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Biggest Recruiting Mistake
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<blockquote data-quote="ChiefIllini" data-source="post: 1401684" data-attributes="member: 588522"><p>The issues that plagued Guenther toward the end of his career was similar to that of Thomas, though some more exaggerated than others. At least in RG's defense, ignoring the hiring portion, keeping Weber and Zook on for as long has he did had some precedent based on prior success. A finals and rose bowl appearance surely earned them both a few extra years, but I think the trajectory of both programs should've been scrutinized more heavily, namely football (though sustained success is rare in our history). </p><p></p><p>Weber was a decent looking hire, and TBH I'd argue to anyone he deserves to be a P6 coach. He wasn't a fit for the type of recruiting expected (at the time) at UI, nor did his personality connect well with the expectation of the fan base (though I doubt many fans anywhere enjoy his quarks).</p><p></p><p>As for Zook, his deal has already been laid out here. Both hires were done for different reasons, neither being correct.</p><p></p><p>Thomas' hires were, in my mind, either a) inability to land top talent or b) Too much confidence in finding young(ish) and rising coaches that he could parlay into proof of his AD abilities (it was probably a combo of both). His Cincy career was extremely promising. Cronin is an alltime great and the duo of Kelly/Jones probably gave Cincy their best football half decade ever. Blame it on luck, but his model just didn't work here.</p><p></p><p>RG was a better AD, but hurt the programs more than Thomas did. If I had to pick one of their tenures to remain in UI history, it is without a doubt RG.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ChiefIllini, post: 1401684, member: 588522"] The issues that plagued Guenther toward the end of his career was similar to that of Thomas, though some more exaggerated than others. At least in RG's defense, ignoring the hiring portion, keeping Weber and Zook on for as long has he did had some precedent based on prior success. A finals and rose bowl appearance surely earned them both a few extra years, but I think the trajectory of both programs should've been scrutinized more heavily, namely football (though sustained success is rare in our history). Weber was a decent looking hire, and TBH I'd argue to anyone he deserves to be a P6 coach. He wasn't a fit for the type of recruiting expected (at the time) at UI, nor did his personality connect well with the expectation of the fan base (though I doubt many fans anywhere enjoy his quarks). As for Zook, his deal has already been laid out here. Both hires were done for different reasons, neither being correct. Thomas' hires were, in my mind, either a) inability to land top talent or b) Too much confidence in finding young(ish) and rising coaches that he could parlay into proof of his AD abilities (it was probably a combo of both). His Cincy career was extremely promising. Cronin is an alltime great and the duo of Kelly/Jones probably gave Cincy their best football half decade ever. Blame it on luck, but his model just didn't work here. RG was a better AD, but hurt the programs more than Thomas did. If I had to pick one of their tenures to remain in UI history, it is without a doubt RG. [/QUOTE]
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Biggest Recruiting Mistake
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