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Three things about NU football I was very wrong about

Hail Varsity

Offensive Coordinator
Gold Member
Jul 17, 2001
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It's hard to admit when you're wrong about something -- especially to your wife -- but with RSS it's a lot simpler, so here goes. These are just three things I was wrong about related to NU football in 2017.

1) After all the summer hype and Fall build-up about this team, I looked at the schedule and saw 9-4 as very realistic. The offensive line was being touted as much improved, Tanner Lee could sling it, there were talented skill players on the edges and Diaco was being praised far and wide for his intensity and ability to breathe fresh air into Banker's stagnant defensive scheme. I was wrong.

2) To me, the firing of Shawn Eichorst seemed premature and untimely. Mike Riley said he was one of the best ADs he'd ever worked for, so how bad could he be? I felt if he had to go it was best done near the end of the season. It was still early in the schedule and there was a chance this team could correct its course, right?. I felt that with Eichorst gone, the players and Coach Riley would lose confidence, feel additional pressure and it would affect their performance and recruiting. I think the second part of this is accurate, but the Eichorst firing turned out to be a stroke of genius, allowing the door to be opened for someone better equipped to take this program to the next level. Letting Eichorst go and doing it when the administration did was a great decision. I was wrong.

3) With Riley's departure seeming imminent and the Williams' connections to recruits being broken, I put aside any positive thoughts about delivering a good 2018 recruiting class. We would lose our commitments and whatever we reeled in would be second tier talent. But suddenly, Frost gets the job and his staff is out making offers and attracting a whole new wave of recruits that fit his scheme. Big receivers, large-bodied safeties, JUCO studs and all guys who can run. BTW, I'm not sure why everyone is surprised that they're OL, WR, QB, RB and DB. Contrary to what some have been saying, it doesn't take deep analysis of the roster or the season to recognize these are places of great need. It could have been as simple as Matt Davison watching 12 games from the broadcast booth and telling Frost, "here's where you need to focus." But the aggressive work done by this new staff within 48 hours of landing their jobs was very impressive. Regarding the "lost class" of 2018, I think I will be proved wrong, because I expect we will land a good number of these targets who see the promise of the program's future.
 
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