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The fact Orsini has waited this long indicates to me that he has to have a deal in place with someone to coach SMU. It is likely a guy coaching a bowl game or an NFL coach waiting for the season to end. If a deal is not in place then Orsini has a big set of balls on him to wait this long for someone when several qualified proven Div. 1-A winners appeared to be some-what interested in the job (Fran, Coker, Neuheisel, Bowden, Mason, Barnett, etc.). When SMU was the first school to announce a coaching change, I assumed (like many of you) that we would have a coach in place shortly after the season.....I sure was wrong on that assumption.

You know I really don't think so. I think we are on another "wait till the end of the season and then we'll talk" deals. Then Jones will get a big raise from Hawaii and we'll start over on about January 8th. The meeting with SMU officials will be neat-o. BOTTOM LINE: SMU does not have a Model in place that will give Jones a second thought about actually taking this job. He won't turn it down immediately taking several more days for leverage to turn it down

take your model and stick it up your as's

SMU2007 wrote:take your model and stick it up your as's

Really intelligent commentary right there...

but funny.

Billy Joe, I am inclined to agree with you. I had occasion to speak with some SMU employees on 12/20, and one said it was his/her understanding that the contracts were already all drawn up, and SO was simply waiting for unknown coach to finish his bowl game. He/she speculated that it was Jones (emphasis on speculated), but I find that unlikely. I would throw O'Leary into the mix. Given the timing, Fran makes no sense at this point. Bottom line is, I do not believe Orsini would wait this long if he did not have something in the bag. What I don't understand is letting the guy play his bowl and screw our recruiting season. If you know you are going to another school, wouldn't you want to make the change and get an offseason jump? On a 1-11 team?

Getting a new coach in sooner then later for the betterment of the program is a no brainer. However no new coach could have worked miracles in limited time and lets face it we haven't had a great class for a long time anyway so getting a late jump isn't the end of the world. Yes a new coach will have to scramble for the remaing recruits and if he is a big name just might do better then we know. That's granted a coach is here by the end of this coming week. This beast has to be reigned in soon and very soon!

Another possibility is that there is something in the prospective coach's present contract that would deter him from leaving the school or pro team or even engaging in open negotiations until after the full season is complete. Just a thought.

I hope it is not O'Leary. He was quoted earlier in the year that he will finish out his career at UCF. But he fits my criteria...proven Div. 1-A winner. I would rather have Fran due to his success at N. Mexico, TCU, Alabama, and Tx. A&M (all winning seasons) and due to his history of recruiting in Texas.....Fran knows the high school coaches and this state. I would be amazed if we land June Jones but I am not holding my breath on that one.

The fly in the ointment of this analysis is that we have interviewed others. PJ, Coker, maybe Fran. Why do all of that if it's a done deal with someone else?

If it is June Jones then I understand why he would not want an official announcement that he is leaving yet. Hawaii is playing in the biggest game of the school's history and he does not want distractions. Jones' public criticisms of Hawaii's program may indicate he leaves after the season. We should know real soon.

Mustang1991 wrote:The fly in the ointment of this analysis is that we have interviewed others. PJ, Coker, maybe Fran. Why do all of that if it's a done deal with someone else?

Two reasons:

1. No deal is "done" until the contract is actually signed. [SO needs a backup plan.]

2. It diverts attention away from the real target coach.

Billy Joe wrote:If it is June Jones then I understand why he would not want an official announcement that he is leaving yet. Hawaii is playing in the biggest game of the school's history and he does not want distractions. Jones' public criticisms of Hawaii's program may indicate he leaves after the season. We should know real soon.

That's what I was thinking. How bad would it look for Jones to be publicly negotiating with another school before the biggest game in Hawaii's history?

I think JJ has to be orsini's guy at this point. Orsini's last guy, PJ, was a lot more similar to jones in that he took a very bad, smaller program and greatly improved them. fran and coker have good resumes too but they were in different situations.

Remember Fran built up New Mexico and TCU. TCU was awful before Fran arrived (but TCU did give Fran the tools and commitment to win).