Ole Miss Football: How to approach the coaching search
By John Gillon
2. Charlie Strong
Charlie Strong is well known in every coaching circle. He is also extremely well respected, something Hugh Freeze never was nor will ever be.
Charlie Strong has seen the highs and lows of college football coaching.
He won two national titles as Florida’s DC in 2006 and 2008. Strong’s defenses ranked sixth in 2006 and eight in 2008. Let’s not forget his recruiting was down right gaudy with the Gators
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Strong then became the head man in charge at Louisville. During his first season at Louisville, their defense catapulted from 65th to 14th. He would follow this up with a 12-1 record in 2013. The 2013 season culminated in a 33-23 Sugar Bowl victory over Florida, ironically.
Charlie’s next stop was Texas. We all know he didn’t succeed at Texas. However, that wasn’t all on him as he was always fighting an uphill battle. The boosters always had it out for Strong despite him recruiting well and the Longhorns steadily improving. I will not be surprised if Tom Herman sees near instant success at Texas and proves Strong was prematurely fired.
There would be a poetic feel to the hiring of Charlie Strong. Strong was Dan Mullen’s defensive counterpart at Florida. Beating Dan and his bulldogs with a former colleague would add an entirely new level to the egg bowl rivalry.
The rivalry ties are not the only thing making this poetic, however. Charlie Strong may, quite literally, be the antifreeze Ole Miss football’s engine desperately needs to stabilize. Pun intended.