When he was first hired by LSU my first thought was that he was a pretty good hire, but it would take him a while to get LSU competitive in the SEC and nationally.
I based that mainly on recruiting. I figured that since he was entering a section of the country that was new to him, it would take him a few years to establish relationships and trust with the HS coaches of the area.
Boy, was I wrong? He hit the ground running right away as he started rebuilding LSU through recruiting. That really got my attention, but I reasoned that "So, he can recruit, but there's a lot more to it than just that."
I thought he was doing a great job, but still kept a wait and see attitude. The NC win over Oklahoma was the turning point for me, I love defense and the way they shut down OU's offense convinced me that he was special and I was pretty danged happy when he left to try the NFL. I didn't want him in Baton Rouge, especially at a time that things were so uncertain in Tuscaloosa.
I was among those that didn't think we had a realistic chance to get him, thank goodness I was wrong again. Also thanks to Rita and the dogged determination of Coach Mal. (With a lot of help from Ms. Terry.)
So my first impression of him was that he was a great recruiter, I just didn't realize at the time just how great he was and I'm still being amazed by how great he is. I know Alabama, with our facilities and tradition is a pretty easy sell, but jeez, what's he's doing is simply amazing.
I based that mainly on recruiting. I figured that since he was entering a section of the country that was new to him, it would take him a few years to establish relationships and trust with the HS coaches of the area.
Boy, was I wrong? He hit the ground running right away as he started rebuilding LSU through recruiting. That really got my attention, but I reasoned that "So, he can recruit, but there's a lot more to it than just that."
I thought he was doing a great job, but still kept a wait and see attitude. The NC win over Oklahoma was the turning point for me, I love defense and the way they shut down OU's offense convinced me that he was special and I was pretty danged happy when he left to try the NFL. I didn't want him in Baton Rouge, especially at a time that things were so uncertain in Tuscaloosa.
I was among those that didn't think we had a realistic chance to get him, thank goodness I was wrong again. Also thanks to Rita and the dogged determination of Coach Mal. (With a lot of help from Ms. Terry.)
So my first impression of him was that he was a great recruiter, I just didn't realize at the time just how great he was and I'm still being amazed by how great he is. I know Alabama, with our facilities and tradition is a pretty easy sell, but jeez, what's he's doing is simply amazing.