At the time of us picking up Hendon, I didn't have much of any expectation for him or the program considering what we were dealing with due to Pruitt. So no, I wasn't underwhelmed. Maybe indiferrent to it all.
With that said, all becuase a player performs well in Heupel's system doesn't mean there weren't even better options avavailable. Sure we can target some Tulane kid, and I'm sure he will contribute and have a good year. But that doesn't mean we couldn't have done be better.
I have high standards becuase of what Heupel has done with our program since taking over. I give him tons of credit and am very happy with the work he has done. But this is a very critical window we are facing the next two years where we can dramatically catapault this program forward. Maybe we still get there in due time, regardless. But take one step back and there are a slew of other SEC teams looking to jump us in current relevancy.
So its urgebt for us to sustain momentum despite having a gap of upperclassmen missing from this roster. That's why I'm advocating for the best of the best right now. Go all in with the portal. Pay up for the best additions. Then once we have a full roster we can depend more on the incoming recruiting classes to build the program with. But if we drop the ball the next two years, don't take full advantage of the portal, and have any drop-off, its going to be tough to keep top 10 recruiting classes.