Kentucky Football: The Joker Phillips Question

I hate having to write this article. I know that in doing so, I will get my “Big Blue” loyalty questioned and probably piss a lot of people off. I am not doing this to try to cause any drama or to try to jump on a program when it is down. The truth of the matter is, I am one of those UK fans that live and die with UK football, as well as Kentucky basketball. Despite living in Florida, I think I have only missed catching one or two UK football games on TV in the last 5 or 6 years. I have the pay per view bills to support it. I have not written this season off yet either. I know that before this season, most people had UK at 4-4 at this point in the season. In reality, UK still has a pretty good chance at making a fourth straight bowl, yet another trip to Tennessee would be very unsatisfying this season. Is it bad to want more for my alma mater? Am I a traitor for asking this:

IS JOKER PHILLIPS THE RIGHT CHOICE TO DRIVE THIS PROGRAM FORWARD?

Before we decide this, let’s take a look at a couple of “big time” programs that have undergone (or will undertake) coaching changes and how by looking at their situations, UK can make a decision for their program.

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES: Bobby Bowden is obviously an icon at FSU with two National Championships and 12 conference championships. The program is obviously in decline from the glory days and the program has recently been embroiled in an academic scandal which resulted in the vacation of wins. The last four and half season have resulted in 25 losses for the Seminoles and Florida State has recently made the controversial decision to make offensive co-ordinator Jimbo Fisher the head coach in waiting for when Bowden eventually stumbles into the sunset.

Obviously, this decision has torn Seminole Nation apart but the Seminoles are pretty much stuck with this decision due to the fact that Fisher has a $2.5 M buyout clause if he is not the head coach at FSU by 2011. This decision has the Seminole fans screaming as Fisher’s offensive schemes is the main reason (in their opinion) that the Seminoles have struggled so much.

Even though Brooks has resurrected the UK program, UK is not nearly had the success that FSU had. If you want to argue, the Kentucky job may be the better job of the two right now, due to being in the SEC and the fact that UK beat FSU in a bowl game a couple of years ago. But if you look at the “pedigrees” of the two mean that will be coach, you will see that the resumes are not exactly even.

Jimbo Fisher has the pedigree to be a head coach right now, having spent 5 years as the Auburn QB coach (1993-1998) and 6 seasons as LSU’s OC/QB coach serving under Saban and Miles (2000-2006). Even with all this experience, it appears that the best job waiting for Fisher was going to be the University of Alabama Birmingham of Conference USA. Fisher was so highly regarded at that time, that the Alabama Board of Trustee’s, in a bizarre move blocked the hiring of Fisher at UAB and he headed to Tallahasee. Fisher’s role as head coach in waiting still has the Seminole Nation up in arms and highly divided.

As well beloved as Joker is by some UK fans, and how nice it would be to see one of our own ascend to the top. you have to admit that Joker’s resume is not as impressive as Fisher’s. After stints with the Redskins, Joker came back to UK in a few positions (most notably assistant coach in charge of the WR’s) from 1988-1996. Joker spent 2 seasons at Cincinnati as DB and WR coach and then two seasons as Minnesota’s WR coach. He then succeeded Urban Meyer as WR coach at Notre Dame for a season and then headed to South Carolina for a season as their WR coach. Joker returned to UK in 2003 and has ascended his way to Head Coach of the offense and he is the main recruiter for UK.

Now under Joker’s watch, UK has turned in their best recruiting classes ever. Last season’s class was regarded as a Top 40 class, which places it in the upper third of all programs. Unfortunately, it was also the 11th best class in the 12 team SEC. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I am just wondering if it is going to take more than a good recruiter to take the role as UK’s next head coach.

I am not really blaming UK’s offensive woes on Joker (except not having his best player touch the ball in the fourth quarter of the Mississippi State game) but Joker’s job has been made harder by having his preseason starting QB out of the equation by game 6 of the last two seasons.

Obviously Joker’s loyalty to UK is worth something, but I am not sure if that is handing him his first head coach position in the best football conference in the country. To counter the FSU situation, let’s look at the other scenario of a big time coaching change.

FLORIDA GATORS: Like Bowden, Spurrier was obviously an icon at Florida. He took a program that was average as best and led them to the National Title and made them a consistent top 5 team. When he left for the NFL, Florida went for the “hottest name that ties to the university but had not yet coached a game” which happened to be the New Orleans Saint’s Ron Zook. Zook had spent four seasons (1991-1995) as an assistant coach to Spurrier and had been in the NFL with the Steelers, Chiefs, and Saints before coming back home to UF.

The Zook era for the Gators, was an unmitigated disaster. While an outstanding recruiter, the Gators turned in 8-5. 8-5, and 7-4 seasons including a bowl free 2004 season. The Zook era was over after three seasons and this time the Gator’s took their checkbook and hired the best non BCS coach, Utah’s Urban Meyer, who was coming off a 12-0 season. The turnaround began immediately for Meyer, as the Gators went 9-3 his first season and then won the National Title his second season with the core of Ron Zook’s players.

WHAT NEXT?: Assuming that this could be Rich Brook’s last season, what is the harm in Kentucky doing a national coaching search for the next head coach? UK can do a Florida and see if they can get the best non BCS coach, who happens to be Boise State’s Chris Petersen. Peterson has a very similar coaching pedigree to Joker Phillips as he spent 6 years as Oregon’s (1995-2001) and had spent four seasons as the offensive co-ordinator for Boise State and was nominated for the Broyles Award twice, which is given to the nation’s top assistant coach. At Boise State, Peterson’s teams have gone 43-4 with an undefeated 13-0 season in 2006 and a BCS Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. This season, the Bronco’s are headed to another BCS bashing season with a 8-0 season and a win already over the #10 Oregon Ducks who blew out USC last night.

Petersen is an interesting case. In a way, he is a result of what happens when a a top assistant takes over the program, although he was never named “head coach in waiting”. But you have to wonder if he can have an Urban Meyer like impact to let’s say a SEC school that is looking to take the next step.

This is in no way saying that UK should ditch their loyalties to Joker Phillips, but merely a concerned alumni wondering if the team should close their eyes to any other coach possibilities that are out there and if the school is actually doing the best for the football program with their “head coach in waiting” program.

After seeing what the top “non Big Conference” coach can do to the UK basketball program, I am just saying that the football program deserves the same careful consideration to make
sure we are getting the best coach for our program.

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