JMO - TL;dr. After reading posts for weeks on here, I just think some of us need to take a step back from short term thinking about how to solve everything.
I believe we will keep seeing the maturation of Heup, the roster and staff as we go. He's a relatively young HC in terms of age and experience. We knew that when he was hired. Whether that will happen to the extent we desire will be determined over the next three seasons IMO. Our fan impatience will not change that process other than potentially harm it. We need full commitment into NIL and donations to the program. We are in THE big boy conference. You cannot fake your way through it to the top. You have to recruit, develop, scheme and play call well to succeed. Posers self identify quickly.
Heup has delivered three straight bowl seasons with one #6 ranking. He has learned a great deal. Roster and coaching staff shortfalls have dictated his approach. He has been right about some decisions and wrong about others, which happens with every coach as well in our own lives. Make adjustments and move on.
The facts are our program was bent over by the NCAA investigation for three seasons. That has been removed as an issue. What is still an issue is the mistreatment of the program by officials and B-Ham's response/nonresponse to same. That has to be addressed from the top. I trust Boyd and the university to do so.
NIL, transfer portal and the expanded playoffs are the open doors to walk through to elite relevance. We will now see if Heup and staff are up to the task. Make the roster additions, changes to staff and adjustments of scheme to fit the roster and address the competition. In my opinion he should get three more seasons before any consideration of change unless he tanks like Botch did.
The key thing to watch will always be too much acceptance of mediocrity due to loyalty to a player(s) or staff member(s) or system (his baby) by the HC. The willingness to change and adapt to conditions on the ground in every aspect of the program is the key to success as has already been demonstrated by those programs who are having success at a high level. Nobody in CFB has ever done that as well as Nick Saban IMO. However, you should not do it "their" way. Be you, just follow proven principles for winning as what we already have with Neyland's Maxims. Apply these timeless principles across the board and take the long view. That builds the culture of excellence needed to succeed at a high level year after year, decade after decade.
Have a good day fellow Vol fans.
