Steve Sarkisian Hired as USC HC

[ThePiombino]

That's like EV committing to ND then saying fuck them and going to UCLA. Kinda dumb statement from him.

Seriously, I was gonna say - quite an ironic statement coming from Eddie. Jackasses, all of them. Hope his grandmother is doing well...

 

[dublinirish]

the more UCLA/media people say Mora is going nowhere the more i think he is gonna ditch them. it has to happen!

 

[ndfi78]

I would love Mora to take the Washington job if only for this:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>If you guys think Mora Would EVER ditch us for Washington your crazy... You might as well wipe him from the board cuz he's staying.. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Bruin&src=hash">#Bruin</a></p>— EV4™ (@E_VanderdoesIV) <a href="https://twitter.com/E_VanderdoesIV/statuses/407738803856502784">December 3, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It won't happen... I really doubt he is going anywhere... but it would absolutely crack me up with all the BS he has helped pull recently.

Me too

 

[gkIrish]

I retract my previous post about Mora going to UW being stupid. I was actually ignorant to the fact that he was a Dawg.

 

[Bluto]

I read an interesting theory, what if Texas went after Mora? Someone on another thread mentioned that UCLA should go after Eddie O if Mora bailed. That would be hilarious.

 

[Sweetness34]

The only thing I really worry about with this hiring is Tosh Lupoi going to USC. He is one of the best recruiters in the country and he will make it very hard on ND to get recruits from the West Coast.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

@Softykjr
Here's what I'm hearing on Justin Wilcox: Sark wants him at USC. Wilcox can't get out of deal early to another P12 school w/out huge buyout

 

[Whiskeyjack]

@Softykjr
Here's what I'm hearing on Justin Wilcox: Sark wants him at USC. Wilcox can't get out of deal early to another P12 school w/out huge buyout

Wilcox staying at UW would be great. He seems to be the only member of Sark's staff that Husky fans are worried about losing. Their defense was much improved this year under him.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Wilcox staying at UW would be great. He seems to be the only member of Sark's staff that Husky fans are worried about losing. Their defense was much improved this year under him.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Very well put by the guy at USC 24/7

It’s important, here, to understand that the process doesn’t necessarily damn the end result. The references to Pete Carroll essentially being a backup plan to a backup plan to a backup plan were legion in the wake of this hiring, something that could be indicative of great things or may well be nothing more than the first platitude said about every unpopular hire. But, it must be said that in the here and now, this reflects poorly on Haden. We’ve often said in these parts that every candidate for this job carries some level of risk, that there was no “Nick Saban to Alabama” or “Urban Meyer to Ohio State” scenario on the table. How ironic, then, that USC opted for the candidate whose risk lie in the fact that everyone in the conference has a good idea of what he is – namely, an above average, unspectacular coach – after five years in the Pac-12. He has not overachieved in subpar circumstances (Chris Petersen), flirted with offensive dominance (Kevin Sumlin) or flashed superstar potential at an end of the bench program (James Franklin), to name three names heavily linked to USC. Those, and other candidates brought lower floors with those higher ceilings, of course, but there was a more foreseeable path to penthouse living under their watch. Sarkisian, for his part, will always make rent, but it’s tough to see the stars from the fourth floor of a high rise.

 

[Buster Bluth]

An above average coach can do a lot of damage with a sh'load of five-star talent.

And for the record, the Pac-12 North is right there with the SEC West for being the toughest division in college football. It's not like he was .540 in the Big Ten Leaders Division. He was at Washington for five years, in the five years before him the program was 12-47 (.203).

 

[ThePiombino]

An above average coach can do a lot of damage with a sh'load of five-star talent.

And for the record, the Pac-12 North is right there with the SEC West for being the toughest division in college football. It's not like he was .540 in the Big Ten Leaders Division. He was at Washington for five years, in the five years before him the program was 12-47 (.203).

Perspective.

 

[IrishLax]

An above average coach can do a lot of damage with a sh'load of five-star talent.

And for the record, the Pac-12 North is right there with the SEC West for being the toughest division in college football. It's not like he was .540 in the Big Ten Leaders Division. He was at Washington for five years, in the five years before him the program was 12-47 (.203).

This is the biggest red herring ever though, because that team was far from devoid of talent. He had a top 10 draft pick at QB in his prime for two of those seasons... and they went 5-7 and 7-6 against daunting schedules. Then in 2011 he went 7-6 against a meh schedule... and then 7-6 against a meh schedule in 2012... and then 8 wins this year. He immediately got an average roster to start playing average football, which was a step up from Ty getting an average roster to play bad football. But he made very little actual improvement in the team during his time there.

He lost a lot of games to inferior opponents, won a couple big games over good teams, and 8 wins was the best he ever attained. The talent level is not markedly better than when he took over for all the recruiting prowess, the record isn't good, and he was trending towards hot seat for a reason. He's simply a very average-to-bad coach who will now be given very good talent... and time will tell whether or not Seven Win Sark becomes anything more than Nine Win Sark. I'm pretty darn skeptical myself.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Very well put by the guy at USC 24/7

That's a good take. In my view, Sark has always been the least scary candidate because of his high floor/ low ceiling. Peterson, Sumlin and Franklin all have much higher ceilings, and would have generated a lot more buzz for the program.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

No clue how credible this site is... I am guessing not very.

Exclusive: Kevin Sumlin lobbied hard for USC job | Rumors and Rants

 

[GATTACA!]

Any update on Mora to wash? I want it to happen so bad. Suck it EV

 

[ACamp1900]

No clue how credible this site is... I am guessing not very.

Exclusive: Kevin Sumlin lobbied hard for USC job | Rumors and Rants

Sumlin, "Please, please, please, please.... We will score so many points."

Haden, "I see here your teams give up an average of 32 points a game...."

Sumlin, "But we score a lot of points."

 

[gkIrish]

No clue how credible this site is... I am guessing not very.

Exclusive: Kevin Sumlin lobbied hard for USC job | Rumors and Rants

Dan Patrick said the same thing on his show on Monday

 

[Me2SouthBend]

My opinion on the Sark hire is this- I wouldn't want him hired to coach ND and I bet 90%+ of the members on this board would feel the same way. If I were an $C fan, I would think they settled big time in hiring him. Of course, I hate $C so I feel this is a brilliant hire.

 

[ulukinatme]

Sumlin, "Please, please, please, please.... We will score so many points."

Haden, "I see here your teams give up an average of 32 points a game...."

Sumlin, "But we score a lot of points."

From Prevail and Ride

 

[Wild Bill]

An above average coach can do a lot of damage with a sh'load of five-star talent.

And for the record, the Pac-12 North is right there with the SEC West for being the toughest division in college football. It's not like he was .540 in the Big Ten Leaders Division. He was at Washington for five years, in the five years before him the program was 12-47 (.203).

What has me optimistic about the hire is his inability to beat quality opponents. He's definitely proven he can beat up on shit teams but he has not consistently beat quality opponents. His overall record against ranked opponents at Washington was 6-19. What's particularly alarming (for USC fans) is that he's actually getting worse - 2-13 in the last three seasons. Screams mediocre to me. Who knows, maybe the talent at USC makes the difference for him. For now, I love the hire.

2013 - 0-4 vs ranked opponents

2012 - 2-4 vs ranked opponents

2011 - 0-5 vs ranked opponents

2010 - 2-4 vs ranked opponents

2009 - 2-2 vs ranked opponents

 

[Classic Irish]

Seriously, I was gonna say - quite an ironic statement coming from Eddie. Jackasses, all of them. Hope his grandmother is doing well...

Exactly. Talk about ditching people. What a hypocrite.

 

[GBdomer]

BREAKING NEWS BROTHERS

Mora to STAY at UCLA

 

[SoDakDomer]

I have no idea how this Mora to Washington stuff even got any traction, but I'm glad it did. Just the rumor of him possibly leaving can put doubts into recruits minds. I hate UCLA.

 

[Calabrese's People]

Mora signed a 6-year extension to stay at UCLA. Its Pinkel time.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I have no idea how this Mora to Washington stuff even got any traction, but I'm glad it did. Just the rumor of him possibly leaving can put doubts into recruits minds. I hate UCLA.

(1) Mora's a UW alum;
(2) UW is a better job than UCLA; and
(3) Mora has previously called it his "dream job".

So the theory definitely had legs for a while. Now I'm just hoping that Mora plans to bolt for the NFL sooner than later and doesn't want to burn bridges at his alma mater.

 

[ACamp1900]

(1) Mora's a UW alum;
(2) UW is a better job than UCLA; and
(3) Mora has previously called it his "dream job".

So the theory definitely had legs for a while. Now I'm just hoping that Mora plans to bolt for the NFL sooner than later and doesn't want to burn bridges at his alma mater.

Da Wha??

 

[connect the dots]

(1) Mora's a UW alum;
(2) UW is a better job than UCLA; and
(3) Mora has previously called it his "dream job".

So the theory definitely had legs for a while. Now I'm just hoping that Mora plans to bolt for the NFL sooner than later and doesn't want to burn bridges at his alma mater.

The alum part I get, but why would Washington be a better coaching job? Diligently recruit the state of California and you have a top twenty college team every year. If Miami can recruit one Florida county, Dade, they can take the field with anybody in America. One Florida county! The best high school football is being played in California, Texas, and Florida. Why did Urban Meyer choose Florida for a destination? Because he could recruit Florida in golf cart, returning home every night for a recharge! Nebraska doesn't recruit nationwide, forget about it! Oklahoma doesn't recruit Texas, forget about it! High school football players from Washington state like to kayak and take long walks in the woods!

 

[irishog77]

The alum part I get, but why would Washington be a better coaching job? Diligently recruit the state of California and you have a top twenty college team every year. If Miami can recruit one Florida county, Dade, they can take the field with anybody in America. One Florida county! The best high school football is being played in California, Texas, and Florida. Why did Urban Meyer choose Florida for a destination? Because he could recruit Florida in golf cart, returning home every night for a recharge! Nebraska doesn't recruit nationwide, forget about it! Oklahoma doesn't recruit Texas, forget about it! High school football players from Washington state like to kayak and take long walks in the woods!

Not many coaches are lining up to take the UCF, FAU, Florida International, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, San Diego State, and San Jose State jobs. Access to recruits is obviously only one criteria when it comes to evaluating coaching gigs. Yes, UCLA has access to recruits.

Washington, by most other criteria, is probably a better job.

 

[stlnd01]

Not many coaches are lining up to take the UCF, FAU, Florida International, UTEP, UTSA, Rice, San Diego State, and San Jose State jobs. Access to recruits is obviously only one criteria when it comes to evaluating coaching gigs. Yes, UCLA has access to recruits.

Washington, by most other criteria, is probably a better job.

Like what? Besides an on-campus stadium?

UCLA is a basketball school first, and plays second fiddle to USC in LA. But they're a sleeping giant. If they actually committed themselves to football, they could be a sustained top 20 program, and one of the three or four best in the West. Barring Phil Knight/Boone Pickens style investment it's hard to see Washington ever getting to that. Not enough native talent or focus.

As it is today, they're comparable jobs in the Pac-12's second tier. UCLA to Washington would be a lateral move for most (maybe a U-Dub homer like Mora considers it an improvement). But UCLA has more upside, and Mora, like him or not, seems to be getting them there.