This didn't age well.
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!
2023-24 Coaching Carousel (Fitzgerald out, DC Braun interim at Northwestern)
- Thread starter BuffBronco
- Start date
Elko - Not enough splash. A Jimbo guy.
Kingsbury - Makes some sense. Texas ties. Mahomes. Fun offense. Hype guy. But hates recruiting. A lot of splash which matters to Texas A&M but recruiting is everything. Recruiting is a season at Texas A&M and maintaining your recruits too. Another easy no.
Kleiman - Boring offense and not splashy. Tremendous coach though. I don't know his Texas ties but if you are the Big XII, you know Texas. It's critical. Not a bad opinion, just not the right option.
Traylor - Texas roots. Winning at a school not known for winning. Good age. Good recruiter. Seems like a normal top candidate but doesn't recruit as well as others like Sumlin from Houston. Not a splash guy or hype guy. Definitely makes more sense than some others.
Norvell - FSU is a way better situation. Stick where you belong and the devil you know. As I said with Prime, not all money is good money.
Lanning - I am just not high on Oregon guys. You can sell his defense all day and he is special on that end but offensively, Oregon has a system and been in that since the 2010s. Texas A&M changes their offense with the weather. It's hard to hit on this offense with constant changes and the expectations are sky high. I don't see it for Lanning. Could he go, sure. It will be a mistake. Lanning lacks too much for me and he makes bad risky decisions.
DeBoer is an odd fit. The SEC is a different animal.
Kiffin: He been at Tennessee, USC, and Florida Atlantic. Only Florida Atlantic can say they truly changed with Kiffin. Even before with Partridge, they were bringing in the best talent in the CUSA. Kiffin is a good coach, he can win with talent but can he get you to the next level. It's not like he was Dykes at programs with restrictions. He's been at SC, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. I like Lane personally but I wouldn't hire him for any major job. He's literally at the perfect spot for him.
For me, Texas A&M job has to have a certain type of guy. Dykes is the only one that fills that role for me. I understand he doesn't have the hype behind him he can take this current A&M team and turn them into contenders. I believe in Sonny. He's done more with less. He can recruit. He overachieves.
I don't think they have even made a conference championship game this century.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
You are correct. The last time they played for a conference championship was 1998.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
DeBoer isn't leaving UW. He can and I think will win a title up there. Kiffin might not have the resources at Ole Miss that he would in CS, but he's been around the block for somebody who really isn't that old. He's only 48. IIRC, the AD there is the same guy who hired him at Ole Miss-Ross Bjork? I don't think you can rule Lane out. Kliff flopped at TT and he flopped in the NFL. I wouldn't want him at CU, much less at a job like A&M. If he wants to run his own program, he should take a job like San Diego State.
I like Elko a lot. I watched his Duke team play FSU 2-3 weeks ago, and I honestly thought they were the better team for about a half. He's a hell of a coach, and he will wind up in the Big 10 or SEC before he leaves the profession. It won't be at A&M. You don't give somebody the biggest buyout in sports history and then hire one of his former ACs to take over.
Another name that the Cover 3 podcast brought up is Mark Stoops. He'd win there.
What would I do if I'm them? Kiffin. Who do I think they hire? Lanning.
Last edited:
Feels like they just have to go all in on Urban and just win down and dirty
Urban first, and then Lanning
There is almost no chance ATM allows Prime to do what he is doing at CU
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Lanning jumps at that if they call him.
Prime won't have a market at all I don't think after this year. He needs to show he's a complete football coach. The recruiting piece is clearly there, but the game management isn't. The mistakes this staff makes are stuff I haven't seen-willingly taking the ball to start an overtime twice? Thinking you can go 95 yards in a minute on an Oregon State defense who had shut you down for an entire half last week? That timeout right before Mata's miss?
I actually think it's a good fit. Both of the mega Texas schools are ideal fits. It's the Florida schools and UGA that would be a bad fit.
While I don't want him to go to A&M. I like the fit just like I liked Colorado for him as a fit.
Why? Same reason. The white folks here like Black guys like Prime. Denver has shown it's fine with flashy Black guys. Whereas the White folks in Florida don't like Prime or even Georgia. Uppity *****. You still got a massive divide within our Falcons base who love Vick and Deion and lukewarm on Ryan and a white base that loves Ryan and lukewarm on Vick and Ryan. Note: There are Blacks in Atlanta who are lukewarm on Vick and Prime and love Ryan and vice versa for white folks but there is a sporting divide.
Race matters. One of the reasons why I believe Prime likes CU is because he likes the white folks here. Nice, not naturally hateful for no reason. Everything he do ain't uppity or to show off. Not everywhere, Shedeur Sanders flash is appreciated. It is here. It would be in College Station where they like that type of player.
I see Austin and College Station as accepting. But they have limited patience for anyone who doesn't win, especially Black. Boulder/Denver, is far more patient. Even if it's not everyone. It's mostly everyone. If Prime had a Stanford game at Texas A&M and they will be ready to send his ass back to Dallas. Whereas here, you guys were pissed but it's not the same.
I was impressed with the behavior of the base with Darrell and Tucker. It really impressed me. I saw you guys as a top tier job when everyone Black around me saw it was a disgrace. Many don't remember the Stewart days or the early 2000s. Plus, Boulder, ain't it snowing there. Naw, easy pass. But I saw the quality fanbase, the racial treatment which was impressive. I saw something that now you hear Neely, Coach Hart, and Coach Prime praise without being direct. Even I've been indirect and this is the most direct I will be. This is the best group of white fans I've seen in America. Bar none.
No disrespectful n bombs. Respect. An Intelligent fanbase. Patient. Passionate. This is easily my favorite fanbase I've ever been a part of. Easily. I've never seen one person here do the racial tropes I hate so much which really anger educated Blacks. Does he have the intelligence for this role when it's clear he does.
This matters a lot. Back to A&M. I was a fan of how they treated Sumlin. Even the timing of the firing, I was okay with. Some don't like the Jimbo contract extension but he got that for dominating recruiting even if it was just for 1 year. It's not his fault everyone else was a year behind of NIL. Prime did the same in terms of dominating the portal a year before people realized its the real deal. That's just being proactive. So I like the fit. I like it a lot more than a place like Auburn, or Cincy, or South Florida. They also like giving access. They would welcome WellOff, RTP, and that type of access. Some schools would shun from it.
That said, knowing what I know now, I definitely think Prime should stay in Boulder. You got full control. Rick and the President are behind you. The fans are behind you. You got so much support from the state. I would stay. But I would definitely say A&M is a major threat. Same for Texas if that job opens up.
I don't believe any Florida school is a threat. I don't believe Prime will be comfortable. They won't treat him right even if he has instant success.
Now the USC job is where I believe DeBoer or Lanning is a serious threat. Especially Lanning if Riley jumps for the NFL.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Urban has said repeatedly he's not coaching again. I don't see him taking that.
Man, I don't see College Station as accepting of a flashy black head coach as #1 does. I don't know, spent some time down there and that's not the type of "traditions" I thought of when Duff stated they were important.
edit: I was typing my response while Duff posted his. I'm with Duff here
edit: I was typing my response while Duff posted his. I'm with Duff here
This Oregon team is different, my money is on Lanning
They play the same offense as always. Lanning defense is better than Mario or Willie but offense is the hardest thing to transfer to a new school and Oregon offense isn't transferable. They recruit these types of players and been recruiting them since the 2010s. It's like North Dakota State football. They have an offensive style, regardless of the HC.
Could be but this is by far the toughest and most physical Oregon team I’ve ever seen
That's Lanning. The issue is, you gonna need to be more than tough and physical to win in the SEC. You gotta be great on both ends.
I think CP would have a tough sell personally jumping to A&M. He has said repeatedly he is here on a mission to turn things around. If he bolted after one year it would be a cash grab and could be seen as taking the easy way out (with enhanced recruiting and Boosters). I think everyone is up in arms and no wanting to believe it could happen after Midnight Mel left after a year. IF CP were to leave, it would deflate the entire athletic department and the football program would spiral back into the abyss unless some talented unicorn young coach who can also recruit takes over. CU needs CP right now.
The SEC is going backward on Black Coaches and with the politics the way they are today, I do not see that changing. Austin is a unique place within Texas, but that is not enough to make something change as they head to the SEC. The BIG10 and the PAC were the only solid places where Black Coaches were being hired.
Prime and his folks at SMAC understand marketing and longevity, and Prime being successful at Colorado and winning a conference or national championship would be worth millions and millions of dollars and a whole lot of respect.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Sark might get canned for going 8-4 too often at Texas, but he's not going back to the NFL. Replaced Kyle Shanahan as Falcons OC and didn't exactly light the world on fire.
I think you've gotta look at the optics of this move, too. A&M is paying the largest buyout (IIRC) in the history of sports. I can't see them hiring Prime for similar reasons to why I can't see them hiring Mike Elko. You can't give Jimbo and his staff $100ish million and replace him with his former DC. With Prime-you can't dump $100M to make Jimbo go away and replace him with a guy who has one season of power 5 experience at 4-8/5-7. Had somebody bring up Mel as a parallel, but that doesn't work because MSU is a middle of the pack (best case) Big 10 team. A&M thinks they're Georgia/Alabama. They need to do something BIG. Elko is definitely not that because of his Jimbo connections. Neither is Prime because he's not a proven power 5 coach right now because of the game management issues. There's a difference between the odd stuff we see and maybe having a bad personnel grouping on the field once in a while.
I think everyone is underestimating the potential of A&M trying to poach Prime. Does it make the most sense/fit for them? Maybe not. But one thing I know about A&M, they can't stand being second fiddle in the media and college football world to Texas. I'm an engineer in the energy sector and live in Texas now so I'm around a lot of Texas school grads. I always make the joke "how do you know if you're talking to an A&M grad? Wait 5 minutes and if they haven't told you yet then they aren't." The media attention might be worth it for them alone.
Lanning might fit better and be more interested (habitual job hopper and douchebag) but I don't think you can count out the allure of the flash hire of Prime. I would almost guarantee they at least reach out to him.
All this to say, I'd be heartbroken if we lost him.
Lanning might fit better and be more interested (habitual job hopper and douchebag) but I don't think you can count out the allure of the flash hire of Prime. I would almost guarantee they at least reach out to him.
All this to say, I'd be heartbroken if we lost him.
Huge different between the fanbases or community in Austin and College Station and the boosters who run those programs.
Why huge? You think because boosters have a lot of money they magically are more reasonable on who they want to hire? I've never understood this argument.
More reasonable? No, I think they are far less reasonable than the general fanbase, have a “type” (read that how you will) of coach they want to hire, and their money comes with strings attached that Prime isn’t about.
That's fair. And I don't necessarily disagree. I don't think he leaves for A&M. I just think all these "no chance" comments are extreme. There's definitely more than a 0% chance.
I see Prime as significant.
JSU was 60.9 grade in 2019. DEC 2020, they hire Prime and in the Spring he goes 3-3 for a grade of 79.2.
In the fall, he gets his guys plus Shilo and Shedeur and his team grades as a 91.1.
He improved JSU 30 points in 6 months and 19 points in 3 months and all he added was JUCO guys. He was mainly doing it with the guys who were already there. Got rid of most of them before the fall.
Then you got CU who was the worst graded P5 by a mile of all time at 49.2 who currently has a grade of 75.5. That's a 26.3 point improvement.
Elko done well in two years. Year 1 83.7, year 2 81.0. 67.5 was what Duke was graded the year before. 66 the year before that. 2018 and 2019 had decent grades. It was clear Cutcliffe lost his drive for coaching in 2020. His teams generally overperform, then they underperformed for two straight years. Elko has made them better but recruiting hasn't been much different than it was under Cutcliffe.
Whereas Prime Has had beyond elite recruiting classes at JSU which rate at the top of G5 classes. Not just FCS or the SWAC but G5 with a recruiting budget of 10k and was able to land the top overall recruit to JSU.
Even at CU, he put a top 25 overall class in the NIL era with NO NIL landing 5 star, Cormani McClain. Prime recruiting isn't anything like Elko. His improvements on his squads have been elite. I don't see the comparison and I definitely believe Prime is worth being a top tier coaching candidate for any coaching job.
What Prime is doing is not normal. Tell me coaches who made a 19 point jump in their hire. Please, I got time.
