Big 12 Football: How Long Will Texas Longhorn Fans Give Charlie Strong to Succeed?
By Zach Pugh
It sure seems odd gearing up for a Texas Longhorn season without Mack Brown at the helm. After 16 years with a national title, two conference championships and 14 winning seasons, the Mack Brown era ended this past December. The man’s resume is impressive. But we live in a college football world now where a head coach can have one bad season, regardless of circumstances, and immediately be put on the hot seat. After failing to produce a viable Big 12 contender for four straight years, Brown stepped down, and the Charlie Strong reign has begun.
Let’s take an outside view of the situation during Brown’s final season. As an outsider you can make the case the program hadn’t fallen too far from relevancy. 2010 was the only losing season the burnt orange had under Coach Brown since he came aboard in 1998.
The other side of that coin is during Mack’s last four years the Horns had an overall record of 30-20, going 18-17 in Big 12 play and 14-11 at home. The team had also lost their last eight home games against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25. It was also clear the coaching staff was having a difficult time developing the plethora of talent on the roster. Even season ticket sales had gone down from 84,500 to 76,300.
Understandably it was time for a change. But one has to wonder just how long Texas fans will tolerate seven, eight, or even nine win seasons under Coach Strong. This might be impossible, especially at Texas where there is no excuse for just being happy with bowl eligibility, but maybe fans and boosters should be patient with the process of a new regime.
Apr 19, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong reacts with corner back Quandre Diggs (6) during the Spring Game at Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Kensing at cfbhuddle.com pointed out in a recent article that people need to cool it with the overreaction to the current 34th ranked 2015 class according to Rivals. For starters, it’s only July, and there’s plenty of time for Strong to show potential recruits why they need to choose Texas with a good amount of wins in 2014, but Kyle also made another great point. Look back at Coach Strong’s first year with the Louisville Cardinals. His first class was ranked 49th in the nation, but jump ahead to 2011 and you’ll see a class ranked 29th, with a future NFL quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater included.
Texas has lacked consistency from the QB position the last four years, and while there’s no guarantee Strong can find another Bridgewater, at least he has a better track record than the status quo as of late in Austin.
Fans hate to hear this, but the simple fact is not every coach can rescue a team from the pit of despair immediately. It takes time to implement a new philosophy and system. Heck, even Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama ended with a 7-6 record.
Louisville was in bad shape when Charlie Strong arrived in 2009. The team had gone 5-7 in 08 and 4-8 in 09. Strong took the wounded Cardinals to back-to-back 7-6 seasons, recruited well, and took down the Florida Gators in the 2013 Sugar Bowl and finished with 12 wins last season. If Strong can turn around the Cardinals in a few short years, why is it not plausible to suggest he can do the same at Texas where his resources are far greater?
Just how long will Longhorn fans give Charlie Strong, and how will they define success? Would back-to-back seven win seasons, but solid progress on the recruiting trail be enough? How about a couple mediocre bowl victories while showing signs of improvement? Does any of this matter as long as Texas beats Oklahoma every season in the Red River Rivalry? Are fans expecting the next Teddy Bridgewater? What about a much better defensive performance, decent QB play, a smashing running game, and a couple nine win seasons? Will fans wait for that third or fourth year to see if the building has paid off?