Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels and his wife are in Austin, Texas tonight to interview with Mack Brown regarding the same position on the Longhorns staff.

Searels is a Georgia native and has coached with the Dawgs since 2007.  His O-line drew criticism in 2010 (like most other areas of Georgia’s team).

UGASports.com — the Rivals site covering Georgia — caught up with Searels as he boarded a plane from Athens this afternoon.

“You guys know I don’t talk to the media,” Searels said.  When asked if he had accepted the Texas job, Searels said, “No comment.”

Brown and Texas have already raided the SEC this year for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz (from Mississippi State) and strength coach Bennie Wylie (from Tennessee).

Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis was believed to be a candidate for the Texas O-line spot as well.

Auburn offensive line coach Jeff Grimes will be staying on The Plains and not heading to Texas.  Grimes interviewed with Mack Brown last week, but decided to stay at AU.  Gene Chizik says he expects to have the same coaching staff in 2011 that the led in 2010.

According to Orangebloods.com — the Rivals site that covers Texas — the Longhorns search is still ongoing.  If that’s the case, then Grimes truly pulled his name out of the running.  That or he and Brown really didn’t hit it off.  Usually when coach walks away from a school after an interview it’s because someone else is about to land the job.

For Auburn, this is a coup.  The Tigers — at least for now — look like they’ll hang on to all of their coaches.  Stock in Grimes and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is currently at its zenith.  And 2011 figures to be a step back for the Tigers who lose Cam Newton, four O-lineman and many members of their BCS champion defense.  In other words, the time to move is now. 

But no one’s moving. 

That tells us Auburn is making life pretty good for these guys.  It also tells us that they completely believe in Chizik’s plans for the future.

It might tell us one other thing — that folks on The Plains aren’t expecting the NCAA to ever come up with any evidence of wrongdoing.  No rats are jumping ship.  As far as AU’s coaches are concerned, it looks like they believe all the rumors about Newton bombshells yet to detonate are just that — rumors.

Either way, it’s great news for Auburn.  Losing players is bad enough.  Losing coaches would have made matters worse.


Sidenote — Orangebloods.com once again tosses out the name of Arkansas’ offensive line coach Chris Klenakis in association with the Texas job.  Georgia’s Stacy Searels of Georgia is also mentioned as a possibility in Austin.

It appears that Mack Brown has decided to scare the wits out of every program in the SEC this offseason.  Maybe he’s upset that Will Muschamp left for the league and he’s trying to exact revenge.

Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis is believed to be one of five finalists for the same position on Texas’ staff.  Klenakis just finished his first season in Fayetteville after spending six seasons as the offensive coordinator at Nevada.

Arkansas was the only school in the country to have a 3,700-yard passer and an 1,100-yard rusher.

Texas has already hired Bo Davis from Alabama as its new defensive tackles coach and Bennie Wylie from Tennessee as its new strength and conditioning coach.

Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin were also believed to have been on Brown’s list of potential job candidates at one point or another.

It’s just not easy for traditional second-tier programs to become top-tier programs.  First you have to find the right head coach.  Then he has to find the right players and the right assistants.  Then they all have to mesh together well.

But as soon as that happens — and for a lot of school that never happens — the traditional top-tier programs start circling like buzzards over roadkill.

In the case of Mississippi State, the buzzards this offseason have included Miami and Texas.  And while the Bulldogs have now lost defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to the Longhorns, the upside is that MSU is now winning enough to get noticed by the big boys.

Fans don’t like losing coaches to other programs, but it beats the hell out of losing games instead.

No one in Starkville should blame Diaz for leaving.  Texas is one of the top five programs in the country.  They have deep pockets and a deeper recruiting base.  They have a history of winning and play in a watered-down league that now (sans championship game) offers an easy route to BCS bowls.  In addition, assistants at Texas move on to head coaching jobs (see: Gene Chizik and Will Muschamp).  MSU simply couldn’t match what Mack Brown had to offer.  Most schools couldn’t.

So now MSU is left looking for a new defensive coordinator — who will be the school’s fifth in five years — as well as a replacement for receivers coach Mark Hudspeth.

The defensive coordinator slot will likely go to co-coordinator Chris Wilson.  In fact, Dan Mullen has already told one recruit that Wilson will get the job.  That should make for at least some continuity as the Bulldogs transition to yet another new DC.

But the bottom line is this: Other schools don’t come sniffing around unless you’re winning.  Winning, by default, increases the chances that those who are leading your school to victory will leave. 

But it’s better to have won games and lost coaches… than never to have won games at all.

I think Tennyson wrote that.

Orangebloods.com — the Rivals site covering the University of Texas — reports that Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is inching closer to making the move from Starkville to Austin.

Diaz and his wife were both on the Texas campus yesterday spending time with Mack Brown and his wife.

According to the site:


“Two sources indicated to us on Tuesday that they feel Diaz was offered the UT defensive coordinator position, and though neither had heard direct confirmation from Diaz or anyone at UT, they both felt like Diaz to Texas was close to a done deal.”


Dan Mullen and MSU officials are keeping their mouths closed.  Citing a new athletic department policy, they are refusing to comment on any coach rumored to be talking with another school.

Diaz makes $260,000 a year at State, though he’s certain to get a bump for his first-year efforts if he stays.

Diaz was the defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State in 2009.  That’s not a bad rise to the top — MTSU ’09, MSU ’10, Texas 2011 — if he decides to make it.

Numerous websites are reporting today that Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is currently in Austin interviewing with Texas coach Mack Brown about the Longhorns’ open defensive coordinator job.

Mississippi State officials have remained mum on Diaz’ whereabouts, telling the Texas Rivals.com site Orangebloods.com: “We haven’t answered questions about that when it comes to Dan (Mullen) and we can’t answer them about Manny.”

Diaz has not returned texts or calls from Magnolia State reporters.  And that’s led to the inevitable flight tracking.

Diaz makes $260,000 a year at State. 

While Mullen’s offense improved as the season went along, Diaz’s unit actually paved the way from Starkville to Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl.  In fact, we at MrSEC.com believe Diaz should have won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s best assistant coach.  (The award went to Gus Malzahn, who also did a fine job at Auburn.)

LSU defensive coordinator said today that rumors connecting him to the vacant D-coordinator job at Texas are just that — rumors.

“I’m flattered if I’m mentioned in any way with Texas.  Texas is a great program and Mack Brown is an outstanding, outstanding football coach who I have tremendous respect for and have known for a long time.  If I’m mentioned among those people, that’s an honor.  But I’m happy at LSU.  I plan on being at LSU next year and hopefully years to come.”

When asked if Texas had made contact with him, Chavis “smiled slyly” (according to The Baton Rouge Advocate) and said, “I’m happy at LSU and I plan on returning.”

Remarkably, Brown might not have the easiest time luring a big-name coordinator to Austin.  Following a 5-7 season, his program is in flux and much of his staff needs to be rebuilt.  No one knows what the future holds for the 59-year-old head coach, either.  Though his team has played for the BCS title twice since 2005 (and won it once), Brown lost some clout this past season. 

Despite Texas’ deep pockets, easy recruiting base and history of success, Chavis and others might see their current jobs as more stable than what Texas could offer.

Which is hard to believe considering the success Brown has had in Texas over the past decade.

First former Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was ticketed for Austin.  Then Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was rumored to be high on Mack Brown’s wish list.  But as of now, Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis looks to be a Texas target, though not for the open D-coordinator slot.

The Longhorns are looking for defensive tackles coach and a strength and conditioning coach.  The Tuscaloosa News points out that Davis has experience in both areas.

Davis has told friends that he is expected to take a position on the Texas staff if offered.

Davis has been on the staff at Alabama since Nick Saban took over.  His name also came up in connection to Florida when Will Muschamp was hired in Gainesville.

When Will Muschamp accepted the head coaching job at Florida ripples spread across the Southeastern Conference:

* Muschamp would hire defensive coordinator and former teammate Kirby Smart from Alabama… thus leaving the Crimson Tide with a hole to fill.

* Muschamp might also make a run at former colleague and Tennessee linebackers coach Lance Thompson… which would send the Vols scrambling for a replacement.

* Some internet rumors also popped up suggesting Muschamp might recruit his buddy Mike Bobo from Georgia to be the Gators’ offensive coordinator.

* And Muschamp’s departure from Texas opened up a job that’s been rumored to have been offered to both Florida’s Teryl Austin and Tennessee’s Justin Wilcox.

That’s a lot of movement.  But not a lick of it has happened yet.

Florida and Texas are two of the five best programs in the country.  Their coaches can take their time on searches and still — for the most part — land the guys they want.  (One big reason: Florida and Texas assistants become head coaches with pretty good regularity.)

In this case, Mack Brown and Muschamp seem to truly be waiting until after the bowl season to make their hires.  That’s smart for both coaches.  Not only can they cherry-pick the best assistants in the nation, but their deep recruiting bases make it unlikely that they’ll suffer on Signing Day.  There’s no rush for UF and UT.  Best to show patience and conduct thorough searches.

Unfortunately, fans of other schools around the SEC will just have to be patient, too.  That means dealing with a few more days of rumors and internet reports linking their current coaches to the openings in Gainesville and Austin. 

For the next week at least, best to keep the Rolaids handy, folks.

Remember last week when internet reports said Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was signed, sealed and delivered to Texas? Well, scratch that.  Austin wasn’t hired and Mack Brown now — reportedly — has his eyes set on another first-year SEC defensive coordinator.

According to VolQuest.com — a Rivals site covering Tennessee — at least three sources have said, “Wilcox is in line to succeed Will Mushcamp on Mark Browns’ Texas staff as the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator should Wilcox choose to pursue the opportunity.”

Wilcox currently has a three-year deal from the Vols worth $1.875 million.  His buyout is just $300,000 (which we believe Texas could scrape together).  Derek Dooley scored a bit of a coup in luring Wilcox from Boise State last offseason.

But the Vol defense was hardly formidable in 2010.  A lack of depth cost Tennessee on numerous occasions and many Tennessee supporters took to messageboards and talk radio to pray for Wilcox’s ouster around mid-season.  The Vol D improved in the final month of the season (against Memphis, Ole Miss, Vandy and Kentucky), which quieted grumbling.

According to VolQuest, “Dooley spent (Sunday) afternoon trying to recruit his first-year defensive head coach to stay in Knoxville.”

Meanwhile, Orangebloods.com — the Rivals site covering Texas — reports that a source has told them that “an official offer” has yet to be made to Wilcox.

Stay tuned…