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Bring Back Troy

Proven head coach vs a long time position/assistant head coach with ties to the region. The gimmick hire shouldn't even be a consideration. I'm in the Taylor boat as well but I think deep down we know Dr. Wood is going to go with Carter due to the boxes he checks given the initiatives Carter took up per his bio. We'll see if this works out.
 
SDHornet said:
Cal Poly waited the minimum 10 days that we'll also abide by.
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SDHornet said:
Proven head coach vs a long time position/assistant head coach with ties to the region. The gimmick hire shouldn't even be a consideration. I'm in the Taylor boat as well but I think deep down we know Dr. Wood is going to go with Carter due to the boxes he checks given the initiatives Carter took up per his bio. We'll see if this works out.
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Uninspiring. So, we could be looking at early next week for an announcement, likely on Monday. Ugh.
 
It’s funny how in interviews Wood always refers to Orr as “the best AD in the country” yet he seems to be unable to stand back and let the man do his job without interfering. Based on box checking as referenced in prior posts my money is on Zo but I’m pulling for Troy.
 
BuzzMob said:
It’s funny how in interviews Wood always refers to Orr as “the best AD in the country” yet he seems to be unable to stand back and let the man do his job without interfering. Based on box checking as referenced in prior posts my money is on Zo but I’m pulling for Troy.
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Agreed. So over the top. If they go with Zo, I wonder too if the "allegations" made against Troy and the pending lawsuit gave hesitation and an excuse to not go with the 3x Big Sky Champion, whose teams never lost a Big Sky road game, and the greatest Hornet football coach of all time.
 

Rolovich (former Washington State head coach), sources told FootballScoop, emerged later in the process at Coastal Carolina and also has been in the mix for the Sacramento State head coaching vacancy following the departure after one year of Brennon Marion.

Remember, Washington State fired Nick Rolovich as head football coach because of his refusal to comply with the state's COVID-19 vaccination requirements. He is the interim head coach at Cal.
 
ChatGPT's 5 most likely candidates:

  • Troy Taylor — 30%
    Rationale: Former Sac State head coach (turned winner there) with strong Northern California ties and recent FBS head-coach experience at Stanford; his name has been mentioned by local outlets and insiders when this job is discussed. Wikipedia
  • DeSean Jackson — 20%
    Rationale: High-profile ex-NFL star who’s had early head-coaching success at Delaware State in 2025; national insiders (Matt Zenitz/CBS Sports) have listed him as a possible candidate and local press has linked him to the opening. ClutchPoints+1
  • Alonzo Carter (Arizona assistant) — 18%
    Rationale: Arizona’s assistant head coach / RB coach (and long-time Bay Area coach) has been reported as a top candidate in recent coverage and would bring regional recruiting ties plus head/coaching experience at lower levels. Arizona Desert Swarm+1
  • Marcus Patton (Sac State defensive coordinator) — 17%
    Rationale: Internal promotion candidate — currently Sac State’s defensive coordinator (hired into program staff) so offers continuity and an easier transition while keeping local recruiting pipelines intact. Internal candidates are frequently finalists for openings like this. Sacramento State+1
  • Kenneth Merchant (Sac State offensive coordinator / QBs) — 15%
    Rationale: Another internal option — Sac State’s OC/QB coach (recent staff addition from UNLV) who already runs the offense and could be promoted for continuity, especially if the AD wants a quick turnaround. Sacramento State
 
Kadeezy said:
I think we have a serious Orr/Wood standoff.
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Because Sac State has a serious Luke Wood problem.

Some continue to defend and offer excuses for him, but it’s the truth.

A laundry list of red flag examples and outcomes can be cited to back it up.

I won’t bother to list them all, but rather just point to him overriding or at the very least leading his AD on decisions being made wrt athletics — which allegedly will include this upcoming head coaching hire — and the fact that the football program has regressed since he became heavily involved in the decision making process. It’s definitely in a much more precarious position than it was before, considering the one and done coaching change, lack of conference affiliation, and but 4 games on the 2026 schedule.

While some will defend Wood’s decision making by suggesting that “it was worth the big swing and miss to elevate to FBS” — which I’d actually agree with — the guy still has a chance to minimize the damage and steady the ship a bit by stepping out of the way to allow his AD to do the job he was hired to do yet he likely will not do that. And that’s just one of many problems with this guy. He can’t even manage to align with his AD over the simplest of communication that is released to the public.

He continues to drone on and on about bold initiatives that never come true with timelines that just get pushed further and further out. And along the way has managed to piss off the entire student body, Big Sky Conference, and FCS.

Job well done.

Despite all the red flags and concerns I’ve had with Luke Wood since day one, I also said I’d happily give him due credit if his wild and crazy ways paid off. But they haven’t. And as of today, there’s no significant light at the end of the tunnel to suggest that it ever will. As a former Sacrament Kings player once uttered “I don’t even see the tunnel”.

Circling back to the upcoming coaching hire, if Wood does step out of the way and allow Orr to re-hire Troy Taylor — I’ll give him credit for it. But I just don’t see any indication of that actually happening. Wood has openly laid out his grand plans for this university, beyond just athletics, as well as his M.O. for decision making such as this.
 
Kadeezy said:
I was told by someone sorta connected - Orr wants Troy, Dr. Wood Wants Zo Carter from U of A.... No decision made.
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I don’t see why Wood would risk getting an unknown when we have a very well known and high performance history from Troy Taylor.

Troy I’m sure would give us another solid RUN

ZO which I do not know at all. Might be great. Or might fail. Does he have ties to Nor Cal that makes him look like he will STAY at least 3 years?

We need stability for minimum 2-3 years with a solid winning record 7+ wins per season as a goal to maintain positivity and interest and prove we belong in FBS
 
BuckeyeHornetFan said:
Because Sac State has a serious Luke Wood problem.

Some continue to defend and offer excuses for him, but it’s the truth.

A laundry list of red flag examples and outcomes can be cited to back it up.

I won’t bother to list them all, but rather just point to him overriding or at the very least leading his AD on decisions being made wrt athletics — which allegedly will include this upcoming head coaching hire — and the fact that the football program has regressed since he became heavily involved in the decision making process. It’s definitely in a much more precarious position than it was before, considering the one and done coaching change, lack of conference affiliation, and but 4 games on the 2026 schedule.

While some will defend Wood’s decision making by suggesting that “it was worth the big swing and miss to elevate to FBS” — which I’d actually agree with — the guy still has a chance to minimize the damage and steady the ship a bit by stepping out of the way to allow his AD to do the job he was hired to do yet he likely will not do that. And that’s just one of many problems with this guy. He can’t even manage to align with his AD over the simplest of communication that is released to the public.

He continues to drone on and on about bold initiatives that never come true with timelines that just get pushed further and further out. And along the way has managed to piss off the entire student body, Big Sky Conference, and FCS.

Job well done.

Despite all the red flags and concerns I’ve had with Luke Wood since day one, I also said I’d happily give him due credit if his wild and crazy ways paid off. But they haven’t. And as of today, there’s no significant light at the end of the tunnel to suggest that it ever will. As a former Sacrament Kings player once uttered “I don’t even see the tunnel”.

Circling back to the upcoming coaching hire, if Wood does step out of the way and allow Orr to re-hire Troy Taylor — I’ll give him credit for it. But I just don’t see any indication of that actually happening. Wood has openly laid out his grand plans for this university, beyond just athletics, as well as his M.O. for decision making such as this.
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Great post.
 
OldSchoolHornet said:
Yes…but I wouldn’t bet any money on it and I have been known to enjoy a good wager.
Now Wood is saying he needs a couple of more weeks but will definitely have a decision before the end of the year.
If he was going to hire Troy, as SD pointed out, he only needed 10 days to do so.
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President Wood is the boss on campus, put in place by the CSU BOT who are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the state legislature. Thereby each CSU President is enacting policies and visions allowed, encouraged, and supported by the state government. I always chuckle when I read comments about how Dr. Wood should be fired and lol when I see comments about how he's going over the head of the athletic director. Yes, Dr. Wood is going over the head of the athletic director because he out ranks him. Being the boss comes with certain authorities and overruling the decision/desires of the underlings is one of them. It's really that simple.

I'm also entertained by the comments insinuating that Dr. Wood is going rogue and counter to the wishes and desires of the CSU BOT as if they weren't fully aware of his vision when they hired him two and a half years ago. A key word folks should have picked up on during Dr. Wood's latest KCRA interview was the use of the word "flagship" and how Dr. Wood is striving to get Sac State to "flagship" status. He can't do that without the backing of the CSU BOT and all of Dr. Wood's moves should be viewed through that lens.

I'm perplexed at some of the comments and reactions to Dr. Woods agenda as if they weren't going to be in lock step with policies emanating from the Capital.

How this pertains to the head coach hire? Simple, Dr. Wood is going to pick the person who will fit with his vision for the university as a whole. It's pretty clear which candidate embodies that vision. We'll see how it works, or doesn't work, but if Dr. Wood is going to keep pumping resources into the football program/athletics then I'm not overly concerned so long as a qualified candidate is selected...and both candidates are qualified with one having clear and undeniable proven results.

Edit: For those clamoring hard for Troy, if you didn't take the 2 minutes to send in an email to the admin and/or aren't buying tickets to games then please let the board know so we can discount your complaints and criticisms about how this coaching hire plays out. Thanks in advance.
 
SDHornet said:
President Wood is the boss on campus, put in place by the CSU BOT who are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the state legislature. Thereby each CSU President is enacting policies and visions allowed, encouraged, and supported by the state government. I always chuckle when I read comments about how Dr. Wood should be fired and lol when I see comments about how he's going over the head of the athletic director. Yes, Dr. Wood is going over the head of the athletic director because he out ranks him. Being the boss comes with certain authorities and overruling the decision/desires of the underlings is one of them. It's really that simple.

I'm also entertained by the comments insinuating that Dr. Wood is going rogue and counter to the wishes and desires of the CSU BOT as if they weren't fully aware of his vision when they hired him two and a half years ago. A key word folks should have picked up on during Dr. Wood's latest KCRA interview was the use of the word "flagship" and how Dr. Wood is striving to get Sac State to "flagship" status. He can't do that without the backing of the CSU BOT and all of Dr. Wood's moves should be viewed through that lens.

I'm perplexed at some of the comments and reactions to Dr. Woods agenda as if they weren't going to be in lock step with policies emanating from the Capital.

How this pertains to the head coach hire? Simple, Dr. Wood is going to pick the person who will fit with his vision for the university as a whole. It's pretty clear which candidate embodies that vision. We'll see how it works, or doesn't work, but if Dr. Wood is going to keep pumping resources into the football program/athletics then I'm not overly concerned so long as a qualified candidate is selected...and both candidates are qualified with one having clear and undeniable proven results.

Edit: For those clamoring hard for Troy, if you didn't take the 2 minutes to send in an email to the admin and/or aren't buying tickets to games then please let the board know so we can discount your complaints and criticisms about how this coaching hire plays out. Thanks in advance.
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No doubt Wood has the power and final say what goes on in athletics and elsewhere on campus. Question is: How many university presidents insist on overriding the athletic director on hiring decisions. What is Wood's background in athletics it certainly doesn't compare with Orr's. If Wood wants us to buy tickets and support the program he needs to give us the coach that has the best chance to be successful not one of his experiments
 
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