t4pizza wrote: ↑Thu Dec 05, 2024 12:22 pm
EastHallApp wrote: ↑Thu Dec 05, 2024 12:18 pm
With the acknowledgment up front that I have zero firsthand knowledge of any of this, I am going to say that I do not believe any top-tier candidates declined to pursue our job because they think it wasn't fair to fire Clark.
Why would you think that? I mean most schools would be very very happy with what we have had under Clark (NOT saying we should be at all because that is not our standard) and all football coaches KNOW how hard it is to win football games. So why be surprised that some coaches would stay away from an opportunity if they see that even and alum will get fired if he doesn't win at a very high level? It makes complete sense to me. That being said, I don't want a coach that is afraid of maintaining our standard.
I think when people say stuff like that, what they almost always mean is "I, personally, didn't want the coach to be fired, so I am going to make up a scenario in which potential job candidates share my belief so that it winds up being damaging to the program."
Nothing about Clark's firing was unusual. He was not fired rashly. He took over a program that was at its highest point ever, and under his watch, it was on a clear downward trend over five years. Not saying it was 100% his fault, but that's what happened.
Miami fired Larry Coker with an overall record of 60-15 and a national title. And everyone understood why. He inherited the most talented roster in college football history, and every year he was coach, the team got a little worse. His record looked great, but he took the program from great to mediocre.