During the spring of 2004, 2015, and 2018, there seemed to be much more of a circus atmosphere with a whole lot of hype towards the change of direction of the program. There was the removal of the "mediocre" Solich and replacement with a Superbowl coach who had a 21st century offense and was going to make us like the 80s and 90s 49ers. In 2015, we replaced the "evil" Bo Pelini and his ridiculous 9 and 10 win seasons with a kinder, gentler coach who would win with "laid back football". Then after 3 disastrous seasons (actually only one as we made it to a bowl game in the other 2, with Pelini's players), we hired the Messiah, a football mind like no other who would in 3 years have us in the NCG. Frost was the worst of the bunch, barely winning 5 games in one year. It was the ultimate punishment for a program that has made stupid decision after stupid decision for 20 years, mainly on the hubris of 1993 to 1997.
But this spring feels more like 2008, where we were at least trying to return to systems that worked in the past and actual coaching and player development, recognizing that while recruiting is vital, you can't win with feel good stuff or relying solely on recruiting stars. Sure, the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically since 2003 and kids are a lot different emotionally than they were then, having a lot to do with prosperity and reliance on electronic machines. But I do see less hype, more actual coaching, and most of all, a legitimate plan for the program. I hope it works this time and we can at least get back to a point where we're as good as the Solich or Pelini teams, hopefully better.
But this spring feels more like 2008, where we were at least trying to return to systems that worked in the past and actual coaching and player development, recognizing that while recruiting is vital, you can't win with feel good stuff or relying solely on recruiting stars. Sure, the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically since 2003 and kids are a lot different emotionally than they were then, having a lot to do with prosperity and reliance on electronic machines. But I do see less hype, more actual coaching, and most of all, a legitimate plan for the program. I hope it works this time and we can at least get back to a point where we're as good as the Solich or Pelini teams, hopefully better.
