Quasi-OT: there is a private flight scheduled from Clemson to Charlottesville this afternoon
December 10th, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
I have now changed my life goals. Never become so famous that people track private flights you may or may not be on. The good news is, I am 100% on pace of achieving this goal.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:01 PM ^
An old man's suggestion, if I may? Consider tweaking that goal a bit as follows:
Unless you're pretty insecure (and don't value your or your family's privacy) fame can truly suck. Living in a fish bowl is awful.
A more palatable goal (that is, if something like the following possibly matters to you)? Go for the "quiet" fortune. Make it, like how you made it, then find a way to enjoy it and give some enjoyment to your family and a few deserving/others.
Summarizing? Forget fame, go for fortune.
- end quiet rant.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
Thank you for sharing this, HighBeta. I think it's great advice.
A middle-aged man's add-on would be to make your quiet fortune with a profitable solution to the one of the world's problems. Money is great, but it feels so much better when your profit and purpose are aligned.
- end quiet add-on
December 10th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
Yes, if you genuinely feel good (and "clean" and "honorable") about how you made it, it's worth much more. Absolutely.
December 10th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
“All I want is money, f the fame, I’m a simple man.” -Tupac
December 10th, 2021 at 12:50 PM ^
Or become so rich and famous that you can afford to send out decoy jets to throw them off the scent of you actual jet
December 10th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
Here is my FlightAware track from Wednesday. It is quite apparent that I am going nowhere, but I am getting there fast.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:39 AM ^
It doesn’t mean for sure that Gattis is staying here. There still could be another opportunity for him. Honestly I would really want him to stay, but I think that we would be OK without him. My biggest concern would be if he got a head-coaching job now, how would it disrupt the playoff preparation.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:42 AM ^
Agreed. It does not seem like he will be around forever but staying through the playoffs would be great and one more year even better.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^
I just want him focused on finishing THIS job and beating GA.
if he leaves now it really hurts our chances
He is currently under contract with Michigan, he should be focused on Winning the next game
December 10th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
Well, there's still Duke. But I don't think I'd be real into the Duke job if I were Gattis (or any up-and-coming coordinator.)
I think we'll keep Gattis for another year. But probably only another year. I think another year of marinating and he'll be ready.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:53 AM ^
The one thing that makes Duke intriguing is that Gattis is from Durham, so he would be going home. That said, Duke is an awful program. He can do much, much better.
December 10th, 2021 at 1:41 PM ^
Looks like Jason Garret could be the guy at Duke. https://twitter.com/suzykolber/status/1469361431099367425?s=21
December 10th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
My biggest concern would be him taking someone else from the staff with him. No idea if he would or if they would go, but I want as little attrition as possible.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Paronid minds think alike, and apparently at the same time.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
Plus he may take some of the staff with cordinator promotions.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:40 AM ^
I remember when we were doing this with Harbaugh. Good times.
December 10th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
You sweet, summer child. Many of us remember doing this with Les Miles and Ferentz and Rich Rod (oh, my!).
December 10th, 2021 at 11:41 AM ^
Who needs the FAA when you have MGoBlog on the job?
December 10th, 2021 at 11:42 AM ^
There are plenty of other open HC jobs that will be considering Gattis.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:51 AM ^
You mean this year? Sure, there will be more openings, and he will be considered. If he is being selective, I think most of the big programs that are going to open up already have, and have already filled the vacancy.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
Good, call me selfish, but I would love to get another year from this coaching staff. Keep building on this winning culture. Still know and understand these coaches all strive to run their own program. Just maybe not until the following year huh....
When Gattis does leave, who gets the OC? Weiss?
December 10th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
I think Moore gets the title. He's the assistant other teams would be most likely to poach. Weiss would probably become the passing game coordinator.
Moore already has the co-OC title. It wouldn't be easy to keep him after catapulting Weiss ahead of him.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
I know nothing about this, but I've read about an interview where Dabo emphasizes leaving 'the right way' a bunch of times, and I'm wondering if Elliott didn't feel like he really had a choice.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
This really makes me nostalgic of the flight tracker days of the coaching search lol. It’s not nearly as fun now that ADs and coaches have their searches so buttoned up via back channels that we don’t even learn about Riley to USC or Kelly to ND until ink has already hit paper
December 10th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
If I'm Gattis, I hold out for the Big Job--Florida or something. I think these guys take jobs at schools that have zero chance of changing their historical culture.
Michigan isn't the only one expecting athletes to be students--I'm sure Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, etc do as well.
Why not hold out for the best jobs--they come open routinely, or at least at a school that has some tradition that you can build on???
Not only dat--but those bigger schools, better jobs, allow you to attract a better staff as well, I'm sure.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
I mean, it's pretty rare for a top schools to hire someone without prior head coaching experience. Ryan Day was hand-picked by Urban, and Kirby Smart coordinated the country's best defense for almost a decade. That's about it for coordinators who get mega-jobs as their first head coaching gig. Coordinators have to strike while the iron is hot -- who knows if the offense struggles next year, and he's not as marketable.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
I know--just a thought. I mean, you're already making a mill--
Plus, MY OPINION ONLY--but you are at a school like Michigan, which i always gonna give you talent--so keep going on that train for a bit til something really good opens up.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
I know--just a thought. I mean, you're already making a mill--
Plus, MY OPINION ONLY--but you are at a school like Michigan, which i always gonna give you talent--so keep going on that train for a bit til something really good opens up.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:50 PM ^
Is it really that rare? Off the top of my head - outside of Ryan Day and Kirby Smart, you have guys Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, Tom Herman at Texas, Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame in recent years.
Besides that, you can always count on a place like USC or Miami or Florida State or Texas to be looking for a new head coach in a few years.
December 10th, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
Herman was the head coach of Houston before UT.
Day, Riley and Freeman were hired as assistants and then promoted when their boss moved on.
Smart's the only one of those who was hired, as a coordinator, directly to another school's HC job.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
UVA won their division and played in an Orange Bowl in 2019. UVA is making a point to hire an up and comer (whether Elliott or Gattis), and if that new hire has similar success early, they will have plenty of bigger jobs interested.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
They lost that conference championship game by 45 points, and the Orange Bowl took them because the ACC was really weak beyond Clemson.
They went 9-3 with a non-conference schedule of William & Mary, Old Dominion, and Liberty (and Notre Dame, depending upon if you consider them an ACC team or not).
Besides Clemson, every team in the ACC that year finished with 5 or more losses.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:19 PM ^
- Expectations are low
- The conference is not too challenging
- It is possible to have success
It is not too difficult to imagine someone coming in, winning 6-7 games for a couple years before exploding into a 9-10 win Top 25 team. They'll get a ton of credit for doing so and will then get a chance at a big job. Not saying it will work out that way, but I think the interest is there because coaches like Gattis see it as a big possibility, especially with having to a replace a retired, not fired, coach
December 10th, 2021 at 12:10 PM ^
It's fairly rare for a coordinator to get a good Power 5 job without HC experience.
Personally, I think he'd be better off taking a Group of 5 job, where he can (hopefully) excel and that can act as a springboard to a good Power 5 position.
The problem with taking a job like Virginia is that you can do a really good job and still end up 8-4 or 9-3. The ACC isn't great, but Virginia is a basketball school who routinely gets out-recruited in their own back yard.
If their next coach can win more than 60.8% of their games, he'd be the best coach in the last 60 years. (Art Guepe went 47-17-2 from 1946-1952). Note: 60.8% was Brady Hoke's winning percentage at Michigan.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
Pretty sure a HC that gets UVa to 8-4 to 9-3 range consistently would have a job for life...
December 10th, 2021 at 12:41 PM ^
Sure, as long as he wanted to stay in Charlottesville. (Which, maybe he does; it's a beautiful town). But if your goal is to win championships, I don't see it as a good choice. 9-3 is good enough to stay employed but likely not good enough to get a lot of interest from top teams.
To reiterate what I say below: James Franklin was a major outlier. Franklin built a house of smoke and mirrors at Vanderbilt, where he was propped up by being in the ESS-EEE-SEE despite the fact that he never actually beat any good SEC teams. They had one win over an opponent that was ranked when they played (#15 Georgia in 2013); Georgia finished the season unranked. They beat Florida that year too, but Florida was awful in 2013 -- that was the year they managed to lose to Georgia Southern.
The next Virginia coach isn't going to get that same benefit of the doubt.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
It wouldn’t be that different from Franklin (who Gattis coached under) taking the HC job at Vanderbilt as a stepping stone to PSU.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:32 PM ^
Franklin is very much the exception, not the rule.
December 10th, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
Flight Watch always reminds me of...
December 10th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
We always tell players to come back for one more year to increase their draft stock. Well, in a way, a coordinator coming back after one really good year will only increase their value if they duplicate their performance. It’s best to come back and increase your value if you think you can do it again. Gattis can for sure. I think he stays no matter what.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
While its hard to say no to a P5 head coaching gig, my guess is that Gattis wants to stick around for at least a year or two now that Michigan is finally winning. Even if Wake Forest or whoever comes calling, he's got to realize that aren't that many opportunities to coach for a championship level team in one's career.
At the very least you've got to believe that Gattis is not going anywhere before the playoffs. He's got what is possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity to coach in a CFP and prove himself on the biggest stage against one or two top SEC teams. For a guy that most Michigan fans would have gladly parted ways with a year ago, this has got to feel like a rare opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
Well most of the time I would agree. However, Gattis was co-OC at Alabama before coming to Michigan. You can’t get any closer to consistently coaching for a title contender than Bama.
December 10th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
ONE good season does not a stellar career make..He needs 2 or 3 in a row then its time to move up and on
December 10th, 2021 at 12:25 PM ^
Misdirection. Gattis got himself down to Clemson for the flight up to UVA. Genius!
December 10th, 2021 at 12:32 PM ^
Hmmm interesting, but do we know if certain people are currently on their boats...
December 10th, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^
I'll await the sailing UFR, but whatever is going on in that picture. . . that's not good?
December 10th, 2021 at 1:00 PM ^
Just changing sails to something better for whatever wind situation they have. It's pretty common in races and the crews get really good at it reeling them in...
December 10th, 2021 at 1:02 PM ^
Sailor here. It's not real bad. They're taking down the spinnaker. Pit guy dropped the halyard too fast so the foredeck crew is gonna have to haul ass to get the sail in faster. In layman's terms, when taking down a sail, there's a guy or gal in the middle of the boat controlling the line that holds the sail up, and in this case he or she let the line down faster than the people up front could gather in the sail. It's not too breezy though, and they have like six people up there, so no lasting harm done or much speed lost.
December 10th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
You just don't want the spinnaker to become a sea anchor. It can get hairy in heavy winds/seas (former foredeck crew here.)