Not exactly fair now is it? No one at LSU ever expected this out of middle of the pack big 12 coach when they hired him. They did some shopping and found the best deal they could. It worked. Sort of. Every time this argument comes up the apologist club finds any and everything wrong with any name offered up. Its as if no one else out there is worth a shit. We should just seal the stadium, fill that bitch with water and stock it for the fishing team when les moves on because by god there is just no one that could ever live up. Amazing.
I like to look at both sides of the coin. I look at the hires made in the SEC last year. I look at who uscw hired. I like to look at the big picture. Part of what make LSU an attractive hire is Les Miles, like it or not. Cam and Chief both had good offers, I know. I know when a job opens at LSU, Les gets resumes, a bunch. I know I offer talk about stable jobs, Les is that reason. I have friends in the profession with good jobs, but when a job open at LSU, they throw there name in the hat. Two weeks ago, a couple of my friends lost jobs in the profession, that's the job of a coach, they know it going in. But many wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I often talk about fit, filling a staff, etc. many times when you hire, it's where that, "Take a chance on," comes into play. Look at the coaches LSU, Nebraska, Miami, Texas, etc took a chance on. How's that working out for them. UT, own network, the most money, etc. Where are they now?
That was a good hire (assuming it was done by current admin). What's more, they adjusted course when it became clear things weren't working out. That last part is also reassuring.
The real point is that ANY time you hire a new coach you're taking a chance. Even Saban could have been a bust at UT if they didn't give him what he needed or he didn't fit into the culture. Notice he was never mentioned at USCw as good a job as there is in the CFB hierarchy. He didn't fit the culture. That is why you don't let go of a coach who wins 80% of his games in hopes of finding someone who can win 1 more game or so a year. Look at the grease fire that is Texas. Mack had Texas with a shot at a Big 10 championship this year and he is gone. Who is a sure shot hire now...what coach can they hire and take them back to the top? Texas is one of the top 2 or 3 jobs in CFB....LSU isn't (top 10-15). The risk is so much higher than the reward.
Texas has been way underperforming with Mack brown and they gave him plenty of time to right the ship. The risk is worth it. Being Texas, though, all eyes are on them. It's part of being a top destination.
