Tuesday October 28, 2008

"Every Coach in the Country Right Now Wants Clemson"

”Every Coach in the Country Right Now Wants Clemson”
The buzz around Clemson this morning came out of Birmingham, AL.

So what does a column in the Birmingham News about a speaker at the Birmingham Touchdown Club have to do with Clemson and why is it such a big deal?

First let’s take a look at the principles involved for some background. Kevin Scarbinsky is a columnist for the Birmingham News and has been with company for many years. I enjoy his work and find him to be very credible in his sources.

This morning Scarbinsky wrote a column in their paper about yesterday’s Birmingham Touchdown Club meeting with their guest speaker Jimmy Sexton.

Sexton is a super-agent who has represented a ton of athletes in the past like Reggie White, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant but is usually in the headlines this time of year because he is the link that ADs and sports-writers want to talk to.

Sexton represents many of the top head coaches and assistant coaches in college football and many of those clients are on the list of college athletic directors across the nation. His coaching client lists include Butch Davis, Nick Saban, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer, Houston Nutt, Frank Beamer, Bill Parcels and Steve Spurrier. He is also the agent of some of the top assistant coaches in college football including Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

His company is based out of Memphis but represents a wide variety of coaches all across the country.

Scarbinsky’s column entitled, “Some Coaches Want No Part of SEC” can be found at the following link:
http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/kscarbinsky.ssf?/base/sports/1225181758150710.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

In the column, Sexton is quoted as saying some coaches would shy away from the SEC because of the difficult competition. The column is a warning to Auburn and Tennessee because some coaches would want to coach in other leagues besides the SEC.

The article states Sexton as saying "I think Butch Davis will be at North Carolina for a long time. I don't know that. He'll have to make that decision. I do think that's a place you can win at, and the ACC isn't nearly as hard, at least right now, as the SEC."

It also adds: "They look at it as, `Why do I want to go do that? If my school will pay me an SEC-type salary in another conference, I might be able to stay here forever.'"

Where the column gets interesting from this part of the country comes in the next comment by Sexton. "Every coach in the country right now wants Clemson," he said. "All of them. Because they feel like it's a quote `SEC' job.

"Eighty-something thousand people. Close to Georgia, in South Carolina, great recruiting base. But you play in a conference that isn't the SEC.

"A lot of coaches are starting to look at the SEC and say this might not be the best time to go there."
Scarbinsky says, “In other words, Clemson can pay an SEC salary and provide SEC passion without SEC competition. Sounds to me like the perfect place for Muschamp to start as a head coach.”

After reading the article this morning I called several coaches I knew to get their opinion but only two were not in staff meetings. Only two were available at the time.

One coach told me, “Jimmy is smart because he usually works your first deal for a very low fee. He works hard for you and helps with the first job knowing that you will be loyal and stay with him when you get your huge deal. It is a brilliant business strategy.”

“I agree with the article,” says one coach. “I think he nailed it. I have always thought Clemson is an SEC-type job without some of the SEC-type headaches.”

Another coach added, “Clemson is a great job now. It might not have been five years ago but they have the facilities in place now.

“They always have unbelievable fan support. Some might think an opening at Tennessee or Auburn might be more attractive but many would not. It really depends on what you are looking for and where you are comfortable. Clemson should be able to compete for any coach they are currently looking at. If the money is right and the timing is right then Clemson is a great job. It is a special job and can be a huge winner in the next few years. The timing may be perfect for some,” says one coach.

Last summer a college coach told me, “I was driving through Clemson today and went by to see all of the work they had done since I was last there. You guys have it made. That West End Zone is awesome and when they finish that it will be incredible. You guys have more flat screen TVs than Wal-Mart.”

In the next day or two I will follow up with more coaches and try to get their reaction to Sexton’s comments and Scarbinsky’s column. But at this point I would think most will agree. It seems Sexton has a pulse on his clients’ thoughts. It appears the Clemson job is the best of the current openings.

Clemson has issues and some coaches might be scared away because the known is always safer than the unknown. But every situation has issues and no job is perfect.

Also consider that there will be some openings in November and there usually is a domino effect in the industry but at this time Clemson looks like the best job of the ones that appear like they will be opening up. Also the mid-season deal looks like it was the best thing for Clemson because the program has a great interim to get a look at while it entertains interests from other candidates.

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