šŸˆ Bury the head-coach-in-waiting

Full circle.

I suspected this would be a short-lived fad—an unsuccessful fad—when I first heard the term, "Coach in Waiting." I didn't think it would work in the first place and all I could see coming would be eventual problems just like the situation here.

You want to know what the first thing that popped into my mind was that day? Or, should I say first person? Bro. Oliver.

I thought, "this sounds just like the alleged 'job promised after Stallings retired' line Oliver used as his reasoning for leaving UA and heading to West Opelika."
 
I remember that ordeal. Wasn't it Hootie that was dangling that carrot in front of Oliver? I know Oliver has basically said he got tired of waiting and retired. Tiny Terry and Spurrier both wanted him. Bowden got him at Auburn by buying out some of his retirement from South Carolina from his coaching days at Clemson. I heard a detailed interview he gave about that time and how crazy it was. I hated his guts the day he left us to go there, but like most, time heals all wounds.
 
The only two times that it has worked well that I know of was 1) at Nebraska, when DeVaney announced his retirement at the end of the season and the school announced that Osborne would be the next guy, and 2) Kentucky, with Joker Phillips taking over as planned. Jimbo Fisher did take over at FSU, but Bobby wasn't ready and there were some problems, and of course Muschamp wasn't ready to wait on Mack.
 
I forgot about Joker.

I don't know if Osbourne qualifies, does he? He wasn't a "coach in waiting," technically, was he? One retired, he was "hired."
 
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