I'll be honest, his horrific performance last year will be hard to come back from. Talent may have been at an all time low level, but if that's the case, he should've come in and recognized that on day 1 just like Loadholdt did with the O line. Then, kick the dead weight to the curb and at least attempt to do something through the Spring portal. I don't care what he was left with... it was completely inexcusable to bring the group that we saw last year out onto the field for Week 1.
With that out of the way, I'd need to see two things from Hutzler to give me any smidge of faith in his abilities.
1) When the next worst team in the SEC is #76 in total defense, we simply cannot be outside the Top 100 again. Shave off 75 yds to at least get us to that #75-85 range
2) Regardless of where this defense ends up in the rankings, we are not going to be able to take the next step until recruiting improves significantly. If he cannot do something to boost the current '26 class and hit it big in the upcoming portal, either he or his position coaches need to be held accountable