Can SMU Football Find It's Larry Brown?

[StallionsModelT]

After watching the video posted on the NCAA website it got me thinking. First off, WOW. Larry Brown is proving what is possible at SMU. I think we all look at SMU as a sleeping giant, but he is truly showing us that if you put in the work, hire the right people, and have passion for SMU and your job that this is a place where greatness can occur. I concede its easier to do in basketball but it is not impossible in football.

My question is this: Is there a Larry Brown type of hire out there in football that would come here? I genuinely do not know. It doesn't have to be an older guy just looking to get back into coaching it could be a young assistant that wants to prove himself. I really just want someone here that loves this place (like Larry Brown), that works his [deleted] off, (like Larry does), hires relentless recruiters, (like Larry did), and do everything he can to build this fanbase and brand (like Larry has/is doing). We are seeing what SMU "CAN" be in basketball. Wouldn't it be great if we had that same sort of vision and leadership in football? Is that individual out there for us to find? I truly hope so.

[Barksdale Pony]

No...just no.

[Big12Mustang]

After watching the video posted on the NCAA website it got me thinking. First off, WOW. Larry Brown is proving what is possible at SMU. I think we all look at SMU as a sleeping giant, but he is truly showing us that if you put in the work, hire the right people, and have passion for SMU and your job that this is a place where greatness can occur. I concede its easier to do in basketball but it is not impossible in football.

My question is this: Is there a Larry Brown type of hire out there in football that would come here? I genuinely do not know. It doesn't have to be an older guy just looking to get back into coaching it could be a young assistant that wants to prove himself. I really just want someone here that loves this place (like Larry Brown), that works his [deleted] off, (like Larry does), hires relentless recruiters, (like Larry did), and do everything he can to build this fanbase and brand (like Larry has/is doing). We are seeing what SMU "CAN" be in basketball. Wouldn't it be great if we had that same sort of vision and leadership in football? Is that individual out there for us to find? I truly hope so.

If June got his s#1t together with recruiting and if he embraced the community like he did in Hawaii...then we would already have our football Larry Brown.

[SMU2007]

I don't think it's possible. SMU basketball has a reasonable chance to win a national championship at some point in our lifetimes. SMU football does not.

There's too much of a gap between the big boys and the small timers in football. Moody can be transformed into a basketball environment that can compete with anyone in the country. No matter what the circumstances, Ford will never be on the level of schools like Bama, LSU, Texas etc.

Having said that, I think we could do a hell of a lot better. I just don't think the potential is there for football like it is for basketball.

[sbsmith]

A better question would be does SMU Football want to find its Larry Brown? Right now it looks like the goal is to just field a football team.

[Rebel10]

Here is the video for those that have not seen it.

http://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-me ... yhawks-nba

[East Coast Mustang]

There's no reason that SMU football, in the AAC, can't achieve the same success that Boise or TCU (pre-Big 12) did, and both of those schools were just a few bounces of the ball away from both playing for national titles from a mid-major conference before the four-team playoff.

First we need a coach and staff that actually give a [deleted] about recruiting. An IPF would be nice for recruiting purposes. We have a lot to sell as a school in terms of academics and location. There's no reason we shouldn't be contending for AAC titles year in and year out, but the past two seasons we haven't been recruiting the requisite talent to do that.

I don't necessarily think we need another big-splash hire after JJ, but I wouldn't be opposed to it either. What we do need is a proven Xs and Os coach who is willing to go the extra mile to market SMU football to recruits, the SMU community, and the Dallas community as a whole. JJ has done none of that. Whether it's Tom Herman at Ohio State, Chad Morris at Clemson, Willie Fritz at Sam Houston State or someone else, I don't know. There's a lot riding on our next coaching search, though.

[Big12Mustang]

There's no reason that SMU football, in the AAC, can't achieve the same success that Boise or TCU (pre-Big 12) did, and both of those schools were just a few bounces of the ball away from both playing for national titles from a mid-major conference before the four-team playoff.

First we need a coach and staff that actually give a [deleted] about recruiting. An IPF would be nice for recruiting purposes. We have a lot to sell as a school in terms of academics and location. There's no reason we shouldn't be contending for AAC titles year in and year out, but the past two seasons we haven't been recruiting the requisite talent to do that.

I don't necessarily think we need another big-splash hire after JJ, but I wouldn't be opposed to it either. What we do need is a proven Xs and Os coach who is willing to go the extra mile to market SMU football to recruits, the SMU community, and the Dallas community as a whole. JJ has done none of that. Whether it's Tom Herman at Ohio State, Chad Morris at Clemson, Willie Fritz at Sam Houston State or someone else, I don't know. There's a lot riding on our next coaching search, though.

I like Willie Fritz. He just moved to Georgia Southern (they just moved to FBS).
128-56 as Head coach. Not as expensive as June and local Texas ties.
Let's pick up the phone! (After June leaves...)

[Pony81]

Butch Davis

I know he had NCAA problems at UNC but he was cleared of wrong doing by the NCAA.

He could bring a staff, college and NFL street cred.

He wants back in the game and would command a JJ level salary. We'd have to commit to funding his staff at a high level like we do with LB..

We can't win a national championship but we can get to major bowls and have some fun beating big 12 teams. That's good enough for me.

[StandUp]

Jimmy Johnson is SMU Football's Larry Brown. Who would have thought that Larry Brown would have come to SMU? Someone get on the phone and get Jimmy Johnson to SMU.

[SMU2007]

Give me a break

[ender3]

Jimmy Johnson is SMU Football's Larry Brown. Who would have thought that Larry Brown would have come to SMU? Someone get on the phone and get Jimmy Johnson to SMU.

Give me a break

The comparison is not bad, but not perfect. They have the following in common:

• Success at multiple levels
• A bit of a history of bouncing around
• An impressive record of assistant coaches becoming head coaches

It breaks down with:

• Larry is a lot older than Jimmy
• Jimmy has a job right now, and at least seems to enjoy it

That last one is a biggie. If Larry Brown had not come here, the chances are, if he decided he wanted to coach some more... he was going to go somewhere. It's not at all clear that Jimmy wants to do anything other than what Jimmy is doing.

I also think that Larry is far more a teacher, someone who does what he does because he truly loves the game.

I think Jimmy likes the limelight, fishing, and Heineken. Football enables him to have those things.

Now, to the question in the OP... I cannot think of who that person might possibly be.

(and if we found them, and hired them, PonyFans would [deleted] they were too old.)

[2ndandlong]

After watching the video posted on the NCAA website it got me thinking. First off, WOW. Larry Brown is proving what is possible at SMU. I think we all look at SMU as a sleeping giant, but he is truly showing us that if you put in the work, hire the right people, and have passion for SMU and your job that this is a place where greatness can occur. I concede its easier to do in basketball but it is not impossible in football.

My question is this: Is there a Larry Brown type of hire out there in football that would come here? I genuinely do not know. It doesn't have to be an older guy just looking to get back into coaching it could be a young assistant that wants to prove himself. I really just want someone here that loves this place (like Larry Brown), that works his [deleted] off, (like Larry does), hires relentless recruiters, (like Larry did), and do everything he can to build this fanbase and brand (like Larry has/is doing). We are seeing what SMU "CAN" be in basketball. Wouldn't it be great if we had that same sort of vision and leadership in football? Is that individual out there for us to find? I truly hope so.

Done deal. Next week.

[gostangs]

There are a dozen much better choices that would take the job at 1.5M or less. It is not that hard to find someone who is a good coach, a great recruiter and totally relentless.

[Lebanese4Life]

i would love to have a coach like James Franklin. Passionate, charismatic, relentless recruiter.. If you watch any of his interviews you can tell he loves football and loves his job. shame he left Vandy, but Penn State apparently was always his dream job since he's originally from Penn