ESPN Rumor Central: Tuberville ready to move … to UGA?
File this one under Silly Season Speculation, but I present it in the interest of keeping you, dear readers, fully informed. And that’s why I’m here! To serve! To bring every noteworthy nugget to you who Need To Know!
OK, where was I?
Oh, yeah. From the Rumor Central of ESPN.com’s Insiders comes this: “TTU job a stepping stone for Tuberville?” (Link requires registration.) And you’ll never guess where those presumed stones are said to lead.
For your edification, I present the item in its entirety:
“Will Tommy Tuberville retire at Texas Tech? Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman sure doesn’t think so. Tuberville has yet to sign his contract, and the buyout he has to pay if he were to break his contract isn’t high enough — in Bohls’ opinion, anyway.
“[Writes Bohls:] ‘Personally, I would have had Tuberville agree to a larger buyout. After all, he probably would be the Tennessee coach if he had waited a week instead of saying yes to Texas Tech.’
“Tuberville seems very happy to be at Tech and to be coaching again. But you do have to wonder, if he has success in Lubbock and a lucrative SEC job were to open up in the next couple of seasons, whether he’d be able to turn that offer down. Disgruntled LSU and Georgia fans might have to start paying the Red Raiders a little more attention.”
Well, now. That’s a mighty big leap from a mighty small item in Mr. Bohls’ column, but it does illustrate … something. We all know that Tuberville enjoys being courted — ask Ole Miss fans, or Auburn fans, or Arkansas fans — but it wasn’t long ago that Georgia could never been included in any discussion of a school that might soon be seeking a new coach.
But I should stipulate that any disgruntlement with Mark Richt has eased. Most UGA fans are excited about Todd Grantham as defensive coordinator — some weren’t happy with the search, but they’ll get over that if Grantham delivers — and they’ll get excited again on Signing Day. The heat on Miles, who infamously blew the Ole Miss game, is much higher than on Richt. (LSU fans are going nuts over Nick Saban winning big at Alabama.)
No, this isn’t your father’s SEC, or even your uncle’s. Phillip Fulmer was gone from Tennessee a year after playing for the conference title. Tuberville himself was out at Auburn two seasons after going 11-2. Things can happen quickly, sure. That said …
I don’t see any way Georgia is looking for a coach next December. LSU, maybe. Not UGA.
(P.S. I do think Mr. Bohls — nice guy, good writer — has it right when he says Tuberville would be sitting in Knoxville today if he’d waited a week. Which would mean Tuberville would have coached three different SEC schools, which I don’t think anyone has ever done. Though Bobby Petrino will give it a go.)
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440 comments Add your comment
Defense wins championships
January 25th, 2010
3:25 pm
Grantham is the guy Saban wanted, and Muschamp recommended. Dallas Cowboys in 2009 #2 in scoring defense, #4 against the run. 2 of his 3 DL made the Pro Bowl. Went to 2nd round of plaoffs–big deal for Dallas.
SEC Defensive Coordinator Rankings:
#1 Georgia
#2 Bama
#3 LSU
#4 South Carolina
Jim Mora Jr.
January 25th, 2010
3:26 pm
With all due respect Mark, don’t speak for THIS UGA fan when you say that “I’m excited with the Grantham hire.” I am of the opinion that the 3-4 is not a good fit in the SEC. Grantham has 3 years DC experience, with a losing record to boot. That’s not even mentioning the fact his defense was ranked 29th in the NFL when he got canned from the Browns. Now, he may turn out to be the DC hire for the Dawgs. But until he improves the defense, count me as one that’s not sold on the hire.
GT fan
January 25th, 2010
3:27 pm
Richt is a good coach and has won a lot of games at UGA why would you want him gone? Hell he wins 10 games a season (minus last season). Who would not want that?
Tubberville is a good coach as well, but he is not on Richt’s level.
Richt is a product of Bobby Bowden!
Can you dig it?
January 25th, 2010
3:28 pm
Hey Sweet Home Alabama…Youy must have done your reserch in the bathroom of your trailer. It wasn’t long ago that the BAMA program spent 10-12 years wandering around college football looking for a savior to prop up thier football team…..$4 million later and look where you are….I’d say that Bama fans should worry more about thier coach bailing out on them within the next 3-4 years than Georiga fans do of Richt leaving…in the SEC its a quick trip from the penthouse to the outhouse(of course you’s know that living in a traler) if you don’t win consistantly enough to keep your fans happy. I’ll give Saban two more years and then he’ll get antsy and bailout on Bama leaving all you pompous fans wondering what happened. Can You Dig It!
how2fish
January 25th, 2010
3:29 pm
Enter your comments here
Bruce Mac
January 25th, 2010
3:30 pm
I agree, don’t let the facts get in your way, you are really on a roll now. You have all us CMR fans on our heels for sure, boy howdy.
Paddy
January 25th, 2010
3:30 pm
I hope Petrino’s next job is a night watchman at a mothballed munitions plant in South Dakota.
Dawg
January 25th, 2010
3:33 pm
Tuberville did a darn good job at AU but ended up sinking it in 2008 to a 5-7 record, UGA doesn’t need him right now.
guh
January 25th, 2010
3:34 pm
Mark says: I can’t see it, either. But I pass it along for edification and entertainment.
And yet you’ve managed to do neither.
PHIL
January 25th, 2010
3:34 pm
Geez, I am so happy the brain surgeons who reply to this stuff aren’t in charge of hiring and firing at any institution.
Paddy
January 25th, 2010
3:34 pm
Enter your comments here
Bruce Mac
January 25th, 2010
3:36 pm
Last time I checked # 9 was inside of the top ten but hea, I went to Georgia so I may be wrong.
GT fan
January 25th, 2010
3:37 pm
Defense wins championships why is Grantham #1 in the SEC? He has not done anything yet?
Really?
January 25th, 2010
3:37 pm
Jim Mora Jr. – I agree with you. The 3-4 defense did not work for Alabama at all last season. What did they finish 4th in the SEC west or 5th? Oh wait they won the National Championship and went undefeated. Nevermind!
Dead Mike
January 25th, 2010
3:38 pm
Bring back Donnan!
chazzo
January 25th, 2010
3:39 pm
You just can’t get the arse of the camel through that needle’s eye.
Socal Dawg
January 25th, 2010
3:40 pm
TT seems to be a nice man but if CMR left less than 10% of UGA fans would want him I promise you that.
SUPER DAWG
January 25th, 2010
3:41 pm
Now way, Mark Richt is a great coach….hope he never leaves and I know he won’t be asked to.
Go Dawgs and quit spreading these kind of stupid rumors at recruiting time.
I AGREE
January 25th, 2010
3:42 pm
DO you mean georgia has not finished in the top ten at least half of CMR years dang all the official stats and polls must be wrong. I was positive UGA has finished in the top ten at least 5 times since CMR has been there
morris
January 25th, 2010
3:42 pm
I like the Grantham hire but Richt’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the importance of special teams is perturbing to me. How can a coach in a big time conference like the SEC not try to utilize every advantage when it is surely needed to win. Look at how many big games Frank Beamer has won at VT because of a blocked punt or two. Special teams is a very important phase of the game and Richt needs to get with it and hire a good special teams coach. A great defense, pound the rock running game, and superb special teams play is the formula this DAWG fan would love to see. I don’t like the finesse offense, read and react defense, or the crappy special teams we have seen at UGA the last few years. I’m just not sure Richt is ever going to bring the toughness and instill the discipline we need to compete for a national title. If we don’t see a big improvement in those areas next season then bring on another coach!
Clint
January 25th, 2010
3:45 pm
If Richt were to get fired, Tubs wouldn’t even be the first call. Muschamp would have to turn us down first, followed by a few others.
Bruce Mac
January 25th, 2010
3:45 pm
GT fan, some of us get carried away, you understand? I suspect you are pretty excited about CAG, I would be. I hope Tech and Dawgs have 10 wins a piece like the old days come the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That would be some fun between the hedges.
Bill
January 25th, 2010
3:45 pm
Would love to see Tuberville @ UGA.Com
I like it Mark, Keep up the good job.
DAWG07
January 25th, 2010
3:46 pm
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
You guys need to stay with the news not trying to create stories that don’t exist. Your not the news so stop trying to be the news.
I AGREE
January 25th, 2010
3:46 pm
UGA should give CMR at least a five year extension to his contract .
GT fan
January 25th, 2010
3:47 pm
Bruce Mac,
The D GT had last year was worse than UGA’s. Hell yeah I am happy we got a new DC. Im not sure GT has the talent right away to run the 3-4 but i am a realist. Remember the days of Chan Gaily, trust me, I wanted him gone.
Bruce Mac
January 25th, 2010
3:47 pm
No “I agree”, you stated UGA was not a top ten team under CMR and in fact they are #9 since he started and that is how I would measure it. How would you measure a Top Ten team under CMR?
JRM
January 25th, 2010
3:49 pm
You people make me chuckle!!!! CMR has one more year and then he will be under fire. If UGA struggles again in 2010, He will fire Bobo and then CMR will be the next to go if he doesnt turn it around. And if Dooley has two good years at UT, he will be next coach at UGA. Doesnt take a genius to figure that out!!!! CMR has had a great run and I think he is a great guy and a great coach but this is the SEC!!!!
Paul From Milton
January 25th, 2010
3:50 pm
Let’s see…trailer jokes, inbred jokes, missing teeth jokes, etc. It would be nice if the same tired old stuff wasn’t rolled out here day after day. None of you are witty or funny – so stop trying to be.
GT
January 25th, 2010
3:51 pm
The virus is in the system. A year ago no one would have thought of Richt not being at Georgia but now the light is on him directly. If this DC hire fails or his team fails next year not several years in the future, the same hooded mob that was gathering until he fired his defensive coaches will gather again. This kind of stuff should have been used by the Athens judge, last month, that refused the ex Georgia football player his day in court because you cannot sue the state. The state does not run Georgia football or any other SEC program outside of Vanderbilt. It is the same types on every campus, Auburn even got put on academic probation because of one particularly loud one. The athletic departments are run buy anyone BUT the state or even the university. When statements are made by the athletic department, about the security of a man’s job they are unauthorized because they are generally made by a puppet athletic director or university president. This is not bad or good, but does account for a newspaper believing the job of a coach is secure by misguided information and in the next breath the SEC school is firing their coach. No one is interviewing the alumni or backer, in some cases they might not even know who the real boss is.
Michael
January 25th, 2010
3:51 pm
Am I the only UGA fan content with Mark Richt? The guy has won no fewer than 8 games every season he has been here, and only twice has he done that “bad.” He has led Georgia to three SEC East titles and two SEC titles. Goff and Donnan combined didn’t do either. Nobody since Vince Dooley had led Georgia to a finish in the top TWO in the nation.
Stafford and Moreno were incredible players, and dropoff had to be expected. Martinez and the defense were causing a LOT of those losses, and Richt rectified that problem.
saban
January 25th, 2010
3:55 pm
Next year to help keep things close, florida will only use back up players in the Georgia game.
Should keep the score in the 40`s.
Florida coaches say beating the dawgs every year with their starters was simply too easy and a cruelty to the dawgs.
JB
January 25th, 2010
3:56 pm
Biggest fear among Vol fans is that Derek Dooley will be successful and leave for UGA. He won’t do it. His Dad didn’t return to Auburn. He doesn’t want to be compared to his dad and he is a class act and will remember the chance given him and if he wins, and he will, he will be embraced by Tennessee folks. He’ll start his on legacy like his dad, except it’ll be orange, not red.
Hans Gruber
January 25th, 2010
3:56 pm
Hit it again…
You made your point…
I will take that under advisement, now hit it again.
( The insanity of dumb topics….)
I AGREE
January 25th, 2010
3:58 pm
Oh I was putting out a little sarcasm for non UGA fans when i said top twenty program under CMR thats all. I am one of the biggest Mark Richt fans you will find I believe he needs to Coach the DAWGS as long as he wants to . I feel he will have the DAWGS back in the top ten or higher soon enough people dont understand how much of a loss all the players were that left after last year
Monticello Dawg
January 25th, 2010
4:00 pm
Richt will be at UGA for a few more years while we monitor the progress of Derek Dooley, Will Muschamp, and Kirby Smart and decide which one to bring home to Mama.
JB
January 25th, 2010
4:01 pm
Michael…………….Everyone loves Richt. But, we have sat back and watched Saban and Myer win National Championships in a short time. We have as much talent to recruit, as much money, as good of facilities, as good of tradition,as good fan support but we can’t quite put it all together, and hopefully the slaughters the last couple of years have been on Willie. We are not fully ” maximized” as a program.
GT fan
January 25th, 2010
4:04 pm
JB,
Sometimes the athelets dont pan out. Plus, its hard to keep guys who are good from going to the NFL. UGA does recuit well but have been hit by injuries the past few seasons.
JB
January 25th, 2010
4:05 pm
GT Fan, I hear ya, but if you’ve watch us the last two years, you know we are not well coached.
I do think sometimes getting 4 and 5 star players ( the wrong ones) can hurt a program. I ‘ve seen way to many sure misses in Athens miss lately.
Bruce Mac
January 25th, 2010
4:07 pm
Saban, thank you very much. We need all the help we can get. Will you play your second string against the Gators so they too will have a chance in Tuscaloosa? I think if Bama plays the second string the Gators should be able to stay within a couple of touchdowns. We don’t want to see that new QB crying on National TV.
FLA DAWG
January 25th, 2010
4:08 pm
If nothing else it may put a little warmth under Richt’s backside to begin doing what it takes to win in The SEC.
Tom
January 25th, 2010
4:09 pm
Mark, I like 99% of your writing, but this is a bit silly. Sorry.
I do wish Tuberville had waited, he could definitely be coaching at Tennessee. But nobody knew Kiffin would leave so abruptly. However someone would have swooped in for the TTU job.
I like Dooley b/c of the family name and recognition. But he’s not ready for the big boys of the SEC.
I just love the CMR Offense...
January 25th, 2010
4:10 pm
Two first downs in the first half on many occasions is very acceptable.
After another weak season and CMR is still ok?
I’ll take Ray Goff over Richt. Maybe.
puff
January 25th, 2010
4:11 pm
Lame, even for Bradley.
Silly season, indeed. « Get The Picture
January 25th, 2010
4:12 pm
[...] season, indeed. Jump to Comments Mark Bradley links to an ESPN rumor that’s worthy of footballcoachscoop.com’s attention: “Tuberville [...]
Ricth Can't Please You Guys
January 25th, 2010
4:13 pm
AD Damon Evans FINALLY gave Richt enough $$$$ to go get a real defensive coordinator. It’s the first time Coach Richt has had a really strong defensive coordinator.
To think Richt finished #2 with WILLIE MARTINEZ and #2 with VAN GORDER says a lot about Coach Richt’s abilities.
Lame Kitten was given a fortune to build his staff at Tenn. Georgia’s been WAY far behind.
robodawg
January 25th, 2010
4:14 pm
Thanks for the edification! Richt will not leave UGA until he retires. And by that time, Tuberville will not be a candidate.
Georgia didn't win the East in 07'
January 25th, 2010
4:16 pm
The UGA head coaching job will be open after the 2012 season…………………..guarenteed.
TheAntiMe
January 25th, 2010
4:16 pm
There’s no doubt that the Tuber is going to be hired by UGA next season as Head Coach. But UGA will not fire Mark Richt as Head Coach either.
Tuberville will coach the Dawgs on odd days and Richt will coach them on even days, just like with the water restrictions when the lakes are low.
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
January 25th, 2010
4:18 pm
File me under the group that thinks this would never happen. If not because I’m not crazy about Tubberville, then because I don’t think there’s any way UGA will get rid of Richt (I think UGA’d be crazy to get rid of him, by the by).
LSU, on the other hand, may get rid of Miles if he underperforms (read: blows games with horrific clock management) again because, let’s face it, he’s not that good of a coach. Yeah, he has a mythical national championship, but that’s only because he lucked out of having to play what became a monster UGA team that year.