November 27, 2003
The next Mississippi State Head Coach will not be...
As Mississippi State University gets pasted in the muck and sogginess in Starkville, many have spoken about who the next replacement will be for Jackie Sheryl, who's "retiring" at the end of the Egg Bowl.
Names like Jimbo Fisher, the Offensive Coordinator at LSU since 2000, and before that, a longtime assistant at Auburn, along with Sylvester Croom, who was a finalist for the Alabama head coaching position earlier this off-season, are two of the most mentioned names.
According to this release from LSU's Athletic Department , the list just got whittled down. Look for Sylveter Croom to now get the inside track and becoming not only Mississippi State's first minority head coach, but the first minority head football coach in the entire Southeastern Conference.
I like this move, but I wonder why Fisher would hire an agent like Saban's-Jimmy Sexton-and not take an obviously attractive job. If guys like John Thompson and Charlie Strong-two coordinators who took long looks and/or were hired at less than stellar positions from major universities in the SEC (East Carolina and Vandy), why wouldn't Jimbo take the position in Stark-Vegas?
One can only wonder. Unless, that is, another, more attractive job opening is about to make itself known.
Stay tuned...
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Comments & Trackbacks
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 27, 2003 10:32 PM — linkI'm not sure State is that attractive of a job. But I don't think something better is coming along; you don't put out a release like that if you're heading to Auburn next week.
Either that or Fisher sees the writing on the wall that Croom is getting the job, and decided to withdraw rather than be beat out (which might hurt his future value).
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 28, 2003 12:43 AM — linkThe popular rumor being denounced on our site right now is that Saban is headed to Atlanta, and that a former LSU S&C coach is going to get the nod as the new S&C coach for their franchise.
Jimbo is sticking around because he may be the next head coach.
Who knows? It's the internet, you know it has to be true...
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 28, 2003 02:35 AM — linkThe only reason I can see for Saban to go to the NFL is the money... Atlanta is not a plum job, even when Vick is healthy--and Vick will probably be out of the league in 5 years tops. Saban's a young guy, and the NFL will still be there in a few more years.
Then again, I might have said the same about Spurrier. But Spurrier's done pretty much everything you can in CFB, while Saban hasn't (yet). *shrug*
Randy H. says:
posted on November 28, 2003 08:32 PM — linkChris, why do you say Vick will be out of the league in 5 years? His skills are too good to stick around for that short of a period. Remember, he's only 23 years old!
I hope Saban goes to Atlanta. He won't succeed, but then Sylvester Crooms will be the top dog in the SEC West, and State will be back on the road to the SEC championship.
Chris Settle says:
posted on November 28, 2003 10:18 PM — linkI have to disagree with the idea that MSU is not an attractive job, unless you are speaking of the possible NCAA infractions that could fall. I ask you to remember the teams from 1998 through 2000. And if the same defense from 1999 where playing with the 2000 offense, that team would have competed for a BCS bowl in the SEC Championship game. Granted, the loss of key coaches and replacing them with poor ones have sent the program into a tail spin, but there is talent in Starkville. This school has been able to recruit in-state the top talent for a decade. You would have to agree that the football talent in Mississippi can rank with other states. Now you still have to get and find that talent, but a great coach with a great staff can pull it off, especially in the college football climate of today with scholarship reductions.
I was disappointed to hear of Jimbo Fisher pulling his name from the list. However, I do believe there is some truth about there being another possible job later. That being LSU's. Saban is good friends with the Chicago Bears GM, and since I live in Chicago, his name has been a hot ticket item for months. Wait and see what happens with the Bears and Juron, then it will get interesting in Baton Rouge.
As far as Croom, I still believe Bama screwed up in not hiring him, but I do wonder about Croom. Is there any info I can find about him? I have never met him, or know of any one who knows him.TigerEducated says:
posted on November 28, 2003 11:27 PM — linkHow can you say the guy got screwed over by not taking the Bama job, and then say that you wonder about him, wonder about info about him, and then admit you've never met nor know of anyone including yourself who knows of him?
The guy used to play for Bama, and has been a Packer's assistant for years...
Kevin Donahue says:
posted on November 29, 2003 09:57 AM — linkI think he said Bama screwed up (erred, blew it) by not hiring Croom over Shula.
And, I too think there is (at least) smoke to the Saban/Bears rumors. I mean, where did the Bears GM & ownership go when they were in New Orleans earlier this year? Two practices & dinner with Saban.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 30, 2003 08:52 AM — linkRandy, I just think he's gonna get killed with the style of QB play he uses. Unless Vick can remake himself into a pocket passer, I doubt he can survive--especially coming off a serious injury already. Don't get me wrong; he's incredibly talented. I just don't see him lasting to be 30 unless he stops playing like an option QB.
As for the attractiveness of State, you've got 3 years of incredible mediocrity to overcome, and a losing mindset; unlike the NFL, you don't get an easier schedule while you're in rebuilding mode. That and I really don't think Mississippi has the talent to support 3 good I-A teams over the long haul, and for a recruit I've got to wonder if State really is more appealing than Southern Miss (who've been at the top of C-USA the last X years). Maybe Croom tips the balance, but I honestly don't know.
Chris Settle says:
posted on November 30, 2003 01:07 PM — linkGentleman,
Let me ask you a question. If you were a recruit, would you rather go to an SEC school or a Conference USA school. TV, the BCS, the best league in the country (arguably) whether the team is tops or not. Even though MSU has had 3, not mediocre, but piss poor seasons, they can recoup. Is there a better time in college football to rebuild programs? Look at Kansas State. Would you have put them in the Big 12 championship game a decade ago? All you need is talent with the number of scholarships available and a coach to pull it together. Remember, teams can't pad there benches with talent because they have 100+ scholarship players like Alabama and the Bear did for so long.
As far as talent in Mississippi, it isn't just stretched to 3 D1 universities, but LSU, Alabama and even Auburn steal from this state as well. However, the difference is Sherrill kept players in state and out of, say, Alabama. Granted, the good MSU teams were loaded with unbelievable junior college talent. That was lost with the loss of coaches a couple of years ago. But a good coach would be able to recruit other areas. As State use to recruit out of Georgia and Texas well to fill in the rosters.
As far as Croom, what I said was Bama 'blew it'. If Croom is as good as I am hearing from the media, then a good coach with Bama ties, and being a minority, would have an extremely strong attractiveness to recruits. Granted, I do NOT know him personally, nor have my friends, unlike a Jimbo Fisher or even Charlie Strong. I like to know more about a coach's personality and coaching philosiphy. I know his professional bio is solid, but I like to know more. I guess I shouldn't quailify my opinion about Alabama blowing it when I am not sure of his abilities myself.
Kevin Donahue says:
posted on November 30, 2003 01:14 PM — linkMSU could go winless for a decade and it's still an attractive job for a lot of college coaches. As was pointed out, it's a top-level D-IA school in the SEC. You can try to rank the available jobs as being one better than the other, but MSU is definitely a good gig for a coach.
From SEC College Football - Fanblogs.com
pinged on Dec 1, 2003 2:57 PMIn the wake of two prolonged meetings, athletic director Larry Templeton said Sunday that Green Bay Packers assistant (and former 'Bama center) Sylvester Croom has an offer to become the next football coach at Mississippi State. MSU is looking to repla...
