Dawg83

Well, Derrick Nix not going back to OM may suddenly make a lot more sense. Gotta think he will be in the mix for this job at the very least.

And it appears we will have a USM coaching search now… Charles Huff to Memphis in the closing stages. Huff is the embodiment of the phrase “here for a good time, not for a long time”. Lol

Cannot believe I’m typing this, but Zach Arnett is returning to State as defensive coordinator. Liked him as Leach’s DC, I genuinely did…. But I am SHOCKED by this on many many levels.

Tulane officially in the Playoff. Will either be the 11 or 12 seed defending on what happens tomorrow. If chalk holds that would probably put them playing Oregon in Eugene. But rematch with OM not off the table.

From all indications if Golesh had not retained him, good chance he’d be at State. But Golesh decided to stick with him and I presume a coach like him that’s worked all over the country for a long time probably doesn’t want to relocate his family anymore than necessary.

Matt Campbell to Penn State appears to be happening. Honestly a really good hire after a mess of a search. On the DC front, State appears to be chasing bigger names. Went after Durkin first and supposedly have been in discussions with Brent Pry this week. We will see how that shakes out. They really need to get this one right.

I think you can argue Penn State’s expectations are on par with Bama’s. Franklin won 13 games last year and lost in the Playoff semifinals on a last second field goal… only to not survive the month of October the following year.

Not overly worried about Lebby being able to bring in quality skill position guys. But State will need a lot of adds at the LOS and in the secondary.

May be some artificial inflation going on due to how big the class is. 30 commits. Once you factor in portal guys there’s a pretty good chance State has 50-60 new players on the roster next year. Roster limits are 105 now so there’s going to be a ton of movement everywhere. This portal cycle will be nuts.

State’s class was looking like a disaster until recently but they’ve done good work to save it late. Flipping Womack from Auburn and Nickerson from Mizzou by far the most notable transpirings. Essentially took State from a well below average class ranking to one that’s far more consistent with what they typically do.

Some truth in that, though the opportunity to win a conference title is still appealing to many.

Not just hosting but probably hosting somebody from the ACC or G5, if they remain at 6. And you’d likely avoid the SEC & Big 10 champs in the QF if you advance. Looking at who still has a game to play, Bama at 9 feels like the only school that could probably pass OM if they win the SEC championship. Even then OM would still be the 7 seed, but the matchup in the 7 vs 10 game would likely be a good bit tougher than the 6 vs 11 game. I mean it could quite literally be the difference in playing North Texas or playing Notre Dame. So, if you are an OM fan, feels like you probably want to be rooting for Georgia to win in Atlanta. If chalk holds this weekend, Virginia would probably be the 11 seed coming to Oxford. Good team, has had an awesome season relative to their recent history, but their 28th in SP+ which is one spot ahead of 5-7 Auburn. Ole Miss is 7th in SP+. So hypothetically, OM is probably a double digit favorite or close to it if that were the game. Don’t ask me what happens if a currently 7-5 Duke were to win the ACC title. Lol.

Looks like Weis eventually going to LSU but will coach OM in the playoff. How nice of Kiffin to let him OM borrow Weis a few more weeks. What a great guy!***

Will Stein (Oregon OC) is Kentucky’s hire. These things are never a sure thing…. But don’t be shocked in a couple of years if this ends up being one of the better hires from this cycle.

Looking like Bob Chesney of James Madison to UCLA. Like the coach a lot, but that will definitely be a tough job. Rumored to be trending toward Kalani Sitake of BYU to Penn State. I think he’s a really good coach, that would be an interesting fit though. BYU alum, coached out West his whole career, then is the the head coach at the foremost program in Pennsylvania? Hmm.

Zero inside knowledge on this but I would be floored if Kiffin doesn’t attempt to raid OM’s roster. Guess we will see how much success comes of it.

Actually don’t at all hate some of the names being tossed around for the UK job. Seems like they are wanting to go the “coordinator at a major school” route, but maybe leaning more toward offense since that’s what sunk Stoops.

Made this comment before Golding was hired at OM…. I think it’s way more likely Roberts ends up Golding’s new DC. They go way back to their Delta State and SE LA days. So probably gonna be a different person for State if i have to guess.

A late entry to the carousel, Kentucky just fired Mark Stoops. A little late to the party, really…. Curious where this goes.

Thoughts on some of the other hires: Golesh to Auburn - I actually like it quite a bit. Whoever won the Golesh sweepstakes I would’ve considered a big winner in this. I’m not sure he’s a Kiffin level coach that can take Auburn to 10 wins every single year. But I think he can at worst match what Malzahn was doing, which I think Auburn severely took for granted. Sumrall to Florida - gonna need to see the OC hire but the guy is a straight up winner. I would say this is the one I’m most uncertain on. He is quite different from the two legendary Florida coaches that everyone is trying to replicate. It could be a big hit. But I could also see it not really working. Stricklin’s job is at stake on this one. Silverfield to Arkansas - if I’m wrong I’m wrong…. But I don’t think this one is going to work. Memphis coaches have not fared well after leaving for greener pastures, and he’s been less successful at Memphis than Fuente and Norvell were. Never coached in the SEC, minimal P5 experience…. I don’t really see him as a clear upgrade over Pittman.

I’m mixed on how I think Kiffin will do at LSU. He has some self destructive qualities where he can’t get out of his own way. And I’m not sure LSU is going to put up with some of the teenage girl crap that OM fans laughed at and said “lol that’s just Lane!” That said…. I am not sure there is a better offensive mind in the sport over the last decade. The production his OM teams put up yearly was just crazy. He also seemed to understand that you have to at least be decent on defense, which is where a lot of offense first coaches fail. If there's one thing LSU has never lacked, it’s talent, and he will have a lot to work with for sure. So there’s very much a path where this ends up being a home run and he’s the next Kirby Smart of the SEC, too. We will see in about 2-3 years, I guess.

Matchups certainly will matter, and OM will host a Playoff game so that certainly helps things too, but I’m of the opinion, until proven otherwise, that OM’s ceiling is probably lower in this playoff run without Kiffin and Weis. With a full staff I think you can make a strong argument for them getting to at least the semifinals. As is, I think they can win a home playoff game but beyond that I’m not sure I love their odds.

Kiffin handled this atrociously in every way possible and I totally get every OM fan that wants to punch that guy in the face. Once a snake, always a snake. I still don’t think the idea of him coaching the playoff would’ve been insane in a perfect world where you can remove emotion. But emotion is a big part of this. Especially with him going to LSU who is one of OM’s two most hated rivals. It’s certainly a very unique dynamic. I am not an OM fan so I’m certainly not seeing all the angles to this…. But what I do know is this Ole Miss team is really good. As in I don’t think it’s crazy at all to suggest they can make a deep playoff run at full strength. So for me, just handing that opportunity over to a half baked, piecemeal staff at the very least has to be a brutal pill to swallow.

It is starting to be reported that Golding will be the permanent head coach. Wow. I understand the thought process, I really do. Continuity and such. But how do I put this…. I guess we will see if Keith Carter is about to Arnett the bed on this one.

Kiffin sure does know how to have a chaotic exit.