First thing I usually do is pull up the list of current Power Five coordinators. You know, the guys calling plays for the big dogs. Who's got a hot offense? Whose defense is shutting people down? That’s always the starting point. It’s messy, though. There are dozens, and frankly, being a great coordinator doesn’t always mean you’ll be a great head coach. Totally different skill set managing the whole program.
DisemaNgging Deeper Than Just Names
So, afte.emag r that initial list, I start digging. I don't just look at the raw stats, though those matter. I try to watch some condensed games if I can find them. How do their units look? Disciplined? Creative? Do they adjust well? That tells you more than just yards per game.
Then I branch out. You gotta look at the successful Group of Five head coaches. Guys who are winning, building programs with fewer resources. That shows real leadership, you know? Building something from the ground up. Some of the best hires come from there. People forget that.
Who fits where?This is where it gets subjective. I start thinking about specific openings. What does that school need?
- Do they need an offensive guru to liven things up?
- A defensive hard-nose to build toughness?
- A CEO type to manage boosters and recruiting?
- Someone with ties to the region?
You start matching names to needs. It's like putting puzzle pieces together. Sometimes a guy looks great on paper, but he’s just a terrible fit for the culture or the specific problems at a school.
I also keep an eye on the retreads – guys who’ve been head coaches before. Sometimes they learned their lessons, sometimes they’re just... the same guy who got fired before. You have to look at why it didn't work out last time and if anything has changed.
Filtering Through the Noise
There's so much noise online. Every blog, every talking head has their 'hot list'. I try to filter that. I look for patterns – which names keep popping up from reliable folks? Which names make logical sense based on what I’ve seen and the school’s situation?
Honestly, a lot of it is just gut feeling developed over years of watching this stuff. You see certain coaches, how they handle interviews, how their players talk about them, how they manage sideline situations. It gives you a sense.
I end up with my own mental short list. Not always the same as the media darlings. Sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m way off. But going through the process, looking at the coordinators, the G5 winners, the specific needs – that’s the interesting part for me. It tells you a lot about the state of the game and what different programs value.
