I've been saying for years that we will never be back (or in the middle of this thing, as GLH says) until we have prioritized recruiting O-Linemen who can deal with an SEC Front 7 (not only big, but with athletic footwork). It was evident in LSU, Bama, TX A&M, and the Gators in that 24-20 loss we could have won had we not given up double-digit sacks.
It's pretty simple; that's why the SEC has dominated NCs because their entire conference puts a huge premium on recruiting the best O-Linemen in the country just to be able to compete in their conference.
It's why Vandy, the worst team in the SEC, was able to beat the highly touted VT.
And that's why, with all his faults, Mario beat TX A&M and Clemson and blew out the Gators in the last two years, even if they were on the decline. He's focused from the first day on building the OL as the nucleolus. We always get skills, not so much great O-Linemen.
Now let's get the other stuff worked out.