Here's the thing about Stoops, didn't he come to Mitch with a detailed plan of attack? It was one of the endearing things about him to me, he wanted to be here and he had a plan. And at first that plan was evident and seemed like it was working. Recruiting Ohio,check; not be a complete sham on D, check; not have Morgan Newton at QB sacking himself, check. But lately if feels as though under the offensive side of things it's now reading ????? profit.
I think it was pretty obvious that the hiring of Neal Brown wasn't 100% Stoops and while that was not idea it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I think when he moved on by that point Stoops had garnered enough equity to be able to lead the hire without outside influence. Riley probably was interested but he no doubt had a wandering eye to all options whereas Dawson had something to prove, just like Stoops did when he came here. Add in the BSing,awe shucks,not mincing words attitude of Dawson and I can easily see those two back slapping over some brown water and convincing themselves it could work.
But it didn't. Yet Stoops is stubborn and loyal to his guys. His immediate backing of Shannon Dawson after the season to the firing of him immediately in the dead period told me two things. One, the recruitment of Mac Jones was largely dependent to Dawson and that the joint in home meeting with Stoops the Monday after L'ville was a litmus test for seeing how bought he was to UK as a whole. Two, this firing of Dawson may not have been the choice of Stoops.
With the threat of thousands of season tickets being non renewed Barnhart and Co. new change would have to come and the most obvious target is the new guy that made the most fans angry. I think Stoops knew something had to change, I think the decision to fire Dawson was every bit as much financial as it was philosophical. For those that will say Dawson confirmed the philosophical difference, a negotiable buyout can make a contentious ending very cordial.
Moving forward I don't think Stoops gets the same leeway as before. This hire is nearly as important to Mitch as it is to Stoops. Mangino and Pelini, even if qualified and connected, won't be approved because of the off color stuff. This will need to be a solid hire with little room for margin. Unfortunately this will likely eliminate taking a shot on an outside the box candidate who might have a bigger upside. I don't expect to be thrilled by the hire but moving forward, I will expect results.