First of all, I want to say that I realize the statement released today was all PR-speak. However, at no point in MR's wording did he confirm KA as the coach next season, nor did he expressly identify KA as the man for the job. I could be wrong about this, but I certainly think it's possible that this statement's purpose was to buy more time to look into alternatives. The fact that there will be ongoing talks between MR and KA about the direction of the program means there could easily be an announcement later saying that it turns out they couldn't get on the same page, had different visions for how to get Mizzou back on top, blah blah blah.
Now, I'm not saying we should all sit around continuing to hold out hope that KA is replaced this offseason. I think that this statement means we should assume KA is the coach next season until otherwise informed. The statement was necessary because something had to be said, and if in fact KA returns next year, a prolonged silence would absolutely hamstring him on the recruiting trail. So now KA and staff can recruit and work per usual, while MR can still back channel with agents to gauge interest. There are still a lot of dominoes to fall this offseason before the full landscape of possibilities can even be viewed.
Now, I'm not saying we should all sit around continuing to hold out hope that KA is replaced this offseason. I think that this statement means we should assume KA is the coach next season until otherwise informed. The statement was necessary because something had to be said, and if in fact KA returns next year, a prolonged silence would absolutely hamstring him on the recruiting trail. So now KA and staff can recruit and work per usual, while MR can still back channel with agents to gauge interest. There are still a lot of dominoes to fall this offseason before the full landscape of possibilities can even be viewed.
