Twitter Tuesday: Pleasant surprises, Louisville, Florida State
TAKE TWO: How likely is it that Jeff Brohm takes the Louisville job?
Our weekly Twitter Tuesday mailbag file continues this week where you ask National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell your football questions via social media. Here are numerous questions including which team has been the biggest surprise this season.
I have a list of them here with LSU leading the way. Here you go…
1. LSU – I expected the Tigers to have a losing season or at least to barely make a bowl game and here they are in the top 10. Ed Orgeron has done a great job with this team and the defense has been excellent. The Tigers could finish with 11 wins and there’s no way I would have expected that.
2. Syracuse – Dino Babers should be a hot name out there in coaching circles as he’s done a great job with the Orange. The offense is one of the best in the country and they have beaten some solid football teams and gave Clemson a scare.
3. West Virginia – The Mountaineers could win the Big 12 and I don’t think many expected that heading into the season. We knew the offense would be potent but the defense has been solid when needed as well. The win over Texas was a huge one.
4. Washington State – Mike Leach is a national treasure and quarterback Gardner Minshew should be in New York as a Heisman finalist. The Pac-12 has been ugly but Washington State has made it fun and few expected a year like this one.
5. Utah State – Had the Aggies only upset Michigan State, a game they came close to winning, we’d be talking a lot more about Utah State right now. They are just blowing out opponents.
6. Iowa State – Matt Campbell is a great coach and destined for bigger and better things and Iowa State has become a tough out. The wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia are huge ones.
7. Kentucky – The Tennessee loss hurt but this is a team that played for the SEC East title. That can’t be discounted and wasn’t expected.
8. Boston College – Some had Boston College as a top-25 team in the preseason but many questioned whether the Eagles could hang with certain teams in the ACC. They have proven to be a tough, physical team with a very good defense.
9. Northwestern – The Big Ten West champs. Did anyone expect that? Nope. Wisconsin was supposed to be the team to win the division but Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job with his team.
10. Notre Dame – Did we expect the Irish to be undefeated at this stage of the season? I don’t think many did and now if they can get past Syracuse they have a chance to make the playoff. Not many could have predicted that.
Jeff Brohm will be the next coach at Louisville. The lure of coming home is very strong despite the fact that he’s happy at Purdue and has had some success. Louisville is a big rebuilding job and he’d be heading into a tougher division in the ACC Atlantic but people underestimate the pull of home for him. Purdue fans don’t want to think he’d take a step to the side or even down to head to Louisville, but that’s his home.
He would do a great job at Louisville. There are recruiting advantage that he doesn’t have at Purdue and he could build a more talented roster. Matt Campbell, Les Miles and a few others would be good fits but let’s be honest, this is Brohm-or-bust for Louisville.
Tennessee has some recruiting momentum, especially for Grayson recruits like Owen Pappoe as well as some in-state targets, and the win over Kentucky was a big one.
The Vols can close out with two wins over Missouri and Vanderbilt, make it to a bowl game and push for a top-10 recruiting class. Right now, Tennessee is No. 11 in recruiting thanks to commits like Wanya Morris, Jayeln McCollough and Lakia Henry and the Vols are in the mix for many talented players. North Carolina prospect Quavaris Crouch just put the Vols in his top three and they are trying to lure Pappoe and Kenyatta Watson from Grayson as well as many others.
The Kentucky win has really lit a fire under the Vols when it comes to national attention, so I expect big things.
You have to give Willie Taggart some time, but if I’m a Florida State fan, I’m not so happy. The Seminoles look absolutely horrible, they likely won’t make a bowl this year for the first time in forever. Based on what I’ve seen, this team is years away from competing with a team like Clemson. Will Taggart make it and get enough time to turn it around? I don’t think so. I think Florida State gives him three seasons and I don’t foresee the Seminoles turning it around enough in that time.
Some fans feel this was a bad hire and already want him gone and I can see why they are frustrated, but you have to give them man the proper amount of time to turn things around.
No, Mark Richt does not need to be fired but if I’m a Miami fan, I’m a bit concerned. The ‘Canes have taken a big step backward from last season and seem to be headed in the wrong direction. If Richt can’t find a quarterback and utilize some of his young talent next season, recruiting will take a hit and things could go downhill even quicker.
Miami was supposed to take the ACC Coastal easily and be a playoff contender and instead the season has been a disaster. There’s no way the Canes should be losing to teams like Virginia, Boston College, Duke and Georgia Tech.
I expect Miami to make a small bowl game and get those valuable bowl practices and try to regroup for next season.
I don’t think many get fired. We’ve already seen D.J. Durkin, David Beaty and now Bobby Petrino get fired. Last year was so crazy when it comes to the coaching carousel that there aren’t that many jobs left open. Clay Helton is on the hot seat, but I don’t think he gets fired this year, but I can see Larry Fedora being ousted at North Carolina and perhaps Chris Ash at Rutgers and Mike MacIntyre at Colorado. Bill Snyder at Kansas State might step down and I’ve heard similar rumors about Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, although I don’t believe those as much.
The coaching changes will be few and far between this off season, but that’s to be expected after last year.