I think his plan is to out recruit every previous coach at ND since Lou and hire elite assistant coaches across the board like AG and HH that can develop talent. Then try and build a culture of family and competitiveness. How that plays out on the field is anyones guess. He’s raw, but he has that Dabo charisma to him while having played at an elite level himself, which is an underrated quality imo. Assistant coaches and recruiting is where championships are made. A HC has to manage the culture.
Okay, that makes sense as an interpretation based on anecdotal evidence.
But is this "plan" so strikingly different -- in general terms -- from what ANY COACH would ASPIRE TO? To me, it sounds like standard features of a COACH'S JOB DESCRIPTION. I would argue that any coach who is NOT trying to do these things should be FIRED unless he somehow keeps winning in spite of it.
A key point you make is that WE DON"T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT FREEMAN'S "PLAN" WILL WORK. And that's because the CRITICAL VARIABLE -- the X's and O's, something you didn't include in your take -- is still the GREAT UNKNOWN.
But then, interestingly, you shift to a) his charisma as an antidote to his rawness and b) his having played at an elite level to suggest what -- actually? Not, I would imagine, evidence of his X'S and O's prowess. Right? Because the two aren't NECESSARILY related.
Yet, that's PRECISELY the GIDDY LEAP some make EVEN AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING FREEMAN'S INEXPERIENCE. "YES," they say, "HE'S INEXPERIENCED,
BUT . . . ." Which just doesn't play for me, having known my share of young charismatic "stars," only some of whom matured into "OLD CHINA HANDS." That is, someone with SAVVY you can trust.
My other observation is that being a head coach entails more than JUST MANAGING A CULTURE. Ideally, you're also THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM -- or at least the WISEST or the ONE MOST ABLE to UTILIZE the person who is. Plus, you're the ULTIMATE DECISION MAKER. And it's IN THESE AREAS ONE IS MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED OR FAIL.
This is why I'm HOLDING MY FIRE with Freeman, and why I sense that some are CONFLATING some transformative UBER-PLAN of his with HIS OBVIOUS CENTRAL CASTING APPEAL where a) charisma beats experience and b) selling recruits while hiring the "right" people TO DO THE ACTUAL WORK is all that it takes to ASSURE the necessary X and O execution.
When in fact, nothing could be FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
