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Bobby Bowden. (Can overtake JoePa record after he gets kicked out)

O.C.: Applewhite

"That whole ""Rebel"" thing hurts recruiting"...really? Looks like both fball & bball sidelines are FILLED with black dudes...next ....

smupony94 wrote:Todd Dodge

Where did he go? I heard he was an offensive coordinator. I know Carroll misses him, apparently they have some car dealership owner running the program.

Asst coach at Pitt

RGV Pony wrote:Asst coach at Pitt

QB coach at Pitt

Phil Bennett

Somehow, I don't see that Bennett thing happening.

BanjoBongo wrote:Middle of nowhere? Its called being a coach in the SEC and Ole Miss has history. I heard the story about Gus Malzahn is he bombs his interviews, apparently he's socially [deleted] and everyone thinks he would be terrible at recruiting and dealing with the alumni.

You also just described Leach, except the recruiting

Would they let JJ wear leis?

leopold wrote:

westexSMU wrote:Ole Miss is a hard place to recruit as Mississippi just doesn't have many people and thus does not have that many good athletes to choose from. [\quote]

Mississippi's loaded with athletes, especially with football players - they are consistently in the top 5 in the NFL in players from a state per capita. Ole Miss's has watched the other schools, especially Alabama, consistently take their players from under their noses. I've always felt that with the right coach they could make a play on the national stage.

Ole Miss's issue is that they think they are SEC royalty and belong on a national stage but they don't have the guns to compete. Their football budget is 11th out of 12. Unlike other SEC schools they don't have a huge stadium and they don't fill it, and - while I myself understand and like it - they have a culture down there that not everybody understands - don't kid yourselves, that whole 'Rebel' thing can't be good for for recruiting.

As a lifelong Ole Miss fan (SMU alumnus, however), there's a lot right with this and quite a bit wrong...

First, very few Ole Miss fans or alumni consider Ole Miss to be "SEC royalty"... inasmuch as every SEC team is "royalty" in college athletics, Ole Miss is, at best, a 3rd or 4th cousin of the crown. What most Ole Miss fans want is to get to a point in football where 8-4/9-3 becomes the norm and the stars align every few years for a run to Atlanta - realistically, in a division with LSU and Alabama, that's about all anyone can hope for.

Yes, budget wise and stadium wise Ole Miss is towards the bottom of the SEC, but Ole Miss actually funds fewer sports than the truly "big boys" of the SEC - the sports Ole Miss takes seriously are football, baseball, basketball, and tennis... in that order.

The biggest issue at Ole Miss in my lifetime has been a lack of commitment and strong leadership. Much like SMU foundered in the post-DP, Ole Miss foundered for a much longer period... since the retirement of John Vaught. There has been a network of so-called "Good ol' Boys" who played under Vaught who have largely run the show since the 1980s and, like most "Good ol' Boy" networks, it has mostly resulted in mediocrity, incestuous hiring, and lack of vision.

Finally... I don't think SMU has to worry at all about Jones leaving - his name isn't being mentioned as a coach that is being considered by anyone I remotely consider credible (and it's not money - Nutt was making over $2.5 million and it's rumored that the upper end of the potential salary range for a new head coach this go 'round will be in the neighborhood of $3.5-$4 million). On the other hand, Orsini is one name that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for the outgoing athletic director, although most would consider him a long shot at this point.

Leach said to be openly campaigning for job

Leach in sec would be interesting

RGV Pony wrote:Leach said to be openly campaigning for job

At least he has come out openly..

RGV Pony wrote:Leach said to be openly campaigning for job

That'd be interesting. Tuberville coached at Ole Miss and left for greener pastures at Auburn and is now stuck in Lubuttock. And here Leach would go to Oxford and coach the Black Bears. Gotta figure Tuberville would trade back with him in a heartbeat.

westexSMU wrote:Ole Miss is a hard place to recruit as Mississippi just doesn't have many people and thus does not have that many good athletes to choose from. Of course they not only have Miss State and Southern Miss to compete with in state, but all the power SEC programs to compete with too. They are not going to generally attract many quality athletes from out of state, even though I kind of like the school. Great tailgate area.....That said, someone like Leach could probably at least get them back to respectability if they didn't run him off first.

With all that said, they did win two straight Cotton Bowl games recently. Its not a lost cause!