Update - Bobcat Legend Sonny Holland on Ash's Termination

[imacat]

http://www.ktvq.com/clip/12028691/sonny ... shs-firing

This link to the Sonny Holland interview contains some additional footage.

http://www.kbzk.com/Clip/12031059/sonny ... ng-changes

[DriscollCat]

"He's going to have a hard time doing a better job than coach Ash did."

Truth.

[ilovethecats]

"He's going to have a hard time doing a better job than coach Ash did."

Truth.

and if he doesn't will send him away too and try again...

i haven't heard many people saying ash didn't do a good job. he did. so doing a better job will be difficult. but in almost a decade ash showed he couldn't beat the griz, he couldn't beat quality big sky teams, and we preformed poorly when we made the playoffs. i just don't know how much longer we could stay with a guy who couldn't do these things simply because we were afraid we couldn't get someone better.

i just don't think it's crazy to try and find a guy that can do all of the things ash did well, and ALSO be able to beat the griz sometimes and step up in the playoffs.

but no...it won't be easy.

[aucat]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

[GoCats18]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

Yep, spot on man. I agree with you 100% on this.

[MeerKat]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

Well said

Too many people are scared well regress to the late 80's and 90's. So there happy with 6 to 8 wins and beating UM once every 5 years and just getting into the playoffs.

[77matcat]

Well said Au


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobcatbob]

I agree aucat. We should be able to find a coach that can do better. The last three hires, each did better than the previous. Hysell, then Kramer and then Ash.

[KittieKop]

You remember they made the playoffs last year, and this was the first losing season in 13 years? I don't think it's fair to say we've dropped to the bottom of the conference. It's a listing season, not a losing program. You're stretching the truth to try to support your point.

And you lost me immediately when you throw an entire group of fans into an "accept mediocrity" category. It's unfair. If we're happy with mediocrity, then you obviously want to win at all costs then. I wish everyone would quit lumping people into the extremes when you know nothing about them. It's like trying to have a political debate. You're either a war mongering republican or a tree hugging democrat. It's never possible to be a third option or somewhere in between. You're doing the same thing in this coaching discussion.

[DriscollCat]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

Presumably you are including me among those who are content with mediocrity. I am not. I believe that we had an incredible coach. Did we come close to mediocrity? If you only look at the last three years, I would say yes. I have already presented arguments as to how great coaches can have bad seasons and even string bad seasons together. Worse seasons than Ash ever had.

Believe me when I say that I didn't want to keep Ash in spite of wanting the team to be great, I wanted to keep him so that we could return to the greatness that I know he could return us to.

Every time you roll the dice, you will see at least a temporary dip in performance. Roll it often enough, and it's all dips. I know you don't feel this way, but IMHO we had a great hand and we drew 5.

[bobcatmaniac]

Could it be possible that Ash lost his job because he was too loyal to Marshall? Wasn't our big downfall our defense? My unprofessional guess is that Ash was told to get rid of Marshall, and all that happened was he was made a co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach [emoji15]. Ash was loyal to his guy to a fault. I believe Ione could be a good defensive coach of given enough time but that is a guess. Marshall proved his ineptness.
Ash did an excellent job cleaning up our program.
MSUs enrollment won't drop. Engineering, science etc is flourishing in the job market. Business majors/lawyers are a dime a dozen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LongTimeCatFan]

Could it be possible that Ash lost his job because he was too loyal to Marshall? Wasn't our big downfall our defense? My unprofessional guess is that Ash was told to get rid of Marshall, and all that happened was he was made a co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach [emoji15]. Ash was loyal to his guy to a fault. I believe Ione could be a good defensive coach of given enough time but that is a guess. Marshall proved his ineptness.
Ash did an excellent job cleaning up our program.
MSUs enrollment won't drop. Engineering, science etc is flourishing in the job market. Business majors/lawyers are a dime a dozen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Marshall, I'd say that's part of it. There were MANY things to point to regarding on field performance, and a few off field issues such as this one. I don't think it's fair to say that it's just one thing and I'd hope we wouldn't fire a guy with just one deficiency. As that was not the case, Fields made a decision that was best for the program.

[John K]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

Presumably you are including me among those who are content with mediocrity. I am not. I believe that we had an incredible coach. Did we come close to mediocrity? If you only look at the last three years, I would say yes. I have already presented arguments as to how great coaches can have bad seasons and even string bad seasons together. Worse seasons than Ash ever had.

Believe me when I say that I didn't want to keep Ash in spite of wanting the team to be great, I wanted to keep him so that we could return to the greatness that I know he could return us to.

Every time you roll the dice, you will see at least a temporary dip in performance. Roll it often enough, and it's all dips. I know you don't feel this way, but IMHO we had a great hand and we drew 5.

That's not necessarily true. Look at how many coaching changes UM has made, since Read first revived the program 30 years ago. At most, they sometimes had a one year "dip in performance", but sometimes not even that. Here's a brief summary of their coaching transitions.

Read''s last season in 1995: 12-2 / won NC, Dennehy in 1996: 14-1 / lost in NC game
Dennehy in 1999: 9-3 / lost in 1st round of playoffs, Glenn in 2000: 13-2 / lost in NC game
Glenn in 2002: 11-3 / lost in 2nd round of playoffs, Hauck in 2003: 9-4 / lost in 1st round, 2004: 12-3 (lost in NC game)
Hauck in 2009: 14-1 / lost in NC game, Pflugrad in 2010: 7-4 / missed playoffs, 2011: 11-3, lost in semi-finals (yeah, yeah, I know it was "vacated")
Pflugrad in 2011: see above, Delaney in 2012: 5-6 / missed playoffs, 2013: 10-3 / lost in 2nd round of playoffs
Delaney in 2014: 9-5 / lost in 2nd round of playoff, Stitt in 2015: 7-4 / hosting a 1st round playoff game

My point is that I don't understand the mindset that many of you have, which seems to be that even if the new coach eventually becomes successful, that we are destined to take a step back over the next 2-3 seasons. The history at UM would suggest that doesn't have to be the case. There is no reason why we have to expect even a temporary step back, just because we're making a coaching change. Some of you might say that it's not fair to compare our situation to theirs...that it was easier for them to maintain success through coaching transitions, due to their history and tradition. I would counter that by saying that's why we made a change. We want to get to that level (or close to it...I don't think any team will ever again dominate the BSC the way UM did from 1993-2009), and many people felt that Ash just wasn't "the guy" who could take us there.

[CatsRback]

Ash was, in all respects, a class act but I think, and apparently Fields did as well, that he was on a downward track. We had gapping holes in recruiting, were very easy to scout against and seemed to have a very vanilla playbook...Ash was the BEST fit when he was hired - we needed stability and character and got it. Now we need someone with fire, new ideas and CONFIDENCE...
Regarding UM - they are very difficult to compete against - great financial support from the Washington family and quite frankly, an academic program and schedule ("tweener winter quarter") that allows them to consistently recruit players that simply would not make it at MSU academically.

[catatac]

Sonny absolutely nailed that. Gonna be a huge, huge challenge to find someone better than Ash as all facets it takes to successfully run this program. Who knows, maybe PF has an ace up his sleeve or something with some phenomenal hire... we'll see. For posters that keep saying Ash was mediocre, we may end up finding out just what mediocre means. I sure as hell hope not.

[Hawks86]

Sure Sonny is mad. Him and Ash became great friends.

[Walk-on]

I think Mick Delaney said it best when he took over at UM after the Pflugrad firing. Paraphrasing his words: The coach doesn't doesn't bring in the recruits. It's the institution. Coaches Ash and Kramer, and Hysell have done some outstanding foundation work for MSU's institution. Especially with the stadium expansion and other facilities. Plus we have a great group of players that expect excellence from one-another. TV networks like Root and Altitude, ESPSN, and now SWX have made MSU an attractive product as well. And don't forget the FCS itself. I think the next weeks will be telling. Do we get enthusiastic and qualified coaches who apply for the job, like our last three coach searches? The next test will be recruiting. Who is still going to want to come here because the of our institution....? I can name an example of an out-of-state UM great who still committed UM even though they were in the midst of a coaching change. He was originally committed to MSU. Is our institution strong enough to still get good players, despite the change? Will we get decent coaches applying for the job? I hope we have gotten to that summit where MSU-the product, sells itself.

Going a little further, Cramsey and/or DePrato, or may be a viable option as interim coach, even on probation for the head job, should Fields not find a good fit in two weeks.

[John K]

Sonny absolutely nailed that. Gonna be a huge, huge challenge to find someone better than Ash as all facets it takes to successfully run this program. Who knows, maybe PF has an ace up his sleeve or something with some phenomenal hire... we'll see. For posters that keep saying Ash was mediocre, we may end up finding out just what mediocre means. I sure as hell hope not.

13-14 in his last 27 games, 10-13 against legit FCS teams, 9-10 in BSC games, one win in that time against a team that finished over .500 in BSC play, a defense that was one of the worst in the country last year, and yet somehow was even worse this year. That would seem to be the very definition of mediocre. I don't want to dance on Ash's grave, but I just don't understand why some people are making him out to be the 2nd coming of Nick Saban or Urban Meyer. With the resources and support that we have, we can and should be better than that. I don't understand why so many people are convinced that we won't be able to find a coach who is at least as good as Ash, if not better. In my opinion, the jury is still out on Stitt, but I think most UM fans are pretty happy with him so far. Their team seems to be at least as good as it was last year, and they've improved as the season has progressed, just like they always do it seems. If they can find a good coach, why can't we?

[DriscollCat]

I am not an alumnus of MSU but I have two kids who attended. I've been a Bobcat fan for a long time.
I guess one thing that I have learned over the years is there is quite a significant % of Bobcat fans
who are absolutely fine with having very mediocre to below average athletic teams. I'm not sure
that I understand that. Over the years in any job I've ever had if I had performed mediocre to below
average, I knew that I would not keep that job. I can't imagine that we would be too proud if we knew
that most of MSU's academic departments were rated as mediocre to below average either. So it just
amazes me that so many folks who are Bobcat fans are so willing to have losing teams. For example, how would it
feel to read of an annual evaluation that the University of Montana has superior academic programs
and faculty and staff year after year--and by a large margin, not by just a little bit. When Waded
Cruzado came to MSU I'm pretty sure she was quoted as saying something along the line that MSU
would not play second fiddle to UM in ANYTHING. Hate Fields? Then hate Cruzado also.

I don't know of anyone who did not absolutely love Coach Ash. I sure think he is a great human being who
ran a class program. We certainly knew what we had with Coach Ash. We knew we would have players
with character, a class program, but for the most part, not beat our rival, Montana, and make much
headway in advancing to the next level on the national scene. I'm not sure this would've continued
to fill the stadium. It's not too entertaining when you go to watch the Cats and the game is over by
halftime. That happened to me twice this year--once at NAU and the other against UM. Oh well, it
is not possible to please everyone no matter what. That much has certainly been made obvious. Like it or not there
are many "fair weather fans" out there who will simply stop attending if MSU is not capable of competing
on a regular basis. We saw the attendance nosedive when the Men's basketball team dropped down
to the lower tier of the league. The football team's decline has now reached the lower tier of the Big Sky.
If no change had been made in the coaching staff at the conclusion of this woeful season, I would've been
shocked if attendance had not taken a sharp drop next fall. MSU is in a tough situation right now, especially
with the fan base apparently divided between those who seem to be comfortable with mediocre teams
but with a coach we were emotionally attached to for good reasons, and the fans who are adamant that
MSU should be competing for championships.

Presumably you are including me among those who are content with mediocrity. I am not. I believe that we had an incredible coach. Did we come close to mediocrity? If you only look at the last three years, I would say yes. I have already presented arguments as to how great coaches can have bad seasons and even string bad seasons together. Worse seasons than Ash ever had.

Believe me when I say that I didn't want to keep Ash in spite of wanting the team to be great, I wanted to keep him so that we could return to the greatness that I know he could return us to.

Every time you roll the dice, you will see at least a temporary dip in performance. Roll it often enough, and it's all dips. I know you don't feel this way, but IMHO we had a great hand and we drew 5.

That's not necessarily true. Look at how many coaching changes UM has made, since Read first revived the program 30 years ago. At most, they sometimes had a one year "dip in performance", but sometimes not even that. Here's a brief summary of their coaching transitions.

Read''s last season in 1995: 12-2 / won NC, Dennehy in 1996: 14-1 / lost in NC game
Dennehy in 1999: 9-3 / lost in 1st round of playoffs, Glenn in 2000: 13-2 / lost in NC game
Glenn in 2002: 11-3 / lost in 2nd round of playoffs, Hauck in 2003: 9-4 / lost in 1st round, 2004: 12-3 (lost in NC game)
Hauck in 2009: 14-1 / lost in NC game, Pflugrad in 2010: 7-4 / missed playoffs, 2011: 11-3, lost in semi-finals (yeah, yeah, I know it was "vacated")
Pflugrad in 2011: see above, Delaney in 2012: 5-6 / missed playoffs, 2013: 10-3 / lost in 2nd round of playoffs
Delaney in 2014: 9-5 / lost in 2nd round of playoff, Stitt in 2015: 7-4 / hosting a 1st round playoff game

My point is that I don't understand the mindset that many of you have, which seems to be that even if the new coach eventually becomes successful, that we are destined to take a step back over the next 2-3 seasons. The history at UM would suggest that doesn't have to be the case. There is no reason why we have to expect even a temporary step back, just because we're making a coaching change. Some of you might say that it's not fair to compare our situation to theirs...that it was easier for them to maintain success through coaching transitions, due to their history and tradition. I would counter that by saying that's why we made a change. We want to get to that level (or close to it...I don't think any team will ever again dominate the BSC the way UM did from 1993-2009), and many people felt that Ash just wasn't "the guy" who could take us there.

It looks like it has worked out fairly well for UM. I had not looked into that, and I appreciate the information, and respect your perspective. I shouldn't have said "every time". Here is how it usually goes:

http://freakonomics.com/2012/12/21/is-c ... he-answer/

"...for teams with middling records—that is, teams where entry conditions for a new coach appear to be more favorable—replacing the head coach appears to result in worse performance over subsequent years than comparable teams who retained their coach..."

It is really not an unreasonable perspective to recognize that usually there is a drop off. And if the strategy is fire them until you hit a good one, you will usually see a dip.

[John K]

I think Mick Delaney said it best when he took over at UM after the Pflugrad firing. Paraphrasing his words: The coach doesn't doesn't bring in the recruits. It's the institution. Coaches Ash and Kramer, and Hysell have done some outstanding foundation work for MSU's institution. Especially with the stadium expansion and other facilities. Plus we have a great group of players that expect excellence from one-another. TV networks like Root and Altitude, ESPSN, and now SWX have made MSU an attractive product as well. And don't forget the FCS itself. I think the next weeks will be telling. Do we get enthusiastic and qualified coaches who apply for the job, like our last three coach searches? The next test will be recruiting. Who is still going to want to come here because the of our institution....? I can name an example of an out-of-state UM great who still committed UM even though they were in the midst of a coaching change. He was originally committed to MSU. Is our institution strong enough to still get good players, despite the change? Will we get decent coaches applying for the job? I hope we have gotten to that summit where MSU-the product, sells itself.

Going a little further, Cramsey and/or DePrato, or may be a viable option as interim coach, even on probation for the head job, should Fields not find a good fit in two weeks.

Excellent post. I agree completely with everything you said.