Ok, now that the dust has settled, here is part of what went down

[RougeDawg]

First off, I have not clue who Bert is, but the information he was reporting was accurate. He must have had contacts with someone at ULL. I was getting information from people on both sides, so can confirm what he was saying.

Chizik really wanted the position and we only interviewed out of courtesy. There was an offer for Judge, and he was waiting for the Giants offer.

Now back to Napier. There were conversations with Napier's agent before the Egg Bowl. Cohen was gauging interest and preparing to make a move after the EB with a loss or sloppy win. The change of heart of some boosters forced Keenum to block the change. Then we all know what happened and the move was made.

Napier not wanting to discuss any openings before their bowl was correct. All of the contact with JC involved BN's agent, which somewhat pissed BN off. The agent was trying to up ante and the contacts with JC had a lot of the ULL staff pressuring BN to take the position. From what I heard, almost the entire staff was pressuring him to take the position and started to push BN away. Around the 3rd or 4th time JC and the agent spoke, BN was heard telling one of his coaches "Do you really want to live in f*cking Starkville, Mississippi?" This was this past Saturday/Sunday around the same time other names started flying around, and around the time BN went radio silent on the topic, even to the closest around him. Cohen and BN agreed to meet in person that final time after the bowl, and they still could not get it done. I was actually surprised this happened after all that was said over the weekend and then the radio silence.

If BN has this view of Starkville and his closest coaches could not convince him to take the position, we probably are better off without him. We offered him pretty much all of his demands, and like someone posted this week, there are just some people who will never be satisfied somewhere and always creating things to complain about.

Like I said over a week ago, I heard that BN was an odd cat and has enough self confidence that there will be an Auburn type opening next year for him. He thinks they can win 10 games again next year and land a blue blood position. Had he taken the position, he would have been job searching in a few years like a certain someone we know all too well.

They way things eventually turned out, I'm not sure we could have done any better. Mike Leach is a proven commodity and has been successful at places where you must do more with less.

Been going back through text messages about the saga, and will add more info if I find it. These are the main points.

[DeputyDawg94]

Good stuff. I was against the idea of Leach getting the job when his name first came up, but now I’ve come around to it. Excited to see what he does. Especially with the DC hire.

If BN really has that attitude about Starkville then JC made the right hire.

[Tbonewannabe]

I think we ended up a lot better off with Leach. Napier was either going to do well and immediately start looking like Mullen did or shit the bed. When the best outcome is to have another coaching search in 1-2 years, not a good problem unless it is due to winning the SEC. We know that Leach can win 10 games at places where that isn't normal. I think we are a lot better off rolling the dice on a proven head coach.

[Activated Alpha]

Well if that's the case then **** Napier with a dirty rusted cowbell by the dairy cow that's wearing it......

[ShotgunDawg]

Get the more accomplished coach that sees us the his great opportunity over the pretentious prick lesser coach that sees us as a fall back.

I hope he loses 5 games next season.

In reality, this worked out perfect. We got the better coach and BN showed his true colors. Better that than him acting like he really wanted the job, got it, and then left in 2 years.

[TheLostDawg]

I think we ended up a lot better off with Leach. Napier was either going to do well and immediately start looking like Mullen did or shit the bed. When the best outcome is to have another coaching search in 1-2 years, not a good problem unless it is due to winning the SEC. We know that Leach can win 10 games at places where that isn't normal. I think we are a lot better off rolling the dice on a proven head coach.

I agree. Cohen made the right decision if all this is true. I'd rather take the risk of hiring someone like Leach that could have tremendous potential and not look to leave each year than to pick someone less risky that has a less risk but limited potential that is only looking to leave for a "better job". Leach could turn us into Clemson. Not likely but if anyone could then it'd be someone with his history that could. We can only hope everything works out. It'll be fun. Just hope he nails a DC hire and good recruiters. If he does that then we aren't any worse off but again have a lot of potential to do great things. To have someone blunt is just a bonus for us

[Todd4State]

Do we really want a guy that Joe beat twice and hung 56 on anyway?

He's still pretty stupid honestly. He only cost himself what? 3.3 million dollars short term. Which is A LOT of money even in the short term. With some pretty high risk honestly because if his stance is to finish the bowl games with them every year the only jobs he'll be able to get are basically rebuilding jobs from teams that aren't in bowls.

Not to mention what happens if he has an average or even bad year next year. It could end up costing him even more.

[Todd4State]

Give the more accomplished coach that sees us the his great opportunity over the pretentious prick lesser coach that sees us as a fall back.

I hope he loses 5 games next season.

In reality, this worked out perfect. We got the better coach and BN showed his true colors. Better that than him acting like he really wanted the job, got it, and then left in 2 years.

We also avoid the risk of Joe Judge not panning out and the inevitable "learning on the job" mistakes that first year coaches have. Oh- and we get to say that we have an alum that is a NFL head coach.

[Todd4State]

I agree. Cohen made the right decision if all this is true. I'd rather take the risk of hiring someone like Leach that could have tremendous potential and not look to leave each year than to pick someone less risky that has a less risk but limited potential that is only looking to leave for a "better job". Leach could turn us into Clemson. Not likely but if anyone could then it'd be someone with his history that could. We can only hope everything works out. It'll be fun. Just hope he nails a DC hire and good recruiters. If he does that then we aren't any worse off but again have a lot of potential to do great things. To have someone blunt is just a bonus for us

Hiring Leach is oddly enough the biggest "splash" hire among the three. It's similar to us hiring Jackie Sherrill and probably bigger honestly. There are a lot of casual fans that just like Mike Leach because of his personality and offense. A lot of hardcore fans like his offense. How many coaches have "National Best Selling Author" in their bio and the President of the US actually knows him personally?

[ShotgunDawg]

We also avoid the risk of Joe Judge not panning out and the inevitable "learning on the job" mistakes that first year coaches have. Oh- and we get to say that we have an alum that is a NFL head coach.

Oh yeah. This worked out great.

I wonder if Cohen would've ever pursued the other two if he knew Leach wanted the job?

[Dannyripms]

We absolutely got the best hire possible. Wish we could've made this hire 2 years ago. We will have a better chance of beating bama with leach than any other coach due to his offense. I can't wait till the spring game. We need to pack it out.

[PMDawg]

First off, I have not clue who Bert is, but the information he was reporting was accurate. He must have had contacts with someone at ULL. I was getting information from people on both sides, so can confirm what he was saying.

Chizik really wanted the position and we only interviewed out of courtesy. There was an offer for Judge, and he was waiting for the Giants offer.

Now back to Napier. There were conversations with Napier's agent before the Egg Bowl. Cohen was gauging interest and preparing to make a move after the EB with a loss or sloppy win. The change of heart of some boosters forced Keenum to block the change. Then we all know what happened and the move was made.

Napier not wanting to discuss any openings before their bowl was correct. All of the contact with JC involved BN's agent, which somewhat pissed BN off. The agent was trying to up ante and the contacts with JC had a lot of the ULL staff pressuring BN to take the position. From what I heard, almost the entire staff was pressuring him to take the position and started to push BN away. Around the 3rd or 4th time JC and the agent spoke, BN was heard telling one of his coaches "Do you really want to live in f*cking Starkville, Mississippi?" This was this past Saturday/Sunday around the same time other names started flying around, and around the time BN went radio silent on the topic, even to the closest around him. Cohen and BN agreed to meet in person that final time after the bowl, and they still could not get it done. I was actually surprised this happened after all that was said over the weekend and then the radio silence.

If BN has this view of Starkville and his closest coaches could not convince him to take the position, we probably are better off without him. We offered him pretty much all of his demands, and like someone posted this week, there are just some people who will never be satisfied somewhere and always creating things to complain about.

Like I said over a week ago, I heard that BN was an odd cat and has enough self confidence that there will be an Auburn type opening next year for him. He thinks they can win 10 games again next year and land a blue blood position. Had he taken the position, he would have been job searching in a few years like a certain someone we know all too well.

They way things eventually turned out, I'm not sure we could have done any better. Mike Leach is a proven commodity and has been successful at places where you must do more with less.

Been going back through text messages about the saga, and will add more info if I find it. These are the main points.

0/10. Would not read again.

[Indndawg]

Yeah, Lafayette La is constantly being compared to Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and South Beach. What a turd.

[msbulldog]

Thanks Rouge! +1

[Cowbell]

Yeah, Lafayette La is constantly being compared to Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and South Beach. What a turd.

That's my thoughts. Starkville > Lafayette. Especially on fall saturdays.

[MarketingBully]

If he thinks Starkville is bad, Waco is the armpit of Texas. Glad we didn’t get that asshat. Good luck in Shitsville LaLa Land. Hope he goes 4-8/3-9 next year at LaLaLa Louisiana. I didn’t like him that much anyway. Hiring Sabinites has not worked for other schools in the SEC and I’m glad we made the hire that was outside the box with Leach.

[Sienfield]

What Leach did at Kentucky as OC assured me he can be successful in the SEC. He's also been successful everywhere he's coached.

Also, we couldn't get good quarterbacks prior to the Mullen era but now we do. Maybe Leach will do the same for WRs. One can only hope.

[Rex54]

Yeah.... Napier now appears to be a complete dumbass and I think this saga will taint him with other schools in the future.

The Starkville Question - "Do you want to live in Starkville, MS?" - I really don't get this one. Is Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, College Station, really that much better? Maybe more population but that just means the scale is a little larger.

Are coaches beating down the doors to go to Georgia Tech, Vandy, NC State, UNC, Northwestern, Rutgers? There's only one UT-Austin

[Jarius]

Anyone stupid enough to turn down 4 million dollars a year when he is currently making under a million is not smart enough to be an SEC football coach anywhere. Someone that arrogant has some serious self awareness issues. He lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. Maybe he should take a look around. One of our reporters got fired for making a reference that the people in that city were the missing link between apes and humans. Enjoy the sunbelt.

[BrunswickDawg]

What Leach did at Kentucky as OC assured me he can be successful in the SEC. He's also been successful everywhere he's coached.

Also, we couldn't get good quarterbacks prior to the Mullen era but now we do. Maybe Leach will do the same for WRs. One can only hope.

What Leach did at UK should get way more credit considering how big of an impact he had. They were terrible under Bill Curry - including a 1-10 season in '94, then 4-7 for the 2 seasons prior to Leach arriving with Mumme.
They only improved by 1 win in the first season - but that 1 win was against Alabama and is their only win against Bama since 1922. The offense went from 110th in scoring to 25th - which is unreal.
They then go to 2 straight bowls before Leach leaves for Oklahoma and the bottom drops out at UK without him.

You can make the argument that Leach made Hal Mumme. With Leach, Mumme went 82-45 at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, and UK. Without Leach, Mumme is 60-107.

[Dawgology]

Well Napier’s head looks like a potato with that stupid fuxking haircut. Enjoy the Mecca that is Lafayette...lol. What a dumb ****. That being said I think we hired a better coach.

[DeltaChicagoDog]

Yeah.... Napier now appears to be a complete dumbass and I think this saga will taint him with other schools in the future.

Yeah, not a good look at all for Napier and shows that he wasn't ready for his close up. Sure, he might prove to be the Saban/Bear/Hayes/Schembechler all rolled into one fierce coaching machine, but how many hot names of the moment have fallen off the radar or receded into marginal mediocrity within a few years of their being on the short list? Napier is one mediocre season from being Temple's next head coach. We'll see if this hot take ages well haha.

[Coach34]

What Leach did at Kentucky as OC assured me he can be successful in the SEC. He's also been successful everywhere he's coached.

Also, we couldn't get good quarterbacks prior to the Mullen era but now we do. Maybe Leach will do the same for WRs. One can only hope.

Leach didn’t really do anything at Kentucky as OC. That was all Mumme. Leach left Kentucky so he could start calling plays

[Rex54]

If USCe is his dream spot he should have fired his agent the day they announced Boom was returning. How could you not be pushing their AD every day through back channels to hire you after Boom went 4-8.

[BulldogDX55]

Now I really want Napier to be cursed with 6-7 wins at ULL forever. Enough to keep his job, but not enough to get anything better.

[Tbonewannabe]

If USCe is his dream spot he should have fired his agent the day they announced Boom was returning. How could you not be pushing their AD every day through back channels to hire you after Boom went 4-8.

I believe it would have cost USCe about $18 Mil to buyout Boom. He does recruit well and he had the toughest schedule in the country. He also has won 9 games at USCe so with all of that considered, it is not surprising that he gets another year.

[3rdGen]

Leach didn?t really do anything at Kentucky as OC. That was all Mumme. Leach left Kentucky so he could start calling plays

So what your telling me is....... Mike Leach is Joe Brady with years of head coaching experience......?


I think "we are playing 4D chess" is what your trying to tell everyone.

JC is a genius ladies and gents! You heard it here from C34.

:cool:

[Jack Lambert]

I be surprise if he gets an Auburn type offer coaching a G5 school that couldn't beat Miss State. He might get a South Carolina job. If he was good as he thinks he is he could have won at Miss State and then moved on to a blue blood. He will be in Big 12 or AAC.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

All of the contact with JC involved BN's agent, which somewhat pissed BN off. The agent was trying to up ante and the contacts with JC had a lot of the ULL staff pressuring BN to take the position.
That sounds familiar....I remember someone saying this.

[LC Dawg]

Not only did Napier cost himself a lot of money he also cost his assistants a lot of money and they make a lot less than him. They can't be happy about that.

[QuadrupleOption]

Leach didn’t really do anything at Kentucky as OC. That was all Mumme. Leach left Kentucky so he could start calling plays

Maybe, but it is true that Mumme has struggled to recapture the magic since he and Leach have parted ways. I'm sure there's more to it, and I know that Mumme has the same HC/OC approach that Leach has taken. But you also can't deny that his success post-Leach leaves a lot to be desired.

I guess we'll find out over the next few years.

[NWADAWG]

If he thinks Starkville is bad, Waco is the armpit of Texas. Glad we didn?t get that asshat. Good luck in Shitsville LaLa Land. Hope he goes 4-8/3-9 next year at LaLaLa Louisiana. I didn?t like him that much anyway. Hiring Sabinites has not worked for other schools in the SEC and I?m glad we made the hire that was outside the box with Leach.

I sure wish we played ULL in 2020.

[Dolphus Raymond]

This may have previously been addressed, but perhaps Napier was playing the long-game? As we all know, the SEC West is a rough neighborhood, and perhaps he did not want to risk his long term career at a mid tier SEC school where he could have a damn good team and still go 8-4/9-3? Still, though, he left a lot of money on the table.
In the end, however, we won.

[MedDawg]

First off, I have not clue who Bert is, but the information he was reporting was accurate. He must have had contacts with someone at ULL. I was getting information from people on both sides, so can confirm what he was saying.

Chizik really wanted the position and we only interviewed out of courtesy. There was an offer for Judge, and he was waiting for the Giants offer.

Now back to Napier. There were conversations with Napier's agent before the Egg Bowl. Cohen was gauging interest and preparing to make a move after the EB with a loss or sloppy win. The change of heart of some boosters forced Keenum to block the change. Then we all know what happened and the move was made.

Napier not wanting to discuss any openings before their bowl was correct. All of the contact with JC involved BN's agent, which somewhat pissed BN off. The agent was trying to up ante and the contacts with JC had a lot of the ULL staff pressuring BN to take the position. From what I heard, almost the entire staff was pressuring him to take the position and started to push BN away. Around the 3rd or 4th time JC and the agent spoke, BN was heard telling one of his coaches "Do you really want to live in f*cking Starkville, Mississippi?" This was this past Saturday/Sunday around the same time other names started flying around, and around the time BN went radio silent on the topic, even to the closest around him. Cohen and BN agreed to meet in person that final time after the bowl, and they still could not get it done. I was actually surprised this happened after all that was said over the weekend and then the radio silence.

If BN has this view of Starkville and his closest coaches could not convince him to take the position, we probably are better off without him. We offered him pretty much all of his demands, and like someone posted this week, there are just some people who will never be satisfied somewhere and always creating things to complain about.

Like I said over a week ago, I heard that BN was an odd cat and has enough self confidence that there will be an Auburn type opening next year for him. He thinks they can win 10 games again next year and land a blue blood position. Had he taken the position, he would have been job searching in a few years like a certain someone we know all too well.

They way things eventually turned out, I'm not sure we could have done any better. Mike Leach is a proven commodity and has been successful at places where you must do more with less.

Been going back through text messages about the saga, and will add more info if I find it. These are the main points.


Hey Napier, you know who does want to live in Starkville, MS? The sixth winningest active coach in FBS. Stay your ass in Lafayette. Or maybe you can get Leach's old job in Pullman, Washingon.

[lastmajordog]

I know one thing.....if my other half knew I turned down MILLIONS guaranteed for a couple of years no matter the location......she would BEAT ME !!!!!!!!!

[bulldogcountry1]

To summarize: BN's wife hates Starkville.

[BeastMan]

That's my thoughts. Starkville > Lafayette. Especially on fall saturdays.

Laffy is better every day in the year except fall Saturdays. Best food town in the south and it?s not close. Very close to the best bass, inshore, and offshore fishing in the world. 3 hours from Houston and 2 hours from Nola. Laffy is a solid small Southern city.

[BeastMan]

Napier is an idiot from a career standpoint. Even if he fell flat in Starkville he’d put $20M in the bank and be set for life. If he wins big he puts $15M and springboards to a big job in 3 years. Staying in Laffy is insanity at $800k. He’s got a really good little Sun Belt QB and if that guy goes down and he goes 7-5 to 5-7, congrats you’re stuck in Laffy for a decade at $800k when you could have $15M in the bank. I’d move anywhere for that kind of money, even Oxford lol

[Political Hack]

I wanted to pass on Napier after watching his half time interview during the bowl game. That guys like watching paint dry. I'm so happy things fell the way they did. We're about to have a fun few years, win, lose or draw.

[bulldawg28]

I wanted to pass on Napier after watching his half time interview during the bowl game. That guys like watching paint dry. I'm so happy things fell the way they did. We're about to have a fun few years, win, lose or draw.

I've never wanted Napier. I still don't see what the hype is about. Every up and coming coach has at least one upset before they are noticed. Who has he beaten?

[R2Dawg]

Hiring Leach is oddly enough the biggest "splash" hire among the three. It's similar to us hiring Jackie Sherrill and probably bigger honestly. There are a lot of casual fans that just like Mike Leach because of his personality and offense. A lot of hardcore fans like his offense. How many coaches have "National Best Selling Author" in their bio and the President of the US actually knows him personally?

Agree but JWS was also a multiple power 5 HC with a NC; pretty big hire in 1991 especially considering where MSU had been. Only success anyone remembers was 1980. We at least had the JWS 90s success and Mullen success to entice Leach. LIke I said in another thread, MSU brand has been building now for 30 years and we are moving the needle except for some yesteryear media guys still living in 1986 or 1974.

[defiantdog]

Leach didn’t really do anything at Kentucky as OC. That was all Mumme. Leach left Kentucky so he could start calling plays
Yet Mumme got fired 2 years after Leach left

[Coursesuper]

Yet Mumme got fired 2 years after Leach left

NCAA troubles.

[parabrave]

He knows this is muschamps last year in Columbia and he probably can wait a year for that Spurrier treatment/

[ShotgunDawg]

I wanted to pass on Napier after watching his half time interview during the bowl game. That guys like watching paint dry. I'm so happy things fell the way they did. We're about to have a fun few years, win, lose or draw.

I wanted Napier, but after getting Leach, I'm really glad it worked out the way it did.

Napier was "typical MSU" whereas Leach is something entirely different that COULD transform the program

[SteelCurtain74]

He may get a chance at the SC job because I don't think Muschamp makes it after next year. Their schedule is pretty tough with trips to Florida, Clemson, LSU plus Georgia, A & M and Tennessee at home. He better have had some assurance that he would get an interview before taking that gamble. And for the record Gainesville is probably the worst SEC town in the conference. It is an absolute dump.

[Coursesuper]

He may get a chance at the SC job because I don't think Muschamp makes it after next year. Their schedule is pretty tough with trips to Florida, Clemson, LSU plus Georgia, A & M and Tennessee at home. He better have had some assurance that he would get an interview before taking that gamble. And for the record Gainesville is probably the worst SEC town in the conference. It is an absolute dump.

Absolutely agree about Gainesville, I've been several times and never been impressed.

[dawggoneit]

I always saw Napier as a Hud type hire minus the love for MSU. Would have taken Hud over BN any day. Actually think Hud is the better coach. That said, I could not be happier with the way things turned out!!!

[32 Dive]

Laffy is better every day in the year except fall Saturdays. Best food town in the south and it?s not close. Very close to the best bass, inshore, and offshore fishing in the world. 3 hours from Houston and 2 hours from Nola. Laffy is a solid small Southern city.

Very solid town, but it is an acquired taste. (Background: My mother grew up there, parents met there, and I even spent a year of exile there.) If you only see the part of town very near to I-10, you'd be anything but impressed. The further away of I-10 you get, especially south of Johnston St. (US 167) the better it is. Nice place to live, if you can afford the relatively high cost of residential real estate.

The natives are similar to many "Cajun" towns. (I use Cajun loosely, here. For with the passage of time, we have all become more homogenized.) There's seemingly a whole "us against the world" mentality, with how they relate to outsiders, until they get comfortable with you. When they accept you, they are some of the best people on the planet. Where as in the Mississippi small town, you'll quickly receive friendly treatment, but things get somewhat "cliquish."

With how this relates to Napier: He must not like small towns, of Starkville size. And that is okay, but very myopic. Then again, he comes across as anything but Leach-esque erudite. He did a disservice to the careers of his staff, by not strongly considering this opportunity. U[S]L could win the next 30 games, and it still not be half the gig State is.

But that's okay... Because the open window State got, looks to be much better than the open door State initially wanted.

[bobcat91]

It is a major gamble by Napier. He isnt getting the Baylor HC job. There is zero guarantee that he is a candidate for the SC job when it opens again. He turned down 20 million dollars betting that his tenure at ULL will bring him a major job. Hud looked good too for a few years. Look at him now. I'm glad we got Leach.

[Dolphus Raymond]

I really wanted Napier, but had no idea Leach was in the mix. Next to The Kang!!, this is my favorite hire ever.

[gtowndawg]

Like others I was all for Napier but about half way thru I posted "I'll pass - he seems like a headache." Glad it worked out like it did.

[KOdawg1]

I hope ULL tanks and Napier's stock crashes. Then he'll be wishing he could be living in "F*cking Starkville, Mississippi." Better yet, I hope he gets the South Carolina job, and Mike Leach beats his ass every time. Maybe we'll go to the rotating schedule so we could play them every other year. Screw that guy.

[parabrave]

He may get a chance at the SC job because I don't think Muschamp makes it after next year. Their schedule is pretty tough with trips to Florida, Clemson, LSU plus Georgia, A & M and Tennessee at home. He better have had some assurance that he would get an interview before taking that gamble. And for the record Gainesville is probably the worst SEC town in the conference. It is an absolute dump.

Columbia is a great city. Its 2 hours from everything, beaches and mountains. If you ever have a chance go to a FB game at Willis Brice.

[FISHDAWG]

Columbia is a great city. Its 2 hours from everything, beaches and mountains. If you ever have a chance go to a FB game at Willis Brice.

Colombia also has a very high rate of crime .... and one of the worst cities I've lived in. Maybe it's just difference of opinion but I never cared for the place.... not far at all behind Gainesville

[Johnson85]

Napier is an idiot from a career standpoint. Even if he fell flat in Starkville he?d put $20M in the bank and be set for life. If he wins big he puts $15M and springboards to a big job in 3 years. Staying in Laffy is insanity at $800k. He?s got a really good little Sun Belt QB and if that guy goes down and he goes 7-5 to 5-7, congrats you?re stuck in Laffy for a decade at $800k when you could have $15M in the bank. I?d move anywhere for that kind of money, even Oxford lol

He's got a contract through 2025 and he's making I think $1.2 starting next year. He definitely is leaving a lot of guaranteed money on the table, but if he falls on his face, he's still probably going to make between $5M and $6M over the next five seasons. Still, if he gets a better offer next year, it will still probably be mostly a wash as far as making up the $3M he is leaving on the table this year.

[Bothrops]

I don't really give a shit what he thinks, if he turned down 4 million, he's not bright enough.

[parabrave]

Colombia also has a very high rate of crime .... and one of the worst cities I've lived in. Maybe it's just difference of opinion but I never cared for the place.... not far at all behind Gainesville

Let me narrow it down to Lake Murray area.

[defiantdog]

I don't really give a shit what he thinks, if he turned down 4 million, he's not bright enough.
He played his cards wrong..... Napier should've listened to his agent.

[Percho]

Very solid town, but it is an acquired taste. (Background: My mother grew up there, parents met there, and I even spent a year of exile there.) If you only see the part of town very near to I-10, you'd be anything but impressed. The further away of I-10 you get, especially south of Johnston St. (US 167) the better it is. Nice place to live, if you can afford the relatively high cost of residential real estate.

The natives are similar to many "Cajun" towns. (I use Cajun loosely, here. For with the passage of time, we have all become more homogenized.) There's seemingly a whole "us against the world" mentality, with how they relate to outsiders, until they get comfortable with you. When they accept you, they are some of the best people on the planet. Where as in the Mississippi small town, you'll quickly receive friendly treatment, but things get somewhat "cliquish."

With how this relates to Napier: He must not like small towns, of Starkville size. And that is okay, but very myopic. Then again, he comes across as anything but Leach-esque erudite. He did a disservice to the careers of his staff, by not strongly considering this opportunity. U[S]L could win the next 30 games, and it still not be half the gig State is.

But that's okay... Because the open window State got, looks to be much better than the open door State initially wanted.

? TW&LEW ? I'm a WV un

[Tbonewannabe]

I've never wanted Napier. I still don't see what the hype is about. Every up and coming coach has at least one upset before they are noticed. Who has he beaten?

I posted that in some thread. Herman was winning 9-12 games multiple times at Houston before he got the job at Texas. He also beat 3 or so top 15 teams in that span. Norvell beats some top 25 teams along with Ole Miss. It seems like to get a blue blood job, you better win some top 25 games along with putting up 10 or more wins a year.

Napier could be stuck at ULL for a few years unless he gets the G5 bid to a big bowl game. He will have to go undefeated probably to do it. Of course, Mullen got a bigger job just by winning consistently in the SEC West. We did have the run to #1 which might have been the difference for him on his resume'.

[dantheman4248]

I never personally wanted Napier, but I thought the Bert Stare stuff was entertaining and him being completely right would have been a fun story.

I also didn't think Leach was a realistic candidate after last go around we didn't get him. I was pleasantly surprised.

[Dawgology]

I just think USCe will go with a bigger name than Napier. I don't really even see them giving him an interview unless he goes 12-0 next year and gets a big bowl bid. But it's his career to gamble.

[Topbulldawg]

This version of the events seems plausible. In no way does this line up with what Bert said. Bert said it was a done deal for a long time, even until the very end.

[Coach34]

Yet Mumme got fired 2 years after Leach left

NCAA investigation and probation will do that to you

[RocketDawg]

Do we really want a guy that Joe beat twice and hung 56 on anyway?

He's still pretty stupid honestly. He only cost himself what? 3.3 million dollars short term. Which is A LOT of money even in the short term. With some pretty high risk honestly because if his stance is to finish the bowl games with them every year the only jobs he'll be able to get are basically rebuilding jobs from teams that aren't in bowls.

Not to mention what happens if he has an average or even bad year next year. It could end up costing him even more.

He's not only not too bright, but thinks he's a lot better than he really is, or has demonstrated. I don't think we wanted him, and would have known that in pretty short order.

[RocketDawg]

Hiring Leach is oddly enough the biggest "splash" hire among the three. It's similar to us hiring Jackie Sherrill and probably bigger honestly. There are a lot of casual fans that just like Mike Leach because of his personality and offense. A lot of hardcore fans like his offense. How many coaches have "National Best Selling Author" in their bio and the President of the US actually knows him personally?

Just a guess**, but I'll bet Leach has a higher IQ than Napier.

[RocketDawg]

I wanted to pass on Napier after watching his half time interview during the bowl game. That guys like watching paint dry. I'm so happy things fell the way they did. We're about to have a fun few years, win, lose or draw.

He also looked like he had a chaw in his cheek. Don't know if he did, but looked like it.

[RocketDawg]

I wanted Napier, but after getting Leach, I'm really glad it worked out the way it did.

Napier was "typical MSU" whereas Leach is something entirely different that COULD transform the program

Good heavens, I hope not.

[HaggardDawg]

Oh yeah. This worked out great.

I wonder if Cohen would've ever pursued the other two if he knew Leach wanted the job?

Ding Ding Ding!!!!

My opinion is Leach reached out to us. We had boosters, in panic mode, that were calling people close to Chizik wondering if he'd reconsider.

[maroonmania]

If he thinks Starkville is bad, Waco is the armpit of Texas. Glad we didn?t get that asshat. Good luck in Shitsville LaLa Land. Hope he goes 4-8/3-9 next year at LaLaLa Louisiana. I didn?t like him that much anyway. Hiring Sabinites has not worked for other schools in the SEC and I?m glad we made the hire that was outside the box with Leach.

That was my thinking. I mean he didn't want a 3 freakin' million dollar raise because Starkville didn't meet his standard? How ironic that a few years ago we had a beat writer that lost his job because he dared to speak of his experience at the ULL regional and what a shithole it was. BN sounds like a royal prick and I hope he never gets out of the Sun Belt.

[maroonmania]

Just a guess**, but I'll bet Leach has a higher IQ than Napier.

I'm sure that's accurate. Right or wrong, I think we can pretty much say that JC is not going to hire any coach that doesn't impress him intellectually. Not sure that is always the right move, especially in football, but I could see where Cohen would not jive real well with Napier, just like he didn't with Jeremy Pruitt. The good ol' boy football coach doesn't seem to appeal to JC whatsoever. Bit him with JM but at least ML is a proven commodity. Only reason I originally wanted Napier over Leach was the system fit to what we can do here at MSU. Still a little concerned that Leach can sling it all over the field at MSU and be successful but i'm excited to see if he can. Will be fun to watch if it does.

[ckDOG]

Thank you for stating Bert was accurate in the first paragraph. Saved me a lot of reading.

[Todd4State]

He's not only not too bright, but thinks he's a lot better than he really is, or has demonstrated. I don't think we wanted him, and would have known that in pretty short order.

It sounds to me that at BEST it would have been Dan Mullen 2.0 with better recruiting. He probably would have tried to use us for the next "big" job only to realize that we're actually paying as much or close to a lot of them nationally.


That was my thinking. I mean he didn't want a 3 freakin' million dollar raise because Starkville didn't meet his standard? How ironic that a few years ago we had a beat writer that lost his job because he dared to speak of his experience at the ULL regional and what a shithole it was. BN sounds like a royal prick and I hope he never gets out of the Sun Belt.

The thing about it is if you go into a career involving colleges in any capacity the odds are pretty decent you're going to have to live in small town.

And I'll say this- yes, I would live in Starkville if you paid me 4.1 million dollars. And heck, I would have house or two in other places as well. That's very feasible to do with that kind of money- especially if MSU gives you a housing allowance. And a lot of coaches do just that- like Saban and Dan. And Mike Leach has his place in Key West.

[TigerMomofaDawg]

Laffy is better every day in the year except fall Saturdays. Best food town in the south and it?s not close. Very close to the best bass, inshore, and offshore fishing in the world. 3 hours from Houston and 2 hours from Nola. Laffy is a solid small Southern city.

I lived in Louisiana for half my life (Broussard for 2 years as a child, Lafayette for 4 years in college while I was getting my B.A., and Baton Rouge for 3 years while I was getting my J.D.), and Mississippi for the other half, and I have a daughter at State, so I have seen both cities. Here's my take:

Lafayette has some of the most genuinely friendly people you will ever meet. The Cajuns are some of the best people in the world. They are generous and incredibly hospitable. The food in Lafayette is excellent, the culture is unique (in a good way), and the recreational opportunities can't be beat. They love to get together and party and are some of the most fun people anywhere. That said, don't ever insult or piss off a Cajun. They are proud of their heritage and do not take kindly to being insulted. If you piss them off, expect retaliation. How do I know this? I am of Cajun descent. The only down side to Lafayette that I can see is that it has grown so rapidly in the past couple of decades that the traffic is awful. That Starkville beat writer who got fired for what he wrote about Lafayette was clearly a jackass who just didn't allow himself to experience all the great things in that community.

Here's the thing, though. Starkville is also an amazing community. The reception my daughter and my family has received in Starkville has been warm, hospitable, and--most of all--genuine. The people there are non-pretentious, genuinely good people. They help anyone who needs help and welcome newcomers with open arms. When I first visited Starkville in August, I was NOT expecting to find what I found. I expected it to be a little hick town with a bunch of fried food and no culture. I could not have been more wrong. Every single person we met either in town or at the university was beyond hospitable to us. I was also pleasantly surprised at the quality of food/cocktails available in Starkville. The Sarah Smile at the Bin is one of the best cocktails I've ever tasted, and the food at King's Butcher Shop was top notch by ANY standard. There are several other excellent restaurants we've enjoyed in town. If you like good food and drink, you will find it in Starkvegas. The violent crime rate in Starkville is also quite low, which is definitely a plus for a mother whose daughter lives there.

My point is that if Napier didn't take the job at State because he and/or his wife could not live in Starkville on several millions of dollars per year, then State is way better off without him. In the end, State got a better coach in Mike Leach anyway. Not only is Leach a better coach, but it seems as if he truly WANTS to be in Starkville. As long as Leach wants to be there, the people will welcome him with open arms. I almost see the relationship potential between Leach and State as being similar to that of Joe Burrow and Louisiana--not a native, but if successful, expect to be fully embraced and adopted by the people.

I know this was a wordy post, but those are my thoughts as someone who has a bit of knowledge of both places.

[Tbonewannabe]

At the end of the day, Napier was going to be a short term rental unless he didn't do well. Napier hasn't shown that he can beat teams that have a talent advantage over him such as App State or MSU with Moorhead. He did compete well in all of his games this year but he doesn't have the track record for a blue blood to take a chance on him. If he doesn't interview before his bowl game then his options are going to be very limited in today's college football.

Leach is more of a proven commodity and he has beaten teams that he has a big talent disadvantage. It has possibly worked out the best for us.

[Lance Harbor]

I overheard a group of LSU fans talking yesterday (younger, probably college age) and they were raving about Leach. Literally said
"I'm gonna watch Mississippi State games now and definitely watch all the press conferences". So we have that going for us, which is nice.


Hiring Leach is oddly enough the biggest "splash" hire among the three. It's similar to us hiring Jackie Sherrill and probably bigger honestly. There are a lot of casual fans that just like Mike Leach because of his personality and offense. A lot of hardcore fans like his offense. How many coaches have "National Best Selling Author" in their bio and the President of the US actually knows him personally?

[TrapGame]

I can see Napier admitting twenty years from now that he should have taken the State job. I think the football gods actually smiled on us by missing on this guy. He would have been worse than Mullen with the job shopping. Leach elevates our program to a national level with his presence. Cohen knew as soon as he found out Leach was 100% legit in his interest to come to State that he needed to wrap him up ASAP. Napier thought he was the shit and we would cave to his demands. Leach became the primary candidate for the job and Napier found himself outside looking in.