Been thinking about this lately. When has snagging a coach like we did Jimbo work? Thinking lateral moves here. It's possible it's just a down year and we correct course but the most successful I can think of is Brian Kelly going to LSU and starting off hot but still think that's too early to tell how it shakes out long term.

Saban came from the NFL to his current role
Smart came from under Saban
Urban Meyer had a break between Florida and OSU

Fran, Sumlin, Herman all failed. Frost failed. We would still be a step up from Houston but still didn't pan out.

Sonny Dykes from SMU to TCU has worked out so far.

Mack Brown
Lincoln Riley
Nick Saban (MSU to LSU)
Bear Fking Bryant

You could do this list all day.

You're stretching the definition of "lateral." Riley is the only one on that list that most would consider lateral.

Pat Henry from a multi-champ LSU program to an A&M track program that had not won a team title at the time, just individual titles

Pretty sure Arky poached Petrino and he had it rolling in F-Ville until the bike accident
Head coaching hires are usually a top coordinator getting a shot or poaching from a smaller program or hiring retread. All 3 fail more than they succeed

Probably the highest % is hiring successful college coaches who tried and failed at being NFL coaches

On a related note I am pleased Pete Carroll never came back to coach college , My BAS told me if he did he would end up in Austin and build a dynasty that might challenge what Saban has at Bama

What is the definition of a successful coaching hire? Only three coaches in all of college football have won a National Championship at the school they are currently coaching.

Sq 17 said:

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Pretty sure Arky poached Petrino and he had it rolling in F-Ville until the bike accident
Head coaching hires are usually a top coordinator getting a shot or poaching from a smaller program or hiring retread. All 3 fail more than they succeed

Probably the highest % is hiring successful college coaches who tried and failed at being NFL coaches

On a related note I am pleased Pete Carroll never came back to coach college , My BAS told me if he did he would end up in Austin and build a dynasty that might challenge what Saban has at Bama

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I wouldn't consider taking a coach from Louisville as a lateral poach

Louisville is a step down from ark, especially back then they weren't p5 yet

The lateral poach like beilema from wisky to ark is what I think is the one to analyze and it doesn't happen that often

Jimbo to A&M is one and thus far imho it has not been an overall success

Saban from much st to lsu : but some would say that's not exactly lateral that lsu even back then was a step up

"How Alabama Swiped Bear Bryant From Texas A&M"

Sherill from Pitt to A&M. In 81 PItt was 5 years removed from a NC and was at least a lateral football program

NyAggie said:

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Sq 17 said:

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Pretty sure Arky poached Petrino and he had it rolling in F-Ville until the bike accident
Head coaching hires are usually a top coordinator getting a shot or poaching from a smaller program or hiring retread. All 3 fail more than they succeed

Probably the highest % is hiring successful college coaches who tried and failed at being NFL coaches

On a related note I am pleased Pete Carroll never came back to coach college , My BAS told me if he did he would end up in Austin and build a dynasty that might challenge what Saban has at Bama

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I wouldn't consider taking a coach from Louisville as a lateral poach

Louisville is a step down from ark, especially back then they weren't p5 yet

The lateral poach like beilema from wisky to ark is what I think is the one to analyze and it doesn't happen that often

Jimbo to A&M is one and thus far imho it has not been an overall success

Saban from much st to lsu : but some would say that's not exactly lateral that lsu even back then was a step up

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Petrino had a brief stint in the NFL with the Falcons in between Louisville & Arkansas.

Also, how about Jimmy Johnson from OSU to Miami? Or Dennis Erickson from WSU to "The U"? Or Lou Holtz from Minnesota to Notre Dame?

And if you want to go way back, Darrell Royal was at MSU & Washington before arriving in Austin.

Sorry got that wrong thought it
lville Arky nfl
Just proves my point nfl washouts are usually the highest % hires

neAGle96 said:

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Sherill from Pitt to A&M. In 81 PItt was 5 years removed from a NC and was at least a lateral football program

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Hell no. Pitt had just finished back to back 11-1 seasons when Coach Sherrill took a HUGE step backwards to come here.

neAGle96 said:

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Sherill from Pitt to A&M. In 81 PItt was 5 years removed from a NC and was at least a lateral football program

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That might be the best example on this thread so far. Otherwise, people are mostly talking about pretty vertical moves (NFL failures not withstanding).

ac said:

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NyAggie said:

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Sq 17 said:

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Pretty sure Arky poached Petrino and he had it rolling in F-Ville until the bike accident
Head coaching hires are usually a top coordinator getting a shot or poaching from a smaller program or hiring retread. All 3 fail more than they succeed

Probably the highest % is hiring successful college coaches who tried and failed at being NFL coaches

On a related note I am pleased Pete Carroll never came back to coach college , My BAS told me if he did he would end up in Austin and build a dynasty that might challenge what Saban has at Bama

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I wouldn't consider taking a coach from Louisville as a lateral poach

Louisville is a step down from ark, especially back then they weren't p5 yet

The lateral poach like beilema from wisky to ark is what I think is the one to analyze and it doesn't happen that often

Jimbo to A&M is one and thus far imho it has not been an overall success

Saban from much st to lsu : but some would say that's not exactly lateral that lsu even back then was a step up

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Petrino had a brief stint in the NFL with the Falcons in between Louisville & Arkansas.

Also, how about Jimmy Johnson from OSU to Miami? Or Dennis Erickson from WSU to "The U"? Or Lou Holtz from Minnesota to Notre Dame?

And if you want to go way back, Darrell Royal was at MSU & Washington before arriving in Austin.

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Minnesota to notre dame is a vertical move up

Same with Erickson from wsu to Miami. Miami had already won a title with jimmy Johnson and wsu historically sucks

Same with Jimmy Johnson and ok st to Miami

OSU history sucked at that point and Miami had won it all with schnellenberger ; that's a move up

FSU to A&M is not a lateral move when considering winning history/accomplishments on the field.

Every coaching move is poaching. And every move is a coach making the assessment that the new school is a better than the old job so there is no such thing as a lateral move there is only up and down.

Jimbo made the assessment that you can't compete with Bama with just a tour of the trophy case and chose a school willing to invest as much as necessary and he got his wish.

12thMan9 said:

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neAGle96 said:

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Sherill from Pitt to A&M. In 81 PItt was 5 years removed from a NC and was at least a lateral football program

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Hell no. Pitt had just finished back to back 11-1 seasons when Coach Sherrill took a HUGE step backwards to come here.

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Hence the "at least". I didn't want to derail this thread.

Pitt won a NC in 76, finished #2 in 81 (and one publication crowned them NC in 81) and they had 2 or 3 1 l-loss seasons between their 76 NC and the 81 season.

Sherill wasn't quite the name of Bo Schembechler, but Pitt was just as good , if not better, then Michigan during Sherills tenure.

Back on topic, successful coaches have made lateral (or backwards ) moves and continued their success

20ag07 said:

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Mack Brown
Lincoln Riley
Nick Saban (MSU to LSU)
Bear Fking Bryant

You could do this list all day.

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Bryan Kelly

May upset some (including lurking tsips)…

Freddy Akers. Wyo to tu

NM.

Alabama poaching Bear Bryant from Texas A&M worked pretty well for them

Tommy Tuberville: Ole Miss to Auburn

(Cincy wasn't as fortunate when went there from tceh )

Your on the wrong board to ask that. Remember we are Aggies. Frame of reference recently not great… Jackie Sherrill was a great poach but ancient history probably doesn't count

Nick Saban from MSU

More importantly: when has coaching a poach been successful?