The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Guy Morriss

Followed Kevin Steele. Guy Morriss slid Baylor from Regional Program IV to Regional Program V in 5 seasons.

The journeyman
27–54
2001–2007 · 2 stints
KentuckyBaylor
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerKENTUCKYBAYLORNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelKentucky, 2001: 2-9, Regional Program I2001Kentucky, 2002: 7-5, Regional Program I2002+2.4Baylor, 2003: 3-9, Regional Program V2003Baylor, 2004: 3-8, Regional Program V2004Baylor, 2005: 5-6, Regional Program V2005Baylor, 2006: 4-8, Regional Program V2006Baylor, 2007: 3-9, Regional Program V2007-1.5One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Kentucky, 2 seasons
+2.4
Regional Program I → Regional Program I.
Baylor, 5 seasons
−1.5
Regional Program V → Regional Program V.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

1–10 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Bob Stoops.

Rivalry record
1–10
9.1% · 4 rivals
One-score games
7–13
35.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–14
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Texas Tech0–50%
Louisville1–150%
Tennessee0–20%
TCU0–20%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bob Stoops0–5
5 meetings, 2003–2007
’03 L’04 L’05 L’06 L’07 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–14 0.0%
Power Program
4–15 21.1%
National Program
4–18 18.2%
Regional Program
14–7 66.7%

Coaching career

2003–2007
Baylorcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program V
Guy Morriss slid Baylor from Regional Program IV to Regional Program V in 5 seasons.

16th-best Baylor tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Kevin Steele (1999–2002) · succeeded by Art Briles (2008–2015).

5 NFL Draft picks: Ethan Kelley (2003), Khari Long (2005), Willie Andrews (2006), Daniel Sepulveda (2007), C.J. Wilson (2007)

18–40
2001–2002
Kentuckycaretaker
Regional Program I → Regional Program I
Guy Morriss held Kentucky at Regional Program I for 2 seasons.

13th-best Kentucky tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Hal Mumme (1997–2000) · succeeded by Rich Brooks (2003–2009).

6 NFL Draft picks: Eric Kelly (2001), Marlon McCree (2001), Quentin McCord (2001), Dennis Johnson (2002), Dewayne Robertson (2003), Artose Pinner (2003)

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