coaching staff might be easier to pull together since two of these coaches are analysts on TV right now. Agent: David Dunn.
    chip-kelly-florida-gators1-jpg.360
  2. Scott Frost as HC with Troy Walters as OC and Erik Chinander as DC. We cannot talk about hiring Frost without bringing his trusted assistants here. Neither of these two are currently being considered for head coaching positions, and they would only need to move their families two hours north (considering traffic). Agent: Trace Armstrong.
  3. Willie Taggart as HC with Marcus Arroyo or Mike Sanford as OC and Jim Leavitt or Tom Allen as DC. Considering how long WT has been at Oregon it might be harder for him to grab the entire coaching staff and bring them to Gainesville. As a backup plan, he could grab two former assistants who are coaching on other teams. Agent: Jimmy Sexton.
What I have done here is considered the realities of coaching availability based on contracts, viability of assistants based on their desire to continue working as assistants instead of moving up as head coach, and chemistry amongst coaches. I ruled out Norvell, Campbell, and others, because I was not sure if they could bring entire coaching staffs that could fix Florida's problems in all phases. I reluctantly ruled out Charlie Strong, because he lacks an offensive coordinator that would excite the fans.
 
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DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Fans keep fantasizing about head coaches without considering the realities of availability, stability, and chemistry.
Here are my top three fantasy coaching staffs for the 2018 Florida Gators:
  1. Chip Kelly as HC with Mark Helfrich as OC and Billy Davis as DC. This works well, because we would be hiring CK and two assistants who have worked under him at one point or another who need a couple years of grooming before considering a move to head coach elsewhere. MK and BD can help CK with recruiting duties, and coach players with the speed that is readily available in the Sunshine State. This coaching staff might be easier to pull together since two of these coaches are analysts on TV right now.
    chip-kelly-florida-gators1-jpg.360
  2. Scott Frost as HC with Troy Walters as OC and Erik Chinander as DC. We cannot talk about hiring Frost without bringing his trusted assistants here. Neither of these two are currently being considered for head coaching positions, and they would only need to move their families two hours north (considering traffic).
  3. Willie Taggart as HC with Marcus Arroyo or Mike Sanford as OC and Jim Leavitt or Tom Allen as DC. Considering how long WT has been at Oregon it might be harder for him to grab the entire coaching staff and bring them to Gainesville. As a backup plan, he could grab two former assistants who are coaching on other teams.
What I have done here is considered the realities of coaching availability based on contracts, viability of assistants based on their desire to continue working as assistants instead of moving up as head coach, and chemistry amongst coaches. I ruled out Norvell, Campbell, and others, because I was not sure if they could bring entire coaching staffs that could fix Florida's problems in all phases. I reluctantly ruled out Charlie Strong, because he lacks an offensive coordinator that would excite the fans.
As I noted elsewhere overnight, while I am now more aware of the various men being considered, personally I am less certain than ever as to how it'll all shake out. It is these very factors, "practical wisdom", "image" and the need to satisfy, even inspire, the fan and booster-base, and how much exigencies of financial considerations (ours and theirs) and behind-the-scenes political maneuverings will work among it all in the end to arrive at a decision (not to mention what the candidates themselves are thinking), that so cloud the picture, let alone the final outcome.
That's why I appreciate your clear-eyed analysis here, E-. Failing Strong (the early front-runner and at least in my view the "right guy" overall--but it is a sad truth that given the subtle complexities of everything BESIDES the less publicly glamorous considerations of overall "competency", steady emotional balance and consistency, and "behind-the-scenes practical strengths" in recruiting, regional experience and connections, and that "image" of he himself being "a DEFENSIVE specialist", any CHANCE he'd have had of getting the job in the current climate and conditions would require him taking an active role in "making himself available" from the start, making it clear how much he clearly "WANTS the job", here and now)...Whatever was/is going on "in the background", he didn't jump on it, and I think the moment has now passed.
That leaves your "list"-- and though I can't claim the level of informed and detailed knowledge of all the folks attached to the various Head Coach candidates you choose, have to say MY conscious choices would be pretty well the same--especially #'s 1 and 2--and in the same order-of-preference.
Mind you, none of the 3 strike me as bad choices overall--just progressively more risky, for various reasons. By #3 you begin to run into more uncertainties, more guesses as to what you're actually going to end up with as to the staff's make up by the time the Coach actually gets here, in the event. There are a handful of possible alternate candidates to Taggart & Co. with their OWN pluses and minuses (the questions about Taggart, staff and families', moving so far after JUST having presumably settled in out west, how strong his/their current ties and connectiveness in the SOUTH, and/or ability to get it established and up to speed NOW are among the immediate "questions" that are sure to be muttered by some, for example), but if he's that good, and otherwise fits the bill, well, there are risks and theoretical imperfections in EVERY alternative far as I can see.
 

Leakfan12

VIP Member
Unsure about Chip Kelly, Scott Frost would more than likely go to his Alma Mater Nebraska if they fired Mike Reilly, and unsure if Taggart would leave Oregon after one year (if he was still in USF he would). As for Strong, I believe UF can hire an OC that could work with Strong.
 

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator
I think Florida can outbid Nebraska, but if Frost feels at home up there I think it makes more sense for him to go home. We saw what happened with Urban Meyer. Florida was a great place for him to win, but it was not home.

Charlie Strong is my personal favorite for coming home, but he has never made a good choice in offensive coordinators--not at Louisville, Texas, or South Florida.
 

DRU2012

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Word I am getting (no big shock) is:
"Frost, Mullen, Kelly", in declining order of "odds" at this point...
All 3 are DEEP in the Gator vetting process, all others SUPPOSEDLY having fallen by the wayside (EXCEPT that one name that at least "out-VETS" all others: Strong--with the caveat "if he WANTED it...").
 

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator
The hottest rumors I have seen revolve around Chip Kelly. The other Gator sites (yes, there are actually other sites, and, yes, they have more users than this one) say that they are in negotiations right now. Then again, these are the same sites that whiffed on Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain.

Another rumor is that there are multiple vetting teams sent out independently at the same time in order get through the hiring process as quickly as possible in order to get two or three realistic candidates to down-select from. If that is true, then I am impressed. That reminds me of the billion dollar fly-off competition between the F-22 and F-23.
 

awebbf5

VIP Member
The hottest rumors I have seen revolve around Chip Kelly. The other Gator sites (yes, there are actually other sites, and, yes, they have more users than this one) say that they are in negotiations right now. Then again, these are the same sites that whiffed on Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain.

Another rumor is that there are multiple vetting teams sent out independently at the same time in order get through the hiring process as quickly as possible in order to get two or three realistic candidates to down-select from. If that is true, then I am impressed. That reminds me of the billion dollar fly-off competition between the F-22 and F-23.


I've been following the forums on swampgas and Kelly has been said to be the front-runner but now Mullen is supposedly the favorite.
 

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