With NMSU is in football Purgatory right now will the departure of Walker have a positive or negative affect?  

How will it affect NMSU's ability to hire anyone good?

How will it affect recruiting?

How will returning players respond?

I think its not the worse thing.  I think that the aggies should look for a successful FCS coach.  They understand how to deal with challenging situations that involve low budgets and limited resources.  I think that they also have a tendency to be adaptable also out on the football field.  It sounds like Walker has a hard time doing that.

I know a lot of Aggie fans are disgusted with Walker and the team's performance. But I think it would've been better if Walker remained one more year while NMSU tries to find a new football home. It is going to be hard finding a good replacement with an uncertain future. Also, our team's lack of talent will only be made worse with no head coach in place to recruit.

I much rather see a change at the top. Someone sarcastically called for Boston to take over as coach. Hmm he probably be the first coach in NCAA history to fall asleep on the sideline.At least the aggies would make Sports Center and all the other TV stations.

Would be a good thing I think & I believe we need to cut about 30% of the players anyway as they are not good enough to play at d_1 level

The recruiting of football players is happening right now with signing date usually in early February. Usually coaches are fired or leave following the last game. A coaching search takes at least a month....which means if Walker left it would be early January before a new coach could be named giving the new skipper a month or less before signing day.

Idaho, who likely didn't have a long term contract with Akey when they fired him, had much more time in their coaching search and had a new mentor ready to go.

As for the suggestion that NMSU cut current players---you may be right, the talent level may suck, but remember, you can only sign 25 players per year to scholarships.

I'm thinking that NMSU likely will need to go the JC route anyway as it's going to be hard to entice athletes to make a 4-year committment to a program that may not exisit past 2013.

Why not go after Gene Chizik if DeWayne Walker leaves? Getting a BCS champion for a head coach seems to have worked wonders for UTSA; it could work for us as well.

Big names tend to recruit better than people no one has heard about. That's why getting an established name is so important as far as being a head coach is concerned.

That being said, having a program where people would prefer to be coordinators rather than head coach isn't a good sign.

Aggietude wrote: The recruiting of football players is happening right now with signing date usually in early February. Usually coaches are fired or leave following the last game. A coaching search takes at least a month....which means if Walker left it would be early January before a new coach could be named giving the new skipper a month or less before signing day.

Idaho, who likely didn't have a long term contract with Akey when they fired him, had much more time in their coaching search and had a new mentor ready to go.

As for the suggestion that NMSU cut current players---you may be right, the talent level may suck, but remember, you can only sign 25 players per year to scholarships.

I'm thinking that NMSU likely will need to go the JC route anyway as it's going to be hard to entice athletes to make a 4-year committment to a program that may not exisit past 2013.

Excellent points.  A few weeks ago, I said that Walker should stay until a conference was found.  I believe after the current events in realignment that the time is now.  Walker is lethargic and beaten.  What needs to happen now, is to bring a new coach that can recruit and find the talent necessary to compete.  The JC ranks are one way of making a pact with the devil to compete now.  I say, make the pact with the devil....

KrimsonKrazy wrote: With NMSU is in football Purgatory right now will the departure of Walker have a positive or negative affect?  

How will it affect NMSU's ability to hire anyone good?

How will it affect recruiting?

How will returning players respond?

I don't think it's a good thing at all.  Lets see....

1.  No permanent University President that can really make the long term commitment to improving Athletics at NMSU that a Conference would want to see.

2.  No head coach of the football program

3.  No Conference Affiliation, and any type of notion of what kind of funding he would receive, should he decide to come on board due to #1

4.  Our history of underfunding the program

I just don't see how you attract a quality coach here with all of those unknowns.  As bad as some think Walker has been (I don't necessarily agree with those opinions, but I digress), I think he would be better than anything we would get with all of the above unknowns.

GO AGGIES!!!

Well Doug Martin did a fantastic job as our OC, good enough that Boston College went after him. He's been a HC before and is looking for work.  I wonder if he would take the job?

As an outsider looking in... I know this year turned out to be a stinker for you guys, but Coach Walker is still recruiting at a solid level, has you guys in on some solid players and that is with this independent thing, bad records, no bowl tradition, no winning tradition...

Hey if Walker leaves good for my Lobos as I think Walker is an excellent coach and will be picked up quickly by someone else.

Enough of these backhanded compliments.The loobs are going to have more than their share of problems Your banner year has come and gone.to moan about next year. The aggies will take care of their own and a few lower level bowls are good but nothing to crow about.

Bandit0 wrote: As an outsider looking in... I know this year turned out to be a stinker for you guys, but Coach Walker is still recruiting at a solid level, has you guys in on some solid players and that is with this independent thing, bad records, no bowl tradition, no winning tradition...

Hey if Walker leaves good for my Lobos as I think Walker is an excellent coach and will be picked up quickly by someone else.

https://twitter.com/stevekaplo...520222360477698

Talk nicey, nicey here.  Then comment on a tweet in a low class manner.

You are a nice piece of work.

A bad thing. I know Bandit0 rubs us wrong when saying it, but the tweet posted above is exactly right. Who would want the job right now?

At the end of the day there are only 124 D-1 coaching jobs out there, trust me there will be candidates.

funag wrote: At the end of the day there are only 124 D-1 coaching jobs out there, trust me there will be candidates.

Great, but when I see people talking about Gene Chizik, I just chuckle....He's smarter than that.  My questions is, are those candidates better than Coach Walker?  In my opinion, and yes, it is just my opinion, we could do A LOT worse than Coach Walker. 

One year, does not a career make.

GO AGGIES!!!

Me too I am in CDW corner 100%. I was just stating if he were to leave we would find someone. I think it is funny MM gets a free pass and gets to grow on the job. To most Aggie basketball is most important sport. While CDW has people wantin to run him out of town. I think CDW legs have been cut by administration! I know there budgets have been cut but what have they done to go beat the bushes for $. The lead has been taken by boosters without much support from admin. My take.......out

Actually, if you think about it things wouldn't be all that bad for a new incoming coach.  We have an indy schedule next year with very low expectations, and some away games at "big name" schools.  If a coach comes in and makes the team even halfway competitive, or even steals an upset somewhere along the way, he'll get some good PR on a national level.

funag wrote: Me too I am in CDW corner 100%. I was just stating if he were to leave we would find someone. I think it is funny MM gets a free pass and gets to grow on the job. To most Aggie basketball is most important sport. While CDW has people wantin to run him out of town. I think CDW legs have been cut by administration! I know there budgets have been cut but what have they done to go beat the bushes for $. The lead has been taken by boosters without much support from admin. My take.......out

A free pass?  MM went to 2 NCAA tourneys in 4 years, and was a triple overtime loss away from it being 3 in 5.  He won 26 games last year, most in more than a decade.  Walker inherited a team that beat UTEP in the Sun Bowl,  beat Nevada with an NFL qb, had an NFL cornerback, and in 4 years finished with what many see as one of the toughest years in Aggie football since the 80s.  It's sad that we aren't even comparing Walker to Mumme, whom he replaced, because this team isn't even at that level.

I like Walker personally and i agree this was just a perfect storm that resulted in a horrible year that no fan or player imagined would happen.  But what is with the MM shots?  THis is a general question, because there are quite a few that talk about MM in ways that don't correlate in any way with the play of the team, especially coming off last year.  You would think he has had 5 losing seasons instead of 4 winning ones with the way some people reference the job he has done here.  Gib, Wen, Young, Laroche, the guy knows how to recruit and develop players.  Mullings and the big guys in the middle are going to ensure we win the next couple years as well, even if this year may be more of a development year for the younger players.

i am not trying to start an argument with any Aggie fans, because i respect all opinions. But MM does seem to get criticised even when things are going great, like last year.  it just seems strange to me, that is all.

PanAmManiac wrote: Actually, if you think about it things wouldn't be all that bad for a new incoming coach.  We have an indy schedule next year with very low expectations, and some away games at "big name" schools.  If a coach comes in and makes the team even halfway competitive, or even steals an upset somewhere along the way, he'll get some good PR on a national level.

Honestly, there will be a bunch of candidates who want to take a crack at turning this thing around.  There will be the Mummes of the world who have coached at bigger schools and want another shot.  There will be the Walkers of the world who have been coordinators at big time programs but want a shot at a FBS head coaching position.  There will be FCS coaches, high schools coaches, former players, all wanting to take their chance. 

I would go with a proven winner that can recruit at least at the FCS level if not FBS AND has head coaching experience.  Based on just 1 data point, if last year's OC is available, give him an interview at least.  This is assuming Walker actually leaves, and i wouldn't be surprised one bit if he stays after all.