Kevin Steele going back to Bama as DC.
Gattis I expected but Steele I did not.
Lots of work for Mario to do…
I’m sure we’ll have coordinators by fall camp. Or at least game 1.
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I assume Mario will promote Strong.
Saban is doing Miami a favor. I wasn’t impressed with Steele at all.
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Unlike OC, there are two clear cut best choices here
Jim Leonhard
Glen Schumann
I would assume we are promoting Strong, maybe give Addhae a co title and move DVD to CB coach.
Collins is a third coach that is friends with Mario as well.
I’d be okay with shooting our shot for one of Leonard/Schumann/Collins and ‘settling’ for Strong if we had a different HC.
Mario being Mario though, he will take 3 months to interview those 3, which by that point Strong will be gone and we’re making another Gattis level hire.
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I don’t think Strong is a bad option at all. He coached two National Championship Defenses at UF and he’s a great recruiter.
Mario will most likely shake the tree but, to me, the clear option is Strong. If you pass him up we may also be looking for an LB coach.
Less than a month to Spring ball!
My friends in Alabama are unhappy with the Tide hiring Steele. I think Charlie Strong is a wonderful guy to have on our staff. Mario likes recruiters, and Strong is excellent in this category. Strong’s defenses at Florida were very good. Additionally, I think VanDyke needs to be upgraded.
I like promoting Strong to DC and moving DVD to corners. If Addae stays he can handle safeties and STs. Also wouldn’t be against Addae leaving and someone else coming on.
That’s the pretty obvious solution. Which means Mario is gonna mess it up with his Byzantine hiring practices. I’m gonna guess Strong takes a DC job elsewhere and DVD moved on field “in some capacity” while he fumbles about the DC hire.
Mario came here to WIN.
He’s a Cane.
He won’t be perfect but he’s a relentless guy, ace recruiter and will right the ship but it may not be in the timeframe the fanbase wants it to happen.
NIL and the Portal has changed everything and that has to be navigated relentlessly going forward.
Mario knows he has to hire a good OC and that’s why I think he sticks with what is familiar and hires his friend he had at Oregon.
Having Charlie Strong down the hall is a luxury for us. He’s a good DC.
The next few weeks will tell the tale.
Rumors about Guidry from Tulane as the DC…not sure this even makes sense given we have Strong IMO
Guidry hired as DC.
Think it’s a decent hire. Was hired by Tulane away from Marshall 3 weeks ago. He’s a Louisiana guy having played and coached at Mcneese so I would guess we gave a big raise.
Marshall defense in his 2nd season there #15 FEI, #8 SP+
I would say it’s safe to say they were one of the 30 best defenses in the nation.
Does Strong not want the job?
Maybe after Texas and USF, he just wants to be a position coach and Co-DC?
He is 62.
Seems odd that he was seemingly passed over given he has been a DC at UF and a HC at Louisville, Texas and USF.
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Yeah this makes me think Strong might be looking at another position elsewhere.
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Or, he has had enough of the BS that being a HC entails.
Yeah this was my thoughts too.
Word is Strong may be over the hill, hasn’t coordinated in quite awhile. The game has changed a lot since he was calling plays.
Not saying he didn’t want it, just that folks close to the situation weren’t convinced he could deliver like his previous DC days.
Folks don’t know, Steele and Strong are very close, to say Strong wasn’t highly involved along the way are wrong. Dude was also involved when FSU ran 1 million counters on us and we never adjusted all game. This wasn’t a Gattis/ponce situation where Steele wasn’t listing to Strong…
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