I think people are losing sight at the fact that he is right.
If you look at Nebraska,Wisconsin,Iowa, Michigan, Michigan St., Penn State’s last 7 recruiting rankings and win% against each other over last 7 years a picture is painted.
Iowa(36), Wisconsin (32), Michigan State (30) (is average recruiting class ranking) are considered great developmental programs. Their Win% against the other 5 teams over last 7 years. Iowa (50%) Wisconsin (66%) Michigan State (48%)
The next Tier: Nebraska (22) Penn St (14) and Michigan (10). Their win% against other 5. Nebraska (15%), Penn State (56%) Michigan (56%)
Even though Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State have classes 2-3x lower than the other tier. One flipped game in 7 years and their win % is almost on par with the higher recruited teams, thanks to their great development of players.
Nebraska is a huge outlier in these numbers. If they can get their development program on par with Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State. They should be able to be above the Michigan and Penn State level, with their average class ranking.
Probably will still be behind Ohio State but it’s gonna be a two step process. Focus on development first. Win the west consistently. Attract ever better recruits and become the powerhouse again. It’s going to be a 10 year process to get back to the glory years IMO.
It can be done just need to have a vision and a plan, first step should be to become the best developmental program in the nation.