There have been rumors on top of rumors regarding the end of Marshall's 2016 season, but none more important to HerdNation than the future of its offense. We told you guys earlier in the week that some names have been swirling around and that certain scenarios would have to take place for those names to come to fruition. Although those dominoes have yet to start falling a week after the season ended, there's still hope for those that would like to see the offense go in a new direction starting in 2017. Here are the two names that seem to be the most likely to replace Coach Bill Legg, if he's not retained.
Kendal Briles - Briles' season and career as Baylor's offensive coordinator possibly ended today with their 24-21 loss to WVU. It's no secret that the Briles name comes with baggage, but his talent is undeniable.
Briles has spent the last nine seasons as part of the Baylor staff and the last two as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In 2015, Briles' first season as OC, the Baylor powerhouse offense again led the nation in both scoring (48.1 points/game) and total offense (616.2 yards/game) for the third consecutive season, and its rushing offense finished second nationally (326.7 yards/game).
In 2016, an injury riddled season, Briles' offense accumulated 34.9 points/game and 523 yards/game (250 rushing and 273 passing).
Briles is also a talented recruiter. In 2014 he was named the Rivals.com Big 12 Recruiter of the Year.
Many will say that Briles is too big a fish for Marshall to land, but Baylor's interim Coach Jim Grobe has played a huge role in the situation. Doc Holliday and Grobe's relationship plays into this and it's rumored that Grobe believes Marshall would be an excellent situation for Briles to reinvent his image. Now, there are some obvious dominoes that need to fall and another that would help in order for a Briles' hiring to happen. We can't comment on those right now, but Briles' name is one that HerdNation needs to watch.
Ron Turner - If Turner's name sounds familiar it's because he was FIU's head coach for the four seasons. I know Turner's name is nowhere near as sexy as Briles, but his resume isn't bad.
Turner has bounced around D-I and the NFL for the last 37 years with stops at Southern Cal, Stanford, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, etc. Turner was the offensive coordinator with the Bears and coached the quarterbacks with the Bears, Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
My biggest concern with Turner is that he teaches a "pro" system and that doesn't mesh real with our current roster or recruiting philosophy. That said, Turner has probably forgotten more football than I'll ever know so he could probably adapt his system if needed.
A Turner hiring could only help Marshall's presence in South Florida with the connections Turner has made over the last couple years. Like Briles, his name will be one to watch.
Obviously nothing matters until something official comes down from Holliday in regards to Legg's future, but this is the info that has been given to us. The longer this goes on, the more likely Legg will return in 2017. If we don't hear something by the second week of January, then I'd expect no changes to be made.
Kendal Briles - Briles' season and career as Baylor's offensive coordinator possibly ended today with their 24-21 loss to WVU. It's no secret that the Briles name comes with baggage, but his talent is undeniable.
Briles has spent the last nine seasons as part of the Baylor staff and the last two as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In 2015, Briles' first season as OC, the Baylor powerhouse offense again led the nation in both scoring (48.1 points/game) and total offense (616.2 yards/game) for the third consecutive season, and its rushing offense finished second nationally (326.7 yards/game).
In 2016, an injury riddled season, Briles' offense accumulated 34.9 points/game and 523 yards/game (250 rushing and 273 passing).
Briles is also a talented recruiter. In 2014 he was named the Rivals.com Big 12 Recruiter of the Year.
Many will say that Briles is too big a fish for Marshall to land, but Baylor's interim Coach Jim Grobe has played a huge role in the situation. Doc Holliday and Grobe's relationship plays into this and it's rumored that Grobe believes Marshall would be an excellent situation for Briles to reinvent his image. Now, there are some obvious dominoes that need to fall and another that would help in order for a Briles' hiring to happen. We can't comment on those right now, but Briles' name is one that HerdNation needs to watch.
Ron Turner - If Turner's name sounds familiar it's because he was FIU's head coach for the four seasons. I know Turner's name is nowhere near as sexy as Briles, but his resume isn't bad.
Turner has bounced around D-I and the NFL for the last 37 years with stops at Southern Cal, Stanford, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, etc. Turner was the offensive coordinator with the Bears and coached the quarterbacks with the Bears, Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
My biggest concern with Turner is that he teaches a "pro" system and that doesn't mesh real with our current roster or recruiting philosophy. That said, Turner has probably forgotten more football than I'll ever know so he could probably adapt his system if needed.
A Turner hiring could only help Marshall's presence in South Florida with the connections Turner has made over the last couple years. Like Briles, his name will be one to watch.
Obviously nothing matters until something official comes down from Holliday in regards to Legg's future, but this is the info that has been given to us. The longer this goes on, the more likely Legg will return in 2017. If we don't hear something by the second week of January, then I'd expect no changes to be made.
