First - yes, it's been heavily discussed around here. And No, I'm not happy with the results or with the job Harsin did in his first year.
That said, I went back and looked at several publications, gurus, etc. Pretty much everyone had AU at 7-8 wins. bonix broke his leg and we ended with 6. Most people had a loss at LSU and and maybe OM, and wins vs MSU and USCe. PSU was split. Had bonix not been hurt, I think we get MSU, USCe, and probably uat. That would be an overachievement (yeah, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts...)
I think it feels worse than that because 1) we started off a little above expectations at 6-2, and then collapsed with bonix's injury and 2) national signing day was a bust when we had some targeted critical needs. But the wins against OM and LSU were solid.
I see #2 as more broadly a lack of awareness of his duties as a coach outside of the game itself. It also appears he's made significant adjustments. He's admitted that he learned more this season than any in his life. Not a fan of being a school where a coach learns on the job, but it's who we hired, and TBH I'm impressed with the perception that he's aggressively learning and adjusting. Now, if he flops this season, it will be a different story.
I actually like the feel of this season going into 2-a-days. He owns the staff, he owns the kids that left and the kids that stayed. He owns the gaps. It feels like the players here are bought in, which is much more important than most people realize. I don't know if he'll make it or not, but I really like the fact that this is 100% his team, his staff, and his program. Whether he succeeds or fails, I think we'll at least know at the end of this season.
That said, I went back and looked at several publications, gurus, etc. Pretty much everyone had AU at 7-8 wins. bonix broke his leg and we ended with 6. Most people had a loss at LSU and and maybe OM, and wins vs MSU and USCe. PSU was split. Had bonix not been hurt, I think we get MSU, USCe, and probably uat. That would be an overachievement (yeah, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts...)
I think it feels worse than that because 1) we started off a little above expectations at 6-2, and then collapsed with bonix's injury and 2) national signing day was a bust when we had some targeted critical needs. But the wins against OM and LSU were solid.
I see #2 as more broadly a lack of awareness of his duties as a coach outside of the game itself. It also appears he's made significant adjustments. He's admitted that he learned more this season than any in his life. Not a fan of being a school where a coach learns on the job, but it's who we hired, and TBH I'm impressed with the perception that he's aggressively learning and adjusting. Now, if he flops this season, it will be a different story.
I actually like the feel of this season going into 2-a-days. He owns the staff, he owns the kids that left and the kids that stayed. He owns the gaps. It feels like the players here are bought in, which is much more important than most people realize. I don't know if he'll make it or not, but I really like the fact that this is 100% his team, his staff, and his program. Whether he succeeds or fails, I think we'll at least know at the end of this season.
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