I've heard a lot of folks cite Franklin's immediate success as reason it's inexcusable for Stoops not to follow suit. I think the following can be applied to several other immediate success stories and not just Franklin/Vandy.
Don't know if it's been talked about before, but what are the chances that the discrepancy between Franklin and Stoops is because of different motives?
Franklin took over and had immediate success and improvement from first to second season. He then bolted after the third season- leaving Vandy with a plethora of schollys graduating. His stock was so high, I honestly think OSU, Bama, or any other big boy would've come after him. Strategically, he held the cards for whatever position he wanted at any potential school in the country, maybe even a shot at an NFL stint. Franklin was born in Penn so it makes sense he'd want to get that position and if he had enough success at an SEC doormat, he could sway the AD/Pres at PSU to hire him over Paterno. At least vying for the reigns. If not immediately at Penn, then at some other larger institute.
I'm not saying that there's a conspiracy. Merely that there seemed to be so many cards that fell in place... I never really felt Franklin was going to stay at Vandy. Never. I can't validate this, but it seemed like he schemed around weaknesses instead of addressing them. As soon as Franklin left, Vandy crashed hard. We have yet to see if their new coach can right the ship, but it's definitely been difficult for them. There are so many gaps and depth issues on Vandy's roster that any coach, even Franklin, would have trouble figuring out the mess.
Stoops on the other hand is recruiting to fill needs and depth. We don't seem to be scheming around our weaknesses but rather trying to attack them head-on... Even if it doesn't work in the short term. I feel like Stoops is trying to develop a base from which to build a long-term contender versus a stepping stone for his career. Perhaps this is why we aren't seeing the near immediate results that Vandy enjoyed in Franklin's short stint.
Building a foundation for a house doesn't end when you dig the hole for it. Yeah, it's impressive that you dug halfway to China, but what good does it do without being filled with concrete? Build a house on a hole and the house will fall. I feel like Peveto when I make these comparisons. Lol.
Now, there was definitely a dichotomy or other issue(s) in the locker room this season. That definitely affected some of our performance. Overall, I think we can get it back on track with how we're recruiting and replacing experience with talent. Yeah, we're probably not going to see 9 wins next season, but I'd rather have a good base to work with so that even if Stoops does bolt or get fired, we have something for the next coach to work with.
I trust Stoops and am just offering an opinion. Could be totally out in left field. Anyway, that's my two cents. Your thoughts?
Don't know if it's been talked about before, but what are the chances that the discrepancy between Franklin and Stoops is because of different motives?
Franklin took over and had immediate success and improvement from first to second season. He then bolted after the third season- leaving Vandy with a plethora of schollys graduating. His stock was so high, I honestly think OSU, Bama, or any other big boy would've come after him. Strategically, he held the cards for whatever position he wanted at any potential school in the country, maybe even a shot at an NFL stint. Franklin was born in Penn so it makes sense he'd want to get that position and if he had enough success at an SEC doormat, he could sway the AD/Pres at PSU to hire him over Paterno. At least vying for the reigns. If not immediately at Penn, then at some other larger institute.
I'm not saying that there's a conspiracy. Merely that there seemed to be so many cards that fell in place... I never really felt Franklin was going to stay at Vandy. Never. I can't validate this, but it seemed like he schemed around weaknesses instead of addressing them. As soon as Franklin left, Vandy crashed hard. We have yet to see if their new coach can right the ship, but it's definitely been difficult for them. There are so many gaps and depth issues on Vandy's roster that any coach, even Franklin, would have trouble figuring out the mess.
Stoops on the other hand is recruiting to fill needs and depth. We don't seem to be scheming around our weaknesses but rather trying to attack them head-on... Even if it doesn't work in the short term. I feel like Stoops is trying to develop a base from which to build a long-term contender versus a stepping stone for his career. Perhaps this is why we aren't seeing the near immediate results that Vandy enjoyed in Franklin's short stint.
Building a foundation for a house doesn't end when you dig the hole for it. Yeah, it's impressive that you dug halfway to China, but what good does it do without being filled with concrete? Build a house on a hole and the house will fall. I feel like Peveto when I make these comparisons. Lol.
Now, there was definitely a dichotomy or other issue(s) in the locker room this season. That definitely affected some of our performance. Overall, I think we can get it back on track with how we're recruiting and replacing experience with talent. Yeah, we're probably not going to see 9 wins next season, but I'd rather have a good base to work with so that even if Stoops does bolt or get fired, we have something for the next coach to work with.
I trust Stoops and am just offering an opinion. Could be totally out in left field. Anyway, that's my two cents. Your thoughts?