In case you missed it over the weekend, James Franklin got a contract extension.
James Franklin, Vanderbilt agree to new contract - SBNation.com
Vanderbilt has given head football coach James Franklin a new contract, which includes commitments to make improvements to the stadium and team facilities.
He should probably give some of that to his defensive coordinator, Bob Shoop.
At Vanderbilt, Franklin's offenses have ranked 58th and 80th. Shoop's defenses? 28th and 35th. Vanderbilt made another bowl this season, and Shoop's defense was a big reason why.
Could he be a candidate at Florida State?
Florida State's defensive coordinator job is one of the best in all of college football. It pays well ($600K), and offers the opportunity to coach future NFL athletes against what is often fairly average competition in the ACC. That means the numbers put up are going to be ridiculous (see consecutive top-five defenses under Stoops). And with numbers like that, it's really easy to use the FSU DC job as a launching pad for a head coaching position, as Mark Stoops did (now making $2.2M annually at Kentucky).
Shoop has done more with less at Vanderbilt. In the grind of the SEC, with far lesser athletes than many of the teams his defenses faces, he has managed to produce a good unit in consecutive years. That's pretty impressive given that Vanderbilt does not have the depth to do that in the SEC. Florida State's athletes on that side of the football are about as good as any in the country, and there is no reason to think Shoop couldn't maintain it as an elite unit.
Shoop runs a 4-3 defense that also plays a good bit of nickel. Shoop is a defensive back coach by trade, and it shows as Vanderbilt plays a wide variety of coverages, both zone and man. Shoop doesn't have the athletes to line up and just play (though his defense is extremely veteran, starting three seniors and eight juniors, which means they don't make many mental errors). As a result, he often brings pressure, both man and zone, to try and confuse and pressure the passer. More aggressiveness is something that Jimbo Fisher is believed to be seeking in his search for Florida State's next defensive coordinator.
Shoop is 46 and has 10 years experience as a defensive coordinator, spanning four schools. Florida State could do a lot worse than Shoop.