His decline? Sam graduated before his first season. What do you think the record would be without Sam in 2020? Likely 4-6 at best. Sam held the 2020 team together.
I’ll give Sark 5 seasons. His first year he didn’t have the opportunity to recruit a class, but only recruited 1 guy - Worthy. The rest were Tom’s guys. This year’s frosh was his first class. When we get to year 4 or 5 he will have guys who have learned his system from day one. If he is still winning only 8 or 9 games, then give him the boot to his backside and go get a guy with a proven track record and an NC win or two. We don’t need to “settle” for a guy that might be capable, we need to go “take” one who has and can produce.
It is hard for most of us HornFans' AD's to accept continual churn without results. Three years is really two, as the first can't be held against the HC. Dykes fell into a team of seniors and the portal and took advantage of that. Sark made progress with recruiting and is smart enough to know wins keep the recruiting train going. Give him his five years and then make an assessment.
Can anyone name a coach who started off slow, mired in mediocrity for 3-4 years and then finally broke though with 10+ win seasons and/or NC's for a long time? It seems like every very successful coach I can remember turned programs around immediately. Just like DKR and Mack Brown did at Texas. Saban, Holtz, Bowden, Paterno, Snyder, Bryant. Maybe a little longer for Mack and UNC and Snyder at KSU, but it was a still dramatic from where they were. That's why I have my doubts about Sark. If Texas had won 10 games this year considering the talent I would have hope. But I'm just not seeing the type of turnaround one would expect for a coach to take us to consistent 10 win seasons.
I think Dykes hit lucky for sure. Getting riley as an oc and having Duggan who is very similar to Colt in that he is super accurate and can scramble. Those 2 things are game changers that we dont have on display today.
What were the reactions and general consensus around here of TCU hiring Dykes at the time? Is this all with the benefit of hindsight?
Dabo Swinney Year 1.....4-3 Year 2......9-5 Year 3.....6-7 Later on, 2 National Championships, 8 Conference Championships. 161-39 record now at Clemson
I have my doubts about Sarkisian. I think he needs to be the head coach and he can't do that and also being his own oc/play caller. I think it shows in clock management and getting on the officials. He can't do that while he is trying to determine the next play call or next series. (I think Gundy had this problem as well). I think it may bog him down as a play caller. He also seems to be very stubborn with staying with his QB even though it is obvious that a relief pitcher needs to be brought it. Having said that, I think that the divided locker room and institutional train wreck he inherited is not the same situation that Dykes walked into. More importantly, if Sarkisian had Duggan as his QB1 playing like he did this year, we would have had a real chance at being where TCU is right now. That is a big assumption, but Duggan's mobility and accuracy would have kept drives alive and the defense off the field.
Yep, didn't think about him, but definitely the exception, not the rule. Sark would've played Ewers over Duggan. But yes, with Duggan at QB this team probably would've been in the playoffs.
Duggan was QB2 to start the year, came in and took off after the starter was injured. Dykes clearly had some good fortune there (not unlike Belicheck and Brady to a much lesser degree). If Card hadn't also gotten injured against Bama who knows, maybe we win that game and Tech, confidence abounds and the players have momentum, start playing faster, stronger, and making plays.
Bingo. You nailed it, Boss. This is the biggest area for improvement and most glaring gap to fix. Over the past two seasons there are at least 4-5 games (more?) that could’ve had different outcomes related to this particular topic. It’s an ego thing, though. Can Sark make the switch? I sure hope so. Mack had to do something related to his ego when he decided to let Vince be Vince and not force him into something he wasn’t, and that worked out pretty well.
