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Bring Back Troy
- Thread starter Phantom Hornet
- Start date
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
Agreed. TT returning to lead the program, on the surface, looks like a perfect situational match.
However, I’m not sure Taylor would accept the job given the current circumstances and lack of true leadership. And given what we know and have seen from Wood thus far — it’s doubtful he’d even consider hiring the former head coach.
Disagree with that being a factor, as Marion had coached HS ball nearby and was familiar with the area and lifestyle before he accepted the job. There were no surprises in that regard.
When this hire was first announced, many of us acknowledged that it likely wouldn’t last more than a season or two — especially so if he was super successful right out of the gate.
Marion underwhelmed given expectations yet still ended up leaving after only 1 season albeit for an OC position — a position he’s already held elsewhere and could have landed at numerous other places at various times.
I suppose it’s possible that Deion will step down at Colorado in the near future and Marion was given some assurances that he’d be given strong consideration as the successor.
IMO, his departure as a HC, at this time, has more to do with the inability of the President and AD to follow through with any of the bold initiatives they pressed and droned on and on about and the fact that they actually managed to make things worse by pulling out of the BSC, leaving the team with only 4 games on 2026 schedule, and no conference affiliation on the horizon. And if that’s the case, can anyone really blame him?
He making good money, got all these players to buy in and then just leaves all the players and coaches after one year, give me a break. You’re a moron if you think BM didn’t know what he was signing up for.
one other thing, do you really believe that President Wood (not a FB guy) was really talking out his butt with all these comments about JV, Montana being over rated? All those comments start with BM. BM really really underestimated FCS ball even though he’s been there in prior at weaker conferences. At the start of year, he thought it’d be a cake walk to title game. Not smart by Wood to reguitate the comments (that’s fair) but all this fake hype started with BM
Anyone who thinks it is cool to just leave after one year because of President Wood/AD is just a male Karen! No other way to explain you, Wood made a big investment and that investment was based on a lot of hype from BM gave during the interview process and following
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Interesting also interesting that the most overrated coach in FBS is joining with the biggest all talk hype from FCS
I think people are over-thinking this whole ordeal and are bashing Coach Marion because they never really understood what this was. He was very up front about how he viewed this head coaching opportunity with his "one year" cliché. Combine that with his track record of hopping around every year or two and it was pretty evident from the jump that his tenure here was going to be a short one. You have to have your head in the sand to think he was going to run it back year after year here in Sac.
Coach Marion assumed some risk in taking the job as none of Dr. Wood's vision was a guarantee when he came on board a year ago. I'm sure the failure to deliver on FBS played into the decision but don't discount that Dr. Wood opened up the coffers to pay him (and his staff) enough to even get him here. No one should feel sorry for Coach Marion or his staff as they were well compensated for their efforts in turning the program around in one offseason. The bottom line is Coach Marion is taking an OC job that is a step up in prestige and pay. He was always going to bail when a better opportunity came around as his track record indicated that...which is why Dr. Wood had a $1.4M buyout in the contract to fund the next regime.
Turning the page, Dr. Wood and Orr need to move quickly to fill the vacancy. It took Cal Poly 10 calendar days to replace their HC (good hire BTW). Let's see if they can match or beat that timeframe as they need to get Troy...I mean a HC in place with time to recruit the current roster before the portal opens on January 2nd.
Stingers Up!
Coach Marion assumed some risk in taking the job as none of Dr. Wood's vision was a guarantee when he came on board a year ago. I'm sure the failure to deliver on FBS played into the decision but don't discount that Dr. Wood opened up the coffers to pay him (and his staff) enough to even get him here. No one should feel sorry for Coach Marion or his staff as they were well compensated for their efforts in turning the program around in one offseason. The bottom line is Coach Marion is taking an OC job that is a step up in prestige and pay. He was always going to bail when a better opportunity came around as his track record indicated that...which is why Dr. Wood had a $1.4M buyout in the contract to fund the next regime.
Turning the page, Dr. Wood and Orr need to move quickly to fill the vacancy. It took Cal Poly 10 calendar days to replace their HC (good hire BTW). Let's see if they can match or beat that timeframe as they need to get Troy...I mean a HC in place with time to recruit the current roster before the portal opens on January 2nd.
Stingers Up!
HornetFootballFan
Active member
I think Troy & Kris should run it again. After 3 yrs I’d imagine Troy going to CAL his Alma mater and I anticipate Kris Richardson being ready as D1 CFB for a good tenure.
I think Troy is target
Brent Vigen could be a great hire,.
Coach Kris Richardson might be ready as HC maybe?
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
Where did you read that I said that he didn't know what he was signing up for?
You're not making any sense. And are on tilt.
I clearly made the opposite point. That he did know what he was signing up for. Your "Sac ain't for everyone" comment made it seem like he came here and didn't like the area. He'd lived and coached in the area before. So that's nonsense.
Secondly, where are you seeing anyone say they believe it's cool that he left after one season? I sure haven't said it.
You either have amnesia or weren't around this forum a year ago when the dude got hired. Some fans, myself included, weren't wild about the hire because he was such a hot name as a coordinator that we could connect the dots to understand that if he was successful right away he'd likely last no more than one, maybe two seasons before being lured away. And I certainly wasn't rooting for a situation like that. Yet here we are!
Since you seem to be confused, I'll say it clearly. No, I don't think it's cool that he or any coach bails on a program like this. IMO it's part of what's wrong with the system. Too much turnover, especially at the FCS level. If you find a successful head coach (like Troy Taylor), they get poached. And signed contracts don't mean ****.
I merely speculated why I believe Marion chose to bail so soon, especially after a disappointing season compared to expectations. None of us were privy to the backroom negotiations and conversations between the President, the AD, and Marion during the hiring process. And none of us were privy to discussions over the course of the season.
But considering the massive roster turnover, the increased $$$ invested in football, the public talk about new facilities and moving up to FBS, etc, there were clearly promises and expectations that were not met and don't appear to be anywhere close to being met. If you don't believe any of that played a factor -- then you need to look into the moron mirror yourself.
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
You summed it up well.
That said, what you outlined above is precisely why I was never wild about the hire. A one or two year hire is never going to be good for a program, unless you're getting Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, or Dabo Swinney. And even that is debatable.
There's something to the concept of stability. But it can be challenging to come by at the FCS level and even at the lower FBS level. Successful coaches are going to draw attention from the higher levels.
Though, I often wonder how the perennial FCS powers such as North Dakota State, South Dakota State, JMU (while they were FCS), Montana, and Montana State seem to avoid having their head coaches poached after just a couple seasons of success.
Curt Cignetti lasted 5 years at JMU before Indiana came calling. Hauck was at UM a number of years, left, then came back and has been there since 2017. John Stiegelmeier was a lifer at SDST for 26 seasons.
And despite their IMMENSE and DOMINANT success the past 20+ years, North Dakota State hasn't had a head coach with a tenure less than 5 seasons. Craig Bohl coached for 11 seasons. Chris Klieman coached 5 seasons after that. And Matt Entz coached 5 after that, until Tim Polasek in 2024. And he'll likely be there a while, too.
However, the 1st time Sac State find a successful guy -- he's gone in 3 seasons. And now a quasi-successful coach gets lured away after only one season. As you pointed out, short term gigs have been Marion's M.O. -- but it's still frustrating and IMO not worth the risk or effort.
HeavyistheClown
Active member
So Colorado must be ok with a mediocre 7-5 year ‘can change your life?’
Makes perfect sense, two of the best used car salesmen on the same team.
Makes perfect sense, two of the best used car salesmen on the same team.
OldSchoolHornet
Active member
I spoke with Troy last night. He is anxious to speak with Wood and Orr about the job. He feels that he understands the current positives and negatives of the job. If he is offered the same level of support as Marion he will gladly take the job and he will not be in a hurry to leave.
Let’s hope Wood moves quickly and doesn’t fuck this up.
Let’s hope Wood moves quickly and doesn’t fuck this up.
Bodega Joe
Active member
That would be amazing!
Kadeezy
Active member
I have plenty of thoughts on the Marion situation, but I’ll save those for another thread. The short version is this: we basically got exactly what we should have expected—just with a slightly worse season than we hoped for. The guy told us over and over, in every post and every comment, that “one year can change your life.” So honestly… what did we expect?
Now, onto the immediate future—and Troy Taylor.
More than any stadium progress, conference realignment drama, or administrative optics, Dr. Wood’s real legacy hinges on whether he picks up the phone and does everything possible to bring Troy Taylor home. Personal feelings, Stanford narratives, worries about being labeled “mean”—none of that matters. If Dr. Wood truly understands college athletics and college football, he knows the right move is obvious: move heaven and earth to put Troy Taylor back in the driver’s seat.
Troy Taylor instantly restores credibility to this program. He immediately repairs relationships with local fans and alumni who feel burned. He ensures K-Rich stays engaged, and he can build a roster while retaining the coaches who deserve to stay. We’d once again have an elite play-caller who knows how to maximize whatever playmakers remain. He has deep local ties, and for the first time, he’d be fully unleashed in the modern transfer-portal era—something he never had at Stanford. His presence alone would stabilize the program and make us more attractive to FBS conferences or, at minimum, simplify scheduling and recruiting.
If Dr. Wood truly has the program’s best interests at heart, he’ll walk through fire to make this hire happen, give Taylor the same resources Marion received, and then step back and let him cook.
HeavyistheClown
Active member
Who is to say TT doesn’t bounce in a year? He was halfway out the door during the IW playoff game.
Kadeezy
Active member
We are not a destination job. If we can have TT for 2-3 years again, LET'S DO IT.
Phantom Hornet
Active member
I think Troy would be reticent to bounce quickly after the Stanford debacle. He's in his late 50's, getting near the end of his head coaching career and I could image some stability and the ability to REALLY create a program in his mold in his hometown would be very alluring. Especially if he's getting anywhere the monetary support Marion had.
HeavyistheClown
Active member
I’d love it if he became the rock of the program. Just imagine what he could have done in these past 3yrs.
