I was a bit leery of Kragthorpe when I heard his name being mentioned so frequently in regards to the new OC. Didn't seem like he had exactly been stellar at any of his previous stops. However, he does have a lot of experience, particularly with QBs. And he was able to turn things around at Tulsa. So I'm feeling a lot better about him now. I have to wonder why Miles would pass on someone like Fuente, who's been phenomenal at his current post. But it seems more and more like he wanted someone who was in congruence with his offensive style. Perhaps that isn't the case with Fuente, and Miles sensed another Crowton-type situation in the future. I guess there really is no rule that states that someone has to be the hottest name on the market to come in and be successful. Look at Jim McElwain, for example. He has a similar track record as Kragthorpe, and wasn't a hire that blew everybody away. But his success at bama speaks for itself. I think that having Kragthorpe running the show now will give us something that we've been lacking for the past 3 seasons. . .an offensive identity. Crowton was constantly switching formations and gameplans, and it never allowed our guys to find themselves. He was always so consumed with fooling the defense that our offense could never find a groove. You just have to figure out what you're good at and stick with it. I never thought that I would long for the predictability of a Jimbo offense until Crowton's identity crisis. Anyway, welcome aboard, Coach Kragthorpe!
Well, I for one don't think I'll speculate too much here on this hire. I think it is in our best interest to see what he is capable with the talent level he is inheriting. This appears to be the most talent "in college" that he's seen. I just hope he knows how to take advantage of it!
He had Brian Brohm for his senior year at Louisville, which was his best year by far. He went from just over 3,000 yards in 2006 to just over 4,000 in 2007. 2007 - Louisville Brian Brohm - 4,024 yards, 30 TDs, 12 INTs, 152.43 QB rating 2006 - Tulsa Paul Smith - 2,727 yards, 15 TDs, 9 INTs, 141.02 QB rating 2005 - Tulsa Paul Smith - 2,835 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs, 142.62 QB rating 2004 - Tulsa James Killian - 2,242 yards, 13 TDs, 16 INTs, 113.72 QB rating 2003 - Tulsa James Killian - 2,217 yards, 22 TDs, 11 INTs, 128.35 QB rating 2000 - Texas A&M Mark Farris - 2,551 yards, 10 TDs, 9 INTs, 126.02 QB rating 1999 - Texas A&M Randy McCown - 2,374 yards, 14 TDs, 10 INTs, 128.0 QB rating
How do you figure thats crowton part II? His offeneses improve by the ends of his terms, except for at Louisiville which he was the OC and lost two of the best QB's in the country in back to back years.
If we would have had Kragthorpe's worst QB, we would have still won the national championship this past year.
Kragthorpe may in fact be a very good QB coach, but considering his HCing stints, it has been a decade since he has primary been a QB coach. I suppose it's like riding a bike.... CSK wasn't even in my top 5 wishes for the OC position, but I trust that CLM knows what he is doing and has picked the right man for the job. Welcome to Tigertown Coach Kragthorpe - here's to a long and prosperous tenure in Baton Rouge.
