After many rumors and much turmoil, Texas head coach Mack Brown stepped down from coaching the Longhorns on Saturday. Here’s a look at their recruits and players that Michigan has pursued:
2014 commits: LB Otaro Alaka, CB Jermaine Roberts
2015 commit: OG Aaron Garza
Roster players: CB Antwuan Davis (Fr.), S Sheroid Evans (Jr.), K Anthony Fera (Sr.)*, OT Garrett Greenlea (So.), LB Jordan Hicks (Jr.), DT Desmond Jackson (Jr.), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Sr.)*, LB Peter Jinkens (So.), WR Jake Oliver (Fr.), RB Jalen Overstreet (So.), C Jake Raulerson (Fr.), WR Kendall Sanders (So.), LB Dalton Santos (So.), S Josh Turner (So.)
*Seniors who would be unable to transfer
None of Texas’s players or commits visited Michigan during the recruiting process, as far as I know. Most of them are from Texas or at least Big 12 country, and Jordan Hicks – who’s from Ohio – never seemed interested in the Wolverines. Therefore, I don’t expect that the coaching change in Austin will have any tangible impact on Michigan. Alabama head coach Nick Saban was thought to be a potential replacement for Brown, but now that Saban has signed an extension with the Crimson Tide, the Longhorns will presumably have to go in a different direction. Some of the names mentioned for the head job at Texas include Baylor’s Art Briles, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, LSU’s Les Miles, UCLA’s Jim Mora Jr., Stanford’s David Shaw, and Louisville’s Charlie Strong.
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For the life of me I can't figure out why Narduzzi isn't being mentioned for some of these high profile jobs after what he's done with 2* and 3* talent in EL. He should be the hottest commodity in all of college football.
I don't blame him for not wanting to go to the UConn route,..but come on, the guy has earned his stripes to take over a top notch program somewhere.
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It seems to me like big-time programs usually hire guys with head coaching experience. Hoke was at Ball State and San Diego State, Meyer was at Utah and Florida, Saban was at MSU and LSU, Malzahn was at Arkansas State, Mack Brown was at UNC, etc. Maybe that's anecdotal, and there are occasions where it's not true (Jimbo Fisher at FSU, for example), but I don't think Narduzzi's accomplishments at MSU warrant the head job at a place like Texas.
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Do you think Narduzzi will be back at MSU?
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That's tough to say. At this point, I think he will return to MSU. But if the right job opens up, a mid-level job, then I think he would take it.
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Didn't Fera unofficially visit U of M for MSU week in 08?
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Fera visited, but he's a senior so he can't transfer.
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Also, Fera was committed to Michigan at one point.
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Maybe he could consider something like a graduate transfer, but that's probably unlikely. I am a bit worried about our kicking game after seniors like Gibbons and Dileo (holder) leave. Gibbons costed us the PSU game but he has been solid the last 3 yrs.
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Fera is a fifth year senior, so he's out of eligibility.
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I wonder who's most likely to go to Texas. Texas is a top five to top ten job, considering revenue, fan base, and recruiting. The hiring could really change CFB landscape, I think. The campus is beautiful, weather is nice, it has decent academics, and Texas is a hotbed for recruiting. Texas has rapidly growing population of almost 30 million now, and kids in Texas will consider UT before anything. I think it's unlikely that guys like Shaw, Mora, Meyer, and Miles leave what they have now and go to rebuild at Texas. I am thinking guys like Briles, Gundy and Charlie Strong make more sense for Texas job.
As for Narduzzi, I heard that he isn't very good at PR and that's maybe the reason he isn't making the next move to be a HC. Top jobs like Texas really demands its head coach to be a good representative of the program and will hire someone who can do that. People skills really matter for those jobs. That, unfortunately is a bad news for us, as Narduzzi's defense is simply one of the best.
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