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According to Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal, this is the video that new Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown is telling Wildcat recruits to watch to see what they're offense will look like next season.
Nearly 11 minutes of high octane offensive production at it's finest. Texas Tech head coach pulled the curtain back a bit during his press conference this week. Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal provided a glimpse of how Tuberville and his staff run things during games. “I don’t like anybody talking on the phones with the coordinator calling plays,” Tuberville said. “Worst thing you can do is have a head coach and assistants hollering in your ear. ... It’s got to be one guy, one thought, but the thoughts of other people come whether it’s timeout or (when) you’re off the field. “Now, Neal will ask me, ‘Run or pass, coach?’” Tuberville said. “‘If this play doesn't work, if it’s third-and-5, do you want to run it, do you want to pass it?’ And I’ll give him my thought." Like many head coaches, Tuberville oscillates between the offensive and defensive sides of the headset during games. “But then he gets the last call," said Tuberville. "He knows a lot more about it than I do, because I’m over on the defensive side and a lot of times I’m not even watching (the offense). I’m listening to the defense and trying to help them.” Brown was just 28 when Tuberville lured him from Troy to be the Red Raiders' offensive coordinator in 2010. The Texas Tech offense has come under fire of late, as the Red Raiders have been held to 24 points or under four times in Big 12 play this season. Texas Tech lost to Texas 31-22 on Saturday. “It’s a lot harder when you’re there calling (plays) and you’ve got about 30, 40 seconds to make that decision,” Tuberville said. “That’s the reason we go freeze a lot of times. You’ll see us line up, we’ll get down and we’re all looking at the formation, and we’ll have one guy in the press box giving Neal the front and one the coverage: ‘Neal, they’re going to be in zero coverage, they’re going to bring five’, and then he’ll call a play.” Tuberville stated that running backs coach Chad Scott and offensive line coach Chris Tomsen give their recommendation on running plays, and inside receivers coach Sonny Cumbie and outside receivers coach Tommy Mainord will do the same for pass plays. The most-question decision made by Tuberville on Saturday came at the 1:35 mark of the third quarter. The Red Raiders had just scored a touchdown to pull within 24-22 and opted to go for two, which was ultimately unsuccessful. Though Tuberville bore the brunt of the criticism, it was a decision made by the staff ahead of time. “You don’t go for two just spur of the moment,” he said, adding that the defense was playing well at that stage of the game. “We also thought, ‘Hey, we need to let these players know we’re trying to win the game.’ We’re trying to get back into it, so if we can score one touchdown and get that two-point play, then it would be huge momentum.” Win or lose, it was a team decision.
In the coming weeks and months a new crop of assistant coaches should have the opportunity to become first-time head coaches. A group of successful assistant coaches that could graduate to head coaching positions in the not-too-distant future includes Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart (36), Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier (41), Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell (39), Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman (37), Ohio State defensive line coach Mike Vrabel (37), Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris (43), Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich (39), Texas offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin (35), Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury (33) and Texas Tech offensive coordinator Neal Brown (31). Jason Gesser (33), the interim head coach at Idaho, is also in close proximity to a full-time head coaching job. The problem with those names, according to some, is that they're too young. As in "not old enough to run for president" young in some cases. But the question we have at FootballScoop is, is age really a valid concern? Over the weekend we took a look at the youngest FBS head coaches, and our results indicate that the 40-and-under crowd is winning in a big way.
Overall, that group is 67-42 (.615) this season. If you consider that Fuente and McGee are in their first seasons in situations where Vince Lombardi would struggle to win, the record improves to a stellar 64-27 (.703). Expand the criteria to coaches in their early-40's and the youth movement looks even stronger.
As a whole, this group is 49-21 (.700). Coupled with the group above and young head coaches enjoy a composite 116-63 (.648) record. In college football, winning begins with recruiting better players than your opponent. With that in mind, imagine you are a 16-year-old recruit. Who are you more likely to relate to, a 35-year-old coach or a 65-year-old coach? The success of young head coaches are having so early in their careers has to be making athletic directors across the country asking themselves if youth is really a bad thing.
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