Coaching News and Rumors

Texas Tech -- will probably hire Todd Orlando as their new co-DC and LB coach. Keith Patterson will be the other co-DC and coach Safeties. Craig Naivar will be the new CB coach for Tech. Existing Tech secondary coaches will be sent packing. Nothing official yet.
Fine. Texas should always be able to out talent tceh. (Of course the same could be said for ISU and TCU but how has that worked out lately?)
 
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Mississippi State -- Steve Sarkisian (Alabama OC) is now in the mix as a possible new Bulldogs' HC, as is Mike Leach! Todd Grantham (Florida DC) is still in the mix.
Mississippi State Football: 3 trending candidates to replace Joe Moorhead
"Mike Leach checks all the boxes you’d want to have checked if you are a Mississippi State fan. You have to be unique in some way to coach at a place like Mississippi State." :smile1::smile1::smile1: (ain't that the truth!)

Oregon -- Joe Moorhead (formerly Miss. State), Will Hall (Tulane OC), and Jedd Fisch (LA Rams asst OC) are getting buzz as potential new OCs for the Ducks.
 
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Reports: Former Texas DC Todd Orlando expected to land at Texas Tech

RedRaiderSports - Matt Wells adds former Texas D.C. Todd Orlando to staff

Matt Wells and Todd Orlando have been pals for a long time. Back on November 26, 2019, Tech coach Matt Wells said the following about Todd Orlando:

"On how Wells knows Orlando
(Todd) Orlando? Yeah. TO and I are very good friends. It’s no secret. Our families are close. Amy, little beserker, his daughter, I mean, he was my D coordinator my first two years at Utah State. Still are good friends. We’ll be fierce enemies for three and a half hours and go back to being friends. It’s just kind of how we do it. How you would do it if that was you, and if were you in that spot? But I have a tremendous amount of respect for TO. He was a great D coordinator for me at Utah State. First two years we won a lot of games together. I think we won 19 together. We won two bowl games together. So we had a good time. We had a lot of success together.

On Coach Orlando’s defense
Yeah, he’s been dealing with injuries, just like we have. And late in the year that’s a challenge for any coordinator. Our guys are going through it. Their guys are going through it. That’s a challenge to put out healthy bodies, as well as be very dynamic in what you’re doing and very, be very multiple. But yet sometimes you’re doing it, and we’re doing it with guys that haven’t played a lot of ball and so you’re always each week, you’re trying to say, what’s too much, what’s not enough, and who do I have and who is healthy. So I know I’m sure that’s been a challenge for him, but my two coordinators are dealing with it too."
 
Visited SEC Rant for a check on aggy ridicule. Post regarding Leach to Miss State has an aggy posting his perspective that he doesn’t see the lore behind Leach. Response,

“didn’t he beat you like 200 times?”
 
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Mississippi State -- Steve Sarkisian (Alabama OC) is now in the mix as a possible new Bulldogs' HC, as is Mike Leach! Todd Grantham (Florida DC) is still in the mix.
Mississippi State Football: 3 trending candidates to replace Joe Moorhead
"Mike Leach checks all the boxes you’d want to have checked if you are a Mississippi State fan. You have to be unique in some way to coach at a place like Mississippi State." :smile1::smile1::smile1: (ain't that the truth!).....

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For those in the know, did Herman "assist" in getting Orlando and Naivar those jobs?

Highly doubt he needed to. Orlando was the DC under the Tech coach when they were at Utah State. Naivar was probably a no brainer for Tech, he is a good recruiter and a great secondary coach.
 
I still haven't seen anything official yet, but a host of sites are saying things like: Naivar "is expected" to join the Tech staff as the CB coach, he "seems like a lock" at Tech, or using other similarly hedged language. Everyone seems to think Naivar will end up on the South Plains, but still nothing is official yet.

Update: Football Scoop is now reporting (back-tracking): "We understand the Naivar information is premature. No deal is in place at this time."
 
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The aggies just got a big burr up their collective rear end. Nobody gets under their skin like Mike Leach. He'll be a thorn in their side for as long as he's there. Even with inferior talent, Leach will likely beat the ags at least half the time. And he'll make comments that will spin them up.
 
The press conferences when the Mississippi schools play will be awesome. Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach. Can't wait.
For now at least, LSU and Bama have wildly superior talent that will generally prevail over Leach and Kiffin. However, the arrival of Leach and Kiffin is bad news for aTm, Arkansas, and Auburn.
 
Why would he leave Washington State for Mississippi State? Both are sort of wannabes in their respective conferences. And he'll have to face Alabama, LSU and Auburn every year - with Florida and Georgia every so often. On the other hand, he will get to Gig aggy every year, so there is that. Is it mainly because of the relative status of the SEC over the Pac 12? I've been to Starkville (not sure how I found it), so it's not that.
 
Why would he leave Washington State for Mississippi State? Both are sort of wannabes in their respective conferences. And he'll have to face Alabama, LSU and Auburn every year - with Florida and Georgia every so often. On the other hand, he will get to Gig aggy every year, so there is that. Is it mainly because of the relative status of the SEC over the Pac 12? I've been to Starkville (not sure how I found it), so it's not that.
Pullman to Starkville is a push.
 
Pullman to Starkville is a push.
Mountains and skiing nearby vs. beaches and casinos nearby. It's a matter of personal taste, but if I had to be stuck in one or the other, I'd take Pullman.

Leach will be able to recruit a lot better in Mississippi than in Eastern Washington.
 
Why would he leave Washington State for Mississippi State? Both are sort of wannabes in their respective conferences. And he'll have to face Alabama, LSU and Auburn every year - with Florida and Georgia every so often. On the other hand, he will get to Gig aggy every year, so there is that. Is it mainly because of the relative status of the SEC over the Pac 12? I've been to Starkville (not sure how I found it), so it's not that.
Why would ANY intelligent person want to remain on the Left Coast if it could be avoided?
 
Oh and Leach will be in the SEC West with A&M — could be interesting

He will certainly know how to push aggy buttons. Especially after a couple of butt whippings. Kind of like Spurrier did to Fulmer while he was at Florida. Cant spell Citrus without UT kind of stuff. This could be fun!
 

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