Posted this in the recruiting forum but it fits here as well...
A few things:
- Its nice to finally have a coach that I'm confident in again, at least from a resume standpoint. I am ever the eternal optimist but, damn, it was like grasping at straws trying to find something to be positive about with Dooley. The biggest shining moment Dooley had as a HC was taking LSU to the wire with La Tech...but still lost. Jones might not have been my first choice but his resume speaks for itself and he's done EVERYTHING right off the field so far.
- Players randomly dropping in is great to hear but Jones stating that we need more is even better--shows he's encouraging the players to develop ownership and leadership of the team. CBJ seems much more like a players coach who genuinely cares about his players, in every aspect. Not that Dooley did not, but there always seemed to be this air of aristocracy surrounding Dooley--which just does not translate to a lot of people, let alone 18-23 year old's.
- I think our days of middle-of-the-pack recruiting are numbered...like less than 365 days numbered. If you really paid attention to recruiting since CBJ came to UT, the fact that he got us back into contention with major players in the '13 class was admirable, borderline noteworthy, but the work he's doing with not only the '14 class, but beyond, is remarkable....and kids are eating it up. I think CBJ exposes our in-state rival's recruiting efforts this year for it really is/was....opportunistic and indicative of our recruiting woes with the previous staff. We're going to own this state again, I believe.
- I've said to some friends several times, but I think this season will be a lot like Kiffin's first year...nothing spectacular in the W-L column but you'll see a team that enjoys playing football again, and one that really likes playing for CBJ. Just a thought...
- We may have hired our second or third choice as HC but I think we may have hired the best candidate for the job. When our BRAND NEW HC emphasizes that our marketing campaign for the upcoming season ought to be centered on our traditions, it nearly gives me goosebumps. We haven't had a coach who embraced this school and all its pageantry like this since Fulmer. And for all his faults, Fulmer loves this university like its family. That might not translate to the field, but it does in recruiting. We might have hit an home run with this hire. Time will tell...but how this team plays for CBJ and his staff this year will be even more telling.....
