Every-Thing Sports

The Cougars will be fine with or without Coach Sampson

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The University of Houston men's basketball program has a bit of a storied history. The Cougars have produced a few hall of famers, retired five numbers, made five Final Four appearances, and was runner up twice. All of this happened when some of the current players' parents were kids. To say it's been a while would be an understatement.

When a program goes that long without making consistent noise, it can be detrimental. But when you're a commuter school in the fourth largest city in the country in a state where football (at all levels) is akin to a religion, it can make you almost obsolete. What some may have once call a sleeping giant, others called it a rotting carcass.

Tilman Fertitta is a proud alumni who happens to be a billionaire that's very generous with his money. He's the Tywin Lannister of the university. Whenever the university needs a financial windfall, he floats the bill. Because of this, and his acumen as a successful businessman, he also sits on the board of regents as its chairman.

Over the last few years, he's made several moves to help bolster the school's profile. He was the driving force behind TDECU Stadium (football) and the Fertitta Center (basketball). When the school wanted to rid itself of head football coach Major Applewhite and hire Dana Holgersen, Fertitta was there to ensure it all went smoothly.

The football program has had much more success than the basketball program has over the last 10 or so years. From Art Briles, to Kevin Sumlin to Tom Herman, it has enjoyed up and coming coaches who've used the job as a springboard to a higher profile gig. Bringing in Holgersen on a five year deal worth $20 million dollars not only solidified the football program, but also ensured its continued success.

When word came down that basketball coach Kelvin Sampson may entertain offers from the University of Arkansas, panic creeped in amongst some of the Cougar faithful. They had heard this before: hot coach gets dormant program going and leaves for greener pastures. Maybe it wouldn't happen this time around because it's basketball, not football. It's easier to build and maintain an NCAA basketball program than it is in football. But that didn't matter to the fans who thought "here we go again." On Monday, KPRC's Randy McIlvoy tweeted out that the university offered Sampson a six year deal worth $18 million dollars and both sides are working on an extension.

While I think bringing back Sampson is a good idea, I also believe the program will be fine if he takes off for greener pastures as well. Why? Number one reason is Fertitta. He won't let money be an obstacle standing in the way of the school retaining a quality coach. After all, he's very heavily invested in the school and its athletic programs. With the team and new facilities on the rise, a number of good coaches would love to take over what Sampson has rebuilt. Maybe even another veteran coach looking for a way back into the game would be more than willing to cash Fertitta's checks and keep steering this ship. What about a coach at a high profile gig in which they feel as though he's not quite living up to their lofty expectations? Or perhaps an NBA coach with a college background who's tired of dealing with millionaire prima donnas would like another crack at the college level?

There's a myriad of ways this program can stay afloat. The primary reason is that it's now more attractive than what it was before because of Fertitta. Sampson helped breathe life back into it. No longer is it being described as a rotting corpse. This program is now a promising young prospect that simply needs the right coach to pull all the potential out of it and help it see what it's truly capable of. If it's Sampson, so be it. But I have faith it will be just fine with or without him.

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The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

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