What now?

[Horns11]

My last Sark post as I am unable to think of anything positive and I hate being negative on anything UT..... I sincerely hope that all the people on this board who have some kind of wierd bromance with Sark are correct and those those of us who see the team getting worse and worse every week and who see no hope for a decent team as long as Sark are here are 100% wrong. If the record were somehow flipped with the wins coming at the end of the season, I could understand your optimism. But that is not the case. Also every conference win Texas has is against a program who fired their coach as their teams are aweful. Where is the silver lining to this mess? What are Sark fans seeing that I am completely missing?

I think the detractors are basically saying "I'm not seeing any improvement game-to-game, and therefore I've seen enough." It kind of reminds me of the McWilliams years right before 1990.

I honestly don't think the team is getting worse every week. Even in the Tech game, arguably our best of the season, there were plenty of signs that the emperor had no clothes, particularly on defense and mental mistakes. If this was poker, I think Sark was dealt a 3 and a 6 and felt that he had to go all-in on the first hand. And it failed miserably. So people can ask about it all they want, but they're never going to get a satisfactory answer.

I think plenty of people here have covered that last part to your post. You witnessed the waning years of Mack, the "deer in headlights" of Strong, and the arrogance and inabilities of Herman. Heck, take it back further to guys like Mackovic and the aforementioned McWilliams and the maligned Akers. I think people who are sunshine pumpers (and I don't really know where I belong yet) see that Sark actually wants to change the ground-up culture of the program, and knows that it's going to take more than some X's and O's switcheroos at halftime. And I think giving him that opportunity, even if he's not the eventual guy who finishes the project, is important for the "right now."

Dabo had a trial by fire when Bowden got run out of Clemson. In his 3rd season, people wanted him fired after getting pummeled by South Carolina and finishing 6-6 (they'd lose the bowl game too). He still wasn't quite "there," and promised that they would turn it around if he got time. And that was 15 losses into his tenure. Then, when people thought he had turned it around the following year, he took his squad to the Orange Bowl, and as a heavy favorite, gave up 70 points to WVU. I think some of those with foresight think "man if we can get over those hurdles like Dabo did, imagine how far we can go."

 

[MajorRules00]

My last Sark post as I am unable to think of anything positive and I hate being negative on anything UT..... I sincerely hope that all the people on this board who have some kind of wierd bromance with Sark are correct and those those of us who see the team getting worse and worse every week and who see no hope for a decent team as long as Sark are here are 100% wrong. If the record were somehow flipped with the wins coming at the end of the season, I could understand your optimism. But that is not the case. Also every conference win Texas has is against a program who fired their coach as their teams are aweful. Where is the silver lining to this mess? What are Sark fans seeing that I am completely missing?

The rationale, as far as I see it:

We're in year one of a complete rebuild. This rebuild comes on the heels of a decade of bad/mediocre football. During which time we had the worst coach in Texas history, followed by a HC who inspired both current and former players to recruit against him.

Add in completely new offensive and defensive systems, a rash of injuries, a starting quarterback who injured his throwing hand, and depth issues on both sides of the ball, and....a losing record is not too surprising.

So it's not so much of a bromance as a practical decision. We're getting ready to move into the best football conference in America. We need stability. We need to recruit physical athletes who are fully on board and ready to compete. Firing a coach before his first full recruiting class gets on campus doesn't provide that stability. Instead, it sends a message of absolute desperation. Which is something we cannot have. Let's be patient and see what Sark can do with it.

 

[Pomspoms]

The rationale, as far as I see it:

We're in year one of a complete rebuild. This rebuild comes on the heels of a decade of bad/mediocre football. During which time we had the worst coach in Texas history, followed by a HC who inspired both current and former players to recruit against him.

Add in completely new offensive and defensive systems, a rash of injuries, a starting quarterback who injured his throwing hand, and depth issues on both sides of the ball, and....a losing record is not too surprising.

So it's not so much of a bromance as a practical decision. We're getting ready to move into the best football conference in America. We need stability. We need to recruit physical athletes who are fully on board and ready to compete. Firing a coach before his first full recruiting class gets on campus doesn't provide that stability. Instead, it sends a message of absolute desperation. Which is something we cannot have. Let's be patient and see what Sark can do with it.

My sentiment exactly and well stated.

 

[Chop]

Give him time. If we're still crummy after several more years, then so long nice to know you. Sark could turn out to be really good, we just don't know yet.

 

[Pomspoms]

Give him time. If we're still crummy after several more years, then so long nice to know you. Sark could turn out to be really good, we just don't know yet.

Well what we know about Sark is he cant make greatness out of nothing or a little something. Personally i think wokeness has had undo influence so Sark's success has been sabotaged thus far. So i believe when wokeness seeps away and new blood comes to town Sark will have something to work with.
But at the same time Sark's decisions to run the ball up the middle on third and six or his decision to not use Keilan effectively and almost never use "trick/misdirection" plays is disconcerting to me. So maybe if Sark has his fair share of good recruits, and wokeness be not influential, maybe he still can't get us to the playoffs. But he deserves a chance. I certainly believe he gets us better recruits in spite of the record. No doubt in my mind. So that is a starting point.

 

[Statalyzer]

We're in year one of a complete rebuild.

We were supposed to be in year one of "take a good but underachieving team and make it great, 24-12 over three years isn't good enough".

Next year will be year one of the rebuild from the disaster that is this year.

 

[Pomspoms]

We were supposed to be in year one of "take a good but underachieving team and make it great, 24-12 over three years isn't good enough".

Next year will be year one of the rebuild from the disaster that is this year.

Get over it

 

[Creek]

Why the hell does UT need a long term rebuild when UTSA was rebuilt in 8 months?

 

[SabreHorn]

Why the hell does UT need a long term rebuild when UTSA was rebuilt in 8 months?

Just a guess, but maybe the competition level in the Big XII & SEC is a tad bit tougher than whatever conference UTSA plays in.

 

[Horns11]

Why the hell does UT need a long term rebuild when UTSA was rebuilt in 8 months?

When you play at a school where there are zero expectations, zero good opponents, and infinite risky transfers to nab and play non-Power-5 ball, it’s just not a comparison.

 

[Creek]

Just a guess, but maybe the competition level in the Big XII & SEC is a tad bit tougher than whatever conference UTSA plays in.

Lots of examples off my head showing very rapid improvement-Harbaugh -Michigan, Chip Kelly- Oregon, Brian Kelly -ND, Jimbo at FSU even Mack at UNC

Statalyzer—?

 

[SabreHorn]

Not one of those I want near our program.

Harbaugh has been close to a total failure. How many playoff appearances? How many Conference Championships? How many wins over Ohio State? Plus, he's an *******.

Neither of the Kellys has won ****, but at least Chip is not nearly as big a waste of humanity as Brian is.

Jimbo won at FSU with a bought & paid for QB, who is less than stellar human being. As long as the Aggies feed his slush fund, he will win more than he loses, but that trophy case will remain empty for the next two decades.

I can't ******* believe you would throw Mack Brown in there. How many conference championships did he win in Austin? What don't you understand about what he did to our program on his way out the door?

Schnellenberger? Osborne? Erickson? Thought I'd help you with names of other pieces of ****.

 

[Creek]

The point was turnarounds can and do happen fast at the highest level.

 

[horninchicago]

I doubt some people want to point the finger at the players, so it is a futile conversation. How do you do well with craptastic players recruited by a no common sense coach?

 

[TEXAS1983]

The point was turnarounds can and do happen fast at the highest level.

Maybe worth mentioning are the combination of 10 plus years of disastrous coaching having eaten away at the program's floor joists, an impending conference move to what is broadly considered (rightly or wrongly) the toughest in the country, a serious entitlement problem that's been there for a half century, and the advent of things like the transfer portal and NIL.

Head coach at Texas isn't your average job. This program is going to turn like a supertanker, not a racing yacht. Right now, we need the patience to make the turn. It's going to be a minute.

Hook'em!

 

[Statalyzer]

Statalyzer—?

Yes?

Just a guess, but maybe the competition level in the Big XII & SEC is a tad bit tougher than whatever conference UTSA plays in.

I'm also guessing the talent level of Texas is a lot better than UTSA's too, though.

It's like how everyone was sure Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen would bust in the pros because they faced weaker opposition in college. Yeah, but they had weaker talent around them too, so it generally balances out.

I doubt some people want to point the finger at the players, so it is a futile conversation. How do you do well with craptastic players recruited by a no common sense coach?

Good point - how did we do so much better with craptastic players who were coached by a no common sense coach?

 

[MajorRules00]

Yes?

Good point - how did we do so much better with craptastic players who were coached by a no common sense coach?

There's a missing piece in that equation: Sam Ehlinger. I now realize just how much Sam put the team on his back the last few seasons.

 

[horninchicago]

Good point - how did we do so much better with craptastic players who were coached by a no common sense coach?

I would point more to the posters who say Texas managed to be an offensive juggernaut under Mack/Davis in spite of the coaching because the players just did what they thought they should do because they were so good.

Herman sucked.

 

[dukesteer]

It's like how everyone was sure Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen would bust in the pros because they faced weaker opposition in college.

While I like Jackson, the jury is still out with respect to, can he lead this team to a
Championship.

He’s a highlight reel runner, but can he pass his team to victory in crunch time. He was completely neutralized by the Titans in the playoffs last year. This year there have been extended periods of offensive ineptitude. I believe that he has not demonstrated yet that he can be an accomplished passer and most defensives in the league can stop a one dimensional offense.

On the other hand, Allen can run AND pass, and do both very well.

 

[Detective Shilala]

Agree with everything majorrules and horns11 said in above post. And I am very skeptical of Sark at this point.
But who thought Dabo Swimney would do what he has done? With hindsight yes we all know but no one had any expecatations of him after a few seasons.
Yes dramatic rebuilds do happen quickly sometimes but just as often fans are rewarded for a little patience. .

we have been burning the entire program down every few years. We can’t keep doing that.

a good example might be barb stoops at OU. took over a moribund program. And didn’t he have losing records for one or two years before winning a natty in 2000?

 

[horninchicago]

a good example might be barb stoops at OU. took over a moribund program. And didn’t he have losing records for one or two years before winning a natty in 2000?

Are you serious? No. OU was his first job as a head coach. 7-5 in season one and 13-0 and NC in season two.

Guys like him and Tressel are why fans became impatient. Yes, Tressell had a slow start at Youngstown State, but he was there for many years before going to tOSU. There, he started 7-5 and 14-0 winning the NC in his second season.

Carroll at USC, similar. 4th season he won his first NC there.

Les Miles, of all people, had nothing close to a juggernaut at Okie State. But, in year 3 at LSU, he won the NC. Hmmm, he was coaching Saban's recruits. And, they had 2 losses.

Now, the almighty Saban. NC in year 4 at LSU. Then, after the NFL thing, he goes 2-6 at Bammer and then wins it all in year 2.

I remember feeling back in those days that, while it was not fair necessarily, we as Texas fans had good reason to be losing patience with Mack when we were getting beat by OU from 200-2004, essentially keeping us out of the BCS and NC game until that 2005 Rose Bowl against Michigan.

The train of new coaches coming in and winning it all so quickly has slowed, but considering Texas has 2 NCs since the 60s, yes, I am using a bit of license as 2 came back to back in 69 and 70, and most of us as decades long fans continue to watch and buy tickets/merchandise, etc., this notion of Texas fans being impatient seems false.

Impatient to fire Strong after 3 horrific losing seasons? Nope.

Impatient to fire Herman after causing strife amongst the fan base while seeing he had no clue, as many here said he was learning on the job, think dumb *** 4th down binder calls, about how to coach at a NC level? Nope.

If Sark has 2 more consecutive losing seasons, he will be gone. If not, and as long as he doesn't insult the fan base, 5 years minimum is what he will/should get.