Football: Hudspeth, Petrino cited on coaching list

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, October 11, 2013

Looking at the list, Mark Hudspeth lights up.

The UL coach ranks among the nation’s top 10 by winning percentage among head coaches with at least six years of experience at NCAA programs, checking in at No. 9, one spot behind the man whose team his Ragin’ Cajuns will face Tuesday night, Western Kentucky’s Bobby Petrino, and one ahead of LSU’s Les Miles.

Also on the list, in order from 1-to-7: Boise State’s Chris Petersen, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Texas Christian’s Gary Patterson, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia Mark Richt and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

“Wow. Didn’t even know that,” Hudspeth said. “Just honored to be in that group.”

Hudspeth attributes the success in part to others around him.

“I’ve had the opportunity in the past to learn from a lot of good coaches, and absorbed a lot of things that hopefully are helping me now,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be on that list if it weren’t for so many great players and (assistant) coaches. Any good coach knows that.”

The other key factor and common thread behind sustained winning, he suggested, is “recruiting, attention to detail and trying to find ways to give your players resources to be successful.”

“I think all those things go hand-in-hand,” he said. “(That) and coming to work every day enthusiastic about what you do.”

Hudspeth’s career winning percentage is .737 (87-31), including seven seasons at North Alabama and three now at UL.

Peterson leads at .897, ex-Louisville and former Arkansas coach Petrino sits at .738 and Miles checks in at .733.

Elite Active CoachesHead coaches on both sidelines in Tuesday night’s game between UL and Western Kentucky – Mark Hudspeth and Bobby Petrino – are ranked among the top 10 nationally in winning percentage among coaches with at least six seasons of NCAA coaching experience. A list of the top 15 follows:

COACH    CURRENT SCHOOL    WIN %

1. Chris Peterson    Boise State    .897 (87-10)
2. Urban Meyer    Ohio State    .841 (122-23)
3. Bob Stoops    Oklahoma    .806 (154-37)
4. Gary Patterson    TCU    .752 (118-39)
5. Nick Saban    Alabama    .750 (164-55-1)
6. Mark Richt    Georgia    .748 (122-41)
7. Brian Kelly    Notre Dame    .745 (203-69-2)
8. Bobby Petrino    Western Kentucky    .738 (79-28)
9. Mark Hudspeth    UL    .737 (87-31)
10. Les Miles    LSU    .733 (118-43)
11. Steve Spurrier    South Carolina    .729 (212-78-2)
12. Bret Bielema    Arkansas    .724 (71-27)
13. Larry Coker    Texas-San Antonio    .718 (74-29)
14. Bo Pelini    Nebraska    .716 (53-21)
15. Bronco Mendenhall    BYU    .713 (77-31)

Source: Western Kentucky Sports Information

IN DEMAND?

Athlon Sports this week presented online its list of “10 in-demand coaching candidates,” and Hudspeth was on the list.

Said Athlon, in part:

“Hudspeth isn’t short on intensity, and it won’t be long before he’s in charge of a BCS program. … (He) inherited a program that went 3-9 in the season prior to his arrival, but the Ragin’ Cajuns are 21-10 under his watch and have back-to-back bowl wins.

“With his experience in the South, Hudspeth would be a good fit in the SEC. However, will there be a job vacancy this offseason in college football’s premier conference?”

Others on the subjective list include: Boise State’s Petersen, TCU’s Patterson, Baylor’s Art Briles, Vanderbilt’s James Franklin, Bowling Green’s Dave Clawsen, Ball State’s Pete Lembo, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman.

ALL-STAR COMMITS:

The Mississippi Association of Coaches this week announced its roster of players for the annual Mississippi-Alabama high school All-Star Game, and three UL 2014 committed recruits – Grenada High linebacker Shareef White, Grenada defensive lineman/linebacker Genard Avery and Choctaw County defensive lineman Taboris Lee – are on the list.

South Panola High’s Lance Pogue will coach the Mississippi All-Stars in their Dec. 14 game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Another UL commit from the state, Neshoba Central offensive lineman Ken Edwards, has been picked to play in the all-Mississippi Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game on Dec. 21 in Gulfport, Miss.

BROADWAY WELL:

UL starting quarterback Terrance Broadway, who sprained an ankle in a Sept. 21 win at Akron and played despite the injury in an Oct. 5 win over Texas State, tweeted that he felt “100 at practice” on Wednesday for the first time in three weeks. The Cajuns had only a one-hour walk-through Thursday, and will return to practice today.

BLACKOUT:

Western Kentucky has announced Tuesday’s meeting with the Cajuns will be a blackout game in which the Hilltoppers wear their new black uniforms for the first time.

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP:

The Sun Belt Conference, of which UL is a member, announced on Thursday a corporate partnership with Crystal Clear Imaging (CCI), a signage company.