Crossfire with McPhaul - 11/06/2013

[HornSports Staff]

 

Well folks, I told you a lot was going on week and come to find out there was a TON of stuff going on this week. In this installment of "Crossfire" I will share with you information that some of my "connected friends of the program" have shared with me. Of course we'll talk about the hiring of Steve Patterson and what that means for Mack and everyone else at Bellmont and what it means in the Saban sweepstakes. We will also talk about Joe Jamail and his role today with UT Athletics today (is he disengaged? is he engaged? is Mack safe if he runs the table?) And of course we will talk about Saban and even engage in some rumors that are going on. Some of the stuff is insightful. Some of it is enlightening. Some of it is thought-provoking. But ALL of it is found this week in the "Crossfire."

 

First let's talk about the hiring of Steve Patterson. According to my source Texas will always go through the "Process" of a formal vetting. That's not to say there aren't front runners going in to the process due to school affiliation, relationships, reputations and experience. My contact felt that Luck had everything going for him until they got to the point where the decision makers got to sit across the table from the candidates. That made a HUGE difference as the interviewing process unfolded. My contact went on to say, "I know a lot of folks that know Luck very well and they to a person find him a bit cold!" My contact went on to say, "one dad said he found Oliver to be condescending towards Andrew's teammates at Stratford. This guy's son was actually an o-lineman for Andrew!" He went on to say, "So I'm not surprised Luck may have not made the best impression. Steve on the other hand is my kinda guy. He can converse with the Paul Allens of the world as well as the kid holding the Parab for the in-house feed at a Texans' game." He went on to say, "I'll put it this way; from what I've heard and what I've observed, Oliver Luck will quickly tell you he's the smartest guy in the room and then try to converse with you from that position. Patterson will converse with you for awhile, hardly ever saying anything and when you walk away it hits you, you WERE just speaking to the smartest guy in the room."

 

Keep in mind, there were reports last week that "the Houston Lunch Bunch" was the driving force for bringing Patterson back home to Texas. And if you subscribe to that theory then keep in mind "the King" of the "Houston Lunch Bunch" is STILL big, bad Joe Jamail. My contact shared with me, "Joe is doing MUCH better health-wise then I had been left to believe." My contact tells me, "Contrary to belief, Joe was intimately involved with the AD Search and ultimately he will be involved with the Head Coach search as well because of the money Joe has given to the program in the past, and the money he will be giving to the program and University in the future." He went on to say, "In contrast, Red & Jim Bob are out of the loop right now." My contact continued with ,"the AD Search Committee was a smoke screen. The real AD Search Committee were the "new money guys" who were doing the real leg work on behalf of Joe and the University."

 

More on Joe as it pertains to the LHN; as many of you are already aware, Joe Jamail was INTIMATELY involved with the UT General Counsel and DeLoss on LHN negotiations. What I've learned is the financial projections add up to an even LARGER pay-out should we go Independent. In light of potential Head Coaching changes in the near future as it pertains to Football & Basketball, along with possible change in conference affiliation or altogether going Independent in Football, do not be surprised if in the near future we renegotiate into an even MORE lucrative deal for the University than it is today.

 

Funny thing about the negotiation, we didn't go with a large accounting firm during the negotiation of the LHN because we didn't want to risk the wrong set of eyeballs getting sight of what was actually going on between UT and ESPN during these negotiations. My contact then said, "It is known that the Big 4 Accounting Firms don't have many Aggies on their payroll however there is just enough of them for their to be a concern that a zealot Aggie would risk his license, reputation, financial well-being, and even legacy to be an "Aggie Hero" to expose UT while these negotiations were going on- ridiculous thought however understandably so knowing what Aggie is capable of!"

 

Now on to Saban- don't underestimate the relationship between Tillerson & Saban. Apparently there are some oil & gas deals where Saban has already been "hooked-up" with already with penalty clauses associated with them just in case Saban is NOT the next Head Coach at the University of Texas. Expect an awful lot of smoke screens on this front in the days ahead. More on Saban. I get a lot of questions from folks asking, "Darrell, what does Luck losing out to Patterson mean on the Saban front? Is Saban a lost cause?" My answer is an EMPHATIC NO! Since we're talking about smoke and Saban, here's a nice little factoid for you: did y'all know that Nick Saban and Steve Patterson have a hunting lease together. Probably not if you aren't reading "Crossfire."

 

Now on to rumors. Last night I get an email from a friend of the program and site asking if there is any validity to Mack possibly announcing his retirement in the next couple of weeks. Well, apparently one rumor has the Longhorn Network actually putting together a "tribute" to Mack Brown and his accomplishments set to air in the up-coming weeks. My knee-jerk reaction was ABSOLUTELY NOT! And then something interesting happened on

the way to the circus- Steve Patterson (who has an uncanny knack of firing people in established organizations) is announced as the next AD at UT. Well I must admit, the timing is very coincidental. On the flip-side, I hear that with Jamail being re-engaged with the decision-making process, perhaps if Mack runs the table he can retain his job if Saban doesn't accept the position?

 

Saban on the Patterson hire..... Saban likes the patterson hire...Sexton told some of our BMD's that the only guys he would work for was Long(from Ark.), Castiglione, Patterson,Haden, or Ray Tanner (from South Carolina). Haden and Castiglione were out from the get go. Tanner is a USC guy and didnt want to leave. Long, Patterson, and Luck were the last 3 standing. Luck was the guy alot of the current regime wanted. His political stance actually helped powers and Mack.

 

Before anyone goes and sucks on the end of a shotgun please note that AT THIS TIME I am sticking with my 60% chance that Saban is coaching at the 40 Acres come '14 but ANYTHING is possible. If we cannot get the guy we truly want, perhaps we hold-off a year and let Mack finish-out on his terms? Do I think that is the case? No, but like I said, "anything is possible!" Knowing Steve Patterson's history I don't think that's the case.

 

UT Hoops News from Shaunsters regarding the current coaching situation...

 

Talked to a very good source this week, asked him about the current coaching situation and what Texas will look for in a new coach...

 

He simply stated to me that in his opinion it's going to get interesting...

 

Buzz Williams is the popular name and most likely the favorite right now for the job.

 

Shaka Smart is a name being thrown around but not much legs right now on that one. We don't know how his style would fit at Texas. Full court press, sometime a slow offense style.

 

We at Horn Sports have talked about these two previously...

 

But the surprise name... I have heard he would at least listen if Texas called. Billy Donovan. Yes that Billy Donovan of Florida... The first thing I said was no way. Won't happen. Hell, he turned down Kentucky a few years ago. The story behind that, is Billy didn't want to have all the pressure on him to rebuild Kentucky. Billy isn't that type of coach... So he got a nice raise and stayed at Florida. But the smoke and rumors coming out is that Billy D. knows as long as he is at Florida he will always be behind.

 

Now why Texas?

 

-A log of talent in a basketball rich state

-The support and help of former players is something Florida dosent have right now. This helps recruiting a lot

-Money. A bit more money is never a bad thing

-The chance to lead a sleeping giant into being a Top 5 program in the country year in and year out

-No pressure on him

 

And he knows he will be given any and every chance to make this a powerhouse again.

 

One last side note on this... Will this happen for sure? Probably not. Will Billy D. flirt with Texas maybe just to get a raise? Most likely. But if one of the best college coaches is interested and let's you know he is, you go after him. I didn't just hear this info from one person either. Smoke could soon be rising.

 

 

Until next week,

 

--McPhaul

Edited November 6, 2013 by bbdude
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[Treadmoney]

First

[Nakona Horn]

So Joe Jamail is running things now? Outside of the LHN/Independence projections and aggy accountants, this isn't good as of today.

 

I don't even know what way is up anymore.

[o5prey]

Thanks for the report McPhaul -

 

I'm all for Saban -I just feel like the percentages are so much lower than I want them to be to either get him or another one of the big name coaches that keeps getting tossed around. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[o5prey]

I would agree Nakona, Jamail being really involved doesn't seem like anything that's a positive for moving along the path that most of us want right now.

[The Tower]

You were three minutes late! :-)

 

Just kidding of course.

 

What is your reaction of JS's latest comments from BC in regards to how "Mack is rallying the troops for one last year of fixing..." I can't believe Mack wants one more year of fixing...

 

Thanks McPhaul.

[CoachBobbyFinstock]

If Jamail is leading the charge bank on MBTF for the foreseeable future.

 

Vomit.

[theknighttrain]

Jamail is passed his time to big-wig, just like Mack.

Please ride off into the sunset on the UT Club golf carts. Golf is a lot less stressful.

[3xhorndad]

Great work...enjoy your insights.....Keep em coming

[McQ]

So Joe Jamail is running things now? Outside of the LHN/Independence projections and aggy accountants, this isn't good as of today.

 

I don't even know what way is up anymore.

 

This. There are so many reports out there going in so many different directions, it's hard to tell what's really going on.

 

Thanks for the report, McPhaul. Interesting note about the LHN. I doubt we would break the GOR, but anything is possible.

[MexCellent]

Thanks for the info.

 

I'm new to the site and appreciate the info you always give.

 

HOOK'EM!!!!

 

MC

[chobs713]

What are your thoughts on the AP report last night on Saban? I feel like for this move to go down it needs to be quiet and not in the public eye. Is it just a ploy by Sexton to get a raise?

[RC2P]

Thanks for the insight. At this point, I get the feeling we should pay attention to the things we hear about the least. All the rest is likely to be misdirection.

[stevehookem]

60% chance of Saban coming is really no better than saying "maybe he will, maybe he won't". I still consider 60% to be essentially 50% with a bit of hope thrown in. If you had said 75% or 80%, then we're talking better odds. Right now, I have stopped thinking it will be Saban. More likely at this point---Mack stays.

[o5prey]

stevehookem - Yeah I'd agree with your thought there.

 

If someone was giving me an even money bet - betting against Saban being our coach seems like the easy bet, I'd lay a couple of thousand on that easy.

[Regulator20]

Thanks for the update.

Joe being involved again doesn't give me much hope that Mack is out and Saban is in but I'm hoping for the best. Wouldn't a Mack announcement now fuel the fire of rumors of Saban coming to Texas? In my mind this wouldn't be a good situation for Nick while in mid-season. I'm hoping this distraction and attention doesn't cost us getting Saban

[Chitownhorn]

Thanks for your insight. It will be very interesting to see how Patterson bonds with the BMD's, especially JJ. My guess and it is only a guess is that Mac is waiting till all hope is gone and they can't win the Big 12 to make any announcement and until then the noise will continue.

[kmglass90]

Great read. I'm for Saban as coach, as much as I'll miss Mack. But I'm with you.. I'm at a 50-60% chance of that happening. I can't wait to see what happens though.

[CJHorn15]

I believe with Patterson's knowledge and ties to basketball his list of candidates might be a lot different than guys like Smart, Buzz, or Donovan. I hope his first call would be to Self.

[Hornitos]

Good stuff McPhaul. I like your new angle on things we've heard before. This seems like very reasonable expectations from you and your sources.

[Lord Vader]

First

 

What is the point of/backstory on everyone doing this exactly?

[Lord Vader]

I would agree Nakona, Jamail being really involved doesn't seem like anything that's a positive for moving along the path that most of us want right now.

 

Feel the same way. Prepare for fan Armageddon

[Brasky]

Briles will fire Mack and possibly hire himself in just a few weeks. Would love Saban too but it just seems far fetched.

 

If Jamail was the one who hired Patterson then maybe he's not going to tie his hands and if he was going to would Patterson have taken the job? MY guess without knowing either person or anything about them or how they think or what they would do in any given situation is that Patterson would have turned it down. So take that for what it's worth.

[Shaunsters]

Self let us know a few years ago he would be interested. But after the past year or so. Highly doubt that happens.

 

Just to let you know Patterson would never turn down Billy D. It just wouldn't happen

[utparothed]

Thanks for your insight. It will be very interesting to see how Patterson bonds with the BMD's, especially JJ. My guess and it is only a guess is that Mac is waiting till all hope is gone and they can't win the Big 12 to make any announcement and until then the noise will continue.

 

Patterson's had one or two high profile positions here in Houston and has spent plenty of time around the big money folks. I'd bet that he and Joe have bumped into and have probably butted heads with each other a time or two and that he's extremely familiar with the Jamail SOP.