Searching for our "Urban Meyer"

by Nestor on Aug 19, 2005 9:41 AM PDT in Football

Rivals have a list on the "next Urban Meyer." I am excerpting the highlights from their list:

1. Dan Hawkins - Boise State

This offensive guru will be landing in a BCS conference and quite possibly at a major program. The only question is how soon.

2. Pat Hill - Fresno State

No surprise that this name landed on the list. Until a major program is able to snag Hill, he will remain one of the biggest head coaching candidates, especially when Pac-10 jobs open up.

3. Mike Price - UTEP

Several Alabama fans are wishing Price hadn't run into off-the-field problems during his short-lived tenure in Tuscaloosa. Last season, he showed once again why he is considered one of the top coaches in college football.

4. Paul Johnson - Navy

A 10-2 team at Navy? Nobody thought that was possible in this era, but Johnson made it happen in just three years in Annapolis, leading the Midshipmen to their first double-digit win season since 1905 and their second consecutive bowl game in 2004.

5. Joe Glenn - Wyoming (Ed's note - yeah we know, painful)

It would be very interesting to see what Glenn could do in the Pac-10 or Big 12. He has been very successful at every level he has coached at and made a big name for himself last season by leading the Cowboys to upsets over Ole Miss and UCLA. The surprising victory over the Bruins came in the Las Vegas Bowl, the school's first win in a bowl game in 38 years.

6. Tom Amstutz - Toledo

The MAC has proven to be a hotbed for finding capable coaches and with Terry Hoeppner leaving Miami (Ohio) for Indiana, Amstutz might be the best of the bunch now. Since taking over the Toledo program in 2001, he has led the Rockets to a pair of outright MAC titles, three bowl games and five wins over Top 25 teams.

7. Jim Grobe - Wake Forest

Ignore the win-loss record with Grobe. He is the only coach on this list with a losing record (22-25) at his current school but is considered a master of X's and O's and adapting to his personnel.

8. Gregg Brandon - Bowling Green

Meet the architect of Urban Meyer's spread option offense. After coaching at the D-I level for 22 years, including the last two underneath Meyer, Brandon got his chance to run his own program when Meyer left for Utah.

9. Darryl Dickey - North Texas

Name the only active Division I-A coach to lead his team to four consecutive league titles? He doesn't come from any of the BCS conferences and chances are you've probably never even heard of him.

10. Gary Patterson - TCU

Patterson's stock isn't as high as it was in 2002 and 2003 when he led TCU to 10-and 11-win seasons, but he remains one of the more coveted coaches from the mid-major ranks. He took over the program with no head coaching experience in 2000 and led the Horned Frogs to three consecutive bowl games.

Of couese Dan Hawkins at no. 1 doesn't surprise us at all. Yes we love the offensive guru from Boise State. Interestingly though this list doesn't include Mike Leach of Texas Tech. Leach IMHO would be a greater fit for UCLA than Pat Hill. Of course we would never go for Mike Price - he is not enough wine & cheese for the country club crowd from Murphy Hall and Morgan Center. I am not that hot about Paul Johnson or Joe Glenn (anyone can make a name for themselves at UCLA's, strike that at Dorre's expense these days). Patterson and Dickey are interesting names ... worth keeping an eye on. I personally believe when Dorrell leaves, UCLA football will be in shambles, and we will need a big time name, like Butch Freaking Davis. And as O posted below UCLA is big time school with a dream job, which coaches will be interested in. We will need to get someone in football who is in the caliber of Ben Howland, a national name. My list right now starts with Butch Davis, and rounds up with Hawkins, Leach, Tom O'Brien (BC), the MAC tandem of Brandon and Amstutz. Who is in your list if you have one already?

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What, No Karl?

No list of great offensive masterminds is complete without Karl Dorrell. Karl Dorrell has successfully implemented a top-notch west coast offense in 2 short years. Yes, he forgets that his star tailback is alive and on the sidelines, and yes, at times he struggles to get plays called and into the huddle on time. But those are small points. He has developed his intricate offense over the years in high-level coaching jobs (in his last job he was the receivers coach for the Denver Broncos-a professional football club!)

Karl's offense is extremely consistent (first down: run; second down: run; third down: pass play (but not to Marcedes); fourth down: punt). He is a master at managing the game clock (see the USC game last year). He also performs well in the big games. In only his second year, he won the Moral Victory Bell (lower tier bowl games against teams with less talent cannot really be considered "big games").

On top of it all, he is an excellent recruiter (his first two classes have to be in the top 117 in the nation).

Yes, Karl Dorrell is such a fantastic coach, I think some top football school should hire him. Soon. Please.

by Koach Karl I on Aug 19, 2005 8:39 PM PDT reply actions