I'm so sick of hearing this specious, over used and trite comeback..."well who would you get to replace him?" Stupid. NOT our job! Every team at this level can find another HC, but we can't? Please....
The problem is and will always be Coach 8 & 4. He is a D2 coach. He had some clever gimmicks that worked at that level, but nothing he did there translates at a higher level. The skill sets here, of the athletes, over come the gimmick. From his first game on, his teams were not prepared, executed poorly, chose game plans and play calling that few understood. This will continue, he is incapable to adjust. It is what it is, he is what he is - get over it!
We will begin to enter a program death spiral. Fans loose confidence, players will slowly question to themselves what and why they do things and the recruits will sense the wheels are starting to fall off and they will begin to shy away. This happened to Weis. Swarbrick will need to evaluate and start planning for the end game now. If he waits, and is not prepared for this to end, (at least when he finally realizes it's time to pull the plug) the new staff and program building will become extremely difficult and develop haphazardly to get up to a successful level.
I have been and will continue to be a Coach 8 & 4 critic. My hope has been since last year that Kizer's unique talents will carry a badly managed team and game plan. Didn't realize the defense is so poorly prepared. This will be a long season, and we'll win a game or 2 we shouldn't and loose several we should have won. That's just what that this program has been for the last 6 years. Meh... Is 8 & 4 now what we'll hope for?