Texas Longhorn Football: Mack Brown Facing a Coaching Career Crossroads
How much can things change in a short period of time? Just ask Mack Brown, head football coach of the Texas Longhorns.
For the first 12 years at the helm in Austin, Brown enjoyed as much success as any coach in America. During that span, his Longhorn teams won .825 of their games, and played every year in bowl games (winning eight). In 2005, Brown reached the pinnacle: a national championship.
Just one year ago, the Longhorns played their way through a perfect season (13-0) before facing the Alabama Crimson Tide for a chance at another championship. While coming up short in a fiercely fought game, the Longhorns showed few signs of unsteadiness or wavering.
In this championship contest in Pasadena, the fans were given what they thought was a promising preview of a bright future, as freshman back-up quarterback Garrett Gilbert took over for an injured Colt McCoy. Gilbert rallied the team from a 24-6 halftime deficit, bringing them to within three points of Alabama with six minutes to play in the game, only to fall short.
Little did anyone in the entire college football world know what was ahead for Mack Brown and UT football. During the 2010 season, the listless Longhorns under-performed, shuffling their way through a dismal 5-7 season, losing six of eight Big 12 games.
More than just attempting to recover from a single sub-standard season, Mack is facing a coaching career crossroads. The following are three HUGE issues that Brown must effectively and immediately address if there is any hope in getting back to where they have been in Austin:
Rebuilding the Offensive Coaching Staff
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Regardless of what label you put on it, Brown needed to make some hard decisions about his offensive coaching staff.
The Longhorn offense sputtered through most of the season, struggling to gain yards and score points.
Within days of the final game of the 2010 season, Greg Davis, the Longhorn offensive coordinator and longtime assistant under Brown, resigned.
At the same time, offensive line coach Mac McWhorter retired. McWhorter had been at Texas for nine seasons. The offensive line struggled badly last season and was hampered by several injuries.
One of the choices that Brown faces is whether or not to promote Major Applewhite to offensive coordinator.
If Brown is considering it, he better move fast.
Applewhite, a former UT quarterback who currently serves as the Longhorns QB coach, is considered one of the premier assistants in the country.
Other teams (including a certain program in Gainsville, Florida that is rebuilding a staff) may be quick to pick up Applewhite. Reports are already circulating that Applewhite may join Will Muschamp's staff at Florida.
Rebuilding the Defensive Coaching Staff
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With all of the Longhorns' problems, their defense still played tough for most of the season.
Ranked No. 7 in total defense, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's defenders did a decent job against the rush and were one of the top units in the nation against the pass.
Regardless of the personnel that may be returning next year, Muschamp is not.
In spite of the fact that two years ago UT announced that Muschamp would eventually succeed Mack Brown as head football coach, Muschamp decided not to wait.
He just accepted the heading coaching position at the University of Florida, following Urban Meyer's surprise resignation.
There is a good chance that this decision could jeopardize recruiting commitments. What Brown does here will determine a lot about the future of Longhorn football for the near, and possibly not-so-near, future.
On a much lesser note, defensive line coach and special teams coordinator Mike Tolleson retired at the same time that Davis resigned and McWhorter retired.
There is little chance that Brown will look to promote from within to fill Muschamp's position.
Other defensive assistants, such as Duane Akina, will most likely be let go as a new D-coordinator arrives.
Deciding What to Do at Quarterback
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First-year starter Garrett Gilbert, throwing 10 TDs and 17 interceptions, was ineffective and inconsistent most of the season.
Against Kansas State alone, Gilbert threw five interceptions.
Brown must decide quickly whether or not he is going to allow Gilbert the time and space he needs to develop.
The biggest problem is there are no current QBs on the roster that appear to be ready to do any better than Gilbert, and the Longhorns do not have a commitment from any high school QB that could do so either.
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