[Row80Critic]

To add to this point, I think the worst part is that he said he could win almost entirely by recruiting, developing, and retaining high school recruits, with "love" and culture as the linchpin. This was the theory behind hiring TT rather than someone else with a bigger name, more charisma, or proven success at the P4 level. And this was also exactly what Muir and the administration wanted to hear because it enabled them to keep avoiding any uncomfortable decisions or bold changes. It was, in hindsight, a dangerous idea at Stanford if you care about football.

In today's press conference, TT blamed the lack of transfers as the main cause of our woes. (Something like - we lost a ton of transfers, and it's a one-way door at Stanford. So we're having to play all of these young guys.) I'm sorry, but this was known to be the case when he signed up, and he said he could build a winning program without a material number of transfers. Did he think he'd have four years to show any signs of progress, or did he overestimate his ability to turn things around more quickly without more transfers? Either way, it was a terrible miscalculation.

Now, after enabling the institution's inaction for two years, he is changing his tune. In hindsight, we needed a "Director of Football" (TT's title) more than we needed a "coach". A Director of Football is a passionate and effective advocate for the program's needs - in this case, money, admissions, and transfers.

I appreciate that TT has come to this realization, two years into his tenure and four years after nearly every other successful team that isn't named Alabama or Clemson. But at this point, I don't think he has the charisma, credibility, or early signs of progress to pull off the turnaround. He has burned up his new coach mandate and honeymoon period. He cannot overcome the deficit with X's and O's. And I don't believe he has the ability to pull great assistants, recruits, or transfers at this point. I hope that I'm wrong.

That said, Muir is the one who really needs to go first. The new AD needs to clear the path for transfers and admissions and obtain the necessary budget commitments. The combination of Muir and TT is particularly woeful because neither one seems capable of influencing the institution despite being among its very highest-paid employees.

That settles it, I'm writing you in for President next week.

[Row80Critic]

To add to this point, I think the worst part is that he said he could win almost entirely by recruiting, developing, and retaining high school recruits, with "love" and culture as the linchpin. This was the theory behind hiring TT rather than someone else with a bigger name, more charisma, or proven success at the P4 level. And this was also exactly what Muir and the administration wanted to hear because it enabled them to keep avoiding any uncomfortable decisions or bold changes. It was, in hindsight, a dangerous idea at Stanford if you care about football.

In today's press conference, TT blamed the lack of transfers as the main cause of our woes. (Something like - we lost a ton of transfers, and it's a one-way door at Stanford. So we're having to play all of these young guys.) I'm sorry, but this was known to be the case when he signed up, and he said he could build a winning program without a material number of transfers. Did he think he'd have four years to show any signs of progress, or did he overestimate his ability to turn things around more quickly without more transfers? Either way, it was a terrible miscalculation.

Now, after enabling the institution's inaction for two years, he is changing his tune. In hindsight, we needed a "Director of Football" (TT's title) more than we needed a "coach". A Director of Football is a passionate and effective advocate for the program's needs - in this case, money, admissions, and transfers.

I appreciate that TT has come to this realization, two years into his tenure and four years after nearly every other successful team that isn't named Alabama or Clemson. But at this point, I don't think he has the charisma, credibility, or early signs of progress to pull off the turnaround. He has burned up his new coach mandate and honeymoon period. He cannot overcome the deficit with X's and O's. And I don't believe he has the ability to pull great assistants, recruits, or transfers at this point. I hope that I'm wrong.

That said, Muir is the one who really needs to go first. The new AD needs to clear the path for transfers and admissions and obtain the necessary budget commitments. The combination of Muir and TT is particularly woeful because neither one seems capable of influencing the institution despite being among its very highest-paid employees.

That settles it, I'm writing you in for President next week.