Hot Coaching Updates: CUTigers reports Bowden to stay / Paul Johnson to GT?

'07 Football71

* Arkansas-Tommy Bowden-Clemson: Clemson fans may FINALLY get their wish. It is being reported that Tommy Bowden has been offered the vacant Head Coaching position at Arkansas for a considerable raise.

Bowden was offered the Arkansas job Monday night, a source familiar with the proceedings said. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in today’s editions that incoming Razorbacks athletics director Jeff Long met with Bowden to try to broker a deal.

Arkansas is believed to have offered Bowden substantially more money than Clemson, which announced last week its intent to offer their ninth-year coach a contract extension

* But, CUTigers is reporting on Tuesday morning that Bowden is staying at Clemson.

* First, allow me to say that I think Tommy Bowden is much better coach than most Clemson fans. However, I must admit that the inconsistency of the performance of the Tigers is inexplicable and would drive me almost as crazy as it does most of the Clemson fans I know. With this said, I can’t help but scratch my head at Arkansas’ decision to run out a solid coach whom they thought was underachieving to then offer their job to a solid coach that everyone else thinks is under-achieving?

* Important factoid: Tommy Bowden has a $2.5MM buyout in his contract this year. NEXT YEAR that buyout reduces to $500k. This buyout works both ways. So, if Bowden leaves instead of gets fired then he will owe this money to Clemson.

* Interesting factoid: Excluding South Florida’s Jim Leavitt and Connecticut’s Randy Edsall — whose stints began with their programs in the Division I-AA ranks — 12 coaches from the six BCS conferences had been with their school for at least nine years entering this season. Houston Nutt and Tommy Bowden were the only two who had never won a conference championship. If Tom O’Brien had remained at Boston College, that number would have been three.

* Duke-Paul Johnson-Others: Not that anyone really cares…but the local media is interested in who is talking to Duke?. The N&O reported this morning that Duke is wooing Navy’s Paul Johnson.

Duke officials spoke with Navy coach Paul Johnson about its football head coaching vacancy on Monday, according to league sources.
Attempts to reach Johnson, a North Carolina native and Western Carolina graduate, and his agent Jack Reale of Atlanta were not immediately successful.

Duke athletic director Joe Alleva is looking for a replacement for Ted Roof, who was fired on Nov. 26 after going 6-45 in four-plus seasons with the Blue Devils. Johnson, 50, is also considered among the candidates for coaching vacancies at Georgia Tech and Southern Methodist.

Johnson has been a popular, possible interviewee for such jobs in recent years. His name recently was mentioned along with Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe as a candidate for the Nebraska job. A year ago, he was among those considered when N.C. State and North Carolina went searching for new coaches.

Among other possible candidates for the Duke job, Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said Monday that he would listen if Duke or any other school came calling with a job offer.

* Georgia Tech: Initially pursued UCon”s Randy Edsall but was spurned when Edsall staying at UConn. A lot of people, including some of us, believe that Paul Johnson would be a great fit at Georgia Tech. Johnson has a history of refusing to speak to schools’ if he is not told that he is either #1 or #2 on their list – just as he told NC State last year. ‘Coincidently’ look who has emerged as ‘leading candidate for the SMU job’?

* Dennis Dodd is reporting that Georgia Tech ‘could’ be snagging Johnson with a late offer:

Get ready for the flexbone. Navy’s Paul Johnson seemed set to be set to become SMU’s new coach this week but it looks like Georgia Tech came back with a late offer and could be snagging the hottest coaching commodity on the market.

If Johnson does leave after defeating Army 38-3, he will leave a legacy of a 10-1 record against the two other service academies and a Navy-record five consecutive bowls. Johnson’s triple option flexbone in the ACC? Johnson won’t outsmart himself. Expect him to use at least some spread.

* Just yesterday we commented in this very entry:

Note that you are not hearing a lot of Jimbo Fisher speculation this year? Would this be because he is already guaranteed the Florida State job when Bobby Bowden hangs them up?

* Allow me to turn your attention to Tommy Barnhardt in the AJC this morning:

Word on the street is that Florida State will announce a contract extension for coach Bobby Bowden some time this week. The contract will not set a date specific for Bowden’s retirement. But it will, I’m hearing through the coaching grapevine, stipulate that whenever Bowden retires, offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher will become the new head coach of the Seminoles. Fisher has been courted by a number of schools with openings and this was the only way that Florida State could get him to stay put.

* Speaking of Bowdens, Terry Bowden had made it clear that he wanted to get back into coaching this year and spoke with SMU in November. His name has been pretty quiet and we haven’t heard it much. If I were Georgia Tech and whiffed on the next couple of names on my list then I think Terry would serve as a decent move to ‘save face with a name’.

* UCLA-Norm Chow?: Karl Dorrell is out at UCLA. You can feast on links by clicking here. Former NC State assistant coach Norm Chow could emerge as a leading candidate for the Bruins. Other names being mentioned are Boise State’s Chris Petersen (mark him off the list) Texas Tech’s Mike Leach and former NFL coach Steve Mariucci.

* Michigan-Les Miles-LSU-Jim Grobe?: Late last week ESPN reported that a a powerful combination of Les Miles and John Tenuta were heading to Ann Arbor and starting fueling rumors of a Steve Spurrier jump to LSU.

On Saturday Coach Miles held a press conference that seemed designed to announce he was staying at LSU but semantically left the door open for him to speak to Michigan. But, Miles got more specific and emphatic with CBS’s Tracey Wolfson in an interview before the SEC Championship game where he specifically stated that he was returning as the LSU’s coach next season.

CBS says today that Miles is definitely staying at LSU — unless he doesn’t and Fox Sports provides a little more insight into the semantics of there this thing stands today.

AD Martin has said he is looking for the next Carr, who led Michigan to the 1997 national championship and five Big Ten titles while keeping the school above even suspicions about NCAA violations.

Martin has said he had 20 candidates in mind, and now he’ll need them. Possible choices might include Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe, California coach Jeff Tedford and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.

* Jim Grobe says that he would listen to the right schools. This isn’t the best news in the world for Wake Forest fans no matter how you want to spin it. Dennis Dodd reports that Grobe did a little more than just listened at Nebraska this week

Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe dropped out of the running at Nebraska after being told he would have to hire certain assistant coaches. If a guy is going to make a career move like that, he ought to be able to hire his own staff. Bo Pelini, though, will hire several old Nebraska assistants.

* No suprise that Nebraska hired Bo Pellini. after Grobe dropped out.

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'07 Football

71 Responses to Hot Coaching Updates: CUTigers reports Bowden to stay / Paul Johnson to GT?

  1. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 3:20 PM #

    Arkansas might end up with Malzahn,the way things are going. I’ve heard he was a legendary HS coach there, but that doesn’t always translate and will almost certainly take some time to adjust. They likely step back about the time Bama and Miss St seem to be stepping back up, and they aren’t that far ahead. C’mon Butch, save ’em!

    Grobe to anywhere outside the ACC works for me. The farther the better. He’s a great man and a superb coach, but since he’s agin’ us I’d like him out of our way.

    If I were Michigan I’d forego a Les Miles for Jim Grobe. He runs a variation of the spread that propelled Illinois back to the upper tier and ruined Michigan in the early season. Kind of gave the Vest & co. a lot of problems last year, too. I’ve never been sold on Miles, and I think it still too soon to say he is the be-all-end-all. I recall some bad losses at Okla St.

  2. noah 12/04/2007 at 3:24 PM #

    Michigan isn’t going to go after Grobe. No matter how much sense it makes.

    Ron Broadway = token minority interview quota satisfyer.

  3. LRM 12/04/2007 at 3:27 PM #

    I think it’s important for Miles to succeed at LSU to secure his legacy and his own piece of mind, and I wonder how much that factored in his decision to stay at LSU. Coaches are notoriously egomaniacal, and so far everything he’s done has been attributed to what Saban left him with. There’s no doubt this is his team.

  4. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 3:29 PM #

    /\LMAO. I know it’s wishful, they want their own Tressel, when they should go for an anti-Tressel.

    Grobe to LSU would work for me, too. I just don’t believe Miles, or B Davis for that matter. They are both modern coaches. Modern coach = mercenary.

  5. Pack92 12/04/2007 at 3:33 PM #

    I should have been more specific and said that sounds oh, so familiar to 2 ACC CHampionship games where we managed to not score for 10 minutes with at least 7 decent players and blew double digit leads.
    Funny thing about Sid – he cut a double digit lead into singles in LESS than 10 minutes with 4 decent players and one on 1 leg while playing for an ACC Championship. Yeah, we lost all 3 but there is a big difference between losing scratching and clawing and losing with your tail between your legs.
    At least we stand a chance of recovering from the play of Wednesday night. ‘Nuff said from me.

  6. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 3:36 PM #

    All these practices coming off that MSU loss ought to be revealing. Ten days is a long time to stew over that kind of beating. We need to really get it together before Davidson comes to town.

  7. Mr O 12/04/2007 at 3:37 PM #

    Tracking the foundation plane has pretty much led to all of the candidate so far for Arkansas. As Trout says, they are likely talking to Skip Holtz today. Their plane has been at RDU since last night.

    There is no doubt they have moved past Butch Davis. Maybe Butch will be in play for LSU if it opens up.

  8. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 3:38 PM #

    Let’s just hope they aren’t trying to woo TOB.

  9. Mike 12/04/2007 at 3:40 PM #

    If the plane is at RDU, they could be talking to Butch as well as Skip.

  10. LRM 12/04/2007 at 3:53 PM #

    Still curious as to the obsession over Butch Davis leaving Carolina. Why do we even care?

  11. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 3:56 PM #

    You could be right, LRM. But the prospect of someone acting as if UNC is just another road stop is appealing.

  12. LRM 12/04/2007 at 3:58 PM #

    I agree with that part, yes. But I’m just as giddy about the fact that he likely will build them up over a few years and THEN leave them, like Mack Brown. Isn’t that even better?

    (Notice I said “we”…I’m as guilty as anyone).

  13. packbackr04 12/04/2007 at 4:00 PM #

    why would the plane be at RDU for Skip, wouldnt they fly into Greenville? unless like mentioned above. they are talking to Butch or TOB as well

  14. newt 12/04/2007 at 4:00 PM #

    Against Illinois, Arizona State missed its first nine shots and the first field goal came on an offensive rebound. Antwi Atuahene put back a missed 3-point attempt by James Harden to make it 20-2 with 14:08 left in the first half.

  15. RedTerror29 12/04/2007 at 4:03 PM #

    Ruffles, why would Charlie Strong want to leave Florida to be DC at Duke? Rod Broadway might have a real shot, he’s a legit coach and I can’t see PJ choosing Duke over GT if GT can get the money in the same ballpark.

  16. packbackr04 12/04/2007 at 4:05 PM #

    johnson at GT is scary for us… at least for the next few years, until TOB can get some football players at NCSU

  17. ruffles31 12/04/2007 at 4:21 PM #

    ^^ My rational is that he has been at South Carolina for a couple of years and with the way the year ended I was thinking he would want a new challenge, maybe even to enhance his stature in getting a head coaching job. I mean, just look at the billboard that was up in Columbia with the Clemson-SCarolina score. If he could succeed at Duke as a DC then maybe he would get more looks at a head coaching gig.

    I don’t think my thought will happen but just trying to think outside the box.

  18. bTHEredterror 12/04/2007 at 4:28 PM #

    Johnson AND Tenuta would be scary together. I know Tenuta will probably move on, but that would be a nasty combo IMO.

  19. GAWolf 12/04/2007 at 8:50 PM #

    Any chance we can pay Tenuta enough to come here if he gets pissed at being overlooked and moves elsewhere? A grown man can believe in Santa Claus, no?

  20. bTHEredterror 12/05/2007 at 7:37 AM #

    That would be great, IMO. I love the blitzing schemes he comes up with, they just suffocate an offense.

    But the timing seems wrong, and TOB has been loyal to his Assts as well.

    Tenuta ought to get a shot at HC, IMO. I’ve watched GT several times the past few years, and most of their losses seemed due to offensive ineffeciency. We beat them on two big plays in ’05. GT might want to look at their bird in the hand.

  21. noah 12/05/2007 at 12:07 PM #

    Tenuta is an awful fit here. Just like he was a very poor fit at UNC.

    IMO, he’s a pro coach. He’s aloof, he has absolutely no interest whatsoever in recruiting, and he has the charm and wit of a pissed-off crocodile.

    If he’s going to coach at the college level, he needs to be at a place that doesn’t need a dynamic personality to deal with kids and deal with recruits.

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