No, you leaped to illogical conclusions without detail or context in formulating your anticipated timeline in your mind. A long term plan will need to be executed, however. That in no way constitutes "now". Identifying candidates and signing Tony to a contract that provides some financial reimbursement for his departure would be prudent, though.
Long-term, correct. You still extend him with a nice buyout on him if he departs for another job. A list does not need to be made with the next year or two in mind, but beyond that, it warrants planning. The buyout is for when a suitor comes for him that he will not turn down, so you get some financial return to assist in the process of hiring the next coach.
I was in school with Delmonico, my first year being the 2005 CWS team, and we couldn’t get more than 2k for most weekend series that year. The exception being the Arkansas series because it was the O&W weekend so a lot of people came in early or stuck around afterwards. The Saturday night game was right around 3,500 and it was a great environment. Closest thing to being at a big-time SEC venue that I’ve experienced in LNS.
They draw 10k fans on a nightly basis which leads to greater revenue which leads to better facilities which leads to better recruiting etc. Not to mention, Arkansas offers in-state tuition rates or in-state + X % (greatly reduced vs. purely out of state) to all students from any state that touches Arkansas. This allows them to greatly expand their recruiting footprint while at the same time stretching scholarship dollars further, in a sport where scholarships are limited and at a premium.
