Fritz and Briles thoughts

[Harry]

These two coaches get the most airtime on GMG.com these days so I thought it worthy of a separate thread.

Willie Fritz proved last night against Georgia he is a good coach.  Can you just imagine what an overtime loss to Georgia would do for this downtrodden UNT fanbase?  Heck they beat us by 24 in 2013 under Mac and you would have thought we won the Superbowl.  Georgia Southern has been an FCS power for decades and their move to FBS occurred in 2013.  I think this is the 1st year they are eligible for a bowl.  As you know FCS programs have different requirements and allow for direct FBS transfers etc.  Also worth mentioning is Fritz, inherited a strong roster from Jeff Monken, who bolted Ga. Southern to take the Army job a year after upsetting Florida.

I guess my question is, why does Fritz need to come here if he can parlay Georgia Southern to a bigger gig that doesn't require as big of a rebuild?  It is comparable to saying, we should go after Skip Holtz at La. Tech or Todd Monken at Southern Miss.  Those guys are going to say no thanks, they've already dealt with a painful rebuild -- why do it again unless you are a masochist and have a lower level G5 rebuilding fetish?  Perhaps money could do it,  but would would likely be talking 2 million or double what they are being paid now and we aren't SMU --we just aren't and shouldn't do that.

Again, Mac left this program in a absolute mess and that would be a bigger issue for someone like Fritz who already has built a launch pad at GA southern versus someone like Briles who basically needs a launch pad to elevate him to the bigger jobs.  Of course, if Briles stayed at Baylor another 3-4 years he probably would be able to get a bigger job anyway but for at least now he may be too young.

As a comparison, Tom Hermann is 40 and Houston is his first head coaching gig.  Briles is 33.  7 years makes a huge difference.  Tulsa hired Phillip Montgomery away from Baylor last year and he is 43.  The closest in NCAA head coaching to Briles in age would be Kingsbury (34), PJ Fleck (33) and Matt Campbell (34).  So it can happen but it is still fairly rare to have a head coach in FBS that young.  Also, can you attract the best assistants if the guy they work for is young enough to be their son?  These are items to contemplate.  I think if Briles was 40 he probably would not even consider UNT as he would be in the mix for the top jobs in the entire country similar to Tom Hermann.

If you look at Art Briles, he is 59 now and was 46 when he took the head job at Houston.  From 79-99 (20 years) he was a high school coach spending 11 years at Stephenville.  In 2000 he took the job at Tech as assistant running backs coach and was hired as head coach by Houston in 2003 and Baylor in 2006.

I am intrigued by Briles because I love his offense and I love his bloodlines.  I think he would be a "splash" hire that would bring a lot of much needed media attention to UNT football.  He is an outstanding recruiter and that is a primary goal of this next hire.  His dad is an asset -- he will advise him and assist him in putting together a great staff.  Look, when you hire Kendal, you are  basically getting Art as a consultant.  That's not a bad deal.  Art loves his son and will do anything he can to help and support him.  This benefits us.  We need a fresh new approach to this thing.  Some youth, optimism and energy could be very beneficial post-Mac.  Mac bought into all of the preconceived impressions of UNT.  He constantly reminded us of how bad things were when he got here, and how tough it was.  Perhaps Briles and his youth could help us to look forward instead of backward.

I worry about Briles because he is so young.  How will he deal with adversity as the head guy?  How will he handle the rebuild and frustration of what has been left behind from Mac?  How will he deal with a UNT system that has never really supported athletics to any large extent until 2011?  How will he deal with the UNT culture and history of defeatism? 

Edited November 22, 2015 by Harry

[Cerebus]

Willie Fritz is still my #1. He has built a machine at a G5 school and it's logical that a P5 school would come looking for him,  except... he will be 56 at the start of next season and has never been a HC or coordinator at a P5 school. 

If an AD at a P5 school is going to bring in someone his age lacking that experience they are going to face huge pressure. 

Let's scrape together every penny we have and offer fritz a contract makes rebuilding worth it. 

 

[Cr1028]

Willie Fritz is still my #1. He has built a machine at a G5 school and it's logical that a P5 school would come looking for him,  except... he will be 56 at the start of next season and has never been a HC or coordinator at a P5 school. 

If an AD at a P5 school is going to bring in someone his age lacking that experience they are going to face huge pressure. 

Let's scrape together every penny we have and offer fritz a contract makes rebuilding worth it. 

You mean Monken before he was hired away by Army. Fritz makes a living beating the dregs of FBS just like Dickey used to do. 

[Cerebus]

You mean Monken before he was hired away by Army. Fritz makes a living beating the dregs of FBS just like Dickey used to do. 

Fritz took over GSU in 2014.  In 2013 GSU played in FCS and went 7-4.  They played one FBS school and got throttled.  Fritz has gone 16-6 in two years so far while only playing two FCS teams. That is the exact same number we have played, except Fritz beat both.  Monken built a good FCS program, but Fritz has coached them in FBS.  His recruiting those two years has buried us.

Before that, Fritz took over FCS SHSU in 2010.   The previous coach, Todd Whiten had lead SHSU to a 25-28 record over five years and never got them into the playoffs.  Frfitz took that program and went 40-15 over the next four years, getting to the national championship twice  (those NDSU teams are tough).  His recruiting was also great there.

Before that, he was at DII Central Mizzou for 13 years.  So you can't say he is some spoiled by excess P5 darling.

Over the last five years Fritz has gotten post season eligible every year and lost a grand total of five conference games.   You can consider those wins to be the dregs, but guess what, most people consider CUSA to be a dreg conference.  If he can come in here and beat the dregs, get us bowl eligible most years and recruit like he has everywhere else then BRING IT ON.  I would much rather beat the dregs than get hammered 41-7 by a conference mate that is barely above .500, it's no brainer.  

 

[H-towngreen]

Whoever can bring in the best recruits. That's what I want because that's what will get this thing turned around the quickest.

[Graddean]

You are a good high school project and have tiime to host one recruiter: Willie Fritz from UNT or Kendall Briles from UNT.  WHich one is most likely to get the invite?

[UNT90]

Whoever can bring in the best recruits. That's what I want because that's what will get this thing turned around the quickest.

Todd Dodge was a good recruiter...

We need the total package. That's what makes Fritz so uniquely attractive. 

You are a good high school project and have tiime to host one recruiter: Willie Fritz from UNT or Kendall Briles from UNT.  WHich one is most likely to get the invite?

Willis Fritz.

If the first name was Art, you would have a very valid point.

[TheReal_jayD]

 

If the first name was Art, you would have a very valid point.

high school football players will recognize briles over fritz .... 

[EagleMBA]

high school football players will recognize briles over fritz .... 

I'm sure this might be true.  Should that be the controlling factor in determining who we hire?  RV might think that way.  Hell, for all I know this might be RV's double-secret candidate...

[mgfan]

I would like to see apple white. The more I read about them him the more I like him as a HC. 

[Greenrex]

The AD seems to have a perception of the new head coach's profile is to find a young, wide open, offensive minded, gunslinging boy genius (read: my last hire didn't work so well therefore I'll go for the exact opposite)  from a reasonably successful biggie program. That only serves to establish preconceived notions about what a super candidate must look like which might require pounding a square peg into a round hole. But, the that fact is every school is unique and North Texas is no exception. Seems to me that we should be trying to identify the very best coach we can afford who has demonstrated success as a head coach and recruit the hell out of him. Briles might someday be the best coach in the land but, nobody knows how he would do, he's a lottery ticket. Fritz has the record and although he doesn't come with Dad it doesn't matter because he is the dad. I have been sort of a Fritz fan for a while and went to the UGA game last night just to kind of scout his game management mojo and came away thinking evermore strongly that I'd like to see him wearing our green. I feel very strongly that he would be successful here. I think we have the right situation, enough money, and overall appeal to get him here. Unfortunately, we don't have an inspired AD and he's certainly not a creative AD. So, I don't think there's any way on God's green earth that Willie Fritz will ever coach for us...it's just another one of this old man's dreams...like the one where in a few short years we would have had to add another 30K seats to Apogee and name that new facility The Willie Fritz Indoor Football Practice Complex.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Is Fritz more of an offensive of defensive minded coach? If offense, what style does his team use?

[Ben Gooding]

Is Fritz more of an offensive of defensive minded coach? If offense, what style does his team use?

He uses a lot of variations of the option. But that is a GA Southern tradition. 

 

I'll keep beating the drum....WE NEED TO RUN THE TRIPLE OPTION AND VARIATIONS OF!!!!

It's no secret, we can't recruit. The trip option and different variations of gives recruiting the middle finger. It's an absolute no brainer for North Texas. Tell me 1 Mean Green fan that wouldn't be happy with going 7-5 every year with outliers in both directions? 

[GrayEagle]

Willie Fritz is still my #1. He has built a machine at a G5 school and it's logical that a P5 school would come looking for him,  except... he will be 56 at the start of next season and has never been a HC or coordinator at a P5 school. 

If an AD at a P5 school is going to bring in someone his age lacking that experience they are going to face huge pressure. 

Let's scrape together every penny we have and offer fritz a contract makes rebuilding worth it. 

 

Here could be another selling point.  One million would double Fritz' salary.  Add about another $400K to what our assistants made last year and you could double the salary of every one of his GSU assistants.  Not only that but if any of his current assistants were with him at SHSU they might also get more retirement from Texas (depending on how their contract was structured.

I realize that Willie Fritz is not a household name but his success at Sam Houston State seems to indicate that he can get adequate recruits and coach them up.  Plus two appearances in an FCS championship and an FBS bowl in the last five years should get some attention from some decent recruits.  The more success that he has, the easier it will get.

Briles has the name which would help in recruiting but what kind of staff could he put together?  I fear Kendall's age will work against him; plus he's never been a head coach at any level.

Edited November 23, 2015 by GrayEagle
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[GMG24]

He uses a lot of variations of the option. But that is a GA Southern tradition. 

 

I'll keep beating the drum....WE NEED TO RUN THE TRIPLE OPTION AND VARIATIONS OF!!!!

It's no secret, we can't recruit. The trip option and different variations of gives recruiting the middle finger. It's an absolute no brainer for North Texas. Tell me 1 Mean Green fan that wouldn't be happy with going 7-5 every year with outliers in both directions? 

no. 

[Eastwood Eagle]

He uses a lot of variations of the option. But that is a GA Southern tradition. 

 

I'll keep beating the drum....WE NEED TO RUN THE TRIPLE OPTION AND VARIATIONS OF!!!!

It's no secret, we can't recruit. The trip option and different variations of gives recruiting the middle finger. It's an absolute no brainer for North Texas. Tell me 1 Mean Green fan that wouldn't be happy with going 7-5 every year with outliers in both directions? 

Would that be similar to Navy's offense?

[Ben Gooding]

Would that be similar to Navy's offense?

What Georgia Southern does? If so, not really. Navy almost exclusively runs the flexbone whereas Georgia Southern does a lot of variations from different formations. It's all option based for the most part, but nothing like Navy. If we go the option route, the flexbone is the way to go. It's the easiest to learn and run, but the hardest to defend. 

Edited November 25, 2015 by Ben Gooding

[MeanGreenTeeth]

I would like to see apple white. The more I read about them him the more I like him as a HC. 

and what specifically do you like about him?  

[wardly]

I would like to have a date with Halley berry but she is not interested, like most of the coaches we want.

[HoustonEagle]

I would like to have a date with Halley berry but she is not interested, like most of the coaches we want.

if we are paying 1.5 mil (I seriously doubt we are) there will be plenty of interest in the job. 

[wardly]

It is my understanding that we are willing to pay $1.5 million for the right coach. I just have not heard of much interest in the job. If anyone has, please name names.

[Tyler Maryak]

You are a good high school project and have tiime to host one recruiter: Willie Fritz from UNT or Kendall Briles from UNT.  WHich one is most likely to get the invite?

THIS.

[Christopher Walker]

His dad is an asset -- he will adv  ise him and assist him in putting together a   great staff.  Look, when you hire Kendal, you are  basically getting Art as a consultant.  That's not a bad deal.  Art loves his son and will do anything he can to help and support him.  This benefits us. 

Okay I'm sorry, but the thought that Art would have any influence, direct or by proxy, if Kendall is hired seems like wishful speculation rather than fact.

[untjim1995]

Willie Fritz will be coaching at a P5 school after Georgia Southern. If not, it will be at UH after Herman gets hired away. Iowa State, for example will pay double or more than we can, just from P5 money. UH is willing to pay double what we can to keep Herman.

Kendal Briles is 50/50 to me. He may want to get out from underneath Daddy' shadow, to blaze his own trail, or he may know that he has the Baylor job when Dad retires if he stays as his OC. Its hard to say what Baby Briles thinks right now...

In my opinion, Jinks at Tech or Thomsen at ASU probably view the UNT opportunity as big steps up on their career path from where they are right now and both are used to running programs as head coaches, even if it was high school and D-II football. Once you are a head coach, I think its always in your blood to want to lead again, if possible.

What RV thinks about this next hire is unknown, other than we know he has said he wants an offensive-minded coach who is not currently a FCS or lower head coach. That doesn't seem that smart to me, but it is what I have come used to with him. I do know this--Kendal Briles better be a tougher SOB than what he appears to be right now. Because the OC job at Baylor, with regards to recruiting players, is far easier than it will be here. Maybe he would be able to make the transition just fine, but the two programs right now are light years apart in just about every way. If he isn't a tough SOB, this job will eat him up if he is thinking his name alone will change things up here. Whoever comes here better come ready to roll up their sleeves and fight hard. And the fans here better be prepared for a couple more years of tough football to endure as the new coach builds up the roster in a way that matches his offense.

[forevereagle]

Okay I'm sorry, but the thought that Art would have any influence, direct or by proxy, if Kendall is hired seems like wishful speculation rather than fact.

Agreed. The only thing I could see is that Kendall could call up his dad and ask for advice. Other than that, I would speculate that there would be very little involvement.