I am not a part of the Fire Richt brigade yet. Although, I'm close, because its getting clearer, to me, that he isn't going to win the big one. He'll keep us incredibly respected and will bring us from that 8-9 win type team under previous coaches (in a good year) to a 10-11 win type. I actually like, and respect the guy. But the fanbase is going to quickly grow tired of those hollow 10-2 and 11-1 seasons that result in getting thwacked by another Top ACC Team in the Championship Game or getting murdered by the real elites of college football, nevermind taking embarrassing Ls to lesser teams.
With that said, currently, I think its clear, and fair to say the man is leaving a few too many boxes unchecked when we look at his resume for being a National Championship winning coach. I just don't see it in this college football landscape. That doesn't mean he's a corch or a bum, but its possible he just may not have IT. Georgia fans would say he doesn't. It is what it is. Some of the issues:
Recruiting - Lack of focus, evaluation and execution on front seven prospects as well as missing out on South Florida'a elite of the elite are two trends at this University that must have reversed before we even think about being back as an even an ACC Championship winning team.
On-Field - This era of college football requires a commitment to the run game as well as being able to defend the pass (particularly, YAC) as well as the ability to be better on third down. Richt's playcalling and Diaz's scheme leave a lot to be desired here. Neither have championship winning formulas, IMO.
Coaching - I just don't see a championship quality staff. Too many young guys that have yet to pull their weight in both recruiting and player development.
Results - He's 14-8 against Power 5 competition since the 2016 season. That's not really acceptable. If you think it is, we just fundamentally disagree on the expectations for this team, regardless of what he inherited. We all thought, incorrectly, that Richt was legitimately turning the corner with this team and as a coach after we won 15 straight...then he fell, and the team, fell flat on their face and they have yet to get up. Two of those losses (Wisconsin and LSU) were total beatdowns that came after long layoffs, and we looked completely unprepared and undercoached. **** like that is not just alarming, but the horns are blaring.
There are plenty of other aspects I could nitpick, but I think those are some major issues that need to be evaluated and course needs to be corrected on.