Willie Fritz may face interesting decision soon about head coaching future

If the reports are accurate, Tulane head football coach Willie Fritz spoke with the University of Arkansas. It wouldn’t be the first time the school has pursued a Green Wave head coach.

At the end of the 1997 season, Arkansas director of athletics Frank Broyles called then Tulane head coach Tommy Bowden.

Bowden said no thanks. Broyles, ever persistent, called again. Bowden declined once more.

Bowden knew he had a great team, led by quarterback Shaun King and offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez returning. The following season, Bowden parlayed an unbeaten regular season into the head coaching job at Clemson.

It was wise decision-making. Bowden knew that Arkansas was a tough place to win consistently. The last Razorbacks conference title won in football was in 1989 when coach Ken Hatfield guided Arkansas to the Southwest Conference championship.

Ironically, after that season, Hatfield left Arkansas for … Clemson.

Missouri also has shown interest in Fritz. Their last conference title was won in 1969 under head coach Dan Devine, who parlayed success at Mizzou into the top job at Notre Dame.

If Arkansas or Missouri offered, Fritz would certainly earn more than the estimated $1.6 million he takes in yearly at Tulane University.

However, at Tulane University, he has a chance to win an American Athletic Conference championship.

At Missouri, he’d be in the same half of the league with Florida and Georgia. At Arkansas, he would be in the same half of the league with Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

There are tiers in the SEC.

The places you can win a national championship are Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and LSU.

The next tier is Texas A&M, Tennessee and maybe Mississippi State.

After that, it’s Arkansas, Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri.

So, Fritz has to ask himself, “Do I want to coach in the SEC where my ceiling is six or seven wins, or do I stay at Tulane, where I have built a solid program, and have a good recruiting class committed for 2020?”

The answer has to come quickly.

Recruits are owed an answer, and so is Tulane.

A variable for Willie Fritz might be this question: Who is the Tulane quarterback next season?

Is it Southern Miss transfer Keon Howard? Is it a graduate transfer? Or is it, at some point in the 2020 season, true freshman Justin Ibieta?

In my lifetime, a Tulane coach who won bolted, some quickly.

Jim Pittman left for TCU after the Green Wave beat Colorado in the 1970 Liberty Bowl.

Larry Smith left in 1980 for Arizona after beating LSU, and winning nine games.

Mack Brown left for North Carolian after leading Tulane to an Independence Bowl berth in 1987.

Tommy Bowden left after winning 18 games in two seasons.

So, maybe for Fritz, the time to depart is now.

He could perhaps go back to Missouri, where he is a member of the Central Missouri Hall of Fame. Or he could call the Hogs in Fayetteville.

However, there is a reason those jobs always seem to be open.

Because like Sisyphus, at Arkansas and Missouri, you always seem to be pushing the rock up the hill only to see it roll right back down.