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New Texas Longhorns Director of Player Personnel Patrick Suddes will get some help in the near future after the school posted the job opening for an Associate Director of Player Personnel on Wednesday (h/t Max Olson).
The hire of Suddes was announced last Thursday and his introductory press conference held the following day, at which time he mentioned that since he doesn't have any hobbies other than playing bad basketball, he has nothing else to do but "make things right" and "catch up with the Joneses." Endearing words, those.
When the Longhorns hire their assistant for Suddes, that crucial job will get a little bit easier.
More: 'Horns poach new Director of Player Personnel from Crimson Tide
So what is Texas looking for in their new Assistant Director of Player Personnel? Well, the qualifications are quite telling, as they tend to be in these circumstances. Head coach Mack Brown has spoken relatively extensively in recent weeks about wanting someone who can do more with social media, especially Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which are all mentioned among the essential functions of the job:
Support the planning and execution of the twelve (12) month vision of Recruiting Calendar (Mail, video, graphics, social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)...Assist with creating graphics to send in mailouts and on social media.
Some of the required qualifications are along similar lines:
Proficient in Microsoft Suite; Adobe Suite; Photoshop; In Design, and Dreamweaver.
While those functions and qualifications are interesting, what will eliminate many applicants is the fact that Texas wants to hire someone with experience at Texas after poaching Suddes from Alabama. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the new hire will currently be on the staff, as Director of High School Relations and Player Development Ken Rucker, the former running backs coach who was moved into the administrative role when Major Applewhite was hired in early 2008, has already been mentioned as a possible candidate by Olson on Twitter.
Rather, the person just has to have experience at Texas, three years in an FBS football program, and preferably five years of experience.
Furthermore, the required qualifications of proficiency in programs like Photoshop and the essential functions of helping with the design of graphics for social media would seem to narrow the field. Making speculation more difficult is the fact that past staff directories do not seem to be immediately available on MB-TF.
Those requirements would most likely eliminate Rucker, who seems likely to remain in his current position. Do any of the other members of the staff have experience in those areas, like former players Dakarai Pearson and Rod Wright? What about fellow special assistant Blair Peterson, the former New Mexico quarterback who majored in Business Adminstration?
No word yet on any of that, but the heartening news is that the Longhorns continue to move quickly to catch up with the Joneses in the burgeoning personnel arms race overtaking college football.