Arnett is an unknown, I think it’s perfectly fair to say that. He may be a success, he may flop, we don’t really know at this point. And may not truly know much more until about early November.

I don’t think it’s fair to say he was a lazy hire given the circumstances. And it’s not like he has no qualifications either. He doesn’t have the credentials of Mike Leach. But he’s been a successful SEC coordinator for three years. His defenses were the reason State won several big games over the last couple of years. The Air Raid was often not this unstoppable force that some want to pretend it was now that Leach is sadly not with us anymore. I loved the guy but Arnett really helped him out a few notable times, including the most recent Egg Bowl. And if you know anything at all about Arnett, you know he is a really good fit for State.

No one knows for sure where this is headed. Maybe you’ve got a star on the ascent, maybe he’s not any good as a HC and you are making a change in a year and a half. You have a veteran team this year that should be at least decent. Next year will be the real challenge with so many guys to replace.

I also do not think the offensive shift is as drastic as some want to make it out to be. They aren’t going to the wishbone, they aren’t taking the majority of their snaps under center, they aren’t trying to turn Rogers into a running QB. They will still throw it plenty, just less. And you have a very experienced OL and a talented, under appreciated back in Marks. If you’re going to move away from the Air Raid, this is probably the kind of personnel to do It with.

I think with the WR’s, people will realize that Leach utilized a huge rotation kinda regardless of talent level. What I expect to see now is more of an emphasis on a handful of guys. And what State may lack in returning production, they have as much talent as they’ve had in a while at WR. Tulu Griffin specifically has a legit chance to be one the biggest breakout stars in the league this year.

This post was edited on 7/25/23 at 5:05 pm