With rumors swirling about the Maryland and Virginia Tech football head coaching jobs, I felt an inclination to post this thread. It seems as if Rich Rod is the first name mentioned with every job opening in CFB, and all of the "experts" claiming Rich Rod being on the move as a done deal. I was curious to everyone's take on this subject, including yours, Matt. I think it all stems from a lack of respect for the Arizona football program on a national level, but I don't see Maryland or Virginia Tech as a job that is significantly above Arizona, if above Arizona at all. When was the last time Maryland or Virginia Tech have been considered elite programs? Do they have the momentum that Arizona has, as a legitimate, rising program? Virginia Tech has some history, but they are in no way elite at this point in time. I could see Rich Rod leaving for the following programs, but I see all other programs as being equivalent to Arizona or below: USC, UCLA, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Celmson, Miami, Florida State, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame. Now that's quite a few programs, but the good news is that most of these jobs look like they are pretty solid at this point, or RR would have no place being there (ex: probably wouldn't end up at Oklahoma or Texas because has no ties with the South and has never really recruited from the state of Texas, and those are obviously musts at those two programs). Tennessee and Georgia scare me because I see those programs as making a change sometime in the near future if things don't turn around, and Rich Rod can recruit the South East very well, especially if he were at a program like Tennessee or Georgia.
With all of this being said, I think Rich Rod likes it at Arizona and I think he thinks he can make it to the CFB Playoff and win the national championship here at Arizona. I really do think he thinks it can be done here. Rich Rod has some serious momentum going right now, and recruits are really starting to pick up on it. I really think that he thinks he is one or two good recruiting classes away from making it to the CFB Playoff and winning it. Rich Rod's and Arizona's ties into the state of California are no joke, and Arizona's recruiting presence in that state is only going to increase. Rich Rod and Arizona really only need the state of Arizona and California when it comes to recruiting, and taking him away from Arizona, and effectively the hot-bed of California recruits, is going to be a little bit harder than people and "experts" think. That's why jobs like Maryland and Virginia Tech don't really make sense to me. How well can he recruit California, or Florida, or Louisiana to those programs? In my opinion, not very well, and not as well as he can recruit California kids to Arizona. I understand recruiting isn't everything, but the kids have to play the game and you need athletes to win football games. There is a reason why the schools with the top recruits and best athletes are typically the best programs year in and year out. Rich Rod would also have to start the entire process of completely rebuilding a program back up, and establishing it as a destination for top recruits. I just see Rich Rod and staff as having a lot of momentum going right now, and it being harder than people think for him to pack it up and call it quits on all that he has established. Now I am very biased and I am certainly acknowledging that, but I really believe Rich Rod thinks he can do special things at Arizona, and money aside (like if Maryland offered him an absurd amount of money), I think that there very few jobs that could realistically pull him away from Arizona. I guess it just boils down to being frustrated with the lack of respect that Arizona receives on a national level, and the fact that every time a job comes up, even if it is just a mediocre job, all of the experts peg Rich Rod as for sure being on the move. Maybe it's just a blessing in disguise in that we have a great coach on our hands, and a program on the rise, and we are just going to have to deal with this every year, until a "real" program like Tennessee or Georgia comes knocking at Rich Rod's door with a deal that can't be turned down, and then we will have to say our goodbyes. Again, I would love to hear everyone's opinion on this and how long you think we hold onto Rich Rod and staff, and furthermore, I would love to hear everyone's opinions on Greg Byrne and his future at Arizona. Again, I'm very biased and I am acknowledging that, but I think Byrne is heavily invested in Arizona, and I believe he thinks Arizona has the potential to win a national championship in both basketball and football, and he wants to see all of his hard work come to fruition.
Thanks for your time and sorry for such a long post.
With all of this being said, I think Rich Rod likes it at Arizona and I think he thinks he can make it to the CFB Playoff and win the national championship here at Arizona. I really do think he thinks it can be done here. Rich Rod has some serious momentum going right now, and recruits are really starting to pick up on it. I really think that he thinks he is one or two good recruiting classes away from making it to the CFB Playoff and winning it. Rich Rod's and Arizona's ties into the state of California are no joke, and Arizona's recruiting presence in that state is only going to increase. Rich Rod and Arizona really only need the state of Arizona and California when it comes to recruiting, and taking him away from Arizona, and effectively the hot-bed of California recruits, is going to be a little bit harder than people and "experts" think. That's why jobs like Maryland and Virginia Tech don't really make sense to me. How well can he recruit California, or Florida, or Louisiana to those programs? In my opinion, not very well, and not as well as he can recruit California kids to Arizona. I understand recruiting isn't everything, but the kids have to play the game and you need athletes to win football games. There is a reason why the schools with the top recruits and best athletes are typically the best programs year in and year out. Rich Rod would also have to start the entire process of completely rebuilding a program back up, and establishing it as a destination for top recruits. I just see Rich Rod and staff as having a lot of momentum going right now, and it being harder than people think for him to pack it up and call it quits on all that he has established. Now I am very biased and I am certainly acknowledging that, but I really believe Rich Rod thinks he can do special things at Arizona, and money aside (like if Maryland offered him an absurd amount of money), I think that there very few jobs that could realistically pull him away from Arizona. I guess it just boils down to being frustrated with the lack of respect that Arizona receives on a national level, and the fact that every time a job comes up, even if it is just a mediocre job, all of the experts peg Rich Rod as for sure being on the move. Maybe it's just a blessing in disguise in that we have a great coach on our hands, and a program on the rise, and we are just going to have to deal with this every year, until a "real" program like Tennessee or Georgia comes knocking at Rich Rod's door with a deal that can't be turned down, and then we will have to say our goodbyes. Again, I would love to hear everyone's opinion on this and how long you think we hold onto Rich Rod and staff, and furthermore, I would love to hear everyone's opinions on Greg Byrne and his future at Arizona. Again, I'm very biased and I am acknowledging that, but I think Byrne is heavily invested in Arizona, and I believe he thinks Arizona has the potential to win a national championship in both basketball and football, and he wants to see all of his hard work come to fruition.
Thanks for your time and sorry for such a long post.
