Update: Hatcher deal with VSU becoming unlikely
UPDATE, 5:45 p.m.: What a difference a few hours make when it comes to a coaching search.
Less than half a business day after hearing Samford football coach Chris Hatcher was the leading candidate to return to Valdosta State to be the Blazers' next head coach, I've learned that a deal between Hatcher and Valdosta State is becoming more and more unlikely.
A media source told me the two sides are too far apart in terms of money on a contract for Hatcher, who served as the Blazers' coach from 2000-06 and posted a 76-12 record which included a 2004 national championship.
As earier reported, if Hatcher isn't the candidate, LaGrange coach Matt Mumme is rumored to be a candidate. I'm also told a coach from Division I-FCS Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. -- not to be mistaken with Jacksonville State in Alabama -- is a candidate.
Colquitt County coach Rush Propst isn't believed to be a candidate at this time.
ORIGINIAL POST: Valdosta State is actively pursuing Samford coach Chris Hatcher to take over the Blazer football program, according to numerous people close to the program.
The news of VSU's pursuit of Hatcher comes less than a week after former coach David Dean resigned to take the Co-Offensive Coordinator position at Division I Georgia Southern.
Hatcher, who coached Valdosta State from 2000-06, reportedly reached out to the school once news of Dean leaving broke last week. Valdosta State immediately showed interest, and, according to people familiar with the situation, Hatcher became Valdosta State's top target.
The only issue of getting Hatcher back to Valdosta State seems to be money. According to sources, Hatcher was scheduled to meet with school officials, including athletic director Herb Reinhard, on Monday, but postponed the meeting until Valdosta State could secure money for a higher salary than what was currently being offered.
It's speculated Hatcher wants a total salary of roughly $200,000 a year. Not all that money would come from the school through the state, though. Part of a coach's salary is often raised by boosters. Another revenue source for head coaches is a weekly coach's radio program.
Dean, who took over the Blazer program after Hatcher left following the 2006 season and led the Blazers to national championships in 2007 and 2012, made $97,586 from the state in 2015, and according to a source, made close to $120,000 after booster contribution.
He made another estimated $10,000 a season through his radio program.
From what I'm told, Valdosta State is actively seeking different avenues to raise money to get the needed annual salary required to lure Hatcher back to Valdosta State, even though I was told Valdosta State did not give Dean the reported $50,000 raise he asked for to keep him with the school, rather than him leaving for Georgia Southern.
One media source told me, regarding Hatcher's move to Valdosta State, "I thought it was supposed to be all announced Wednesday, but I'm not sure now that (Hatcher) didn't meet with them (Monday)."
Hatcher's interest is serious, though. One person told me his wife has reached out to private school Valwood, located in north Valdosta, about admission information for their children.
A move back to Division II, from the Division I-FCS level, might be labeled as a backwards, regressive career move by Hatcher, but the move might prove to be the best for both he and VSU.
After all, when Reinhard tabbed Hatcher as the Blazers’ head coach in 2000, Hatcher was just 26 years old but was widely known after he served as VSU’s starting quarterback for three seasons in the 1990’s. Still, the hire was initially criticized, as many thought Hatcher was too young.
The so-called young Hatcher quickly proved his doubters wrong. His offense earned the nickname “The Hatch Attack,” terrorizing opponents with a crossing route-type passing game which proved to be successful, as the Blazers went 10-2 in his first season at the helm in 2000.
That success continued, as Hatcher led the Blazers to an overall 76-12 record in seven seasons, which included a 14-1 record and a national runner-up finish in 2002 and a 13-1 record and a Division II national championship in 2004.
Following a 9-3 record in 2006, the worst season during his tenor at VSU, Hatcher left the Blazers for Division I Georgia Southern.
Hatcher was ousted after just three seasons with just an 18-15 record, which included no playoff appearances with the Eagles. From there, Hatcher was hired as Division I Murray State, serving as the head coach from 2010-2014 before spending the 2015 season at Samford, a current member of the Southern Conference.
Altogether, in nine seasons as a Division I-FCS coach, Hatcher has posted just a 51-50 record and has never qualified for the playoffs.
So a return to Division II could be exactly what Hatcher needs to resurrect his coaching career, which has fallen into mediocrity since leaving Valdosta State.
Another major plus for returning to Valdosta State for Hatcher is, from what I'm told, that he'd be re-entered back into the state's retirement plan.
As for what Hatcher’s return would mean for Valdosta State?
It brings back a proven winner at the Division II level, and someone who could likely compete in recruiting against West Georgia head coach Will Hall.
It’s also a move that would likely give ease and comfort to the fan base, considering it’s a face fans have been familiar with since the 1990’s when Hatcher, who won the 1994 Harlon Hill Trophy, set school records in career passing yards (11,363) and passing touchdowns (121), both of which remain to this day.
Whether or not Hatcher will be hired at Valdosta State is yet to be determined. Many believe that if the money is secured, Hatcher will be the next head coach, even though he has been at Samford just one season and recently promoted former Valdosta State quarterback Russ Callaway to offensive coordinator.
If Hatcher isn't the guy, though, then who? Colquitt County head coach Rush Propst was an early fan-favorite, but I'm not sure he fits Reinhard's "would I want my son to play for him" mentality, as Propst has had proven character issues in the past, despite a repeated track record of winning at the high school level.
One source told me that while Valdosta State is all-in on making Hatcher's return a reality, the school is also looking into current LaGrange head coach Matt Mumme, the son of former Blazer coach Hal Mumme. At Division III LaGrange, Mumme went just 5-5 in his first season in 2014 and just 2-7 in 2015.
In the end, it seems as though it's up to Valdosta State whether or not Hatcher returns to his alma mater.
