I am by no means a Cristobal slurper. He can be a maddening gameday coach. He goes hyper conservative at the most inopportune times and often can't grasp the basic fundamentals of clock management, occasionally resulting in disaster. In so many ways, reminiscent of Butch Davis.
But the way he completely changed the talent level and trajectory of the program is undeniable and fairly remarkable. For all that he lacks in gameday acumen he adjusted to the NIL/portal era as well if not the best of any major college coach. He's a relentless recruiter. And man does he bleed orange and green. He will make this program a champion or die trying.
You could argue Randy Shannon did too but his ego and bluster came first. He didn't understand the necessity of forming relationships and being a salesman. He was "my way or the highway" to a ridiculous point. He was also an awful gameday coach. Al Golden was frankly all about Al Golden, and didn't even bother trying to make the adjustment to South Florida recruiting or major conference ball. Richt had some juice going but age and health caught up with him. Manny was in over his head.
Now ideally you want a coach who's a program builder, recruiter, and a brilliant gameday mind. But those guys don't grow on trees. I'm old enough to remember lots of guys here sweating the likes of Tom Herman, Napier, Norvell, Sumlin, et al. Would you rather have any of those guys now? There's no a guarantee a guy like Petersen or Whittingham would have success here, and they know that as well. As they haven't shown any interested in heading east.
The most important part of building a program is recruiting and infrastructure, and Mario is killing it. I think that's a fair trade off from the infuriating gameday stuff. It's not ideal but it is that it is. Again I'll mention Butch. He built the program to the point a figurehead was able to take the helm and dominate college football for the better part of the next 3 years (before completely destroying it of course).
Point is, Mario turned this thing around pretty **** **** quickly. Middle Tennessee seems like a lifetime ago (although I remember it like it was yesterday). Think about the roster back then. At least half those guys wouldn't be in the 2 deep today. It's been a pretty remarkable turnaround and more importantly it looks sustainable. Recruiting is very good and young guys are stepping up. And we know we can dominate the portal. It's Mario or bust.
But the way he completely changed the talent level and trajectory of the program is undeniable and fairly remarkable. For all that he lacks in gameday acumen he adjusted to the NIL/portal era as well if not the best of any major college coach. He's a relentless recruiter. And man does he bleed orange and green. He will make this program a champion or die trying.
You could argue Randy Shannon did too but his ego and bluster came first. He didn't understand the necessity of forming relationships and being a salesman. He was "my way or the highway" to a ridiculous point. He was also an awful gameday coach. Al Golden was frankly all about Al Golden, and didn't even bother trying to make the adjustment to South Florida recruiting or major conference ball. Richt had some juice going but age and health caught up with him. Manny was in over his head.
Now ideally you want a coach who's a program builder, recruiter, and a brilliant gameday mind. But those guys don't grow on trees. I'm old enough to remember lots of guys here sweating the likes of Tom Herman, Napier, Norvell, Sumlin, et al. Would you rather have any of those guys now? There's no a guarantee a guy like Petersen or Whittingham would have success here, and they know that as well. As they haven't shown any interested in heading east.
The most important part of building a program is recruiting and infrastructure, and Mario is killing it. I think that's a fair trade off from the infuriating gameday stuff. It's not ideal but it is that it is. Again I'll mention Butch. He built the program to the point a figurehead was able to take the helm and dominate college football for the better part of the next 3 years (before completely destroying it of course).
Point is, Mario turned this thing around pretty **** **** quickly. Middle Tennessee seems like a lifetime ago (although I remember it like it was yesterday). Think about the roster back then. At least half those guys wouldn't be in the 2 deep today. It's been a pretty remarkable turnaround and more importantly it looks sustainable. Recruiting is very good and young guys are stepping up. And we know we can dominate the portal. It's Mario or bust.
