Wiedmer: Should the UTC football program bring back Russ Huesman?

Former UTC football coach Russ Huesman talks to the media in December 2016 during his last news conference at McKenzie Arena. Huesman, a former Mocs football player, is now at Richmond.
Former UTC football coach Russ Huesman talks to the media in December 2016 during his last news conference at McKenzie Arena. Huesman, a former Mocs football player, is now at Richmond.
photo Former UTC football coach Russ Huesman talks to the media in December 2016 during his last news conference at McKenzie Arena. Huesman, a former Mocs football player, is now at Richmond.
photo Mark Wiedmer

Two words for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director Mark Wharton as he swiftly seeks to replace football coach Tom Arth: Russ Huesman.

Yes, I know the line about you can't go home again. I also know that no UTC football coach over the past 50 years other than the coach for whom Huesman played - the late, great Joe Morrison - enjoyed similar sustained success to the man who preceded Arth.

Beyond that, with Huesman thus far struggling to find that same success following his second season at Richmond - where his Spiders have won 10 games and lost 12 - he might be willing to return to the Scenic City that he and his family seemed to love deeply during their eight years, 59 wins and three straight NCAA playoff appearances.

Then there's that not-so-little matter of this week's early signing period for college programs, Wednesday through Friday. From a recruiting standpoint, it's hard to imagine anyone being able to step in and prop up an awful situation more than the coach who was still recruiting for the Mocs as late as early December 2016.

Huesman probably already knows the names and games of half of UTC's commitments and targets. Just as important, most of those players' coaches already know Huesman. They know of his integrity, decency and discipline. They know that while he might not always be the easiest guy to play for, he gets results both on and off the field.

Let's be clear, and this isn't a dig at Arth for taking the Akron job Friday. But it certainly has the potential to cripple the program for the second time in three years, especially if some recruits UTC currently has lined up balk and at least a few of the current players transfer because they were here to play for Arth.

With the right hire, that possible attrition could be minimized. With the wrong hire, a 3-8 season to mirror Arth's first year following Huesman in 2017 could be repeated.

This isn't to say Huesman is the only option. Wharton reportedly was ready with a short list of four or five candidates well before Arth departed, wisely sensing that his football coach wouldn't be here long.

Whether that list includes current assistant Chris Cook isn't known. Wharton stayed in-house when promoting Katie Burrows to run women 's basketball, but with retiring Hall of Fame coach Jim Foster trumpeting her cause, that move was easy.

This is different. Hiring a football coach will be Wharton's first real chance to prove his eye for coaching talent. Arth was already in place when Wharton replaced former AD David Blackburn. So, too, men's basketball coach Lamont Paris.

While Wharton's job description encompasses so much more than that - most notably fundraising - it's tough to convince anyone, especially UTC's fickle fan base, to give money to a program with a losing football team.

So who else might be of interest to replace Arth?

If you want to go old school, there are names such as former Middle Tennessee State coach Andy McCollum, who was Georgia Tech's defensive backs coach in recent years.

An off-the-wall hire? How about Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones, a former UTC player who grew up in South Pittsburg and still resides there during the Canadian Football League offseason?

Jones already has won one Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos before taking over Saskatchewan. Anyone who can win the CFL's Super Bowl and who knows this part of the country deserves an interview.

Another option? What about Valdosta State's Kerwin Bell, the former Florida quarterback whose Blazers won the 2018 Division II national championship Saturday with a 49-47 defeat of Ferris State and averaged 52-plus points a game? If you really want to fill Finley Stadium it will take more than wins, as Huesman sometimes learned, much to his frustration.

Football at the Championship Subdivision level needs to be fun, and nothing shouts fun more than lighting up a scoreboard game after game. Defense may still win championships - sometimes - but offense sells tickets.

Bell is 53 years old and is said not to covet moving up the ladder, especially since his son Kade is his offensive coordinator. But Bell was 65-35 at Jacksonville University in Florida, and his Blazers finished 14-0 in his third season in charge.

In the end, Wharton will hire the person he believes is best, which is as it should be. And because it's UTC, and a chance to experience the charm of the Scenic City, there undoubtedly will be a long list of qualified and intriguing candidates. But only Huesman has proven he can win here and win the right way.

Returning here may not interest him, but Wharton could do worse than having Huesman say no before anyone else says yes.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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