A Bowlsby hire at AD could pave the way for Coach Shaw
So I promised to be back with my suggestions to answer the question that inevitably crops up in any discussion about the imminent departure of Mack Brown from the position of Head Coach at The University of Texas at Austin, who can do better?
My first suggestion is David Shaw. With DeLoss Dodds stepping down as Athletic Director at UT-Austin the rumor mill is strongly suggesting Bob Bowlsby will step in to take his place. This is relevant to Shaw because Bowlsby and Shaw worked together at Stanford and speculation makes them reuniting likely. If this does play out it would only be another reason among many Texas should pursue Shaw.
With a squad that has been getting pushed around up front on defense and offense Shaw’s preferred brand of hard-nose Harbaugh like smash mouth football would be a quite welcome change. Normally saying a coach prefers a run centric pro style offense would be a recipe for boredom but Shaw also served as Offensive Coordinator for the Luck led offenses that put their Quarterback into Heisman contention.
The capper is the fact that Shaw would also be sure to maintain and improve upon Texas’ emphasis on academic excellence for it’s student athletes. With a sterling track record at Stanford for his teams both on the field and off Shaw would be an excellent choice to take over as Head Coach of the Longhorns.
Would Coach Strong leave Louisville after they gave him his long due first shot?
Charlie Strong toiled away as a Defensive Coordinator when it was clear his talent warranted a Head Coaching position. With Louisville hiring him as Head Coach, Strong found success almost instantly. I think that would be the main impediment to Texas being able to hire Strong away from Louisville in my opinion.
No matter the difficulty Strong has been excellent at Louisville as he currently helms the team during Teddy Bridgewater’s Heisman campaign. What’s heartening about Strong’s tenure for the Cardinals is that he’s been able to maximize the talent on his team. After years of watching underachieving teams in Texas fans would be ecstatic about a coach who can get the best performance from highly touted recruits.
Could Coach Gruden be a big name prepared to bring Texas back to prominence?
Here’s my choice out of not-so-left field. Coach Gruden has been able to raise his profile at ESPN with his pre-draft Quarterback Camp series. That kind of visibility would go a long way with potential recruits. Pair his prominence with his Super Bowl ring and a Gruden hire would put Texas at the top of a lot of recruits list of destinations.
Not only would Gruden bring a big name but the coach exudes an intensity that seems to have been lacking on the Forty Acres.With critics accusing Mack Brown of running his program in Country Club fashion seeing Gruden stalking the sidelines like a tiger would be a sight to see.
So, there you have. Three coaching candidates who I think would do better than Mack Brown. I’m partial towards Shaw personally but I’d be ecstatic with any hire.