Maroon Weekly

By Cody Lillich

If there is one thing worse than politics it is that time after the football championship when schools make their coaching changes.

It seems the phrase coaching carousel may be an understatement – this year it could be the carousel, and a three-ring circus. With schools firing coaches due to poor performance or investigation, the process of replacing coaches is becoming complex.

The biggest flag this year is a question of commitment. Example One: USC’s Pete Carroll decides to abandon the team and accept the head coaching position of the Seattle Seahawks. Speaking of jumping ship on a team, outspoken and sometimes controversial Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin decides to take the job at USC. Is that really the image USC wants though? A coach who was controversial for his statements before the Tennessee –Florida SEC matchup.

Kiffin is a coach who had a great following in Tennessee, quite evident when he bolted from Knoxville after one season, to crowds of students protesting his exit from the Vols. Fans were not the only disappointed ones in Kiffin’s lack of commitment.

If anyone would know more about commitment and building a program at Tennessee it is Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, who has been with the Vols for 36 years – that’s 35 more than Lane Kiffin and tallied up 1,000 wins (that’s 993 more than Kiffin).

She told ESPN Radio that she was disappointed in Kiffin’s decision to leave UT and had “a great feel” about him leading the football team. She said the fans are really taking the move by Kiffin as a slap in the face.

The one major downside in a major coaching change will be the talent that may be lost. His decision will likely result in some recruits jumping ship from Tennessee and finding another school to play football.

Another three-ring circus can be found in Lubbock, who will have seen three people in the head coaching position within about three months.

This commitment issue comes on the athletic department’s shoulders. Tech named Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill as Interim Head Coach after Mike Leach was fired in December. McNeill had the support of current players and coaches since leading the team to an Alamo Bowl victory. Instead, Texas Tech Athletic Administration chose former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville to be their coach. Tuberville then decided to clean house at Tech, showing McNeill, who had been with the Red Raiders for ten years, and five others the door.

McNeill was reportedly offered another administrative deal in the Tech Athletic Department, but why would a coach or coordinator with his record just step aside while at the top of his game.

It shows that Tech was probably more concerned about a popular name giving their program more attention than just promoting a person from within who has stayed committed to the team for ten years in many coaching capacities.

The bottom line is that, football and coaching needs to improve its image and show that being committed to a program is a good thing. As seen this year, coaches are being perceived as just being money magnets, then bolting after a year or two on the contract. Coaches need to go to organizations to improve players and build them into better student-athletes – not to just boost their own ego and grab the headlines.