Hiring a football coach is hard AF.

OG Goat Holder

Heisman
Sep 30, 2022
12,258
11,331
113
You keep buying into the idea that if we used some sort of science to get the right guy all would be well. If it worked like that everyone would make good hires. That’s not the way it works. Sometimes even the home run hires flop. Moorhead was widely considered to be a home run hire. Heck even Sabin flopped in the NFL…..and Ed Ogeron flopped, then won a national title….and THEN flopped angain. It’s about as far from science as you can get.
There’s absolutely science behind it. Moorhead was a stupid hire, I said it back then. And there are always exceptions, that’s why they are called…..exceptions.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,762
26,105
113
There’s absolutely science behind it. Moorhead was a stupid hire, I said it back then. And there are always exceptions, that’s why they are called…..exceptions.
If you really look at his resume, it was a bad hire. And a good AD would have looked harder at the scholarship advantage he had a Fordham & the fact he coached maybe the most talented college offense ever at Penn State. Heck, I could have won with those advantages.
 

Pilgrimdawg

All-Conference
Aug 30, 2018
1,709
2,170
113
I’m tired of hearing this ****.
It’s a crap shoot. Ok
Is it a crap shoot when a Fortune 500 company hires a CEO? Maybe. To some degree.
But God Almighty you can bet they’ve done their vetting. With a flash light up the rectum.

The problem lies with the people doing the vetting and making the decision.
Cracker Barrel not withstanding…….
 

Howiefeltersnstch

All-Conference
Dec 28, 2019
2,374
3,006
98
It is a crap shoot. Kelly and Deboer, if you look at their records, are no brainers. Yet they are struggling. Fordham being the only school that offered scholarships should have been common knowledge. I didn't know. I thought his record was impressive but of course it was. Even Bayou Billy. It doesn't always translate
 
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Perd Hapley

All-American
Sep 30, 2022
5,809
6,858
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Doesn’t matter though right? He’s losing games he shouldn’t!
They are both losing games they shouldn’t. But losing by 1-2 scores to teams like Oklahoma and Florida State is a far cry from getting blown off your own field by Toledo.

Lebby has a chance to earn at least some leeway next weekend with a win. If not, he’ll be 0-10 in P4 games, with 1-17 or 0-18 over 2 years in those games looking pretty likely. I don’t see how he’d get a 3rd year in that scenario.
 
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bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,473
1,952
108
It’s not rocket science. We’ve only been good here at State when we hire coaches who do things differently than everyone else. Examples offensively would be Mullen and Leach, defensively would be Joe Lee and Arnett. We suck whem we hire coached who are common place and do things more like everyone else than not.
 
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Podgy

All-Conference
Oct 1, 2022
3,580
4,089
113
I hope we can get a coach one day as good as Tulane's coach and get as good as Tulane is.
 

paindonthurt

All-Conference
Apr 7, 2025
3,807
2,754
113
It’s not rocket science. We’ve only been good here at State when we hire coaches who do things differently than everyone else. Examples offensively would be Mullen and Leach, defensively would be Joe Lee and Arnett. We suck whem we hire coached who are common place and do things more like everyone else than not.
Example Jackie Wayne really wasn’t different

Lebby isn’t exactly a cookie cutter offense either
 
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bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,473
1,952
108
Example Jackie Wayne really wasn’t different

Lebby isn’t exactly a cookie cutter offense either
Jackie Wayne may not have been different offensively, but defensively he was extremely different and cutting edge at the time with Joe Lee Dunn. And yes Lebby is very common and cookie cutter. He doesn’t do anything different from most everyone else.
 

OG Goat Holder

Heisman
Sep 30, 2022
12,258
11,331
113
Jackie Wayne may not have been different offensively, but defensively he was extremely different and cutting edge at the time with Joe Lee Dunn. And yes Lebby is very common and cookie cutter. He doesn’t do anything different from most everyone else.
Jackie was a little different on offense too at the beginning. He loaded up mass on the lines with multiple big tailbacks. Then used a primary running QB, grinded the game way down. Maybe if he’d kept doing it we wouldn’t have had the big volley years.

Plus, at that time, going JUCO was considered taboo. So he was definitely innovative. It doesn’t always have to be with offense, but generally that helps specifically at MSU.
 
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The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
15,432
10,580
113
It's made easier by hiring the most experienced proven guy you can afford and by experience in hiring from the past. We didn't meet either of those criteria in our latest search
 
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Howiefeltersnstch

All-Conference
Dec 28, 2019
2,374
3,006
98
But as I was saying the most proven experienced guys dont always work out. Kelly has one of the best records of any coach and he has struggled at LSU. Same with Deboer. Deboer just doesn't lose. Until now.
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
15,432
10,580
113
But as I was saying the most proven experienced guys dont always work out. Kelly has one of the best records of any coach and he has struggled at LSU. Same with Deboer. Deboer just doesn't lose. Until now.
and the least or non experienced seldom work out in the SEC. Mullen was a rare exception
 

paindonthurt

All-Conference
Apr 7, 2025
3,807
2,754
113
Jackie Wayne may not have been different offensively, but defensively he was extremely different and cutting edge at the time with Joe Lee Dunn. And yes Lebby is very common and cookie cutter. He doesn’t do anything different from most everyone else.
Damn at the double digit IQs around here
 

paindonthurt

All-Conference
Apr 7, 2025
3,807
2,754
113
and the least or non experienced seldom work out in the SEC. Mullen was a rare exception
Coaches in general seldom work out. You can put any description in front of them.

Obviously that’s relative to the school and its success.