FanPost

Early Impressions of our South Plains Drifter

The more and more I think about this the more I think it bears repeating.  I have to speak out for Coach Tuberville and the job he seems to be doing.  He is accomplishing a lot.  Specifically, he is performing an impressive balancing act.




I wrote some of this as part of the response to Thursday's Five Questions

Tubbs is a known commodity.  We supposedly knew what we were getting when we hired him.  He is balancing between what we know he is and what he HAS to be (what he says he is).  He was known as a defensive minded coach, as the moniker goes.  Now he has to be the CEO he says he is and his moves so far seem to bear that out.  The fact that he has been able to hold on to the vast majority of our recruits is impressive.  This is part of the balancing act.  The fact that the program can recruit offensive and defensive players equally will hopefully be the end result.

 

I feel Coach Tuberville "The South Plains Drifter" is putting into place a REAL plan of action into our defense. There is a logic behind Tubbs’ moves. He’s putting a guy to run HIS defense in Coach Willis and the hires of Tommy Mainord and the other guys are all part of a master plan. Now the hire of Robert Prunty will serve a purpose too. Our new defense will need Tuberville type players NOW. Sure, we have guys like Bront Bird and Myles Wade who will flourish in a 3-4 scheme. There will surely be others who will benefit as well. But the quickest way to get those Tubbs-type guys will be to find a pipeline. Coach Prunty will very likely be our connection to PREP/Post Prep guys who are eager to get their grades right and get on the field. A program known for placing guys in D3 would LOVE to upgrade that to D1 (FBS, yes I know) and the #1 public university in terms of graduation rate is a natural fit.

 

Think about it…It beats the hell out of “fire the DC and hope the inside hire (Coach Ruff) does a good job”. That is a HUGE step up to a guy who could very possibly be putting in place a defensive system that is just as committed to schemes and recruiting “their” type players as much as the offense is. Mind blowing. I REALLY LOVE THIS DEVELOPMENT.

 

On the offensive side of the ball, sure we would have loved OUR guys to have been hired on the offensive staff.  But we’re splitting hairs here.  It’s merely a matter of personal preference between our current staff of Brown, Cumbie and Moore and what we all would have liked in Holgerson, Kingsbury, and Riley.  All things being equal, go with the guys with no “Captain Leach” baggage.  No one loves our Pirate Captain more than me but I would have done the same thing too.

 

The Drifter is now becoming the executive type coach most schools only dream about.  Think about it.  There are very few elite coaches out there that have that air.  Mack Brown and Pete Carroll come to mind.  There are even elite coaches out there (or coaches at elite schools) that are known for one side of the ball or the other.  Nick Saban?  Defense.  Urban Meyer?  Offense.  Charlie Weis (elite school)? Offense. 

 

Maybe Im going outta my way to be positive about our new coach but I like what I’ve seen so far.  I can’t wait for the spring game.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Viva The Matadors' writers or editors.

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