https://www.yahoo.com/sports/heres-the-1...04013.html

Thoughts? What do you think they do?

I think they give him one more year..

Go Tigers

Fuente's career is interesting. He brought Memphis football back from the dead, there is no denying it.

It's also interesting to note how the team seemed to quit late in his second season after it looked like Fuente had built a solid foundation. I remember rumors (at least on this board) of dissension in the locker room. That was concerning but then Memphis won 7 straight games the following year, including the dramatic bowl win over BYU.

We all remember the 8-0 start and defining win over Ole Miss in Fuente's final season and how the finished the season 1-4 with a huge stinker against Navy and Temple. The Houston game could have gone either way.

Fuente started off hot at Va Tech and even won ACC coach of the year. He made it to the ACC title game in his second season with the Hokies. Then he follows it up with a losing record, and he's on pace to do the same this year.

I wonder where his story will go from here.

(10-01-2019 09:58 AM)Tiger69 Wrote:  https://www.yahoo.com/sports/heres-the-1...04013.html

Thoughts? What do you think they do?

I think they give him one more year..

Go Tigers

To answer your question, I think it depends. If they finish with less than five wins and there isn't real reason to believe next year will be different, I might move on if there is another coach out there the Hokies want.

If he rallies the troops and gets to a bowl this year, I might give him one more year.

Tough break for a good kid.

I wish the best for Fuente and I hope they give him some more time.

Following a HOF coach is always a hard to impossible task. He won't get fired this year but next year is possible.

(10-01-2019 10:10 AM)TiminMem23 Wrote:  Fuente's career is interesting. He brought Memphis football back from the dead, there is no denying it.

It's also interesting to note how the team seemed to quit late in his second season after it looked like Fuente had built a solid foundation. I remember rumors (at least on this board) of dissension in the locker room. That was concerning but then Memphis won 7 straight games the following year, including the dramatic bowl win over BYU.

We all remember the 8-0 start and defining win over Ole Miss in Fuente's final season and how the finished the season 1-4 with a huge stinker against Navy and Temple. The Houston game could have gone either way.

Fuente started off hot at Va Tech and even won ACC coach of the year. He made it to the ACC title game in his second season with the Hokies. Then he follows it up with a losing record, and he's on pace to do the same this year.

I wonder where his story will go from here.

Pastner won ACC COY, lol.
The dissension early in his career here is part of it. Trying to change a losing culture with the majority of the players he didn't recruit. I expect and appreciate that aspect.
And there's no doubt he let the team lose focus his final year (because he lost focus).
I thought he'd do better. Maybe he just can't recruit after all.

This reminds me of the coaches at louisville that bolted for bigger, "better" jobs.

Howard Schnellenberger - left for Oklahoma but resigned after 1 year (losing to Kansas and K state). Lost to OK St (1st time in 20 years). Left football for a decade.
John L Smith - left for Michigan St. After 3 years became Special teams coach at Ark
Bobby Petrino....failed at Arkansas and later returned to L-ville for success
Charlie Strong - Texas chewed him up and spit him out. It has many. Now he's mediocre at USF.


Schools like Louisville, Cincy and us have a strong backing and set up well for a good coach who can recruit fairly well.

I think a guy like Norvell can make a great career at a school like Memphis. He can win a lot and be loved. He wouldn't have to face major pressure like he would at a more traditional football school and he is making money equal to the middle of P5 coaching pay. The only major downside is national recognition due to the inability to play for NC in a very skewed system. I suppose it's just hard for someone who believes in himself and succeeds at every position he's ever had to believe he'll do anything other than succeed at the next job.

Sure would be nice if Norvell posted up here in Memphis for years to come and just accepted winning AAC titles while winning 10 games/year. I'd hate to see CMN be the next coach that college football chew up and spits out.

It goes to show (for the most part) there really isn't a "can't miss" coach.

I appreciated what Fuente did at Memphis. He was a great play caller and knew how to use guys properly.

I certainly thought he would succeed at Tech.

Good point saluki. i thought Chip Kelly was a sure thing.

Before Fuente gets canned, he needs to throw us a bone and schedule Memphis.

No matter what, the guys is a much much richer man. Not sure how things fell apart the way they have, but I cant feel too sorry for a guy walking away with upwards of 20mil.

(10-01-2019 10:18 AM)mairving Wrote:  Following a HOF coach is always a hard to impossible task. He won't get fired this year but next year is possible.

I am not sure how it really applies in this case. It isn't like Fuente has been good and they just want better. Fuente is crapping the bed right now and regardless of who their former coach was, he isn't getting it done.

I still like him. I like to blame Bowen (a dude who got fired here) for running him off...

Fuente, and his machine, were a lot of the reason we shot up the charts.

Fuente was definitely the right hire at the right time for our program!

(10-01-2019 11:05 AM)gusrob Wrote:  This reminds me of the coaches at louisville that bolted for bigger, "better" jobs.

Howard Schnellenberger - left for Oklahoma but resigned after 1 year (losing to Kansas and K state). Lost to OK St (1st time in 20 years). Left football for a decade.
John L Smith - left for Michigan St. After 3 years became Special teams coach at Ark
Bobby Petrino....failed at Arkansas and later returned to L-ville for success
Charlie Strong - Texas chewed him up and spit him out. It has many. Now he's mediocre at USF.


Schools like Louisville, Cincy and us have a strong backing and set up well for a good coach who can recruit fairly well.

I think a guy like Norvell can make a great career at a school like Memphis. He can win a lot and be loved. He wouldn't have to face major pressure like he would at a more traditional football school and he is making money equal to the middle of P5 coaching pay. The only major downside is national recognition due to the inability to play for NC in a very skewed system. I suppose it's just hard for someone who believes in himself and succeeds at every position he's ever had to believe he'll do anything other than succeed at the next job.

Sure would be nice if Norvell posted up here in Memphis for years to come and just accepted winning AAC titles while winning 10 games/year. I'd hate to see CMN be the next coach that college football chew up and spits out.

You left out Rey Dempsey who left Memphis to make a preacher.

I wonder if Fuente is one of those coaches who can restore programs, just can't get them over the top.

So if your program has hit rock bottom (UTK, Arkansas), Fuente is the type of coach who will come in, pick them up off the ground, establish some culture, but to go further you really need a different coach.

(10-01-2019 11:19 AM)memtigbb Wrote:  

(10-01-2019 10:18 AM)mairving Wrote:  Following a HOF coach is always a hard to impossible task. He won't get fired this year but next year is possible.

I am not sure how it really applies in this case. It isn't like Fuente has been good and they just want better. Fuente is crapping the bed right now and regardless of who their former coach was, he isn't getting it done.

How it really applies is that Fuente is following a HOF coach.

Beamer teams started to struggle towards the end of his career as Clemson started to emerge. He was 29-23 in his last 4 years. Fuente is currently 27-17 in his first 4 years and will probably finish about the same as Beamer's last 4. Times have changed as well. Beamer was taking teams with 10-4 records to the Orange Bowl. Fuente's 10-4 team went to the Belk bowl.

Recruiting looks like it is the same as it was prior to him getting there...Top 25ish...

I am starting to think Fuente was lucky and got out at the best time for both us and him.

Great defense his first successful season was not him (Gave up <20 points a game). Paxton Lynch was a great talent that he lucked into and that carried our second season.

I am beginning to wonder if he would have fallen off here as well.

(10-01-2019 11:23 AM)snowtiger Wrote:  I still like him. I like to blame Bowen (a dude who got fired here) for running him off...

Fuente, and his machine, were a lot of the reason we shot up the charts.

Bowen had nothing to do with his leaving.

The fact that it took him four years to leave is testimony to just how big of a dumpster fire the program was when he got here.

(10-01-2019 11:30 AM)Hernando Hills Tiger Wrote:  

(10-01-2019 11:05 AM)gusrob Wrote:  This reminds me of the coaches at louisville that bolted for bigger, "better" jobs.

Howard Schnellenberger - left for Oklahoma but resigned after 1 year (losing to Kansas and K state). Lost to OK St (1st time in 20 years). Left football for a decade.
John L Smith - left for Michigan St. After 3 years became Special teams coach at Ark
Bobby Petrino....failed at Arkansas and later returned to L-ville for success
Charlie Strong - Texas chewed him up and spit him out. It has many. Now he's mediocre at USF.


Schools like Louisville, Cincy and us have a strong backing and set up well for a good coach who can recruit fairly well.

I think a guy like Norvell can make a great career at a school like Memphis. He can win a lot and be loved. He wouldn't have to face major pressure like he would at a more traditional football school and he is making money equal to the middle of P5 coaching pay. The only major downside is national recognition due to the inability to play for NC in a very skewed system. I suppose it's just hard for someone who believes in himself and succeeds at every position he's ever had to believe he'll do anything other than succeed at the next job.

Sure would be nice if Norvell posted up here in Memphis for years to come and just accepted winning AAC titles while winning 10 games/year. I'd hate to see CMN be the next coach that college football chew up and spits out.

You left out Rey Dempsey who left Memphis to make a preacher.

nice