Unless the season really goes down the toilet I can't see them firing him during the season. Who becomes the interim? Sterling? And he would basically be a dead man walking at that point.
We are the Joneses - The Official Texas Longhorns Athletics Thread
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Unless the season really goes down the toilet I can't see them firing him during the season. Who becomes the interim? Sterling? And he would basically be a dead man walking at that point.
Exactly.
Anybody who has watched UT football consistenly over the last 3 years as us #HookEm coli brehs have seen that nothing really has changed except incredible talent and a needed culture change. However, no real progression. I get it there were people who were mad that Charlie was hired. I was in the category of rooting for the man thinking he could win big, but wait and see (Watson hire had me fukked up). 3 years now and I think we all have seen enough. While I think Herman is the next best choice I'm skeptical as fukk about him... Seems like his ego gets the best of him at times and we'll be wishing back for Charlie since he represents UT so well. Just random frustrating thoughts. So sick of UT being mediocre as hell.
also according to IT BMD's aren't really trying to get in Fenves way.
Sunday Humidor
In the hours after Cal, Greg Fenves was a very popular man. I'm assuming he was even more popular yesterday around 3:00, as his lines of communication were inundated with messages from people voicing displeasure. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
As UT's president I'm not sure Fenves foresaw being in this situation this year. In many ways he's not prepared for any changes that may need to be made, be it with the AD or the head coach. In other ways, he's more than prepared and qualified. Let's break down the situation he's in, and by extension, you the fan.
Currently the football program is 2-2 but things are even worse than that as Charlie Strong's main core competency - defense - is not playing out. Often times the donors are miscast as football rubes, but you don't need to be Paul Brown to notice Strong's deficiencies. They're so obvious even an engineer such as Fenves can pick up on them.
When Mike Perrin stated after the game that he's evaluating everything I made the quip that so to is Fenves. Texas is in a unique position with Perrin as a long-term interim AD. A good man with the school's best interest to be sure, Perrin isn't much more than a placeholder. He likes the job more than he originally thought he would, as does his wife who plays a vital role in their bargain, but he isn't the forward thinking AD the school needs, nor is he the football-centric AD a guy like Fenves would need to rely on.
Fenves is not a "football man" and though Perrin lettered at Texas, there's a difference between playing and deciding a school's future head coach. Though Perrin's qualifications are in question we hear having a new AD in place would not be a requisite for hiring a new coach.
For UT's sake, there appears to be a clear solution that would be easy to build consensus around. To not mince words; dismiss Charlie Strong and retain Tom Herman.
To be clear there is no coordinated war party from the donor faction. Most were content to sit on the sidelines and watch the season play out, and most previously thought Strong in 2017 was a foregone conclusion. I've talked to three donors in the last day and they're as surprised as anyone else the season is unfolding as it has thus far. I will say there was definitely a faction of boosters who wanted Strong gone after last season. Those same boosters are of course hoping he's removed after this season, which definitely seems to be the trend, but they were in the minority until yesterday.
Many of the donors who were on the fence are now hoping for a change, and they're actively recruiting the two biggest guys to see it their way. That would be one in Houston and one in Dallas. Names aren't important but you can probably figure them out.
The guys who backed Charlie last year are frustrated to see the offense wasted. As businessmen, they hate to see investment wasted and that's how they view the doubling down in Strong's favor of Gilbert and Mattox.
In the past we've illustrated donor hysterics. That was a different time for IT, and for the program. Absent are some key influencers in the power struggles: Bill Powers, Deloss Dodds, Mack Brown, Joe Jamail, and even Red McCombs. In talking to some donors, it's become clear, "this is Fenves' show, we're just going to nudge if he needs it and provide counsel if he requests it."
By all accounts Fenves is very pragmatic. I've heard this word to describe him on numerous occasions, but we've also witnessed it from afar. He ousted the reviled Steve Patterson. He asserted the hire of Sterlin Gilbert when the athletic department as a whole jeopardized it.
If you want assurances Fenves has the program's best interest at heart, he's already shown that he does. But now he has to circle back on his thought process. The hiring of Gilbert and Mattox illustrated he was all in on a fourth year for Strong. Between his own pragmatism and the nudging of donors he's certainly rethinking that, but nothing is set in stone as of now.
All three donors I talked to discounted the possibility Strong would be removed in-season. Honestly, logic discounts that too. But the pressure is building and if a couple of key donors become vocal, Strong's tenure is likely already written.
OU is huge for Strong but even a win won't be able to walk many back off of the ledge. The real fireworks will likely be in Dallas backrooms as key figures ruminate over the program's future.
In Humidors past we've often discussed "factions" of donors as if they're going to do battle at Falkirk. Currently, everyone I've talked to is on the same page. That page reads, "remove Strong, hire Herman." In this regard, Fenves' job is quite simple. The normal components you need in place, especially at a school like Texas, don't need to be in place. You don't need a virile AD searching high and low. You don't need a search firm like Korn Ferry. Fenves doesn't need "football men" guiding him.
Fenves just needs to keep being pragmatic and everyone I talk to has confidence he will be.
Your takeaways:
Fenves: Strong figure, an academic rather than athletic mind, able to see the big picture
Perrin: Secondary figure even as the AD, will have input but not nearly as uniquely as most other coaching searches
Donors: Eerily quiet but growing frustrated, trust in Fenves, largely on the same page about a replacement, recruiting other donors in case action is needed
As UT's president I'm not sure Fenves foresaw being in this situation this year. In many ways he's not prepared for any changes that may need to be made, be it with the AD or the head coach. In other ways, he's more than prepared and qualified. Let's break down the situation he's in, and by extension, you the fan.
Currently the football program is 2-2 but things are even worse than that as Charlie Strong's main core competency - defense - is not playing out. Often times the donors are miscast as football rubes, but you don't need to be Paul Brown to notice Strong's deficiencies. They're so obvious even an engineer such as Fenves can pick up on them.
When Mike Perrin stated after the game that he's evaluating everything I made the quip that so to is Fenves. Texas is in a unique position with Perrin as a long-term interim AD. A good man with the school's best interest to be sure, Perrin isn't much more than a placeholder. He likes the job more than he originally thought he would, as does his wife who plays a vital role in their bargain, but he isn't the forward thinking AD the school needs, nor is he the football-centric AD a guy like Fenves would need to rely on.
Fenves is not a "football man" and though Perrin lettered at Texas, there's a difference between playing and deciding a school's future head coach. Though Perrin's qualifications are in question we hear having a new AD in place would not be a requisite for hiring a new coach.
For UT's sake, there appears to be a clear solution that would be easy to build consensus around. To not mince words; dismiss Charlie Strong and retain Tom Herman.
To be clear there is no coordinated war party from the donor faction. Most were content to sit on the sidelines and watch the season play out, and most previously thought Strong in 2017 was a foregone conclusion. I've talked to three donors in the last day and they're as surprised as anyone else the season is unfolding as it has thus far. I will say there was definitely a faction of boosters who wanted Strong gone after last season. Those same boosters are of course hoping he's removed after this season, which definitely seems to be the trend, but they were in the minority until yesterday.
Many of the donors who were on the fence are now hoping for a change, and they're actively recruiting the two biggest guys to see it their way. That would be one in Houston and one in Dallas. Names aren't important but you can probably figure them out.
The guys who backed Charlie last year are frustrated to see the offense wasted. As businessmen, they hate to see investment wasted and that's how they view the doubling down in Strong's favor of Gilbert and Mattox.
In the past we've illustrated donor hysterics. That was a different time for IT, and for the program. Absent are some key influencers in the power struggles: Bill Powers, Deloss Dodds, Mack Brown, Joe Jamail, and even Red McCombs. In talking to some donors, it's become clear, "this is Fenves' show, we're just going to nudge if he needs it and provide counsel if he requests it."
By all accounts Fenves is very pragmatic. I've heard this word to describe him on numerous occasions, but we've also witnessed it from afar. He ousted the reviled Steve Patterson. He asserted the hire of Sterlin Gilbert when the athletic department as a whole jeopardized it.
If you want assurances Fenves has the program's best interest at heart, he's already shown that he does. But now he has to circle back on his thought process. The hiring of Gilbert and Mattox illustrated he was all in on a fourth year for Strong. Between his own pragmatism and the nudging of donors he's certainly rethinking that, but nothing is set in stone as of now.
All three donors I talked to discounted the possibility Strong would be removed in-season. Honestly, logic discounts that too. But the pressure is building and if a couple of key donors become vocal, Strong's tenure is likely already written.
OU is huge for Strong but even a win won't be able to walk many back off of the ledge. The real fireworks will likely be in Dallas backrooms as key figures ruminate over the program's future.
In Humidors past we've often discussed "factions" of donors as if they're going to do battle at Falkirk. Currently, everyone I've talked to is on the same page. That page reads, "remove Strong, hire Herman." In this regard, Fenves' job is quite simple. The normal components you need in place, especially at a school like Texas, don't need to be in place. You don't need a virile AD searching high and low. You don't need a search firm like Korn Ferry. Fenves doesn't need "football men" guiding him.
Fenves just needs to keep being pragmatic and everyone I talk to has confidence he will be.
Your takeaways:
Fenves: Strong figure, an academic rather than athletic mind, able to see the big picture
Perrin: Secondary figure even as the AD, will have input but not nearly as uniquely as most other coaching searches
Donors: Eerily quiet but growing frustrated, trust in Fenves, largely on the same page about a replacement, recruiting other donors in case action is needed
King Jove
King Of †he Gawds
every time i see this thread bumped i hold my breath because i think that news has finally dropped 
If OU is like a Mack type routing then yeah... but It wont happen til after TCUevery time i see this thread bumped i hold my breath because i think that news has finally dropped
recruiting about to be super scust
If OU is like a Mack type routing then yeah... but It wont happen til after TCU
recruiting about to be super scust
Recruiting will be fine, Herman is a splash hire so I am sure we'd keep the gist of the current class together. If Strong stays, which means we go 8-4 with possibly a bowl win then we finish with a top 10 recruiting class. So either way recruiting will be fine.
i just finished looking at some plays from last game and i don't want to see vacorro or evans on the field next game. holton hill better be out of that dog house
PortCityProphet
Follow me to the truth
@rantanamo @dtownreppin214 He's speaking so much truth. I still don't understand why they aren't trying to go after Saban again before settling for Tom Herman.
Cause why would he downgrade from Bama to UT?
10 mil a year + other incentivesCause why would he downgrade from Bama to UT?
Dude was halfway out the door last time.
PortCityProphet
Follow me to the truth
Look at Bama's athletic department and the coaching staff right now. Got dudes on the payroll to just watch film (sark) so they'd give Nick a blank check.
Finebaum said the deal Texas had ready for Saban could have totaled 100 mil. Bama not about that life
PortCityProphet
Follow me to the truth
100ms?
Hell nah ain't nobody bout that life
Finebaum really not an insider like that tho. I'll take his words with a grain of salt
Idk, hard to say what that Longhorn network stock or whatever would've been worth100ms?
Hell nah ain't nobody bout that life
Finebaum really not an insider like that tho. I'll take his words with a grain of salt
PortCityProphet
Follow me to the truth
Ain't the network failing?
No idea
ESPN is failing, but they have a contractual obligation.