Houston Nutt

[huskymedic]

 

[ZooCougar]

Nutt could be for us what Tuberville is doing with Cincy in short order. Just not convinced he is the right guy at this juncture. He would definitely be a massive upgrade, and he knows how to run a football program.

 

[tduconn]

I wonder if he was at Ole Miss during the time of Eli Manning and Michael Orhe(Blind Side fame, O.L. Baltimore Ravens).

The thing that scares me with his inquiry, which I would assume would be the same as that of other "big names"....."Landscape of hs football, skill level, hot beds for talent"........not much of any of that in Ct....that's a given. You are not getting many kids from the hot beds of football in the south, midwest,or west choosing UConn over the plethora of choices in their own back yard.......

To use an analogy of us trying to get a "big name" to UConn is like watch young aspiring enterprenneurs looking for backing from the weathy businessmen on the program "Shark Tank".
I could heard big names saying to Warde "for the above reasons, I'm out"

Would be very surprise if Nutt or any big name took the UConn job.

 

[metsfan2323]

Shouldn't we just assume that Houston Nutt (a deep south SEC guy) probably has a shady recruiting history. We don't really want to go down that path do we? I'm sure Warde doesn't.

 

[ruskin]

You left out your rant that he called a "prominent high school football coach in CT" for intel.

Rant?

Couldn't get past the first para of the story so didn't see the part about contacting a HS coach. If any "prominent" HS coach is tied in to the hiring process we are so screwed

 

[FDNY99]

I wonder if he was at Ole Miss during the time of Eli Manning and Michael Orhe(Blind Side fame, O.L. Baltimore Ravens).

The thing that scares me with his inquiry, which I would assume would be the same as that of other "big names"....."Landscape of hs football, skill level, hot beds for talent"........not much of any of that in Ct....that's a given. You are not getting many kids from the hot beds of football in the south, midwest,or west choosing UConn over the plethora of choices in their own back yard.......

To use an analogy of us trying to get a "big name" to UConn is like watch young aspiring enterprenneurs looking for backing from the weathy businessmen on the program "Shark Tank".
I could heard big names saying to Warde "for the above reasons, I'm out"

Would be very surprise if Nutt or any big name took the UConn job.

Eli played for Duke head coach David Cutcliff at Ole Miss (Cutcliff was OC at Tennessee when Peyton played there)
Michael Oher was recruited and played for current USC interim head coach Ed Orgeron and Nutt at Ole Miss

 

[Jax Husky]

Shouldn't we just assume that Houston Nutt (a deep south SEC guy) probably has a shady recruiting history. We don't really want to go down that path do we? I'm sure Warde doesn't.

You arent one of the Petrino supporters I hope. Nutt is an angel comparatively. Nutt coached in the top half of the SEC for a decade. He canrun a program. Great motivator too, which is a key to winning with less talent.

 

[metsfan2323]

You arent one of the Petrino supporters I hope. Nutt is an angel comparatively. Nutt coached in the top half of the SEC for a decade. He canrun a program. Great motivator too, which is a key to winning with less talent.

Fair enough, if he is clean he should be given consideration. His record is excellent.

 

[Hoophound]

I just can't see us hiring anyone but Lembo all things considered. If he wants the job, he should get it. He is exactly what we need.

 

[businesslawyer]

He's an interesting type of guy. He's also the kind of guy I mentioned in the top 3 thread. A successful head coach who hasn't been away for decades, would bring credibility and experience. He was pretty successful at Arkansas, and started out well at Ole Miss but it went south his last 2 years. he was also involved in a couple of controversies. I can't remember what the Arkansas ones were but I don't think they were football related. At Ole Miss he was accused of trying to develop a farm team by over recruiting and stashing the extras to some prep school for a year. But he didn't just do it with 1 or two kids. He brought in something like 12-15 extra players. They made a rule that limits you to 28 as a result.

The issue at Arkansas was that he used a school (and thus state) issued cellphone to have a frequency of contact with a female reporter that everyone assumed meant that there was an affair going on. At least, that's how I remember it.

 

[noeynox]

Only reasonable conclusion then is, that coaching football at Arkansas leads guys to have affairs.

 

[metsfan2323]

I'll throw Don Brown's name in this thread too. I would take him over Nutt. Brown's a northeast guy, who knows our program and we already know the players loved him and responded to his leadership. He also has an excellent record as a head coach even if it is at the FCS level.

I would take Tedford over both Brown and Nutt.

There is a warning out on the Brown Nutts, but it's your own trip so be my guest.

 

[HomeKing93]

Here's a story about Mr. Nutt before his final season in Arkansas in 2007:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/02/22/arkansas.nutt/index.html

Interesting read. Maybe he should get an interview, but I don't know if he'd be a great fit for us.

 

[LRock34]

The name Jeff Tedford also belongs in this thread. A little younger. Coachingsearch.com linked Tedford to UCONN a few weeks ago.

I don't see how a coach from Cali could add any value here in the recruiting game...and I also don't see why a coach from Cali would have any interest in moving to CT.

 

[mauconnfan]

This would be Nutts!

 

[LRock34]

I'll throw Don Brown's name in this thread too. I would take him over Nutt. Brown's a northeast guy, who knows our program and we already know the players loved him and responded to his leadership. He also has an excellent record as a head coach even if it is at the FCS level.

I would take Tedford over both Brown and Nutt.

There is a warning out on the Brown Nutts, but it's your own trip so be my guest.

What's the appeal of a guy being from the Northeast? Because he has relationships in the hotbed of football talent that is the Northeast? If anything you want a guy from the South...or you want a guy born in the NE who has been coaching in the South or Midwest for many years.

 

[LRock34]

This would be Nutts!

You see what he did there???? Do you see it, huh huh???

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I think he is an interesting choice...mainly because he has had successful coaching stints in the SEC. But..I don't think recruiting is his specialty. Orgeron is an incredible recruiter..and he won with Orgeron's kids at the beginning of his tenure at Ole Miss. Since he left Ole Miss, recruiting has picked up again.

Regarding why you want a northeast guy.....to me it is about knowing the lay of the land....knowing the fans and media expectations..and most importantly a northeast coach may not be in such a hurry to get out of the northeast.

But...I don't think where the coach is from is a deal breaker or deal maker.

 

[Vowelguy]

We've been down the older retread road the last 2+ plus years. This is not the direction I'd be looking to go again.

Huge difference. That was a Northern retread; this is a longtime SEC retread. He's got name recognition, and given how much of conference positioning is based on FB reputation, he'd not be a bad pick.

 

[Vowelguy]

Shouldn't we just assume that Houston Nutt (a deep south SEC guy) probably has a shady recruiting history. We don't really want to go down that path do we?

I'm sure you could get a nice debate going on that.

Ethics are great ... except when the ship is going down, you can't swim, and there's only one seat left on the life boat.

 

[FDNY99]

Nutt's big issue at Ole Miss was not keeping the talent level up that Orgeron had left him...specifically not being able to replace QB Jevan Snead (Orgeron got him as a transfer from Texas when Vince Young beat him out)
Here is a brief take on Nutt's career at Arkansas and Ole Miss (source Wikipedia)
Arkansas
Nutt became the head coach of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on December 10, 1997 succeeding head coach Danny Ford. Nutt, during his first press conference as coach, immediately mentioned a "National Championship" as his goal and felt that Arkansas had the program to win one. The Razorback team had suffered through a long low period under a succession of head coaches in the previous years, having only received two bowl game bids in the eight seasons prior to Nutt's arrival.
Upon his arrival at Arkansas coach Nutt invigorated the Hogs fan base with his enthusiasm and high energy. Under Nutt, the Razorbacks were one of three SEC schools to play in three New Year's Day bowls within five years. Nutt's teams have been noted for a series of overtime games including the two longest overtime games in NCAA history. Off the field, some of Nutt's players have been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 145 times[4] and he has established a reputation as a responsible coach academically. Some criticism has come for an SEC win record just barely over .500 and because he calls his own offensive plays during a game instead of relying on an offensive coordinator. In his first six seasons Nutt led the team to a bowl game each year and averaged eight wins per season.
1998
Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference Western Division in 1998 but ended up with a 9–3 record and a share of the division title. The Razorbacks lost to the eventual national champion Tennessee Volunteers on Tennessee's home field after quarterback Clint Stoerner fumbled while trying to run out the clock. For their efforts, the Razorbacks received their first-ever invitation to the Citrus Bowl and ended the season ranked 16th after losing to Michigan. Nutt was selected as the Football News' National Coach of the Year.
1999
In 1999, Nutt's Razorbacks were picked to win the SEC Western Division, but suffered a series of setbacks during the season. They recovered to defeat nationally ranked Tennessee and Mississippi State to earn a Cotton Bowl Classic bid versus arch-rival Texas. The Razorbacks defeated Texas 27–6, becoming the first team to ever hold Texas to negative rushing yards in a game. The Cotton Bowl victory propelled Arkansas into the top 20 to end the season.
2000
The 2000 season saw the Razorbacks lose the core of their team and suffer a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries to all of the starting running backs. The Razorbacks struggled throughout the season until the final two games when they defeated ranked Mississippi State and LSU teams to pull out another winning record and a Las Vegas Bowl appearance.
2001
In the 2001 season, the Razorbacks started off with three straight losses in SEC play. They then came back to win six of the last seven including victories over ranked South Carolina and Auburn teams. Based on this performance, the Razorbacks were selected to return to the Cotton Bowl Classic to face the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners. Arkansas lost, gaining only 50 yards of total offense and just six first downs. Coach Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches.
2002
In 2002, Nutt's Razorbacks stumbled midway through the season but pulled together five straight wins, including a last second touchdown pass against LSU, often referred to as the "Miracle on Markham" to pull out a share of a Western Division title. Arkansas was defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game and ended the season with a loss to Minnesota in the Music City Bowl.
2003
In 2003, Nutt's team started off with a 4–0 record including a win against #5 Texas on their home field. The early season success raised fan expectations sky-high and put Nutt under intense pressure when the Razorbacks lost their next three games, putting them out of contention for the national championship or even the SEC Western Division crown. The Razorbacks won four of their final five games and defeated Missouri in the Independence Bowl. After the 2003 season, Nebraska was rumored to be courting Nutt to be their head coach, after the firing of Frank Solich.
2004–2005
The 2004 and 2005 campaigns were widely expected to be rebuilding years due to young teams. The 2004 season ended with a 5–6 record and without a bowl invitation for the first time under Nutt.
The 2005 season was also a rebuilding year as expected. Tough losses to USC (70–17) as well as to Vanderbilt and South Carolina showed that the season had been predicted accurately. The team was ineligible for a bowl for the second season in a row (and the second season overall under coach Nutt). This led to Razorback fans calling for coaching changes. After meeting with Frank Broyles (athletic director) at the conclusion of the season, coaching changes were made by Nutt in the offseason at the risk of being fired, the most notable of which was the forced addition of Gus Malzahn, previously the head coach at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas, as offensive coordinator. The hiring of Malzahn allowed Nutt to sign several highly recruited Springdale players, including Springdale High School quarterback Mitch Mustain and wide receiver Damian Williams who eventually transferred to USC because of disagreements between some parents and the coaching staff and a few disparaging emails from a close friend of Nutt, Teresa Prewett.
2006
The 2006 season began with a new offensive coordinator in Gus Malzahn. The Razorbacks started the season losing 50–14, at a home game in Fayetteville, to the USC. Following the loss to the Trojans, Nutt announced that Mustain would replace Robert Johnson as the Hogs' starting quarterback. Mustain led Arkansas to eight straight wins, including wins against #22 Alabama at home and #2 Auburn at Auburn, before losing the starting job to Casey Dick. Dick had been slotted to start at the beginning of the season but was unable to do so due to a back injury suffered in the spring. Dick led the Razorbacks to two victories out of four for a total of 10 wins, including a win over 13th ranked Tennessee. The Razorbacks moved to #7 in the BCS standings. However, the Hogs lost their last regular season game to the #8 LSU Tigers, 31–26. Despite the loss, the Hogs were still Western Division Champions of the SEC, and played the 11–1, fourth-ranked Florida Gators for the SEC Championship. Florida won, 38–28. The Razorbacks then lost to the #5 Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Day, 2007 in the Capital One Bowl. A highlight of the season was the second place finish of sophomore tailback Darren McFadden in the Heisman Trophy voting. Coach Nutt was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press and by the SEC coaches for the second time.
2007
The 2007 season began with the Razorbacks ranked 21st by the AP Poll. The Hogs opened at home with a victory over Troy. However, early losses to Alabama and Kentucky knocked Arkansas out of the rankings and made the remaining SEC schedule an uphill struggle, even with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis in the Razorback backfield. Fan frustration boiled over to some fans wearing all black tshirts with anti-Nutt statements and buying an entire page in a local Little Rock newspaper calling for Nutt to be fired. A non-official flyover was made hours before the Auburn home game with a small airplane holding a banner, which read: "Fire Houston Nutt. Players and fans deserve better."
On November 23, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Nutt's Razorbacks beat the top-ranked football team in the nation. In a game that lasted three overtimes, Arkansas defeated eventual national champion LSU Tigers, 50–48, returning the Golden Boot back to Arkansas.
Resignation
Three days later, Nutt resigned as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks amid several controversies and rumors,[5] which had come prior to and throughout the 2007 season.[6][7] He left the school with a 75–48 record, which is second on the school's all-time win list, behind only Broyles.
Ole Miss
On November 27, 2007 Nutt was hired as the new head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, replacing former head coach Ed Orgeron, who was fired after three consecutive losing seasons.[8] Nutt's move to Ole Miss served to stoke the long-standing Arkansas – Ole Miss rivalry.
It was announced on April 16, 2009 that Nutt and his wife, Diana, had committed to give a gift of $100,000 to Ole Miss, evenly divided between the university's indoor practice facility and the creation of student-athlete scholarships.[9]
2008
Main article: 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team
After a 41–24 victory over border rival Memphis to open the season, the Rebels suffered a loss to the then-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 30–28, on a last-second field goal. After defeating Samford, Ole Miss lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores at home. After the loss, the Rebels traveled to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, where they defeated the #4-ranked, and eventual national champion, Florida Gators, 31–30, after blocking Florida's attempt at a tying extra point and a defensive stop of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on 4th-and-1. The next weekend, the Rebels lost to South Carolina.
Next on the schedule was Alabama, ranked #2 in the nation at the time. During the game, Ole Miss became the first team Alabama trailed in the 2008 season. Alabama ultimately prevailed, however, in the final series of the game, winning, 24–20. Then came Arkansas. Nutt, facing his old team, came out victorious, 23–21. The Rebels followed that with a 17–7 home win against Auburn. On November 15, Ole Miss beat ULM, 59–0, to push their record to 6–4 and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2003. Ole Miss next beat #18 LSU, 31–13, in Baton Rouge, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Tigers, earning the Rebels an Associated Press ranking of 25, first time in four years Ole Miss had been ranked, and putting them in position for a possible bid to the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas.[10] The Rebels went on to beat SEC West and in-state rival Mississippi State, 45–0, in the Egg Bowl to finish the regular season at 8–4. The win over the Bulldogs moved the Rebels up to #22 in the AP Poll and landed the team their first ranking of the year in the Coaches' Poll, coming in at #25. Ole Miss defeated the #7-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders, 47–34, in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
2009
Main article: 2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The Ole Miss Rebels began the 2009 season rated highly by the media. After beating Memphis, 45–14, and Southeastern Louisiana, 52–6, which gave Ole Miss the second longest winning streak in the nation at eight games dating back to the 2008 season, Ole Miss climbed as high as #4 in the AP Poll before losing their 2009 SEC opener, 16-10, on the road at South Carolina in a Thursday night game on September 24. After the loss, Ole Miss fell 17 spots in the AP Poll, down to #21. Ole Miss went on the road again and beat Vanderbilt the next week, 23–7. After a disappointing start of their 2009 season and pair of conference losses, they managed to rebound against Arkansas, winning 30-17. Ole Miss went on to beat #8-ranked LSU, 25–23, at Oxford. Ole Miss lost to in-state and SEC rival Mississippi State on November 28 in the Egg Bowl at Starkville, 41–27. Ole Miss was picked to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic for the second year in a row, where they defeated Oklahoma State, 21–7, to end the 2009 season.
THE HOUSTON NUTT RULE
Houston Nutt was the center of a major recruiting controversy in February, 2010. After recruiting 37-players, the SEC was forced to enact the 'Houston Nutt Rule,' beginning August 1st, 2010. The rule stated that "SEC teams will be limited to signing 28 football recruits, with the usual maximum of 25 allowed to enroll in the fall." [11]
ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said:
"Ole Miss was trying to create a farm league. I think what the cap does is make you have to make tougher choices. Before you could say, 'We can get all three of these guys.' Now you say, 'We can fit one in and which one do we want?' " [12]
2010
Main article: 2010 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The Ole Miss Rebels finished 4-8 overall in the 2010 season, including 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Among the worst of these losses was to FCS-member Jacksonville State, which was Ole Miss' first loss to a lower division team since 1945. In an ironic twist, the HC of Jacksonville State at this time was Jack Crowe, who had resigned under pressure one game into the 1992 season as HC at Arkansas after a season opening loss to FCS-member The Citadel. Houston Nutt was an assistant on Crowe's staff at this time.
2011
Main article: 2011 Ole Miss Rebels football team
Nutt set an Ole Miss coaching record with his 12th straight Southeastern Conference loss. On November 7, 2011, Nutt was fired by the University of Mississippi, but was allowed to coach through the end of the season. His final game was a 31-3 loss to Mississippi State. Completing his career with an over-all winning percentage of only 58%.

 

[Jax Husky]

I think he is an interesting choice...mainly because he has had successful coaching stints in the SEC. But..I don't think recruiting is his specialty. Orgeron is an incredible recruiter..and he won with Orgeron's kids at the beginning of his tenure at Ole Miss. Since he left Ole Miss, recruiting has picked up again.

Regarding why you want a northeast guy.....to me it is about knowing the lay of the land....knowing the fans and media expectations..and most importantly a northeast coach may not be in such a hurry to get out of the northeast.

But...I don't think where the coach is from is a deal breaker or deal maker.

I'm gonna have you pump the brakes there. Orgeron recruited well at Ole Miss because he was dirty as hell. Hugh Freeze is now recruiting well at Ole Miss because he is dirty as hell. Nutt has a pretty good reputation for running a pretty clean program. Because of that, he did not succeed at Ole Miss.

There's a reason Ed Orgeron has made his entire career at The U (Miami), Tennessee, and USC. 3 od the dirtiest programs around. Yeah, he's a good "recruiter".

 

[FDNY99]

I'm gonna have you pump the brakes there. Orgeron recruited well at Ole Miss because he was dirty as hell. Hugh Freeze is now recruiting well at Ole Miss because he is dirty as hell. Nutt has a pretty good reputation for running a pretty clean program. Because of that, he did not succeed at Ole Miss.

There's a reason Ed Orgeron has made his entire career at The U (Miami), Tennessee, and USC. 3 od the dirtiest programs around. Yeah, he's a good "recruiter".

Jax don't forget Orgeron coached under P at Syracuse from 95-97, that's how GDL ended up OL coach/run game coordinator at Ole Miss for a year.

 

[metsfan2323]

What's the appeal of a guy being from the Northeast? Because he has relationships in the hotbed of football talent that is the Northeast? If anything you want a guy from the South...or you want a guy born in the NE who has been coaching in the South or Midwest for many years.

I don't buy into the idea that a guy from the South is going to be able to get top southern recruits with multiple southern offers to come to CT. Our best bet to do well in recruiting is to first get the best players from CT and our surrounding areas. That's just reality.

You people who think we are ever going to start recruiting top players from the south without first winning big and developing a reputation as a football school are either lost or crazy. Unless of course you are advocating cheating, but then again that would make you crazy.

I question whether "Houston Nutt" would do well in New England living rooms, someone like Eric Mangini with his background would probably do much better in New England.

 

[FDNY99]

I don't buy into the idea that a guy from the South is going to be able to get top southern recruits with multiple southern offers to come to CT. Our best bet to do well in recruiting is to first get the best players from CT and our surrounding areas.

You people who think we are ever going to start recruiting top players from the south without first winning big and developing a reputation as a football school are either lost or crazy. Unless of course you are advocating cheating, but then again that would make you crazy.

Pasqualoni did a good job of getting the top kids in CT...look where that got us. It's more like using Edsall's theory of recruiting NJ, PA, FL and OH in addition to CT, NY and MA. If you use your theory about recruiting areas before branching out we may as well shut down the football program never mind even think about CR. If we want to be in a P-5 conference then we need to act like it. The Gov, BOT, President have all told the AD to do this right...that they are all in on football. Don't expect this search to be done like it was the last time...it will be done like we are in the ACC or B1G.