Here is the war room without the recruiting part
The Texas Card House War Room (Football staff contracts; Fedora's role; several recruiting updates)
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Suchomel
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(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Tom Herman’s loyalty has been evident again this offseason.
Herman could have made staff changes after the season ended if he wanted to shake things up. The contracts of running backs coach Stan Drayton, receivers coach Drew Mehringer, tight ends coach Derek Warehime, defensive line coach Oscar Giles, defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator Jason Washington, special teams coordinator/safeties coach Craig Naivar and receivers coach Corby Meekins were going to expire on March 31. Herman signed each coach to a two-year deal when they were hired, and had to decide their future. Just for clarity, Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s contracts expire in 2020, while Herb Hand is under contract until 2021.
As I reported early in January, Herman individually met with his coaches to discuss their futures at Texas and informed each he intends to retain him. Herman wanted to give his staff assurances about its positions at Texas before the American Football Coaches Association Annual Conference in San Antonio.
In fact, the main changes Herman made this offseason were promoting Warehime to special teams coordinator while Naivar has added the title of co-defensive coordinator.
However, there is another detail about Herman’s retention of his coaches that I discovered.
Each signed a one-year deal.
According to multiple sources, nobody was given a two-year or three-year deal after the season. Instead, Herman decided to create an environment where nobody on his staff becomes complacent.
When I asked a source close to Herman about the decision to give each coach a one-year deal, I was given several interesting tidbits.
--- Former Texas football coach Charlie Strong handed out multi-year deals to most of his staff during his tenure. After two 5-7 seasons, Strong was allowed to sign offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert to a three-year, $850,000 contract. Offensive line coach Matt Mattox signed a three-year contract worth $550,000 each year. Gilbert and Mattox coached for only one season and Texas was on the hook for those contracts after Strong and his staff were fired.
In fact, Texas owed Strong $10 million, plus the salaries of several fired assistants.
I learned Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte does not want his program to be in that position again. Del Conte does not want to spend money just because he can. Instead, Del Conte and Herman are working together to be smart about money spent annually.
--- One source wanted to make it very clear to me that Herman’s decision for his coaches to be on one-year deals is not an indictment on the football staff.
Herman is very happy with his football staff and is not looking to make any changes.
Instead, I was told that the one-year deals, “Doesn’t speak to anything other than [Herman’s] guys staying on their toes.” In the past, some coaches have arrived in Austin with great resumés, but did not achieve the same level of success after becoming complacent. Coaches at Texas are paid well, the football program is under a huge spotlight, and they get to live in Austin. Herman does not want anybody on his staff to think “I’ve arrived” and coast on the job. He wants them to have the same sense of urgency they instill into their players every day.
I was told Herman’s message to his staff was very simple. A person close to the situation told me Herman said, “If you’re elite at your job, you never have to worry. Be one of the best in the country at what you do and you’ll never have to worry about losing your job.”
--- A source close to Herman noted one-year deals are the college football standard, and his decision is not out of the ordinary.
In reality, most college football coaches receive one-year deals. Handing out multiple year deals to every coach on staff was an anomaly, not the norm. When Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley was hired in 2017, four of his coaches received only a one-year extension. Five coaches received a two-year extension.
Herman is loyal to his staff.
He just refuses to be complacent during the process.
******
I have been asked so much about the analyst position at Texas that I made flushing out those details for you my top priority this week.
Earlier this week, I reported North Carolina coach Larry Fedora accepted an analyst position at Texas. He flew into Austin last week and attended a staff meeting. After discussing the opportunity with his family, Fedora decided to take the job and will join Herman’s support staff.
Here is a little nugget for you – Fedora should be in Austin by the first week of March, according to my sources.
Okay, so what the heck is Fedora’s job, Anwar?
Typically, analysts do a lot of dirty work. They break down film, chase kids around campus and make sure players are in class, making playbooks, etc. Just think about what your first job looked like.
Fedora is going to do way more than that.
As a former coach, Fedora’s skills will be utilized more during the regular season. That is why he will be asked to do advanced scouting by always staying a week or two ahead. Some of his tasks will involve self-scouting. He will also have the task of scouting opposing teams.
I asked a source to give me an example and was given a scenario.
Herman could approach Fedora and say he heard Oklahoma is really good at running counter plays. Fedora could be asked to pull all the counter plays Oklahoma has run and analyze why the team is successful. After completing that task, Fedora could be asked to present his findings to Herman, or the entire staff.
Fedora will also need to compile scouting reports on opponents. Not a game plan, but a scouting report that entails the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent. Basically, share with the staff everything he sees on video.
The advantage for Texas is having a veteran coach share his expertise with Herman’s staff. Instead of getting that information from a young person who is learning on the job, Herman can hear an analysis from a former coach who is an expert in his profession.
Conversely, the advantage for Fedora is his buyout if worth over $12 million, and this analyst job does not affect that paycheck. Fedora will receive medical benefits as an analyst. In addition, Fedora gets to experience at least nine months of tossing ideas back-and-forth with Herman and discovering a different approach to coaching and running a program. Coaches attend clinics each year, while staffs often visit different programs to exchange ideas. Fedora’s new position is similar to those traditional experiences.
Additionally, Fedora will receive a break from the pressure of recruiting. Fedora can help Texas recruit players on campus (he is not allowed to travel). However, anything thing he contributes will be viewed as a bonus and not a requirement.
Two more analyst nuggets to pass along:
1. A person close to Herman told me Fedora was not hired under the guise of him replacing anyone on staff. During a staff meeting Fedora attended, I was told Herman made it clear to everyone the former coach will be an analyst and this position is not a job interview.
2. There is a possibility Herman will hire six or seven analysts, with three of those positions filled by former head coaches and at least three grad assistants. Former Kansas coach David Beaty is a candidate for an analyst position at Texas, but I do not currently have names of other coaches who could be in the mix. I will keep you posted.