I think we're all pretty much in agreement that four wins isn't enough for Odom to keep his job. But, if he wins 5 or 6, which is still probably not enough for 50% of the board, might it still be worth it to keep him considering the number of firings in the SEC (the East in particular)? Not only would he have avoided a major tailspin, but he'll also have to opportunity to pick off a few UT, UF, and Arky recruits.
A few of those guys are going to be some really good players. Not only can he sell "righting the ship" and playing time, he can also sell "Hey, we beat the Vols. With a new coach you don't even know, you're going to be part of the very beginning of a rebuild. We're on the upswing; with you here, we'll be back on top East very soon."
I know it's not a good idea to get a coach to get one recruit or to keep a particular class, but if you're on the fence I think it's worth it to keep a coach if he's shown some improvement, especially in a situation like this year where we might have a real opportunity to pick a few guys from some blue blood or near blue blood programs. If we fire Odom, which, again, I'm not saying wouldn't be justified with only four wins, it's inevitable that we're probably going to end of with a worse class than if we keep him. Added to that the free-for-all of the upcoming openings in the SEC, it could really be a disaster for us. Instead, I see a real opportunity to take advantage of those openings.
Just something to think about.
A few of those guys are going to be some really good players. Not only can he sell "righting the ship" and playing time, he can also sell "Hey, we beat the Vols. With a new coach you don't even know, you're going to be part of the very beginning of a rebuild. We're on the upswing; with you here, we'll be back on top East very soon."
I know it's not a good idea to get a coach to get one recruit or to keep a particular class, but if you're on the fence I think it's worth it to keep a coach if he's shown some improvement, especially in a situation like this year where we might have a real opportunity to pick a few guys from some blue blood or near blue blood programs. If we fire Odom, which, again, I'm not saying wouldn't be justified with only four wins, it's inevitable that we're probably going to end of with a worse class than if we keep him. Added to that the free-for-all of the upcoming openings in the SEC, it could really be a disaster for us. Instead, I see a real opportunity to take advantage of those openings.
Just something to think about.
