12 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Agreed. It's a tough situation. Murray is a great school district, and is a really solid small-school program. Timing aside, Coach Hodge leaves them in good spot in 2A. They were a state semifinalist (complete with wins over Mayfield & O-Cath) in 2020, and they were a state quarterfinalist in 2018. It's a great town with a supportive community...not to mention that its location is pretty supreme for anyone who loves the outdoors. There's a lot there to attract a coach.

Realistically, with it's location geographically, this job is more than likely to have folks from Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas looking at it.

The problem with Murray, perhaps, is that it IS such a good program to step into. Right now it's the kind of job that would normally attract some of the more top-tier head coaches around. As a school and a football program, they have every right to look at themselves as a top notch job, so in a lot of ways that might make the notion of hiring a current assistant coach into a first-time head coaching job a little less than desirable for Murray. On the flipside, any current head coach is stuck weighing what's stacked against them taking over a relatively high-profile program at this point in the season...he won't even get to see his players until after the dead period ends, so he only has from Saturday, July 10th until Friday, August 20th to settle in at Murray and pick things up. That's 42 calendar days from being introduced to the players on the team, to playing the first game of the season. Additionally, any current head coach is left weighing what he is leaving behind at his current program and the fact that they're going to leave that program in even more of a lurch than the one they're stepping into. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that a departing coach leaves a spot vacant somewhere on faculty/staff in the school building, plus the added wrinkle that a lot of coaches' spouses are educators as well - and they will have to find a job right before the start of a new school year in addition to leaving an opening at their previous school.

It's a messy position for everyone involved...literally everyone.

This is why I named the 4 best coaches in the area that aren't current head coaches that would be leaving a head coaching position for Murray.  The only problem is most of the guys named except for Gregory and Duncan (health reasons) were let go from their previous positions as head coach either for lack of wins or for some other reason that isn't known to the public.  A school can absorb the loss of coordinator if you are teaching your assistant coaches correctly where when one guy leaves you have a replacement in mind already.  Either way its a tough spot for anybody to walk into but the decision needs to happen fast.

9 minutes ago, zoneblitz24 said:

This is why I named the 4 best coaches in the area that aren't current head coaches that would be leaving a head coaching position for Murray.  The only problem is most of the guys named except for Gregory and Duncan (health reasons) were let go from their previous positions as head coach either for lack of wins or for some other reason that isn't known to the public.  A school can absorb the loss of coordinator if you are teaching your assistant coaches correctly where when one guy leaves you have a replacement in mind already.  Either way its a tough spot for anybody to walk into but the decision needs to happen fast.

I think they will hire the best person they deem available. There are some really good coordinators in WKY both Offensively and Defensively that Murray would absolutely be wise to look into. I don’t think it necessarily has to be someone with HC experience. 

31 minutes ago, zoneblitz24 said:

This is why I named the 4 best coaches in the area that aren't current head coaches that would be leaving a head coaching position for Murray.  The only problem is most of the guys named except for Gregory and Duncan (health reasons) were let go from their previous positions as head coach either for lack of wins or for some other reason that isn't known to the public.  A school can absorb the loss of coordinator if you are teaching your assistant coaches correctly where when one guy leaves you have a replacement in mind already.  Either way its a tough spot for anybody to walk into but the decision needs to happen fast.

And those 4 are good coaches but I wouldn’t say they are the best 4 non-head coaches in WKY. I would throw Mayfield’s OC, Hopkinsville’s DC, McCracken’s DC in that group ahead of some, and behind some. 
 

Out of those I can see Gregory being the guy. 

1 hour ago, WKY_Football said:

And those 4 are good coaches but I wouldn’t say they are the best 4 non-head coaches in WKY. I would throw Mayfield’s OC, Hopkinsville’s DC, McCracken’s DC in that group ahead of some, and behind some. 
 

Out of those I can see Gregory being the guy. 

I didn’t mean that the 4 I listed were the best coaches in West KY just that they had head coaching experience. I asked earlier who some of the best coordinators were in the area that Murray should consider because I do not believe that you should hire somebody just because they have head coaching experience. Experience doesn’t matter if it was bad experience lol. Some people prove to be better coordinators than head coaches. 

I wonder if Gregory has applied? He seems like a great selection to me. Does anyone know if he has interest in coaching again?

8 minutes ago, Bud_Kilmer said:

I wonder if Gregory has applied? He seems like a great selection to me. Does anyone know if he has interest in coaching again?

His wife is the Principle at Graves County. 

Is there someone from last season's coaching staff that could step up to head coach? 

57 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

Is there someone from last season's coaching staff that could step up to head coach? 

Only teacher on the staff is Coach Garland, JV head coach.  He is a young offensive mind.  Not sure if he is interested or has applied.  Coach Bloodworth (O-line coach) has been with the program for years but I doubt he is interested in being HC.  All others have full time jobs.  I don't see any of them having the time it requires.  I could be wrong though... 

Coaching possibles in West Ky

Evan Merrick ?

Gregory

Wonder if a MSU has a coach on staff that may make the plunge?  Anyone in the Calloway County System available???

 

I am sure Josh Jaggers will apply for this one right????

Decisions has been made and hired.  Announcement will come later today!

Darren Bowling in the hire.  Former coach at Union City High School.  Resigned from there to go to Olive Branch in Mississippi for one season.