Matt Rhule talks about his decision to stay at Baylor

Thanks for sharing the interview Smoak, I enjoyed the listen.

I thought CMR comments were appropriate. Is he a Baylor lifer, probably not. Life is about relationships, not things, and I don't blame him for taking time on someone else's dime to massage those relationships. Maybe it means a job for him later, maybe it means that team takes a draft flyer on a former BU player, etc.

What gets hard to read is the same cast of characters always complaining/whining. If he wasn't good enough to get looks it would be "see I was right, he is terrible!" Conversely they are complaining now bc he is getting looks to deflect from their previous poor takes that he can't coach and isn't right for the job. Seems it is more about them being "right" than just being a fan and enjoying the ride, bc after all it is just sports.

Rhule: "You should come to Baylor! Its a great place!"

2020 star recruit: "Um, isnt that the place UT just told me you tried to leave?"

Rhule: "Well, uh, yeah, but I'm gonna tell you what I told our players: I was really only gonna leave if the money was right and the *ahem* staff opportunities were there. Okay, look, I like you, kid, so I'll shoot straight with you. Let's just consider this an NFL recruiting visit. We would love to have someone with your size, speed and strength on the Jets in 2022. I trust Coach Herman and his process over there at UT. He will develop you and Hookfin into dominant players in the league. So I'll call him up for you right now, let him know you're coming, and then i will see YOU on draft day in 2022!"

2020 star recruit: *perplexed, disgusted look*

Rhule: *perplexed look as well, very similar to how he appeared on the sidelines throughout the entire 2017 season*

Some of y'all will never be happy unless a coach comes to Baylor, wins 9+ games per year, wins conference championships, beats UT and OU on the reg, recruits top 25 classes and never considers what other opportunities he has. Good luck with that.

I mean it, sincerely, some of you will never be happy. You look for anything to latch onto, and whine like little drama queens when life isn't going exactly as you'd wish.

How do you all make it in life? Must be miserable, and miserable to be around you.

There's always going to be something to whine about. By the time you understand that life will never follow your script to a T, it'll be too late and you'll be looking back wishing you'd just enjoyed the good times.

LIB,MR BEARS said:

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I've had people tell me they are interviewing. As long as it is for them to better themselves, I always wish them luck, not inside my head but to them verbally. As a matter of fact, I have a young man whose last day is next week. He told me back in December he might have an opportunity for something bigger and better. He also is taking another with him. That one blindsided me because I knew nothing about it. Both young men will be in positions that offer a chance to make more money and have more opportunities for advancement. For me, next man up.

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Lib, I understand what you are saying, but do you think these people leaving will be a detriment to your being able to hire the people you want to hire to work under the new guys? I think the business analogy and the college football analogy (recruiting) are apples and oranges.

Recruits are most often lured to a program not by the name of the school or even what it offers academically (lots of schools can offer what Baylor offers), but by the relationship they have with their recruiter and ultimately the head coach. I have to say that if I knew the head coach was accepting interviews every year from the NFL, I believe I would have to question whether or not I would want to trust my future in that coach and school.

Now, certainly any coach in the NCAA could be gone after the next season, whether to the NFL or to another school, but you don't present the public image of actively looking to leave. If you truly want to stay at a school, you don't have to accept the interview. I think that is what many are concerned about.

I doubt I would turn down your job offer because someone in your company moved on to another position. But, if YOU were continually looking for buyers for your business and the future of whether I would be ultimately working for you or for some unknown party, I would certainly hesitate to join up if I had other quality offers.if one of my main reasons for wanting to join your company was the relationship I had made with you.

It is understandable that CMR wants something greater than what Baylor might can offer, but don't sit there and tell me how much he wants to stay at Baylor and then continually accept invites for interviews. Accepting interviews can be just as damaging as seeking out interviews when people you have recruited and those you have hired (especially those who have given up successful high school positions to join your "vision") are continually having to question if you really want to be here. Would Rhule take these high school coaches to the NFL....I highly doubt it and a new Baylor coach would probably want his own people. The high school coaches get screwed. The recruited players feel left hanging and potential recruits say why come, when those who recruited them are looking for a new place every year.

People. The guy got paid over 4m to win 7 freaking football games. If he thinks interviewing for HC jobs at the NFL is a better deal for him then by all means leave.

Just know in 20 years I won't remember who was the loser HC for the Giants or Jags but would remember Rhule if he averaged 8 plus wins a season and brought home some conference championship over a 20 year period. Hell - he might even get a statue.

So, ask yourself Rhule " if God told you to come to Baylor, is he really telling you to leave?"...if it's family then move those suckers down to Texas. Plenty of room in Waco to build a family complex.

Michibear said:

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LTbear said:

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Some of y'all will never be happy unless a coach comes to Baylor, wins 9+ games per year, wins conference championships, beats UT and OU on the reg, recruits top 25 classes and never considers what other opportunities he has. Good luck with that.

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Why are you bringing our former coach into this conversation?

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Re-read the end of my first sentence, since you missed it the first time.

TrustTheProcess said:

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People. The guy got paid over 4m to win 7 freaking football games. If he thinks interviewing for HC jobs at the NFL is a better deal for him then by all means leave.

Just know in 20 years I won't remember who was the loser HC for the Giants or Jags but would remember Rhule if he averaged 8 plus wins a season and brought home some conference championship over a 20 year period. Hell - he might even get a statue.

So, ask yourself Rhule " if God told you to come to Baylor, is he really telling you to leave?"...if it's family then move those suckers down to Texas. Plenty of room in Waco to build a family complex.

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most of his family and his wifes family have already moved here...

Yeah Boognish, to the gullible tribe/within Baylor Nation he is good at it.

Happy he's staying. Must have been hell listening to all the jerks talking out their asses the past couple of years. All while knowing the damage that the negative nellie's themselves were doing to our players and the recruiting scene with their non-stop crying about Briles. The character of recruits matters again. And we're still winning.

Whenever Rhule does leave, I hope we get a coach nobody wants. Life will be so great then
/sarcasm

LIB,MR BEARS said:

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Whenever Rhule does leave, I hope we get a coach nobody wants. Life will be so great then
/sarcasm

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$4 million and great facilities. It all comes down to Rhoades. We will get someone committed at least for half a decade.

Grizz Air said:

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The ultimate spin doctor

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Why isn't Rhule allowed to move up the ranks? Don't get all the anger. It's not personal it's business. Just like when any one of us leaves a job for a potentially better one. Coach speak lip service is just that and that's it. Loyalty to a company is foolish because you are just a number at the end of the day. Sorry, I'm glad to have Rhule for another year or as long as he keeps winning and improving. If he moves onto bigger and better things I'm happy for him and for Baylor to have had a coach like him who is NFL caliber.

I like Rhodes even more because if he picked out Rhule and convinced him to come here in that situation he shows me he has the mental capacity to bring in the same or better when the time comes.

Go Bears!

Didn't he grow up in New York?

Think about it, if the cowboys wanted to hire me, I'm listening, no matter what my current situation is.

Some of y'all need to relax

...

BylrFan said:

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LIB,MR BEARS said:

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Whenever Rhule does leave, I hope we get a coach nobody wants. Life will be so great then
/sarcasm

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$4 million and great facilities. It all comes down to Rhoades. We will get someone committed at least for half a decade.

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Rhoades will hire a good replacement, I believe. But no one commits to anywhere for 5 years. Yes contracts are signed that everyone can get out of at some price, but no one is committed that far out on either side of the contract.

That said hopefully getting someone who doesn't annually seek to leave just two weeks after he gets a bunch of kids to commit to the program and right before he he is trying to get other kids to sign isn't out of the question. Someone who can commit to 2 or 3 seasons at a time without looking for a new spot.

I will say it is a gamble to frequently seek another job because you can be assured you are giving the AD and more importantly donors reasons to not cut you any slack should something happen and a down or not expectation meeting season occur.

You guys are exactly like a bunch of old widow women sitting around in a knitting circle. If you guys are indicative of the casual Baylor graduate it is no wonder our BOR, our former AD, our former President, most alumni who are in "power" and even the head coach pummeled our keisters and left us bent over a log.




After more reflection I have to say that the vast majority of you boys are knitting these funny pink hats from a few years ago to provide you comfort and purpose after Art got himself fired.

I like coach Rhule. I believe in the philosophy and vision that he has set for the team. I admit I sometimes opine on whether the execution of the vision is where it needs to be. But it is happening in small small doses. I'd like to see it come to fruition.

Have no problem with him talking to the jets considering the circumstances. It's one of his home town teams. He wants to coach in the NFL and has always made that clear. You listen to whoever is talking.

Didn't have a problem with the colts situation. How many coaches get a sit down with a great franchise that has probably the next prolific quarterback when Brees and Brady retire. Add the fact that he just came off an 1-11 record. You definitely take the call.

But we who are looking at this pragmatically shouldn't shame fans who are disappointed and disgruntled. We are building a good thing here. And yes, they should want their coach and their team to be striving for 9 win season and big XII championships. That is the only reason why you play football in the Big XII. And to those fans I say that we should hope that the team continues to do well next season and be on the cusp of that so we can hire from within and continue what we are building. Rhule isn't a lifer. But we have lifers on our staff in Bell and Wetz. Let's hope that the team as a whole both player and staff continue to develop and grow. I have no problem with NFL and Baylor being mentioned in the same sentence. It helps with recruiting and getting the guys that are trend towards that style which is how you compete now in college football. Teams are catching up with schemes. You have to have the talent and develop them well.

Now what I would say to Rhule is that we are still determining if we are truly developing the talent. We are winning games now, but the process is not in full implementation. I would not make a habit of this every season. It will at some point have an unintended negative effect on what you're trying to build. I am sure he would like his process to be concrete. You don't spend the time and effort to be scrapped once you leave. It would be in his best interest to go into at least one offseason without the noise.

I'm good if he is gone in 2 or 3 years. By then we will know what this team is. We should have depth and talent and hopefully both the offensive and defensive schemes are all out in. If we are doing well with development of players and competing for championships we are in a good place to hire from within and keep the train moving.

Coach. I know you must be a coach, I know not here don't mean to imply that. But if Rhule leaves in a year or two do you really think a person with only 2 or 3 years experience as a position coach in college football is ready to take over this or any other P5 program just because they might be a lifer? Again it's business. Rhoades shouldn't be looking for a lifer as his top criteria or really as any criteria.

LIB,MR BEARS said:

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Whenever Rhule does leave, I hope we get a coach nobody wants. Life will be so great then
/sarcasm

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This.

go bears!

Mitch Henessey said:

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BUmoneymaker said:

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Rhule: Ill probably be flirting with other positions every year now so get used to it, its great cause our players are doing so well!

Fans: wt ef (facepalm)

Recruits: other offers starting to look good since i have no idea whether that guy will be here when its my turn to play.

Other b12 coaches: why would you go commit to baylol when that coach will be gone and we are here to stay and develop you!

Rhule: whats next!

Fans: um, seriously *** please show yourself out mr 'i really only want an nfl job'. I cant get excited knowing you want to leave and will bolt as soon as a team lets you pick coordinators. Players deserve better

Rhule: this is going to happen every year, we're special!

Blindly loyal fans: yay he smiled at me at the grocery store checkout, jezus im so happy we get him 12 more months we are so blessed, when he leaves we should bake him a pie!

Fans: who the ef does this guy think he is, ok hes starting to piss me off now, so are his followers

Rhoades: im thrilled!

Mulkey: i win championships and recruit my arse off and this guy wants to bolt after 2 yrs with his "epic turnaround" legacy

Drew: what time is bible study, im here for the long haul

Cab: still counting my $$$, i knew i should have stipulated larger bills than b-$2-b, whos this ruler guy i keep reading about sitting in my stadium anyway

Bor: hes so busy counting those $2 bills hahah! We win!

Brewer: im not gonna break my neck running like seth, but im also not gonna hang my hat on this guy who might not be here next year. Since my dad talked to fat patty and he needs a qb, and has a hell of a tenure im going purple this summer

Rhule: trust the..

Fans: stfu with this crap seriously

Im out

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I hope for your sake that you were drinking a hell of a lot before you composed this gibberish.

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It IS funny and entertaining. Leave it at that.

Lots of "me", "my", and "mine". And, "not everyone gets to go". Coaching staff....take good notes.....take care of yourselves. He is not taking you forward with him.

PartyBear said:

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Coach. I know you must be a coach, I know not here don't mean to imply that. But if Rhule leaves in a year or two do you really think a person with only 2 or 3 years experience as a position coach in college football is ready to take over this or any other P5 program just because they might be a lifer? Again it's business. Rhoades shouldn't be looking for a lifer as his top criteria or really as any criteria.

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He should however be looking to keep the train going if and only if the program is moving in the right direction. Would anyone really suggest scrapping the plan, the offensive and defensive schemes and the philosophy if we are competing for Big XII championships at that time? That would be to me a foolish thing to do to go and get who exactly? What HUNH offense or any other schemes would be that awesome to scrap that? And I'm not necessarily suggesting a Bell. But if you think about it the staff would have had 5-6 years with the system in place. That's a fairly long time. Adding the fact that these would be guys that would have been head football coaches in high school before. Not exactly college level but there is a lot gained from having head coaching experience especially in the state of Texas. And who is too say that some of these guys don't earn assistant head coaching designations which don't always go to coordinators? There is a lot that could happen between now and then to prepare them for that. And maybe it's not them. Maybe it's Nixon. Maybe it's McGuire. Maybe it's Thomas who takes over.

The point I was trying to make is the play should be to keep things in house. This is what strong programs do. Ohio State just did that with Day. Some would question his experience. OU passed the torch to Riley. They didn't go out looking for guys outside while the train is rolling. It would be a pain to have to start all over. Especially with concerns to player development and recruiting.

I understand but Riley and Day were coordinators and had done well enough in that role that the fans and alums thought they were good coordinators and that the promotion made sense. But I agree if things are going great promote (to me one of the coordinators) from within. If Rhule doesn't leave next January then one of these guys you are talking about could possibly be the OC by the time Rhule does take off.

Timbear said:

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Rhule has no idea how he has undermined the support he finally earned with the bowl win.

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Lulz, you Cabers never supported him and never will. You just look for new things to ***** about.

Michibear said:

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LTbear said:

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Some of y'all will never be happy unless a coach comes to Baylor, wins 9+ games per year, wins conference championships, beats UT and OU on the reg, recruits top 25 classes and never considers what other opportunities he has. Good luck with that.

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Why are you bringing our former coach into this conversation?

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Grant Teaff was a long time ago.

Golden Helmet said:

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Reminds me of offensive lineman John Turnpaugh calling a press conference to announce he was staying for his senior year @ BU.

Jerry Hill and Midge showed up for the announcement.

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Hilarious

I didn't read the whole thread, so this may have already been posted, but I want to thank you, Smoak, for asking CMR if he tried to leverage the Jets' interest into more money for himself or his staff. I thought it was great journalism and totally fair.

Saddle Up! said:

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I didn't read the whole thread, so this may have already been posted, but I want to thank you, Smoak, for asking CMR if he tried to leverage the Jets' interest into more money for himself or his staff. I thought it was great journalism and totally fair.

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and I thought CMRs answer was great

I believe he's already damaged his tenure and lost a lot of respect with many.

Rick85 said:

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I believe he's already damaged his tenure and lost a lot of respect with many.*

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*noted exceptions: Mims, Platt

MilliVanilli said:

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Michibear said:

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LTbear said:

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Some of y'all will never be happy unless a coach comes to Baylor, wins 9+ games per year, wins conference championships, beats UT and OU on the reg, recruits top 25 classes and never considers what other opportunities he has. Good luck with that.

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Why are you bringing our former coach into this conversation?

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Grant Teaff was a long time ago.

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Well being honest Grant never did this, his two best runs were 8 and 10 win seasons together, and later on a 9 and 9 pair back to back.

Briles won 50 games his last 5 years at Baylor. I understand the issues and why he had to go, but he did string together the best 5 consecutive years once he got the system going, that is from a pure W/L perspective, again I understand there were factors which meant he had to go.