The Wheel Of Intrigue Starts Turning
posted by Scott Hood on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Who will be named the new defensive coordinator for South Carolina? Over the next few days, familiar names will pop up as rumors swirl and then fade, only to swirl again.
Some of the names will be realistic, some will be pure fantasy.
But talking about it is the fun part. Watching the anticipation build among the fans is always one of my favorite aspects of a coaching searches.
I’m sure of one thing: a change at defensive coordinator has been in the works for a while. The process didn’t begin when head coach Houston Nutt contacted Spurrier recently to seek permission to talk with Nix.
Instead, the saga really started before then, when Nix threw his hat into the ring for the Southern Miss head coaching job. Spurrier pushed hard for Nix to get that job, but it didn’t happen.
Spurrier isn’t stupid. He’s been a head coach for a long time and has worked with a bunch of coaches. He knows a lot of people in the coaching profession.
Any forward-thinking head coach anticipates his assistants leaving or taking new jobs. It happens at every major program in the country. The life of an assistant football coach is one of a nomad.
Santa Claus and most head football coaches are similar in one respect – they both have lists. Spurrier, no doubt, has already placed more than a few phone calls.
Listening to Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt this afternoon, I was intrigued by something he said. He told the media Nix initiated the first contact with him through a mutual friend. That tells me two things:
1. Nix knew he wasn’t going to be the defensive coordinator for USC in 2008 and was anxious to leave Columbia;
2. Nix was “fired” before he was fired or demoted.
There’s no question this was an amicable parting of the ways between Spurrier and Nix. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was revealed Spurrier helped Nix locate another job. In that sense, he was “fired” by USC and hired by Ole Miss at the same time, if you know what I mean.
Spurrier’s statement about Nix's decision to move on to Oxford in the official press release included these words: ”We understand change is part of the coaching profession and hopefully this will be a good move for everyone.”.
Translation: Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. Certainly, Spurrier doesn’t appear too broken-hearted over Nix’s departure.
This quote from Nix in the press release said nearly the same thing: ”Change is a part of this profession and I think the best thing for me at this time is to go work for the University of Mississippi and see what we can get done there.”
Is it a coincidence both Spurrier and Nix felt the urge to use the word “change” in their respective statements. I don’t think so.
In this situation, change is indeed good. It’s sort of like the married couple that gets divorced due to irreconcilable differences. They still care for each other, but simply can’t stand living under the same roof.
Love one minute, disgust the next.
I feel bad for Nix because the USC defense has the potential to be very good in 2008, especially if middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley returns to the Gamecocks rather than declaring for the NFL Draft.
Had the Gamecocks defense enjoyed a spectacular season in 2008, Nix might have had a realistic chance at a head coaching job on the major college level.
Now, he’ll have to bide his time in Oxford for a few years while trying to figure out a way to stop the offenses of SEC West Division rivals LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas.
In my opinion, the USC defense is getting bigger and stronger, and is better than the unit that took the field in 2005, the first season with Nix calling the shots. I hope the new defensive coordinator can continue the progress Nix made.
In my opinion, the defense made important strides under Nix. Sure, the run defense wasn’t very good this season, but the pass defense was solid.
Just one player of significance graduates – defensive end Casper Brinkley. Chris Hampton contributed, but was mostly a reserve. Brandon Isaac played well at times but was injury prone.
So, who will be the new defensive coordinator for USC? The names will fly around, no question. I’m sure you’ll hear the names of Jon Hoke (Texans), Charlie Strong (Florida), Jon Tenuta (Georgia Tech), Brian Van Gorder (Falcons), Kevin Steele (Alabama), John Chavis (Tennessee) and Bud Foster (Va. Tech) and possibly others over the next several days.
Heck, Brother Bill Oliver might even be a candidate.
If you’re looking for one of the above-named coaches to get the job, prepare to pay. Nix made $195,000 in 2007. It will cost at least twice that amount – and probably a lot more - to secure of the services of a big-name defensive coordinator.
While Spurrier is well known in the business as someone who can be difficult to work for if you’re a defensive coordinator, he also gives his defensive coordinator the freedom to do his job.
There is little interference from the Head Ball Coach, as long as the opponents don’t have too many time-consuming drives and deny Spurrier the joy of calling his precious ballplays.
No matter who it is, I believe Spurrier needs to make a hire as quickly as possible. There’s too much at stake in recruiting for the position to remain vacant for too long.
The wheel of intrigue is turning.
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And the frenzy begins.
Who will be named the new defensive coordinator for South Carolina? Over the next few days, familiar names will pop up as rumors swirl and then fade, only to swirl again.
Some of the names will be realistic, some will be pure fantasy.
But talking about it is the fun part. Watching the anticipation build among the fans is always one of my favorite aspects of a coaching searches.
I’m sure of one thing: a change at defensive coordinator has been in the works for a while. The process didn’t begin when head coach Houston Nutt contacted Spurrier recently to seek permission to talk with Nix.
Instead, the saga really started before then, when Nix threw his hat into the ring for the Southern Miss head coaching job. Spurrier pushed hard for Nix to get that job, but it didn’t happen.
Spurrier isn’t stupid. He’s been a head coach for a long time and has worked with a bunch of coaches. He knows a lot of people in the coaching profession.
Any forward-thinking head coach anticipates his assistants leaving or taking new jobs. It happens at every major program in the country. The life of an assistant football coach is one of a nomad.
Santa Claus and most head football coaches are similar in one respect – they both have lists. Spurrier, no doubt, has already placed more than a few phone calls.
Listening to Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt this afternoon, I was intrigued by something he said. He told the media Nix initiated the first contact with him through a mutual friend. That tells me two things:
1. Nix knew he wasn’t going to be the defensive coordinator for USC in 2008 and was anxious to leave Columbia;
2. Nix was “fired” before he was fired or demoted.
There’s no question this was an amicable parting of the ways between Spurrier and Nix. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was revealed Spurrier helped Nix locate another job. In that sense, he was “fired” by USC and hired by Ole Miss at the same time, if you know what I mean.
Spurrier’s statement about Nix's decision to move on to Oxford in the official press release included these words: ”We understand change is part of the coaching profession and hopefully this will be a good move for everyone.”.
Translation: Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. Certainly, Spurrier doesn’t appear too broken-hearted over Nix’s departure.
This quote from Nix in the press release said nearly the same thing: ”Change is a part of this profession and I think the best thing for me at this time is to go work for the University of Mississippi and see what we can get done there.”
Is it a coincidence both Spurrier and Nix felt the urge to use the word “change” in their respective statements. I don’t think so.
In this situation, change is indeed good. It’s sort of like the married couple that gets divorced due to irreconcilable differences. They still care for each other, but simply can’t stand living under the same roof.
Love one minute, disgust the next.
I feel bad for Nix because the USC defense has the potential to be very good in 2008, especially if middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley returns to the Gamecocks rather than declaring for the NFL Draft.
Had the Gamecocks defense enjoyed a spectacular season in 2008, Nix might have had a realistic chance at a head coaching job on the major college level.
Now, he’ll have to bide his time in Oxford for a few years while trying to figure out a way to stop the offenses of SEC West Division rivals LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas.
In my opinion, the USC defense is getting bigger and stronger, and is better than the unit that took the field in 2005, the first season with Nix calling the shots. I hope the new defensive coordinator can continue the progress Nix made.
In my opinion, the defense made important strides under Nix. Sure, the run defense wasn’t very good this season, but the pass defense was solid.
Just one player of significance graduates – defensive end Casper Brinkley. Chris Hampton contributed, but was mostly a reserve. Brandon Isaac played well at times but was injury prone.
So, who will be the new defensive coordinator for USC? The names will fly around, no question. I’m sure you’ll hear the names of Jon Hoke (Texans), Charlie Strong (Florida), Jon Tenuta (Georgia Tech), Brian Van Gorder (Falcons), Kevin Steele (Alabama), John Chavis (Tennessee) and Bud Foster (Va. Tech) and possibly others over the next several days.
Heck, Brother Bill Oliver might even be a candidate.
If you’re looking for one of the above-named coaches to get the job, prepare to pay. Nix made $195,000 in 2007. It will cost at least twice that amount – and probably a lot more - to secure of the services of a big-name defensive coordinator.
While Spurrier is well known in the business as someone who can be difficult to work for if you’re a defensive coordinator, he also gives his defensive coordinator the freedom to do his job.
There is little interference from the Head Ball Coach, as long as the opponents don’t have too many time-consuming drives and deny Spurrier the joy of calling his precious ballplays.
No matter who it is, I believe Spurrier needs to make a hire as quickly as possible. There’s too much at stake in recruiting for the position to remain vacant for too long.
The wheel of intrigue is turning.
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.