re: Was Jim McElwain the worst SEC hire in recent history?

Joker Phillips was bad, but that's just hindsight talking.

It made sense at the time of the hire. He had been a good OC under Brooks, a solid recruiter, and they wanted continuity from what Brooks had done. He was also a UK guy through and through. He just had no idea how to run and maintain a program. If there was ever a guy I really wanted to see succeed as HC at Kentucky, it was Joker.