Mike Leach era at Miss. State begins with a win
Dan, Pat and Pete discuss Mike Leach’ actions downplay his coaching credibility
Video Transcript
DAN WETZEL: All right. Let me say this much about Mike Leach and Mississippi State. When you take over a program-- now, he comes in with a lot of gravitas and background.
PAT FORDE: Yeah. He's got the credibility.
DAN WETZEL: Credibility. I mean, he's won a million games. But still, you're introducing yourself to a new area of the country and your offense and what exactly is the-- can this kind of gimmicky-- why wasn't he here earlier? I imagine the TV ratings, particularly in the South, were enormous for that game yesterday, because it was like pent up demand. Everybody in the South is watching.
And Mississippi State, in his first game, just walks in and says, I'm gonna run this offense. How you like me now? Like it is the moment where I bet every single recruit in the South's head, they're not all going to go to Mississippi State.
PETE THAMEL: Mike Leach is not at USC, Texas, you know, Ohio State, Michigan, whatever. He's not at a Cadillac job, because of Mike Leach. Not because it of his offense, not because he's quirky. It's because twice a year, he does or says really dumb things that put him in a spin cycle of controversy that more mainstream campuses probably wouldn't tolerate in the same way.
It's interesting to look at Mike Leach, because he has won and he's been innovative enough to really place himself. You just look at like the blind resume, like what he has done at impossible places, totally impossible places. Should have-- like Mike Price did that at Washington State and he ended up with Alabama job, right?
So it's-- Leach is like the most relentlessly fascinating football character of our time. I'm happy to see him have success. And like I can't wait to watch the next Mississippi State game.
PAT FORDE: Here's one other thought on Mike Leach. Do you remember who was going to hire him three years ago until they fired the athletic director like right when he was on the cusp of bringing him in? Tennessee, was John Currie was going to hire Mike Leach. And then they got so sick of that coaching search they fired Leach and brought in Phil Fulmer and you got Jeremy Pruitt. And maybe Pruitt will still turn out, but he hadn't had a day yet at Tennessee like Mike Leach had in day one.
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