I'm really starting to like Dr. Blue. The guy just seems to "get it" when it comes to how to move a program forward. Let's hope he can back up his talk with results.
Blue has been very impressive so far. I hope he sticks around for a while. One thing for sure is that the job Blue has been doing is like night and day better than the hole that Tumey was digging for Aggie Athletics.
So...does this mean we are going after someone with direct ties to UCD?
"Affinity for UC Davis. It is important that our coaching staff has a strong affinity for UC Davis and what it represents. It is not necessary for the head coach to have direct ties to our institution, but a direct tie certainly increases the probability that the individual is passionate about the tradition of UC Davis Football and understands the special responsibility of being the steward of football in our community."
I don't think that's going to happen, but if he can get us on the right path over the next few years, then I'm okay with a transient AD. If he can turn this ship around, he will be a hot commodity for bigger and better jobs.
Now the tough part, and we do have to act quickly.
I was struck by this quote: "In most competitive arenas, previous performance is the best indicator of future performance." That seems to scream Coach Rob Ash, who led Montana State to 4 (?) FCS playoff appearances... unless he inherited that legacy from someone, he should be a top consideration. Dan Hawkins may also be considered given his ties and success.
When I read up on Ash, he did remind me of Coach Sochor in some ways... academic. He said somewhere if he had to chose a second profession, it might be professor. He has been applying new analytics tools at Arkansas as an assistant.
Very good write up by Blue. I really liked the part about structural advantage. There was a long period where UCD had some significant advantages over their rivals, however this is clearly no longer the case. The results further prove this.