UL Football Coach Mark Hudspeth Fired

[Cajunfanatico]

It's amazing to me how things flipped during HUD's tenure. We achieved such an amazing high and the sky was the limit. He was the golden child and we were screaming to raise his pay so no one would take him. Now he's looking for a job. Crazy.

Pretty simple message to the incoming coach. Win.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Same here. Thrilled with the move we've made, but can't help being regretful it didn't work out better for everyone.

GEAUX UL! GEAUX Cajuns!

We all wanted him to get a bigger job as he left.

[zephyr]

It's amazing to me how things flipped during HUD's tenure. We achieved such an amazing high and the sky was the limit. He was the golden child and we were screaming to raise his pay so no one would take him. Now he's looking for a job. Crazy.

Yep. He was probably doing 2+ public speaking gigs several years back in the middle of our success and was the hottest ticket in town. I know I attended a many luncheons where he was the keynote speaker and I'm sure he was compensated well for those appearances. Amazing to see how little I've heard of that the last few years and I never saw his wife around anymore either.

[zephyr]

And therein is the microcosm of what cost Hud the job. Tail wagging the dog. HUD allowing this, the cutback in conditioning drills, the video, and goodness knows what else.

I think it was an accommodation to a higher level athlete who wanted to play another position. I don't blame him for that and many coaches do it a lot. He just isn't a QB at all and hasn't developed there. I would think that Ray can see that himself. I mean he was there when he threw that unbelievable duck earlier on this season. Can't remember the game but it was his first collegiate pass and our LT could have thrown it better.

[California Cajun]

Nicely done.

[Hudsheen#Fired]

I think it was an accommodation to a higher level athlete who wanted to play another position. I don't blame him for that and many coaches do it a lot. He just isn't a QB at all and hasn't developed there. I would think that Ray can see that himself. I mean he was there when he threw that unbelievable duck earlier on this season. Can't remember the game but it was his first collegiate pass and our LT could have thrown it better.

His first pass was actually in nola bowl last year and it was actually a decent pass

[Tripple Threat]

Pretty simple message to the incoming coach. Win.

Yep. They will be held accountable.

[Tripple Threat]

Yep. He was probably doing 2+ public speaking gigs several years back in the middle of our success and was the hottest ticket in town. I know I attended a many luncheons where he was the keynote speaker and I'm sure he was compensated well for those appearances. Amazing to see how little I've heard of that the last few years and I never saw his wife around anymore either.

I hope he was smart with his cash, because he did well in Lafayette.

[HoustonCajun]

I hope he was smart with his cash, because he did well in Lafayette.

Over 7 years with his buyout, should have made around $9M#. Not bad. Hudspeth changed the perception of UL football, at least in his first 4 years.

1. Brought needed excitement replacing Bustle.
2. Forced UL to make much needed changes in athletics leading to building the APC.
3. First year bowl game was one of two most exciting games in UL history beating SDSU, along with the Texas A&M win.
4. Took us to 4 straight Bowl games with wins over SDSU, E. Carolina, Nevada and Tulane.
5. Set N O Bowl attendance records.
6. Set season attendance average record for UL.
7. Won 9 games 4 straight years.
8. Changed fan expectations for winning and bowl games.

Things fell apart in year 5 with the opening loss to La Tech and things went down hill since then. While it is certainly time for a change for several reasons well documented here, Coach HUD is also responsible for raising the bar for Louisiana football, and for that we should all be grateful. I wish only the best for he and his family AND for his staff.

[IberiaCajun]

Watch the press conference

https://www.pscp.tv/espn1420/1djGXMvBblzJZ

Thanks.

[tdncz]

Over 7 years with his buyout, should have made around $9M#. Not bad. Hudspeth changed the perception of UL football, at least in his first 4 years.

1. Brought needed excitement replacing Bustle.
2. Forced UL to make much needed changes in athletics leading to building the APC.
3. First year bowl game was one of two most exciting games in UL history beating SDSU, along with the Texas A&M win.
4. Took us to 4 straight Bowl games with wins over SDSU, E. Carolina, Nevada and Tulane.
5. Set N O Bowl attendance records.
6. Set season attendance average record for UL.
7. Won 9 games 4 straight years.
8. Changed fan expectations for winning and bowl games.

Things fell apart in year 5 with the opening loss to La Tech and things went down hill since then. While it is certainly time for a change for several reasons well documented here, Coach HUD is also responsible for raising the bar for Louisiana football, and for that we should all be grateful. I wish only the best for he and his family AND for his staff.

This is the absolute BEST news for Cajun Football since....... Since Bustle was fired and Hud was hired:
I loved Hud (past tense).
It started with the reports regarding how hard he was conditioning his new team. Stairs, long runs, stadium runs, wind sprints. He said that no one would be able to beat us based on lack of conditioning. Man, was I excited.
That first season.
The first NOLA Bowl.
Mingling with the team and fans at the Marriott in New Orleans and cheering them onto the bus!
Brett Baer kicking that 50+ yard FG to win and then running around the field with his team celebrating..... I almost fell over the edge of my Mezzanine seat!
"Almost " beating Florida...
Beating SDSU, ECU and Tulane
9-4 seasons
Demanding (and getting) the APC.
Those first three years were ecstatic.
Fourth.... Not as great.
Started wondering what this guy was up to.....
5, 6, 7: I was done (after LTUR blowout).
I wished this would have happened after year 5 -- but certainly after last year.

Nevertheless, I am grateful to HUD for those 3-4 years that were to date the absolute best in Cajun football history.

A few more thoughts:
- This firing before his contract expired (or probably for 4 more years!) Would have NEVER happened if Dr A was still in power (I started wondering if T Joe was going to be any different)
-But:
--He finally had the master plan completed, implemented several stages, and hired Maggard.
-He empowered Maggard.
-Maggard pulled the trigger.
-And for that and those things: Thank you both!!!!

I will again buy season tickets this year --- first ones in two years.
I will at least double my RCAF -- more if the coaching pick is an A+

I am, however, worried that there is no "timeline" from Maggard on the new hire because the longer we wait, the more likely we do not get who we must have, need, can afford, and COULD HAVE HAD if we hadn't moved sooner.

One more thing:
I think Desormeaux is the real deal and is going to be our head coach one day.
That excites me for the future.
I hope he stays.

[sportsfanatic21]

I would rather wait a couple weeks and make a great hire than rush it because of the early signing peril and wind up with a lesser hire.