If we go 6-6 for the next 4 years, and each year we recruit in the top 25, I wouldn't be shocked if CGC gets his initial 7 years. I don't think some of you realize how long it's been since we recruited consistently in the top tier of the nation. Us message board heroes might not be happy, but our donors have proven to be more patient.
Caveat: CGC will have to beat uga once or twice for this scenario to hold true.
We really need to get to the point where we can threaten Clemson and UGA, winning at least 1/2 every couple of years to have arrived nationally. Who knows if they'll be able to sustain their current positions over the next 6 years, but if they don't fall or we don't climb it will be hard to be a consistent top-15 caliber team with those to Ls on the schedule every year.
Otherwise, the roster is more than just recruiting. You gotta be able to hold on to and develop the recruits you have. Getting a roster that is stuffed with contributors or guys on a path to contribute with depth at all positions is key. Then a star player or 2 can take it to the next level. Some teams can only get there when the roster aligns with the right experience, luck, and health but don't sustain for long as natural attrition starts to take over. The factory elites can reload, but we've seen some programs who aren't able to manage the roster well, stay consistent with scheme, develop players over time, and handle attrition very badly end up far underperforming what you would expect from the recruiting ranking. Tennessee and Miami come to mind immediately. We'll see how far CGC can take things. Personally I see him killing it in terms of the transfer market, remaking the roster to the right depth and experience mix when looking 2 years ahead, player physical development, player engagement, and opportunity to get as many snaps in practice or in games as possible to develop. I like that we didn't panic having poor results in changing scheme, technique, or coordinators. I'm not sold that they are best, but trying to change our technique and rebuild coaching relationships would be a step backwards at this point. Rarely do bad teams get significantly better with those moves. An established factory with an underperforming unit and healthy roster? May be a different story.
Unfortunately, we're going to get hit with enough personnel losses next year it may be that year 3 looks kind of stale. I don't know if the team will be able to congeal enough to look good next year especially with a very difficult schedule ahead, but I think that we will be miles ahead of last year even if the record looks mediocre. Year 4 is when I would expect to start seeing that upward trajectory taking full hold. I think CGC will be given plenty of rope, though some fans certainly may start to polarize. Unless morale crumbles on the team, winning will be the easy fix.
