re: My two negative talking points Re: Dave Aranda

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People say hire Grimes, or bring in Tom Herman. Which looks great for next year. But what about in 2024 or 2025? These guys are gone by then. 1 or two years & the door is revolving again. This is the SEC. it’s not as forgiving as it is at Baylor. You have to nail this consistently as Coach O has shown. Riley, Kiffin, even Napier, you have the foundation on offense to always be one step ahead of this. Continuity, teaching a lasting philosophy throughout each class that does not change, & having players buy in.

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Meh. Six of one, half dozen of the other. The issue is the CEO model, not having a coach who can always handle one side of the ball. We’ve seen Riley not win championships before while getting to the doorstep. Why? Because he didn’t have a defense. It goes both ways. No matter which side a guy specializes in, he will always have to nail the other hire. A great offense can’t cover a terrible defense any more than the other way around.

The bottom line is, Aranda nailed the fix. That says more to me than botching the first hire with a guy he had never worked with before. He didn’t do what O did after it didn’t work out, either. He didn’t make a reactionary swing and miss. He found the right guy and it made all the difference. That shows fast adaptability and decisiveness, both great traits for a head coach early in their career at the top spot.