Johnson Had GT on Mind Immediately after SMU Visit

[Stallion]

..Johnson and Jack Reale, his Atlanta based agent, fly to Dallas to discuss the opening at SMU. After the interview, both men fly to Atlanta Tuesday night.(Second GT Interview)

Wednesday, Dec. 5: Johnson meets on campus with Radakovich, Hogan, and president G. Wayne Clough. After the meeting, Johnson flies back to Annapolis knowing that he has three job offers: Georgia Tech, SMU, and Duke.

[OC Mustang]

Orsini should feel sullied and unusual.

[PonyDoh]

Orsini made a play, he has nothing to be embarrassed about. Its a business, nobody will say SMU is a better job than Tech. I have no understanding for those that are hurt by losing Johnson. Man Up

[NavyCrimson]

Agree PonyDoh. All Orsini is trying to do is right the ship (the mess) that Pye, the board, & Turner have created with our self-imposed exile from college football. Lord!!! He has a tough job!!!

[Mickey]

..Johnson and Jack Reale, his Atlanta based agent, fly to Dallas to discuss the opening at SMU. After the interview, both men fly to Atlanta Tuesday night.(Second GT Interview)

Wednesday, Dec. 5: Johnson meets on campus with Radakovich, Hogan, and president G. Wayne Clough. After the meeting, Johnson flies back to Annapolis knowing that he has three job offers: Georgia Tech, SMU, and Duke.

Then Orsini had to know on Tues that PJ was going with GT.

[SMU89]

We ask our players to pick themselves up and go out the next week and play hard after a loss.

Glad those complaining aren't playing.

[Ponymon]

Johnson was willing to take at least $300K less to play at GT. That was his choice. Nothing to be ashamed about by pursuing him. The mistake would be not having a backup. However, I think SO is too smart not to have a backup. We will find out shortly , I guess.

[Billy Joe]

The mistake is putting all your eggs in one basket. Why not bring in other canidates aside from PJ? Why is PJ the lone official interview at this point in the coaching game? I would have had at least three other coaches in for an official 'red carpet treatment' visit by now. Again, there is a reason SMU has failed for 20 years. Oh yeah, how about an official announcement on a 'model' change to allow the coaches to recruit from the same pool of talent as our competition and give them a realistic chance of brining in transfers and juco players!!!!!

[BRStang]

Orsini made a play, he has nothing to be embarrassed about. Its a business, nobody will say SMU is a better job than Tech. I have no understanding for those that are hurt by losing Johnson. Man Up

Great. Why don't we go make some more neat-o headlines for SMU and go throw $3 Million at Urban Meyer or Rich Rodriguez. We can put all our eggs in that basket and waste another week or so feeling like we have a chance and miscontruing their "no's" as "maybe's" and in the end when it blows up in our face, we can throw another little bone to Kate and let her know that we contacted Pat Hill from Fresno St who told us he liked it very much in California and said no. Then we can move on to our next WOW. I'm sure by the fourth time we do this, the whole country will take notice and say, "WOW! That SMU is really a football powerhouse."

At this point, SMU should have put itself in a position to, in the very least, go hire Y after X turned us down. Twenty-four hours has now passed since Lucy pulled the football on us again and we are still coachless. Tick Tock Tick Tock.

(Sorry, rant over.)

[QuikSStang]

im sick of whining about that slut. let's move on and find us a real coach

[that's great raplh]

this is no need to hurry

we will get the best availible coach and he will be miles better than pb

[dog guy]

Johnson was offered before he made the visit.

[thefamousguy]

Orsini made a play, he has nothing to be embarrassed about. Its a business, nobody will say SMU is a better job than Tech. I have no understanding for those that are hurt by losing Johnson. Man Up

The problem isn't the loss. The problem is the fact we lost out on our top choice over 5 weeks after we fired our coach and numerous other schools have fired/hired within a matter of days.

[expony18]

the problem is if Johnson was our number 1 all along, we didn't immediately hire our number 2 when johnson said yes to Ga Tech. hope Orsini has a rabbit up his sleeve

[cs09viking]

i applaud Orsini for going after a big gun. the only thing I guess that maybe he could have done differently is to have have told Johnson: "i need a decision by Wed AM otherwise I have to move on". Two days after visiting the facilites should be plenty. Somebody said it best last week...."TIME KILLS DEALS".

Enforcing a strict deadline while somewhat risky would (a) not waste anymore SMU time then is needed, (b) deter against allowing PJ to use the SMU offer to "up the GT ante", (c) look like SMU has some leverage in this deal and (d) show PJ that SO means business. Either $[deleted] or get off my pot!