This may be a TLDR ramble for some.
In the end, it comes down to this: we are stuck with CGC for at least three years, barring the wheels completely coming off the bus during that time.
When CPJ retired, I initially hoped we would hire Monken from Army to continue the option for a couple of reasons:
1. I like the offense as it does allow us to punch above our weight, and
2. It would minimize the drop off that we are currently experiencing
When CGC was hired, I wasn't initially a fan. I was hoping for Elliott from Clemson once it became obvious that we intended to break from the option.
Since the hire, I have come to realize that moving away from the option was probably a good move. While Monken, Bohannon, and Coach N are good, they are not CPJ yet. CPJ had over a decade of experience whereas, other than Coach N, the resumes of the others are relatively short. The idea that we would "plug and chug" with an option coach is foolish. Would we be better off today than we are now? Probably. Would we be better off in three to four years? Maybe. Would those coaches be able to hit the highs that CPJ hit? Who knows. This was as good a time as any to make the offensive switch. The problem with switching is that anyone with a modicum of foresight saw this trainwreck season coming. All the publications forecast this, but our fans here said they were nuts and were ignoring history. That, IMO, is why we have such frustration with CGC right now. We had unrealistic expectations coming into this season. I know I tried to pump the brakes preseason and have been on record as saying I thought 3-4 wins was realistic, but I was told time and again we were a 6-7 win team minimum.
I am still not sold on Collins. He may be the next Bobby Ross, or he could be the next B*** L****, or most likely, he will fall somewhere in the middle. He came with an excellent reputation but a very short HC resume. It remains to be seen how good a HC he can be at the P5 level. He has improved recruiting, but not to the point it needs to be at yet. (Almost any non-option coach would improve recruiting, we just don't know by how much) We are seeing some great things recruiting wise, but we will need to see even better if we want to compete with uga and Clemson routinely. (And if we don't we need to be honest and have that discussion) We cannot afford to recruit in the 25-35 range, we will need to be top 25, preferably top 20, fairly routinely to get the talent needed to be competitive running similar offenses to the teams we are playing. If CGC can get our recruiting to that level in the next 2-3 years, but the wins aren't coming, I'd keep CGC and spend the money on coordinators who can actually coach, like Clemson with Dabo in the early years.
I'll be honest. I don't like the snake oil salesman presentation Collins is constantly using. I was taught that you kept your mouth shut and let your results speak for you. All this money down, elite, juice, etc, nonsense drives me nuts, but I understand why he is doing it. For the last 11 years GT had a brand and an identity. Everyone associated GT with the 3O, and fairly or not, we were judged by that identity. For many, that's the first thing they think of when GT is mentioned. Collins HAS to change that quickly in order to recruit his players into the system. That brand has to change for us to be successful. For those of us who loved the 3O under CPJ, hearing him talk about change is hard, mainly because he's not very good at presenting himself. (For someone who is so big on brand, he needs a get back coach for press conferences...) Regardless, he's calling the shots, and for the most part, he's getting where we need to be. This season was always going to be a dumpster fire, so I am not looking at results on the field for his validation just yet. Likewise, I won't use the W-L record next year to judge him.
I think we need to judge CGC solely on recruiting for the next three years. I think the 2020 class needs to be top 30-35 range or better. Then he needs to have two straight years in the top 25. We have to be honest and realize this is a complete rebuild, so winning games is going to be rare for a bit, but CGC was hired to recruit, so, IMO, I will judge him on how well he recruits for the next 3-4years. Top 40 won't cut it. Top 30 won't get us over the 7 win hump. He needs to get us to the promised land WRT recruiting, or else I feel we need to find a better actual coach to maximize the talent we can get. Now, like I said, it may turn out that he's the next Bobby Ross and is a heck of a coach. I have my doubts he is that good a game day coach, but we don't need him to be if he can recruit at an elite, juicy level. At that point we just need to find the best OC/DC available and pay them well.
