New OC & DC after first year; embarrassing loss to mid major; .500 regular season; and…

That's a leap! I like the way you think

These comparisons need to end. It’s such a dumb take.

It’s not an ideal scenario and I don’t think anyone would argue it is. Much rather make the change now than in a year or two.

We tried something and it didn’t work. High wanted coordinators that could really take the load gameplan wise so he could recruit. Neither of them were huge in recruiting this year. It should have been a good trade off. It just so happens that neither of them worked out. Robert’s was serviceable as a coach in his role. Just clear he absolutely did not fit in culture wise and seems to be a dick.

Let's be realistic. Auburn football was circling the bowl in late October of 2022. A couple of years of almost no recruiting set the program back and created a talent deficit (aka Potato Famine). Recovering from that is going to take a couple of years. Good recruiting is the first step and I think we are doing well on that front. The next step is to hire two good coordinators and get try to get coaching on the same trajectory as recruiting.

I don't think it is a good idea to compare Hugh Freeze and this Auburn team to Nick Saban and Alabama. And we are not in a position to go 12-0 next year. But there are plenty of examples of coaches starting off their first year with a below average season and working up from there, and the level of recruiting from this year is a huge step in the right direction.

Hugh Freeze won 7, 8, 9, and then 10 games his first 4 seasons at Ole Miss. Mike Norvell won 3, 5, 10, and then 13 games his first 4 seasons at FSU. Lane Kiffen also had a below .500 season his first year at Ole Miss. Eliah Drinkwitz took until his fourth season. Now most of those guys aren't even recruiting at high level, and maybe Drinkwitz is a one hit wonder this year, but most of them hit the portal hard and it took them a few years to get the right pieces in places.

All of that to say there is good reason to have patience with a coach that is recruiting at a high level and has proven he can win at his other stops. We have to keep the momentum going in 2024 though and win at least 8 games in my opinion. Getting the coordinators correct though is a big deal, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We need to find some stability there.

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These comparisons need to end. It’s such a dumb take.

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It's a fine "there is some hope guys" take

But when it leaves out the reality that for every 10 examples of this 8-9 end pretty badly and one ends up roses, it's silly