Whew, we almost had to change the name of this blog. Yep, Gus Malzahn ALMOST came to Vanderbilt and brought Kiehl Frazier with him. Just like we ALMOST win football games.
If you haven't been a Vanderbilt fan long enough and don't believe me, it's being reported by ESPN, not Matt Bonesteel.
I've spent all morning telling co-workers who went to Auburn the exact same thing I told them in 2001 when we were trailing Auburn 24-21 and driving down the field. Boy, those Auburn fans were nervous! Boy, they were whining!
But I set them straight. I told them not to worry because Vanderbilt would find a way to lose in the end.
That's what I've been telling them today, and it's exactly what happened. We faked a field goal, ran the option to the field goal kicker, and lost Malzahn.
I've heard the sticking point was that we wouldn't let him coach in the national championship. I don't know and I don't care. All I know is, we almost got him and we didn't, just like we almost win nearly every game and we don't.
Now instead of getting the offensive coordinator for the No. 1 team in the nation, we're probably getting the offensive coordinator for Maryland, which ranks No. 85 in total yardage.
The only Gus we're getting is a field-goal kicking mule.
32 comments:
this is without a doubt the lowest point for me as a vu fan. the best we can hope for is these efforts later translate into some serious facility upgrades.
I am literally shaking I am so upset. I don't believe for a minute that we didn't want him to play in the NC game. The Auburn folks were saying that their HC said he wouldn't let Gus coach if he took the Vandy job. There is no way that Williams let the other coaches go without an ok from Gus. I want to hear from his mouth what he has to say to us. He has humiliated us.
i knew this would happen too
Hey Dimon! can we get away from this coaching circus and talk about the QBs? I want to hear your thoughts on
Jordan Rodgers, Matt Casas, Charlie Goro, and Larry Smith
I am not taking ANYTHING at face value until we hear official word from VU. This has been a total rollercoaster and I feel nauseas :(
I want to kick a baby.
Hey LLWS, are you kidding? It's just depressing right now to think about Larry Smith. I love you, Larry, but I was hoping you'd be lining up in the slot next season.
Malzahn would've been a good hire for us, but I'm more worried about the prospects of getting Franklin than the actual loss of Malzahn.
I'd never heard of the guy, and I feel like we're the only program in that nation that is after him (which I find our odds of finding a diamond in the rough with Zeppos, Williams, and a donor choosing pretty low--no football minds in on the coaching search?).
The Stanford offensive coordinator Greg Roman, on his way to a BCS championship game with the 14th ranked offense in the FBS, didn't get a second interview while Franklin, a coach Maryland fans are begging us to hire away from them, did. I'm trying not to think race has something to do with it.
Anyway, I'd feel a lot better about Malzahn not taking the offer if our back-up plan was more along the lines of Tommy Bowden or Roman, not someone whose offense averaged only 40 yards/game more than us while playing against much, much worse defenses. (Franklin)
Hey Dimon, that's why I listed him last. I hope he transfers or rides the bench. My QB depth chart would be: Jordan Rodgers, Charlie Goro, Recruit QB, Matt Casas, and then Smith. I absolutely hate Smith and it makes me sick to my stomach every time he takes a snap. I want to hear your opinion on the other QB's and who you think will start next
Everyone calm down... last night "sources" said Malzahn was headed to Vandy... today "soruces" said Malzahn is staying at Auburn. At the end of the day until we see a statement from Malzahn, Auburn, or VU it isnt over...
Thanks for trying to calm us down, Seth. But it appears that Malzahn's agent got Vandy to make a big offer so that Auburn could make a counter offer and then the next time Gus' name comes up for a head coaching job he can start with the figure that lowly Vandy offered. In other words, we got played. Heck, let's sell our souls and get Mike Leach.
The first sane comment of the entire search: "HIRE MIKE LEACH!" We need the Pirate!
HIRE MIKE!!! He's awesome!!
Let's transfer to the big east!!
Can we play basketball and baseball in the SEC and football in the Big East?
i like the above statement
Dimon, since last Thursday you and every other Vandy blog site has reported nothing but stories from "sources" and thats fine. But dont sit here and act like this thing is a done deal cause there has been nothing from Malzhan or any other official source.
We may have gotten punk'd but no other school is going to pay Malzhan what we were going to, even after this. There is not another team as desperate as us in college football. He made a HUGE mistake.
I bet Malzahn will be our head coach, but it won't happen until after the national championship game. 3 mill is too much money for him to pass up. We really don't need to get frustrated until after the championship game. I believe we wait on him.
This speaks volumes about the big-name "executive recruiting firm" that Williams retained. Supposedly the purpose of using that firm was to manage leaks and avoid creating a media narrative with Vandy being portrayed (yet again) as being turned down by a big name and having to "settle" for an unknown. Yet that is exactly the narrative now being played out. Wonder how much this fuck-up has already cost the university, before they've even given a head coach a dime?
This search has hit rock bottom. I cant think of a name better than Malzahn they will get a shot at. And nobody say Mike Leach. Hes probably filing another lawsuit as we speak
Throughout the process, I've made it clear that we're dealing with speculation. Unlike other Vandy bloggers, I did not run a giant BREAKING: GUS MALZAHN NEXT VANDERBILT HEAD COACH headline last night. Instead, I seriously doubted the story because it came from an unnamed source who told a guy who told a guy named Matt Bonesteel. Google "Vanderbilt Malzahn" and tell me how many headlines you see that say Malzahn has accepted the Vandy offer. A bunch. Sure, all of them in their stories quote the Washington Post blog and maybe another source that got their information from the Washington Post blog, but they're clearly trying to boost web traffic by running an unconfirmed headline. But note that today's Post newspaper story said Vanderbilt had picked Malzahn but was vague about whether he had picked Vandy. While the Post was getting internet hits last night, ESPN was silent, as I pointed out last night. While the Washington Post may be a reputable newspaper, its Terrapins Insider blog can't hold a candle to ESPN's news judgment when it comes to covering and breaking the news of coaching changes. Chris Low doesn't speculate — or he lets you know when he does — and he has real sources in the SEC. Bonesteel's problem was that he got his story from the Maryland camp, not the Auburn or Vanderbilt camps.
Even More Anonymous, you're exactly right in your comments. The public doesn't need to know how close Vandy got with so-and-so coach, though I for one appreciate the fact that we made a strong run at Malzahn. And perhaps Mr. Franklin screwed himself if he did in fact leak something to the Post's Maryland blogger.
You're right, you didn't buy into all the hype and speculation. That's why you're the go-to guy at the top of my bookmarks list for Vandy blogging.
Good point about the damage Franklin may have done to himself, too.
Hey, thanks.
I have no doubt that Franklin leaked it to the Post's blogger.
Anyway about it I don't want Franklin. The guy is a nobody and, though he's hailed as a "marvelous" recruiter, Maryland routinely stinks, and he's routinely out-recruited by Larry Johnson up at Penn State.
If we can't get a guy like Leach interested in the job, I say we throw the bank at Navy's offensive coordinator. The Triple Option may be able to have some success at our athletically-challenged institution.
I just saw a beer commercial with " The Most Interesting Man in the World". Let's get him. It might be kinda fun. Could draw a big crowd too. Or how about guest coaches? A different one each game, everybody would come to see that! Sorry for these stupid ideas but my brain is just totally fried by the Gus debacle.
The Most Interesting Man in the World? That's the best suggestion I've heard so far.
what about Kirby Smart? Alabama's defensive coordinator. Won the broyles award last year and there is buyout for his contract if he takes a head coaching position. Smart is making 750k per year.
I meant no buyout for Smart if he takes a head coaching job.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4880292
Good idea, although Smart is an even hotter head coaching candidate than Malzahn and appears poised to join Will Muschamp's dream team at Florida.
It's Franklin. Washington Post is once again reporting it.
Some are saying he was on a plane to Nashville last night. It's entirely possible that Williams was working on a deal for him even before Malzahn had said no. I firmly believe Franklin is the guy Williams wanted but he felt he had to "go after the big name" to appease the fanbase.
I agree with you.
What a difference a year makes. Franklin took 'em to a bowl, and Gus Malzahn is coaching Arkansas State.
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