Which coach will be more successful?
 

There are some parallels between George O'Leary and Mike Price. They are both getting their second chances (Price's UTEP is losing to Arizona St. tonight and O'Leary's Central Florida opens at Wisconsin Saturday.)
Just curious who people think will have more success. I'd think UCF is in a better position to get better faster, but I'm not 100% sure.

O'Leary is the better coach, IMHO. So I'd say him.

I'll disagree with you on who's the better coach. O'Leary definitely has some recruiting advantages. I know O'Leary's leaving as soon as he gets a big time offer. I don't know if Price would jump ship right away, or is he committed to getting UTEP to a certain talent level.

I'd go with O'Leary. I think recruiting advantages at UCF far, far outnumber UTEP. And O'Leary has that pro stink on him. Players who want to go to the pros would be more inclined to go with a coach with NFL connections like O'Leary than a pure college guy like Price.

Price has had a number of players go high in the NFL draft, don't you think that would attract good recruits? He's already managed to bring two Parade All-Americans to El Paso, more than he ever got at WSU. He's gunning for big names and having success. Given time, Price will turn around UTEP football...

Price.....cause he likes hookers/strippers.

I'm not sure whether to reply to that with a :rolleyes: or a :mad:

Jeebs...if you were on his squad you would be doing this :D:D:D

Sorry Jeeber, but I think its impossible to turn around the UTEP program.

And why is that?

That's fine if disagree, but if I had to chose between the two, I'd take O'Leary in a heartbeat.

utep needs a better funded athletic program, and mike price, when he starts winning there can and will bring that. that should turn around not just football but other sports as well. I think price will be at utep for a while. and succeed there.

Anybody know how much UTEP is paying Price annually?

Let's see, El Paso vs Orlando, hmm. Yep, I could definitely see the recruits lining up alongside the Rio Grande with those options available.

In my humble, not unbiased opinion, O'Leary will do better in the short, and long term. Of course it could depend on your idea of success.

Price is a good coach. No question. He had some very successful years at WSU. However, I think O'Leary has some things that Price doesn't that he can use to his advantage. O'Leary was part of a co-national championship team in 1990. He went to 5 straight bowls at Tech. He has also coached in the NFL, and helped take SAN DIEGO to the Super Bowl. In addition, Daunte Culpepper helped put UCF on the map. Nothing against UTEP, but in my opinion, UCF has a little more recognition than UTEP. Texas and Florida are both recruiting hotbeds, so I think each coach will do well in that regard. However, because of the factors I mentioned above, I think O'Leary would have a slight advantage.

As you said, O'Leary will most likely jump at the opportunity to move up to a bigger school. Considering he left the NFL to take a college head coaching job, I doubt he'd jump back to the NFL to be a coordinator again, unless he felt it would get him a step closer to a head coach position in the NFL. My perception is that Price's situation was seen as being a little more "scandalous" and as a result will follow him a little longer and affect him more severely. This might limit his opportunities.

So, if success is measured in terms of W-L, I really have no idea who would get the edge since I know little about either program or their competition. If success is measured in moving back up the coaching ladder, I'd give the edge to O'Leary.

One thing that might hold O'Leary back is how well he chooses his assistants. He was pretty much handed Ralph Friedgen at Tech, and I think that was a BIG part of his success as a head coach. If he can surround himself with good people, it will also go a long way in boosting his success. Otherwise, it might reveal how much Friedgen meant to Tech. I have no clue as to Price's ability to surround himself with good people, or develop coaches, so I can't comment on him in that regard.

Fwiw, from what I have read, UCF is in the running for almost all the top prospects in FLA recruiting thsi year.

I think you mean USF

:p

Have there been any Neuheisel(SP) sightings?

Washington has done a major nose dive after the March Madness office pool results were posted.

There was blurb about him in the latest SI. Basically, he's currently coaching junior high ball and sending out resumes looking for a head coaching job...

Not that many will see this on the archive board, but O'Leary just got his first win at Central Florida and broke their 17 game losing streak. So... Price won the whole "who will be more successful" thing, but O'Leary does have a more impressive resume.