I'm not sure if anyone on the board has ever visited Tucson but it is basically a glorified truck stop in Arizona. The program at Arizona has had no life for several years. The only news you will hear is about U of A football is the latest bar fights, marijuana arrests, and spousal abuse charges. The U of A program was run into the ground by Dick Tomey and John Mackovic for the last 6 years. Mike Stoops in a short time has reenergized the city of Tucson in his first year beating his rival (one of my Alma Matters Louisiana St. B.S./Arizona St. M.B.A.) when they were ranked in the top 15. From his days at OU, Stoops has built tremendous contacts in Texas and exploits every one of them. Right now he is on the verge of bringing in a top 10 recruiting class to a school that used to be lucky if they beat out San Diego St. or UTEP for a kid. The facilities at U of A are terrible, the fan base is small, and the football tradition is minimal. Stoops is working hard to get over these challenges in recruiting and on the field. I love both LSU and Arizona State. I think it would be great for Stoops to stay at U of A to raise the bar for ASU but he will not be in Tucson for long. Stoops will be at a big time program (next year he will for sure be gone) and will do a great job. Here are some of the other candidates LSU is considering: Pat Hill-I live on the West Coast and have watched several Fresno State games. Pat Hill recruits the major programs don’t want to take a chance on. He also has never had a complete season. His teams always play to the level of the competition and you will never see Fresno in a big bowl. Petrino-Has done a great job at Louisville with John L. Smith’s players. I would hold off to watch how Louisville does in the Big East with the players that he has recruited. Butch Davis-Let’s be honest…A lot of coaches could win at Miami. Do you the current Miami coach is that good? I think I could win 10 games with a program that puts 7-8 players in the first round of the draft. I have no doubt that LSU will make the right decision with who they hire but here is my 2 cents. Big brother has made the Stoops name well recognized in college football and will give LSU a recognized coach. Stoops is using U of A as a stepping stone ($25,000 contract buyout) to make his way to a big time college program. If he is not gone this year he will be gone next and rumor has is he wants a Big 12, Big 10, or SEC job. Take a chance (like LSU did on Saban) and bring in a young coach with fire and passion that will be at LSU for a long time.
So you want LSU to go without a coach for a whole year to see how Petrino does? I agree about Stoops, what he has done at Arizona is astonishing in terms of recruiting. He must be an amazing personality and superb recruiter to boost Arizona to top 10 status. I would have to guess his coaching skills are good too from his background, but I have not had a chance to watch any game films from this year. We could do a lot worse that is for sure.
