FB Coach Speculation

[Dr. Maturin]

The pool of Div I HC’s seems unlikely to yield a diamond in the rough that will come to Duke. If they have a decent resume they will surely have more attractive offers to choose from.

Much more likely to find a brilliant up and coming offensive or defensive coordinator or even a D2 HC. The best of these could see Duke HC as a step up in their career ladder.

I think many here are underselling this job in a big way. It's not 2005 anymore. Duke has made major strides on the field and with facilities, and most importantly, with pay. Duke can offer life changing money to just about every head coach at an FBS G5 school, let alone coaches in FCS. The idea that we would have to go all the way to division II to find a coach is crazy.

Coaching hires are a crapshoot. The odds of us making another great hire may not be great, but I also think the job is much easier than the one that was set before Cut.

[brevity]

I seriously doubt he'd come here but I'd love to talk with and offer Ed Orgeron.

Why not? It wouldn't be the first time that Ed Orgeron became David Cutcliffe's successor.

But would you understand what he said?

Kids have understood him for years!

[HereBeforeCoachK]

This implicitly brings up an interesting question. With the new transfer rules, can a new coach skilled in the transfer arts shorten a rebuilding timeline? I suspect it would be tougher at Duke, given academic constraints but it might be doable. I just don't know if we have a data base for a new coach coming in and bringing in 15, 20, more (?) transfers. Look how completely Lawson remade the women's basketball roster. Is that an apples and oranges comparison or is something similar possible for football?

IMO that's apples and oranges. For a number of reasons.

The transfer portal gate swings both ways. Lummie Young is transferring.

I can't imagine the portal working in Dukes favor anytime soon...

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Head Coaches from the MAC or Sun Belt are legitimate candidates. Becoming HC at Duke would mean a big increase in salary and the opportunity to gain P5 experience.

Agree 100% with your point. About a month ago I did a deep dive into the MAC in another thread and there didn't seem to be anyone remotely interesting. So historically you are right, but right now, I don't think they are an option. I think Sun Belt could have more possibilities - I haven't looked.

I was just reading an article spitballing candidates for Oklahoma and an interesting candidate for Duke was mentioned (though if he is a candidate for Oklahoma, I'm not sure how interested he would be in Duke) - Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator at Texas A&M. He played at Penn (so he should have respect for academics) and after having a few other jobs he became a Clawson disciple, working under him as DC at Bowling Green and Wake from 2009-2016. He did a year as DC at Notre Dame before taking the job at Texas A&M in 2018. Having worked at Wake not too long ago under Clawson, he knows the environment Duke works in, but he also has coordinator experience at super powers. One downside is that it looks like he makes $2.1 million a year as an assistant, so he would not come cheap. Yes, I know he hasn't been a head coach, but no one is perfect. Not saying he is the best candidate out there, but worth adding to the list.

[A-Tex Devil]

Lol Ed Orgeron. My ex-Wife’s dad was a professor and administrator at Ole Miss when he was there. I remember his view on Orgeron. Let’s just say Coach O and the Ole Miss ivory tower didn’t really get on very well. Not sure he’d be a great fit at Duke.

I like the idea re: coaches that had success at mid-majors/non-historic programs, but bit off more than they could chew at larger programs. While I would not advocate for him specifically for various reasons, a guy like Tom Herman comes to mind. Think of it as the Lane Kiffin route to bring us back to Ole Miss again.

[miramar]

What’s the American football equivalent of a false nine?

Hard to say, but maybe it’s when your quarterback suddenly lines up at wide receiver and your running back runs the wildcat.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I was just reading an article spitballing candidates for Oklahoma and an interesting candidate for Duke was mentioned (though if he is a candidate for Oklahoma, I'm not sure how interested he would be in Duke) - Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator at Texas A&M. He played at Penn (so he should have respect for academics) and after having a few other jobs he became a Clawson disciple, working under him as DC at Bowling Green and Wake from 2009-2016. He did a year as DC at Notre Dame before taking the job at Texas A&M in 2018. Having worked at Wake not too long ago under Clawson, he knows the environment Duke works in, but he also has coordinator experience at super powers. One downside is that it looks like he makes $2.1 million a year as an assistant, so he would not come cheap. Yes, I know he hasn't been a head coach, but no one is perfect. Not saying he is the best candidate out there, but worth adding to the list.

Not sure why he would be more appealing that Wake's current OC....who's been part of the Clawson success at Bowling Green and WF. He's due for a job upgrade, and is not making 2.1 million at the moment.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Not sure why he would be more appealing that Wake's current OC...who's been part of the Clawson success at Bowling Green and WF. He's due for a job upgrade, and is not making 2.1 million at the moment.

They are not mutually exclusive so saying "my idea is better than your idea" and comparing everyone to the guy you suggested is not constructive. If people fixate on specific candidates these threads deteriorate very quickly. Nina hopefully has a pretty concrete list. But we as fans are more at the generating ideas stage of the process. I did not say he was the best candidate. But he is definitely worth considering. As is the current OC at Wake from what I know about him.

If you do want to go down the road of comparing them, Elko has the same background (Bowling Green and Wake with Clawson) but also has experience as a coordinator in much bigger situations, which is appealing. But I agree that the salary is a huge negative, and I'm guessing he is not interested. But he is at least worth mentioning.

[miramar]

I like the idea re: coaches that had success at mid-majors/non-historic programs, but bit off more than they could chew at larger programs. While I would not advocate for him specifically for various reasons, a guy like Tom Herman comes to mind. Think of it as the Lane Kiffin route to bring us back to Ole Miss again.

Tom Herman certainly has his drawbacks, but if he could just settle down (a big ask of course) he’s smart enough to make it work. My wife and I were visiting the UT campus in March 2020, just before everything shut down, and we went to the Texas Union to get some lunch. When we went inside, Herman was leaving with some of his assistants, but I was struck by the fact that he had a look of absolute rage on his face. I couldn’t understand how somebody making $5 million a year could be so upset after eating with guys that he himself hired. But no matter what, he did much better than Sarkesian, at least so far.

[SamHouston]

Agree 100% with your point. About a month ago I did a deep dive into the MAC in another thread and there didn't seem to be anyone remotely interesting. So historically you are right, but right now, I don't think they are an option. I think Sun Belt could have more possibilities - I haven't looked.

I was just reading an article spitballing candidates for Oklahoma and an interesting candidate for Duke was mentioned (though if he is a candidate for Oklahoma, I'm not sure how interested he would be in Duke) - Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator at Texas A&M. He played at Penn (so he should have respect for academics) and after having a few other jobs he became a Clawson disciple, working under him as DC at Bowling Green and Wake from 2009-2016. He did a year as DC at Notre Dame before taking the job at Texas A&M in 2018. Having worked at Wake not too long ago under Clawson, he knows the environment Duke works in, but he also has coordinator experience at super powers. One downside is that it looks like he makes $2.1 million a year as an assistant, so he would not come cheap. Yes, I know he hasn't been a head coach, but no one is perfect. Not saying he is the best candidate out there, but worth adding to the list.

That’s crazy money…..remember when the late, great Al McGuire tossed out the idea that coaches should be on tenure track?
At some point the men and women running Duke and like minded schools will simply say no more.

[A-Tex Devil]

Tom Herman certainly has his drawbacks, but if he could just settle down (a big ask of course) he’s smart enough to make it work. My wife and I were visiting the UT campus in March 2020, just before everything shut down, and we went to the Texas Union to get some lunch. When we went inside, Herman was leaving with some of his assistants, but I was struck by the fact that he had a look of absolute rage on his face. I couldn’t understand how somebody making $5 million a year could be so upset after eating with guys that he himself hired. But no matter what, he did much better than Sarkesian, at least so far.

I was lukewarm on Herman entire time at UT. He was pompous and had me rolling my eyes on the daily. But I also disagreed with his firing at UT at the time and appreciated him standing up for his players during the BLM/Eyes of Texas controversy in the face of some just awful big money donors (no PPB).

If he is humbled by what happened at UT but could bring recruiting and big game coaching success, he could be a good fit. But he has some other baggage which may not be a great fit. I think he may be a candidate for something further west ultimately.

[duke2x]

That’s crazy money…..remember when the late, great Al McGuire tossed out the idea that coaches should be on tenure track?
At some point the men and women running Duke and like minded schools will simply say no more.

The next head coach is probably going to make $3M+ a year at Duke. His two coordinators will make $1M. We get >$20M from the ACC Network. That's where most of it has to go. Selecting the right head coach to win more than 10-15 games/4 years is the challenge.

Is it true that Jeff Monken's wife is from the VA/NC/SC area? I think the Paul Johnson experiment at GT shows a service academy offense won't work, particularly when 70% of recruits think they are playing in the NFL after college.

[sagegrouse]

The next head coach is probably going to make $3M+ a year at Duke. His two coordinators will make $1M. We get >$20M from the ACC Network. That's where most of it has to go. Selecting the right head coach to win more than 10-15 games/4 years is the challenge.

Is it true that Jeff Monken's wife is from the VA/NC/SC area? I think the Paul Johnson experiment at GT shows a service academy offense won't work, particularly when 70% of recruits think they are playing in the NFL after college.

Yeah, but... Some of us think the biggest mistake Duke ever made was to NOT pursue George Welsh, who was coach at Navy before going to Virginia. He totally made that program -- I wouldn't say "revived" because it had never been any good whatsoever* before Welsh.

Kindly,
Sage Grouse
* Well, Virginia was 8-2 in 1952, losing to Duke but beating UNC and Vandy, before going 0-10 in its first two years in the ACC

[OldPhiKap]

Is it true that Jeff Monken's wife is from the VA/NC/SC area? I think the Paul Johnson experiment at GT shows a service academy offense won't work, particularly when 70% of recruits think they are playing in the NFL after college.

Yup, this is my biggest dislike of going to an option offense. My GTech booster friends could not wait to get rid of the option.

Monken is a great coach. But the option is a big negative for me.

[diablesseblu]

Yup, this is my biggest dislike of going to an option offense. My GTech booster friends could not wait to get rid of the option.

Monken is a great coach. But the option is a big negative for me.

Have always wondered about the option at GT. Did the fan base tire of that offense or of Paul Johnson? To put it kindly, he’s always been known as an irascible curmudgeon.

I followed his career at Navy (alums in my family). He wore out his welcome there and then flirted with Duke to leverage an offer from Ga. Tech. I never expected his tenure at GT to be fully successful.

[OldPhiKap]

Have always wondered about the option at GT. Did the fan base tire of that offense or of Paul Johnson? To put it kindly, he’s always been known as an irascible curmudgeon.

I followed his career at Navy (alums in my family). He wore out his welcome there and then flirted with Duke to leverage an offer from Ga. Tech. I never expected his tenure at GT to be fully successful.

From what I can tell, both.

[duke2x]

Have always wondered about the option at GT. Did the fan base tire of that offense or of Paul Johnson? To put it kindly, he’s always been known as an irascible curmudgeon.

I followed his career at Navy (alums in my family). He wore out his welcome there and then flirted with Duke to leverage an offer from Ga. Tech. I never expected his tenure at GT to be fully successful.

He inherited P5 talent from Gailey and was able to coach it up. GT fans expect to return to the Heisman/Dodd days and win 10 games a year. Johnson couldn't recruit to that level with his offense. I expect Geoff Collins to get fired next year because he can't undo the damage fast enough from Johnson.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Tom Herman

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Tom Herman

I think we have discussed him and if I recall, he has a huge buyout still from Texas and would lose much of it if he took another job in the next year or so, which I believe is why he is an "analyst" for the Bears. The initial buyout was over $15 million but I'm not sure how the rest of it works - someone please correct me if I am wrong on this.

[TheTrain]

You are correct