Yesterday, I posed to you all a question about who should fill out the final spots on an SEC Mount Rushmore of Coaches. Seems like many of you agreed with Spurrier and Dooley/Smart, with Smart taking a fourth spot when his career is done (fingers crossed).
So, as a Friday exercise, let’s test the inverse…who are the most overrated coaches of all time who belong on a Mount Shushmore of Coaches. For context, here’s this:
That’s a fair question, but you have to consider the coach. You also have to consider the assistant coaches on staff, considered by many some of the best brains in the business.
My Candidates:
Ryan Day:
James Franklin:
Frank Beamer:
Rich Rodriguez:
To Day’s credit, he won a National Championship, albeit in the expansion era that required an easy backdoor into it and he won against Notre Dame, the perennial “we don’t belong here” team of the century.
Other overrated candidates:
- Brian Kelly
- Gus Malzahan
- Corch Ervin Meyers
- Mario Cristobal
- Kalen Deboer
- Jim Harbaugh, although there needs to be a Mount Shushmore of Frauds, he’d be the main pick
- Chip Kelly
- Steve Sarkisian
- Josh Bobby Hill Hype-ul
- Lincoln Riley
What’re your thoughts. Who are your top 4 overblown coaches?
Who has Aubarn hired this century?
This one is easy: Mike Leach.
Respectable because of his personality, but you’re right.
Great act.
Mediocre football coach.
Great hire for a team losing double digit games every year. Terrible hire for any team capable of winning championships.
Too bad he didn’t land at Tennessee.
Lincoln Riley
Ryan Day consistently does less with more.
Lincoln Riley is my number 2. If he doesn’t produce this season his number 2 self will probably get flushed away.
Brian Kelly
Chip Kelly
James “Raper Lover” Franklin
Brian Kelly – rolls out with a whimper
Gus Bus Malzahan – how’s that dog crap working for you?
Josh Bobby Hill Hype-ul – can you imagine the routes he draws p for a Golden Corral Buffet?
I give Beamer a pass because he built a program that failed by being out resourced. All the other frauds spun their wheels at historic places.
Ryan Day looks like Steven Seagal’s Jenny Craig After Photo – that puts him on a special Mount Rushmore of one.
Oh come on…they’ll name the entire mountain for Lane Kiffen.
How did I forget Joey Freshwater? Damn.
I’m going to get a lot of hate – Bobby Bowden. That dude had more talent in the 80s and 90s than any coach. He only had a 2 game schedule most years. Only 2 titles, one of which he backed into. He’s the Bobby Cox of CFB.
Ryan Day is on a path to surpass Bowden.
I about said that, but the Bowdens could be a Mount Shushmore alone. I like Bowden like I like Leach, but truth be known he had stacked classes of players, the aforementioned soft schedule, and did a lot of shady things to keep the players out of trouble. Should’ve stacked National Championships like Saban, but didn’t.
That bowden mountain, would be wide right…GO DAWGS!!
That’s Senator worthy. Post of the day!
They are all good picks. Maybe ad Prime and Shane Beamer gets lots of press! Maybe not on the mtn but on the list!”
I feel like there are gradations to this. There are the “top tier” coaches that are overrated, like Hair Club for Men Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, and James Franklin.
But then there are coaches like Bobby Bowden, Mike Leach, and Frank Beamer. They may not have achieved at the highest level, but they each took bottom dwelling teams and elevated them into national relevance, which is a lot more than some of these others did.
With that “overrated”, goes way overpaid…GO DAWGS!!
Other, not all, coaches at the places that Leach landed at won as big or bigger than Leach.
Mediocre success at mediocre places does not impress me.
Beamer took VT to a natty game and relative national relevance for a while. Bowden won natties and had FSU relevant for two decades.
Leach never won or played for a damn thing. Not even in a conference championship game. And none of his teams claimed national relevance, ever.
Mike Price took WSU to two Rose Bowls.
TT won the Big 12 last year. They won the SWC twice with other coaches.
MSU has played in the SECCG, with another coach.
Mike Leach’s reputation proves one thing:
If you tell a lie long and often enough, for far too many, it becomes reality.
This list should start and end with Charlie Weis. How he got left off is beyond me.
With so many options, I think we were at a schematic disadvantage…
He wasn’t overrated for long.
Good to hear from you again Sanson. And nothing Weis is still collecting paychecks, which should keep the local Burger King in business.
Active coaches: Riley, Franklin, Kiffin, Sarkisian
Retired/inactive: Senator Tuberville, Les Miles, Weis Sr., Mack Brown