Since rumors are encouraged

[SteelCurtain74]

I was speaking with a friend of mine yesterday and she mentioned she was on a Zoom call with Favre. The topic of the USM coaching search came up. Favre was asked who USM should hire and he said they should consider Deion Sanders. Deion is apparently looking to get into college coaching. Another friend pointed me to this post from 2019 on Deion's Twitter and a post from the 247 message board.

https://mobile.twitter.com/deionsanders/status/1155483521282125830?lang=en

https://247sports.com/college/southern-mississippi/Board/105167/Contents/Prime-Times-Son-on-Campus-Today-133963028/

Apparently USM has/had been recruiting his son. I'm not trying to indicate he'll even be considered but it is 2020 and stranger things could happen I guess. I would imagine if Favre gets involved it could lead to at least an interview.

[ShotgunDawg]

If they're looking for Favre's advice on who they should hire & actually consider Deion, they're done as a program.

Absolutely done.

Their search should include a call to Hugh Freeze to feel him out & an immediate call to Will Hall if Freeze turns it down.

Considering Deion is ridiculous. He'd suck

[Leroy Jenkins]

Prime doesn't strike me as the type to put in 80 hrs a week coaching, recruiting, doing events, pressing the flesh with boosters, etc...

[Ari Gold]

The have a President problem at USM...

[viverlibre]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans.

Why?

[msu15]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

Lol, this isn't 2005 anymore bud.

[Really Clark?]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

No, just...no.

[parabrave]

Well one thing in Freezes favor of leaving Liberty for USM is that his favorite foursome partners just lost their jobs at Liberty. And I aint talking bout Golf.

[Cooterpoot]

USM isn't hiring Freeze or Sanders.

[Cooterpoot]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.
You've lost your 17ing mind.

[CadaverDawg]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

https://media.tenor.com/images/3cd066bf9b308c5189e16f5748bc56ef/tenor.gif

Nick Saban wouldn't scare me at USM

[confucius say]

They could do a lot worse than hiring steve Campbell, south Alabama's coach

[ShotgunDawg]

They could do a lot worse than hiring steve Campbell, south Alabama's coach

South Al's talent is really down. Campbell can coach but I think the recruiting thing is tough for him.

USM needs to embrace the young, up and comer. They keep looking for their Jeff Bower that is a good coach that will stay there for 10 years, but the Power 5 is just paying too much money for that to happen in this era.

If Bower were winning at USM in today's era, he would've been hired away for $4 mil by a power immediately. The financial gap wasn't as big when he was at USM as it is now

[Commercecomet24]

No, just...no.

This. Usm is a d2 school now playing in d1. No "recruiter" is gonna fix their lack of funds, facilities and awful fam support. They really should go d2 they'd be good there.

[Really Clark?]

South Al's talent is really down. Campbell can coach but I think the recruiting thing is tough for him.

USM needs to embrace the young, up and comer. They keep looking for their Jeff Bower that is a good coach that will stay there for 10 years, but the Power 5 is just paying too much money for that to happen in this era.

If Bower were winning at USM in today's era, he would've been hired away for $4 mil by a power immediately. The financial gap wasn't as big when he was at USM as it is now

South Alabama is doing pretty good so far this year, beating Tulane right now

[Cooterpoot]

South Al's talent is really down. Campbell can coach but I think the recruiting thing is tough for him.

USM needs to embrace the young, up and comer. They keep looking for their Jeff Bower that is a good coach that will stay there for 10 years, but the Power 5 is just paying too much money for that to happen in this era.

If Bower were winning at USM in today's era, he would've been hired away for $4 mil by a power immediately. The financial gap wasn't as big when he was at USM as it is now

Bower was never so good a big school would want him.

[Todd4State]

1. Hugh Freeze isn't recruiting like he did at Ole Miss. We all know why. Unless USM has a Network and judging by attendance they don't- he'll recruit about the same at USM as he is at Liberty. At any rate again- unless he just wants to come back to Mississippi I don't see him taking a pay cut and a worse situation than the one he is already in.

2. Deion Sanders? LOL. I will say that Deion was an incredibly hard worker as a player which doesn't really match his on the field persona. He's also a hard worker with only HS OC experience. It would be a huge risk that would probably bury their program.

3. USM is going to hire an OC or DC. Although if I were them I would kick the tires on Rich Rodriguez and see if he would take the million. That's probably the best they could do. I'd also add Kentucky's DC, Brad White to their list of candidates if I were them.

[Todd4State]

South Alabama is doing pretty good so far this year, beating Tulane right now

I think Campbell brought in a lot of his players from MGCCC and he has been recruiting a ton of high school talent from the coast. I hope he does well there.

As far as the USM job goes it's about the same as Freeze to me. He's only taking it if he just wants to go back to Mississippi. And I don't see that happening either.

[msbulldog]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

The mustard buzzards don't have the network Mississippi has. Matter of fact they don't have much money.

[viverlibre]

Why?

With lesser talent he beat Saban twice and won the Sugar Bowl.

[Ari Gold]

With lesser talent he beat Saban twice and won the Sugar Bowl.

He had more talent and lost to Memphis and arky , and had a Chick-fil-a blowout loss the previous year ..
and look where that program is and has been the last 3 -4 years since he “resigned”
The Freeze cult lives...

[Saltydog]

Will Hall would be a great hire for them.......

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

1. Hugh Freeze isn't recruiting like he did at Ole Miss. We all know why. Unless USM has a Network and judging by attendance they don't- he'll recruit about the same at USM as he is at Liberty. At any rate again- unless he just wants to come back to Mississippi I don't see him taking a pay cut and a worse situation than the one he is already in.

2. Deion Sanders? LOL. I will say that Deion was an incredibly hard worker as a player which doesn't really match his on the field persona. He's also a hard worker with only HS OC experience. It would be a huge risk that would probably bury their program.

3. USM is going to hire an OC or DC. Although if I were them I would kick the tires on Rich Rodriguez and see if he would take the million. That's probably the best they could do. I'd also add Kentucky's DC, Brad White to their list of candidates if I were them.

+1 to this general idea- there's a lot of solid DCs and I'm sure many have the people skills and organizational abilities to be a good HC. However, unless you're a DC at a blue blood no P5 team will hire you. It's far easier for an OC to get a HC job.

Find a middling P5 team with consistent respectable defenses and see which one of their DC's would make a good HC. USM needs competence, recruiting, and fan excitement. AFTER a coach gives them that, they can look for a splash hire they think has a high ceiling

Obviously, I hope they F it up again though lol

[basedog]

USM is not going to improve regardless who they hire. They have terrible facilities and no fan support. Fact is, they are dying on the vine with enrollment, dorms are terrible and when you are headed south in money raised and need of upgrades it equals disasters! It's the whole University not just athletics.

[1bigdawg]

USM's budget last year ws under $26MM. They are basically tied for last in CUSA and even behind all but two of the Sun Belt. For comparison, here are some DII teams:

Virginia Commonwealth $35MM+
Stony Brook $35MM+
James Madison $52MM+
UMass $49MM+

Even if they could afford $1MM for a head coach, he would not have enough money to hire good assistants, or certainly to keep them. It will be VERY difficult for them to hire a P5 coordinator with their budget and support.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

With lesser talent he beat Saban twice and won the Sugar Bowl.

Lesser talent? Overall maybe but on offense that wasn't lesser talent. He's not getting anything close to that at USM. The top kids Instate aren't choosing USM over MSU or OM.

[viverlibre]

They should just say f' it and hire Favre.

[Todd4State]

USM is not going to improve regardless who they hire. They have terrible facilities and no fan support. Fact is, they are dying on the vine with enrollment, dorms are terrible and when you are headed south in money raised and need of upgrades it equals disasters! It's the whole University not just athletics.

You're right. And even worse they literally have zero fan base to draw from that is under the age of 40. They're all supporting MSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, or LSU and then just want to see USM do well.

[Todd4State]

+1 to this general idea- there's a lot of solid DCs and I'm sure many have the people skills and organizational abilities to be a good HC. However, unless you're a DC at a blue blood no P5 team will hire you. It's far easier for an OC to get a HC job.

Find a middling P5 team with consistent respectable defenses and see which one of their DC's would make a good HC. USM needs competence, recruiting, and fan excitement. AFTER a coach gives them that, they can look for a splash hire they think has a high ceiling

Obviously, I hope they F it up again though lol

Correct. But the thing is most of USM's candidates are either guys from Oklahoma State or G5 coordinators. Which says a lot.

[tribaldawg]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

Seriously? USM has little to no recruiting budget to sign random 5 star players from around the country. Freeze would be a non-issue at USM.

[Todd4State]

Seriously? USM has little to no recruiting budget to sign random 5 star players from around the country. Freeze would be a non-issue at USM.

Exactly. They need their Network to get to the 1 million for the head coach and the 1.7 for the assistants. I honestly had no idea how bad off their budget was until Hopson got fired. They're actually doing pretty well considering to be honest with you.

[Todd4State]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

Just now seeing this. Freeze would not scare the heck out of me as a MSU fan or Ole Miss fans. Do you know how much dirt Ole Miss has on him? That alone would keep him at bay from any of their recruits. He's also not taking any of our recruits either. How many Mississippi guys that we wanted did he legitimately outrecruit Dan Mullen for that he didn't have to pay or was an Ole Miss legacy like Rawlings or Buchanan? Now he's going to clean Leach out without the money in a lesser conference with a team that we have beaten by at least three scores the last three times we played them?

If he was really that great of a recruiter he would be pulling 1-2 four stars a year at Liberty. And he's not doing that now. Even with Virginia Tech in a downswing maybe and Virginia's academic standards. He's going to look good because he can pad Liberty's schedule with New Mexico State and Old Dominion which he won't be able to do at USM.

And yes, Liberty will easily match USM in salary. In fact if his name seriously comes up for the job that's most likely what he's looking to do. Heck Freeze's salary as it is right now is 2 million a year which would mean it would cost USM almost their entire coaching budget to even get him to think about going to USM.

[TUSK]

With lesser talent he beat Saban twice and won the Sugar Bowl.

This is technically correct.

[Todd4State]

This is technically correct.

Technically 2015 was a fluke. Alabama had 70 more yards of total offense but what killed Alabama were the five turnovers. Ole Miss won the game where they had only one sack and 8 (which is a good total)TFL's.

Anyway- no matter who was coaching Ole Miss it's very obvious that winning like that isn't sustainable. Turnovers are pretty random events that are somewhat out of the control of the two teams to a degree.

[StarkVegasSteve]

USM needs to find the money and go pay Will Hall. Otherwise, they need to seriously consider dropping to the FCS level, and honestly they may want to consider that regardless.

[TUSK]

Right, Todd. That is what I meant. Plus they had the ball bouncing off the helmet TD😖

I think Gus drew up that play...

[gravedigger]

Freezus at USM should scare the heck out of MSU and UM fans. Fortunately, I think he makes more at Liberty than USM can match.

Speak for yourself. It wasn't Freeze's coaching that made them successful.

[SteelCurtain74]

At this point I don't think USM brings anything to the table in regards to joining the Sunbelt Conference or any other conference. Even joining a different conference doesn't necessarily solve their money issues. FCS is probably the best route but their pride will prevent it from happening, even to their detriment.

[Todd4State]

Right, Todd. That is what I meant. Plus they had the ball bouncing off the helmet TD��

I think Gus drew up that play...

Luckiest play I have ever seen. I hated that they did well because I can't stand Freeze and his blasphemy. Of course what came around went around.


At this point I don't think USM brings anything to the table in regards to joining the Sunbelt Conference or any other conference. Even joining a different conference doesn't necessarily solve their money issues. FCS is probably the best route but their pride will prevent it from happening, even to their detriment.

I agree. Basically they were just one of the first of the G5 teams to have success and make the move to D1 and so they have a much longer history than even a La Tech who has been at it for awhile.