Serious question for USuC fans and HBC

[tprice]

Spurrier has always been known for screwing with the media but what is your take on his recent comment that he would be at USuC for "2-3" more years

This is going to kill ANY recruits that are not Sr's this year, will the Admin man up and find a "coach in waiting" .

I also feel for his asst coaches as well, got to think this will have some of them looking to hit the road first chance they get as well

We all realize that NO COACH is guaranteed to be at any school for an indefinite period of time and they always get offers from other teams, heck even Bama fans were crapping bricks when Texas job was open last year.

What should be the Gamecocks next move, I know OBC can "take it back" or "smooth it over" but like we all know once words come out they stick.

I am also sure most opposing coaches will pounce on this or already have

Ideas on this, trust me not throwing gas on the fire just curious to your thoughts

Just my opinion but pretty shitty thing for him to say and I LIKE OBC

[GobblerHntr]

It's a Shit Show! Climpsun should prepare for a very long winning streak. It's a damn dumpster fire in Columbia. If you have stock in SC you better sell it now.

[Saltydog235]

Spurrier is famous for saying things like that then shitting all over the program a week or two later. Did it when he left UF. He ain't replaced Ward because he knows the next coach will and the next coach is coming soon.

A good 5 year run was cursed when the fathead went up. 6 is coming, 6 more losses to the Tigers, maybe 10.

[surfcock]

Y'all didn't read Tanner's interview this week did you pot stirrers?

[surfcock]

Ray Tanner Q&A: Gamecocks AD will be ready when time comes to replace Spurrier
BY JOSH KENDALL, JKENDALL@THESTATE.COM
December 13, 2014
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Ray Tanner
DWAYNE MCLEMORE — dmclemore@thestate.com
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FROM THE DAY he took the job as South Carolina’s athletics director, Ray Tanner has been preparing himself for the likelihood he will have to hire a new football coach one day.

This season, as the Gamecocks found their way to a 6-6 record and coach Steve Spurrier gave indications he was thinking hard about his immediate future, it looked like Tanner might be making that hire sooner rather than later. Earlier this month, Spurrier told The State to “give me two or three more” years at least in leading the program, but still the reality began to set in for many that Spurrier will one day be stepping down and Tanner will be making the biggest hire of his time as the athletics director.


Tanner sat with The State on Friday to discuss his thoughts about that subject, including what he thinks of the idea of hiring a coach-in-waiting to join the staff and then take over when Spurrier leaves; how he and Spurrier communicated this season; what criteria he will be looking for when he does make a hire; and the conversation he and Spurrier had that eased his mind about the coach’s future.

“I don’t really like having this interview, because I want coach Spurrier to keep it going,” Tanner said.

Question: For a lot of people, this season brought home the reality that Steve Spurrier eventually will leave. For you, that had to be a particular reality. What was your mindset during the time he seemed to be thinking about his future?


Answer: When I took this job, the day that I became the director of athletics, I very quickly understood that there is a chance that I will probably be in charge of the football hire when coach Spurrier decides to leave. The great news: he’s still here. But I understood that from Day 1. I have to continue to do my due diligence in preparation for the future. If it’s five more years, I’ll be OK with that. I understand it. Coach is great. He’s just a pleasure to be able to work with and have a lot of philosophical conversations about coaching and years past and things that I have been through. I have said this many times, the impact he has made in the 10 years he has been here to this point has been great for this university and our athletics department and, certainly, our football program.

Q: Did he communicate with you much during the time he was thinking things over?

A: He plays it close to the vest, but I reach out to him a lot. I think it’s more my nature than his. I continually visit with him, and I have, not just about the future and whether he is coaching football or not but in general. We have had some real good conversations. After we lost to Clemson, by Sunday afternoon, he inspired me. He was ready to start bowl practice. He was ready to put the pads on. He was talking about tough practices and getting ready to go win a bowl game and moving past that. It was an aspiring conversation we had on that Sunday after we had lost on Saturday. He was getting ready to start practice out there. I felt real good at that point. He was certainly frustrated by the loss, but he also was ready to go back to work and get ready to win a bowl game.

Q: We all hear that every athletics director has a list of potential coaching candidates in his desk at all times. Does every athletics director have a list of potential coaching candidates in his desk at all times?

A: I don’t know about other ADs.

Q: Do you have a list in your desk?

A: I just think it’s my responsibility that I am paying attention and I am prepared if and when that time comes that the right hire is made for this university. But, as I have said to coach Spurrier, if he ever does decide to retire, he has put us in a wonderful place to hire a football coach. This is a great job. It’s a relevant program. That might not have been the case many years ago. I think we will attract a number of great candidates, and I do have a past of recruiting. I know a little bit about recruiting.

Q: Whenever it does come to hiring a new coach, do you have a criteria in mind? An offensive guy? A defensive guy? A sitting head coach?

A: I don’t really like having this interview because I want coach Spurrier to keep it going. But since you have asked me the question, and you probably hear this a lot, but I think going back in time to when I recruited, you evaluate talent and you evaluate the strengths that a person would bring to your program. I don’t think (hiring a coach) is a lot different. It has to be a great fit for our program. It’s not all about how many wins they have had as a head coach or their excellent background at a number of schools or that they are great recruiters. It has to be deeper than that that you have a great feel that the characteristics that someone brings are the right fit for your program.

Q: Would you ever entertain the coach-in-waiting scenario?

A: I don’t particularly like that. I can’t speak to this specifically, but the recruiting guidelines have changed with that title now. There are some limits in recruiting if you have a head coach-in-waiting. I am not a big fan of that. Some situations that I have seen in the past don’t always work out the best way. You never say never, but that’s not something that I think is a direction we need to go.

Q: Six-and-six is not what anybody expected this season. What is the reaction you have gotten from your fan base?

A: There is some disappointment, of course, that we are 6-6. But, for me, I understand. I have had a lot of conversations with our fans and donors that I enjoy because expectations are very high for our football program because coach Spurrier has put those expectations in our program. I have been in sports all my life. I understand. There’s games you win. There’s games you lose, and there are games that are in the balance. For the last five years, going back to when we won nine games, we won a lot of games in the balance. This year we lost two or three games in the balance that you felt like we had the opportunity to win that we didn’t. You go back to the old adage that things even out sometimes. We are disappointed because we have expectations, and that’s a positive.

Q: Was their anger from the fan base or just the sense that they had become used to winning?

A: They got used to winning, and I like that. Some of the emails that I got and some of the letters and conversations, it wasn’t about being disappointed so much with players and coaches as much as we just didn’t win. ‘We want to win. That’s our expectations.’ I remember when I coached here in baseball, the expectations weren’t high enough, and that’s not a good thing. And we do have high expectations, not only in football but across the board in our sports now. For me, that is exciting. That’s where you want to be.

Q: Your first loss to Clemson as an AD had to be tough to swallow.

A: Coach Spurrier said this, they had a very good team. They had a couple tough losses. I know the quarterback didn’t play. They could have easily maybe won a couple more games than they did. They had a great team. They just outplayed us that day, but if you think back to winning five in a row against your archrival in football, that’s an incredible run.

Q: What else is going on in the athletics department?

A: We continue to try to improve our facilities for our student-athletes. To recruit in this conference is a big challenge. I believe this university is a great place to be a student-athlete. This campus has improved in so many ways. Under (school president Harris) Pastides’ leadership, he plays an active role, he’s on the executive board of the NCAA. He’s actively involved in so many things. Facilities have improved. Women’s basketball is No. 1. Both our golf teams are in the top 10. Women’s soccer had their best year in school history. (Men’s basketball coach Frank) Martin just came off a huge win over Oklahoma State. I think we have made so much progress. The challenge is to sustain that, and I think we have to invest in our student-athletes.

http://www.gogamecocks.com/2014/12/1...n-recruit.html

[surfcock]

Tanner is a good man. He has wisdom you can only have if you've taken an irrelevant program from medoocre with little expectations to champion. He has a knack for knowing what recruits will want and what demands are reasonable from fans. He has people who are better than him at other things take care of the other things. We'll be just fine.

[PBiz]

Spurrier is famous for saying things like that then shitting all over the program a week or two later. Did it when he left UF. He ain't replaced Ward because he knows the next coach will and the next coach is coming soon.

A good 5 year run was cursed when the fathead went up. 6 is coming, 6 more losses to the Tigers, maybe 10.

Don't get too excited there fella..

Might snatch it out by the roots..

[Saltydog235]

Waste Bin Conflagration.

[DRDUCK]

The Chikin Curse is alive and well. Book It.

[tprice]

Y'all didn't read Tanner's interview this week did you pot stirrers?

No did not see that but thanks for sharing

Good article and to me Tanner is THE BEST AD in the Country, did one hell of a job with the baseball program and knows how to win and what it takes

I guess in all honesty I did not even think about Tanner being AD when i posted this, I will assure you(this coming from a Tiger Fan) Tanner will make a great hire when it comes time

Money should not be a problem and USuC fans have got used to winning and I am sure the Administration knows what is expected

I am also one of those that does not like a "Coach in Waiting", NEVER liked that idea but I guess it worked great at FSU

I can say this when you beat a Spurrier coached team you have beat one of the best college coaches of our time. First to admit he just bitch slapped Dabo 5 years in a row with raw coaching ability and got in his head.

I guess the biggest thing though is the recruits but hell they come and go like the wind blows and we have all witnessed that.

Again thanks for the link

[Saltydog235]

No did not see that but thanks for sharing

Good article and to me Tanner is THE BEST AD in the Country, did one hell of a job with the baseball program and knows how to win and what it takes

I guess in all honesty I did not even think about Tanner being AD when i posted this, I will assure you(this coming from a Tiger Fan) Tanner will make a great hire when it comes time

Money should not be a problem and USuC fans have got used to winning and I am sure the Administration knows what is expected

I am also one of those that does not like a "Coach in Waiting", NEVER liked that idea but I guess it worked great at FSU

I can say this when you beat a Spurrier coached team you have beat one of the best college coaches of our time. First to admit he just bitch slapped Dabo 5 years in a row with raw coaching ability and got in his head.

I guess the biggest thing though is the recruits but hell they come and go like the wind blows and we have all witnessed that.

Again thanks for the link

Right up to the point where he gets called to the mat for the actions of his players.

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg1kaFD6Y-0[/ame]

[SCswampCAT]

I wonder if the HBC will sign up on Scducks and answer these questions.

[tprice]

I wonder if the HBC will sign up on Scducks and answer these questions.

LOL, guess he would put us ALL in our places LOL

[jwilliams]

I think Tanner is a heck of a baseball coach. He may be a great AD. We will see in the next several months. I like the Q&A, but that is a poorly written piece based on grammar and spelling. Did an "aspiring" journalist write that?

[Saltydog235]

I think Tanner is a heck of a baseball coach. He may be a great AD. We will see in the next several months. I like the Q&A, but that is a poorly written piece based on grammar and spelling. Did an "aspiring" journalist write that?

Well, at least you know it wasn't one of the football players, it's not in crayon.

[Bigtimber2]

Josh Kendall is the reporter Spurrier appointed to SC for the The State Newspaper after the Ron Morris hissy fit.

[jwilliams]

He sucks as a writer. That is 4th grade stff

[ProvidenceSwamper]

Other coaches will definitely use the comment to recruit against him. Even though they could be gone before he retires.

[buckfarmer]

That comment cost USC one of its highest ranked recruits today, Mark Fields. "2-3 years"...what an idiotic thing to say as a coach.

[Tater]

Que Chucky.....