Sark....

[mcnabb7542]

Now with a firing at SC the rumors will start flying that Sark is on the list ( wait ESPN is reporting Sark is on the list) this can be a huge side show for the Dawgs, and also question Sark's desire to keep this program on the up and up.

I understand its SC, one of the holy jobs in NCAA football, and of course he has a connection with the SC program?

His range to recruit nation wide would be huge, granted he could do that here, but really hasn't?

I would like to see him come out tomorrow and flat out say "no thanks" he has been very up front with fans here, and you get the feeling when he talks he's serious about getting the program back into the national spot light, and lets be fair here, he beats Stanford next week, well all eyes will be on the Northwest, (and not because of the Ducks)..

This little show in LA has me worried, I believe Sark is making a serious stride with this program this year, and this can be a huge side track if his name is still being talked about on the coaching search,

Thoughts???/

 

[seahawksfan234]

I believe his name came up as a replacement for Pete Carroll and he said no thanks.

IMO USC is the most attractive head coaching job in the country but it appears that Sark is happy here and has no intention of leaving, but you never know.

 

[gohusk]

I don't think he'll get the offer. He's the smart choice x's and o's and recruiting-wise, but his name seems bigger than it is because we happen to be here. And they just flopped with Kiffin, so I doubt they'd want to try another guy who basically came out of the same wave of PC coaches. He also has a pretty fat buyout and contract so they'd have to shell out some serious dollars to get him.

 

[TheDayMan]

I don't even want to think about this right now... Let's just hope USC doesn't seriously come after Sark more than his name just briefly being mentioned.

 

[WizardHawk]

I think Sark likes the fans, loves the brand new stadium and his brand new offices and the hooks it gives his already impressive recruiting and he loves the staff he has put together here. His only ties to SC were his OC days.

No one can ever say never, but I just don't get the sense he would be interested. The one who would worry me more would be Wilcox if he was on the short list and I doubt he will be.

 

[mcnabb7542]

The one who would worry me more would be Wilcox if he was on the short list and I doubt he will be.

This is my other worry, I do think they go with a big name hire, and yes NFL background, but if they do decide to look for a younger up comer is Wilcox. He has turned this defense around very good so far, and I would love to see him continue it....

 

[WizardHawk]

But USC doesn't normally promote OC/DC to their first HC job with them do they? Not from outside the program anyway. Wilcox has no ties to SC and no HC experience. Tough sell to go with that. Wilcox will get offers at some point, but likely more middle tier teams.

 

[mcnabb7542]

But USC doesn't normally promote OC/DC to their first HC job with them do they? Not from outside the program anyway. Wilcox has no ties to SC and no HC experience. Tough sell to go with that. Wilcox will get offers at some point, but likely more middle tier teams.

Its anybody's guess, you would think they would want fresh blood in there, someone to bring the program back and get it back on top...

But it will not break my heart for them to overlook guys like Wilcox and go with an established coach...

 

[Ironbreaker]

He might leave just for a better chance at beating Oregon.

That shits got to be getting old!

 

[mcnabb7542]

He might leave just for a better chance at beating Oregon.

That shits got to be getting old!

I don't think he's that far from beating Nike U with his Husky program...

 

[RegentDenali]

His buyout would be 5.5 million at the end of this year. That makes it pretty much a no starter for USC right out of the gate.

We now have facilities that compete against any others in college football.

USC is going to go hunting for it's next coach via the NFL. Most likely a current O or D coordinator.

 

[WizardHawk]

He might leave just for a better chance at beating Oregon.

That shits got to be getting old!

I doubt he has that on his mind. The hatred between Oregon and UW is fueled by the fans and I'm sure some of the players feel it, but Sark doesn't have any kind of real history to take it that seriously. Sure, he is 0-4 against them, but they aren't the only team. Sark is a big picture kind of guy and knows he has been building up something from the ground up designed to churn out quality every year when it reaches its full potential.

Any HC who would obsess over one opponent isn't going to find success in the end. Your goal is to win the conference and go as far as you can nationally. Every team in the conference is in your way for those goals. Even the bad ones.

The zeros wrongly believe UW went to the uptempo because of them. If you heard any of Sark's discussions about it the only team he mentions is Arizona and what happened to his team in that game. My guess is you kind of think differently about a curb stomping from a team you feel isn't more talented than you compared to a team like Oregon. Not that you want to accept either, but when a more middle ground team blows you up I think it gets your attention more. Sark said he didn't want to ever see his team be that out conditioned again and set out to fix it.

He also said he had wanted to go to the uptempo long before last year, but didn't feel he had enough of the right parts to run it until this season with all the experience he had.

You just don't get the sense he is obsessed with Oregon.

 

[SUBuddha]

You are lucky then WH, I get the feeling that Shaw is, at times, is obsessed with beating Oregon.

 

[Ironbreaker]

I doubt he has that on his mind. The hatred between Oregon and UW is fueled by the fans and I'm sure some of the players feel it, but Sark doesn't have any kind of real history to take it that seriously. Sure, he is 0-4 against them, but they aren't the only team. Sark is a big picture kind of guy and knows he has been building up something from the ground up designed to churn out quality every year when it reaches its full potential.

Any HC who would obsess over one opponent isn't going to find success in the end. Your goal is to win the conference and go as far as you can nationally. Every team in the conference is in your way for those goals. Even the bad ones.

The zeros wrongly believe UW went to the uptempo because of them. If you heard any of Sark's discussions about it the only team he mentions is Arizona and what happened to his team in that game. My guess is you kind of think differently about a curb stomping from a team you feel isn't more talented than you compared to a team like Oregon. Not that you want to accept either, but when a more middle ground team blows you up I think it gets your attention more. Sark said he didn't want to ever see his team be that out conditioned again and set out to fix it.

He also said he had wanted to go to the uptempo long before last year, but didn't feel he had enough of the right parts to run it until this season with all the experience he had.

You just don't get the sense he is obsessed with Oregon.

Just being facetious there.

 

[WhiteMamba]

 

[WizardHawk]

You are lucky then WH, I get the feeling that Shaw is, at times, is obsessed with beating Oregon.

And perhaps that's the difference in the two programs as they stand now. Shaw has nothing but Oregon in their way every year and probably should think about them more. Sark needs to stop his team from playing so poorly on the road, work with the big games at home, fine tune his new play style, etc. Obsessing over any team while they have so much more to build would be a distraction. Get those solved and then look at Oregon, Stanford, and any other team you have specific match up problems with to take that next step.

I'd rather Sark focuses on the things that can get them in the 9-10 win range than to look past that toward the undefeated goals. Take your steps as they come and keep developing your brand and identity.

Shaw only has UW and Oregon to worry about this year unless you think ND will be dangerous late and both of those division rivals are at home this year.

 

[TheDayMan]

That's pretty funny...

 

[RegentDenali]

The more you look at it, the more it becomes clear that Sark isn't going to USC. Of course those words have been spoken before and later fans are left slackjawed as the coach did bolt, but in this case, I think Sark stays right now.

While Sark can recruit with the best of them and has coaching ties to USC, I don't think he'll go for the following reasons:

He's spent years trying to build this team into what it is in 2013. As a brand new HC, there have been some hiccups here and there, but it's all starting to come together and it's really a beautiful thing. All the work is finally paying off and a 9+ win season is likely in 2013. This team very close to BCS caliber. Very close.

There is no apparent dysfunction in the AD. The budget has allowed him to hire the coaches he wants. No tension between the team and its fan base. We've been patient with the rebuilding of this program. Yes, we would of preferred more Ws sooner, but when you talk to Husky fans, most seem to speak very positive of the program and the direction it's heading. Sark gets a lot of support from the fan base. It shows in his interviews. He's very happy where he's at right now.

UW is one of the premiere jobs on the west coast for a coach. It's even more elevated now with the new stadium and facilities. The facilities are flat out ridiculous. All the tools are there for a coach to succeed. Sark has really thrived in this environment and the culture of Husky athletics. It's a great fit for him. It's the perfect place to be for him at this stage in his career.

As for USC.
While I'm sure USC has Sark on their Top10 list, the job in its current state is still not as attractive as it once was. The next coach they hire will still have to deal with being the semi-scapegoat for another 2-3 years as the effects of the scholarship reductions continue to greatly hit the team.

You still have only 15 scholarships for the next class. Doesn't matter that they all end up being 4 and 5 star studs right now. There is a major disconnect in the USC fan base from this reality. Some woke up this year, but many still act like their team can perform just as well as the PC teams did. That Kiffen was the entire problem. Nope. Kiffen is good as a Xs and O’s guy. He makes for an excellent assistant and recruiter, but he wasn’t going to succeed as a HC with a situation like this. Few could and none of them would of taken the job facing those level of sanctions.

USC fans expected them to still go to Rose Bowls and NCGs. Even when fielding teams at home and the road that have 60 or so scholarship players, when you’re facing teams that have 80+ scholarship players. That they would stick it to the NCAA by being just as good in the face of these sanctions. Boy, were they setting themselves up for more misery with that delusional Cali/LA attitude. The sanctions worked them over just as they were designed to do.

While USC will play better from a new quality coach compared to Kiffen, they aren't going to the Rose Bowl for years to come.
For another 2-3 years, whoever is coaching USC is going to be doing it with one arm tied behind their back. You can't even practice at a competitive level because of the risk of injury. Any injury is felt like a ton of bricks. You have razor thin depth at most positions. And while the rest of the PAC is putting all that broadcast deal revenue to work upping their game, USC is still going to struggle even more to compete. Sark goes to USC, and he'd spend the next 3 years fighting all that. Why put yourself though an entire rebuilding process again, when you're much farther along here at UW? Of course USC has that incredible built in recruiting base, but again, it's going to take years of struggling to get back to the top tier of the PAC.

As for Oregon.
The rivalry is there with the fan base. But, this is still the PAC. Culturally, we're still laid back when it comes to rivalries compared to the psychotic nature of rivalries you get in conferences like Big10 and SEC. My father grew up in the Columbus area and graduated from Ohio State. He's a great guy and wouldn't hurt a fly. But I've seen the psychotic and many times, very ugly nature of their rivalry with Michigan with his old friends and when I would visit Columbus with the fam. It fuels the competitive nature of their impressive athletic programs, but there is a massive amount of negatives that come with it. It's vicious and ugly at times.

A perfect example. This past weekend, I watched the Husky game at a sports bar on the eastside. Cougs, Husky, and Duck fans were around. While of course some trash talking and joking occurred, everyone was sitting around each other and got along. In the PAC, you kind of take this for granted.

You would never, ever see that happen with Michigan and Ohio State fans on any game day of the year, even when not playing each other. The entire fan bases are programmed to take ridiculous measures to segregate themselves from each other. The rivalry is taken to such extreme levels, it's just a big negative at times. Culturally, it's a way of life for them. But still, it makes me thankful were more laid back here west of the Rockies and can just enjoy the sport without it turning into tribal warfare besides the usual alcohol fueled isolated incidents or jackoffs who just can't handle their anger issues. Every fan base has at least a few.
Passion is always there, but we don’t let it ruin our lives.

Sark always called Chip Kelly a friend and vice versa. The respect was there.
The rivalry is strong with the fans, but at least the ugliness is kept to a minimum. Lots of tension during the game week of course, but push comes to shove, glad it's kept to trash talking.

Go Dawgs!!!

 

[BeaverShaver]

Well said Regent

 

[RegentDenali]

And quotes from Sark during his Monday meetings when asked about the USC situation:

"I’m kind of glad you asked. We can get the giant elephant out of the room here,"

I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity that I have to be the head football coach at the University of Washington. I’m thankful to Mark Emmert (the former UW president who hired him in January 2009). I’m thankful to (athletic director) Scott Woodward and (current UW president) Mike Young — and this community that I get to be part of and my family gets to be part of.

"This is an awesome place to be."

"And I have never once and never will comment on hypothetical scenarios," Sarkisian said. "I have great respect for USC and the great and rich history that they have. But I am proud to be the football coach of the 15th-ranked team in America right now, and all the hard work that we’ve put into this program in the last five years to get to this point. To be in an awesome match up on Saturday night against a national-championship contender in Stanford, that’s where my focus is."

Asked if he or his agent has been contacted by USC, Sarkisian said, “No. No.”

Later on Monday on his weekly radio show:

That he "hasn't wavered from what he said when he first got here, that Don James was here 18 years and he wants to go one more than James was here and win one more national title -- he says James set the standard and he wants to take it a step further.

He said "I have 14 more years to go and two more national titles to go".


I think that is good for now. Shaw and Sark are both in similar circumstances right now with ESPN naming both of them as prime candidates for the USC opening. But both of them have telegraphed the same type of response to these questions this week. Importantly because of recruiting. The last thing they need is losing recruits over looming rumors of the coach leaving. That can kill a class.
They've said enough to confirm they are planning on sticking with their programs, but keeping the language a bit vague because......... "Hey guess what, we might want to think contract extensions....cough...cough...if we get you enough of those Ws at the end of the season and solid bowl bids."

And I'm sure they'll be waiting to see the terms of the contract and paygrade the new USC coach gets so they can use that as ammunition come extension talks.