The more I’m thinking about this Mike Stoops thing, the more I am liking everything about it. A few days back I blogged about Bob Stoops, his run at Oklahoma and how Miami needs a coach in that mold.
If we can’t have Bob, give me Mike. Seriously. It has to be the next best thing. I’ve seen what he’s done at Arizona these past few years. The guy has some fire and the more I think about it, the more I think this is the only move for Miami to make.
You can make a case for or against anyone else in the mix right now. Randy Shannon? No experience, but can recruit Florida. Mike Leach? All offense, no defense, loves pirates and can recruit Texas. Steve Kragthorpe and Gary Patterson? Nice resumes, but smaller schools.
The Stoops family knows coaching. It’s in the blood. Bob made the first splash as defensive coordinator at Florida, winning the 1996 National Championship. Oklahoma recruited him away in 1999 and a season later, National Champions.
Brother Mike was side by side with Bob as defensive coordinator from 1999-2003 at OU. Before that, together at Kansas State, where their careers overlapped for three years. These guys have played, lived, breathed and now, coached football for the majority of their lives.
The Stoops coaching tree at Oklahoma produced some current Division-I head coaches. Mark Mangino (Kansas), Chuck Long (San Diego State) and Leach (Texas Tech) all cut their teeth at Oklahoma.
Mike was the other on the staff to get the call, earning his brother’s praise.
“I say this in a humble way,” Bob said when Mike was named Arizona’s coach. “There’s nobody more like me than him.”
The Stoops are a close-knit football family.
So is Miami.
Paul Dee, do what you have to do. This is your guy. You need proof? Look at the lineage and the resume. Mike Stoops is ready for his shot. Bob got a big program like Oklahoma. It needed some fine-tuning, but it was still OU. Mike got Arizona. A fixer-upper in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Talk about the wrong time to attempt a rise as a Pac-10 power, 2004, when Southern Cal hit back-to-back title games and Cal was a force. This Stoops didn’t stand a chance in the desert. He’s done all he can do there. This year, two upsets – Cal and Oregon. For a lower end Pac-10 program, this team rose up on a few occasions.
Imagine what a Stoops can do with these Canes.
That’s not a knock on Leach, Kragthorpe, Schiano, Patterson, Rodriguez or Shannon. All solid, but there’s something about each of them which I question. I don’t know what it is, but I think the Stoops family could turn things around in Coral Gables.
Mark Stoops is defensive coordinator at Arizona. Before that, he was the Canes secondary coach from 2001-2003. This Stoops has a national championship ring. He should have two, but Ohio State jacked his other one. He knows the Miami culture. He’s recruited here.
Mark, I hope you’re in Mike’s ear telling him about how The U is ripe for the taking. Bob better be in the other ear telling him to go balls out to get this. Which could also explain the conference calls “Stoops” and Miami have had this past week.
Miami talking to Bob about Mike? Miami talking to Bob about Leach? Miami talking to Bob about Bob? That was the initial reaction courtesy of Internet rumors, but $3.4M things stand in the way of that ever happening.
If “Bob” is sold out, give me a “Mike” and throw in a “Mark” to even it out. Two Stoops for the price of one? I’ll take it. And so would some current Miami assistants, I assume. All these rumors of Mario Cristobal leaving for FIU? I think those go right out the window if the right guy takes over. Mike Stoops is the right guy and brother Mark knows the lay of the land.
It almost sounds too poetic after the hellish season Miami endured.
After 6-6, this coaching hire is our bowl game. Forget Boise. That’s now Larry Coker’s funeral. This hire is the official turning point. The first day of a new era. It time to be optimistic after a season which was on life-support since losing at Louisville mid-September.
Swoop in and save a recruiting class. Give us something to look forward to in spring. Make 2007 exciting. That’s my only expectation. After 6-6, I’m sort of numb to records and standings. I just want to see Miami competitive, confident and sporting a coaching staff with the better game plan than the other guys.
The Canes have been outcoached too many times to remember since losing the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Miami’s staff lost their mojo that night and never regained it. The assistants got the boot in 2005 and this year it’s Coker and ther rest. This program needs new blood. Hell, even Coker stated that on his way out at his press conference.
Miami needs a shot of Stoops. Make it a double. Mike and Mark. Cherry pick the right guys from this current staff, hit the recruiting trail and turn this thing around.
The Canes aren’t that far off. This team is a coaching staff away from being something solid.
Make it happen, Dee. Chuck Neinas just earned his check and found your guy.
.:Canes305:.