Portions of this have been discussed in other threads, but here are some facts surrounding Lea and coaches that were hired around that same time to programs who traditionally have been near or at the bottom of their P5 conference:
Lea (Vandy):
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 122
Lea Year 1: 142 (per Sagarin the worst Vanderbilt team in last 25 years)
Lea Year 2: 117
Elko (Duke):
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 138
Elko Year 1: 66
Elko Year 2: just beat a top 10 team--will post Sagarins after more games have been played
Leipold (Kansas)
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 130
Leipold Year 1: 136
Leipold Year 2: 47
Schiano (Rutgers)
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 135
Schiano Year 1: 71
Schiano Year 2: 88
And before anyone says our cupboard was more bare, the facts would not support that in terms of class recruiting rankings relative to the other schools. Average class ranking 2018-2022:
Vandy: 46.4
Duke: 56.6
Kansas: 72.8
Rutgers: 50.6
I understand this does not factor in a lot of things--transfer portal, transfers out, conference affiliation, etc. But I think it provides some good data for comparison. Again, I think it is obvious that Lea was not an instant impact change-agent relative to these other guys, but hopefully he can keep building and improving and get there.
Lastly, somebody posed the question of what our ceiling is if we have traditionally been conference cellar-dwellers. I bet the Duke, Kansas, and Rutgers fanbases are certainly glad their coaches and admin didn't limit them with past history, but chose to forego excuses and start delivering results in short order.
Lea (Vandy):
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 122
Lea Year 1: 142 (per Sagarin the worst Vanderbilt team in last 25 years)
Lea Year 2: 117
Elko (Duke):
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 138
Elko Year 1: 66
Elko Year 2: just beat a top 10 team--will post Sagarins after more games have been played
Leipold (Kansas)
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 130
Leipold Year 1: 136
Leipold Year 2: 47
Schiano (Rutgers)
Sagarin Rank the year before he arrived: 135
Schiano Year 1: 71
Schiano Year 2: 88
And before anyone says our cupboard was more bare, the facts would not support that in terms of class recruiting rankings relative to the other schools. Average class ranking 2018-2022:
Vandy: 46.4
Duke: 56.6
Kansas: 72.8
Rutgers: 50.6
I understand this does not factor in a lot of things--transfer portal, transfers out, conference affiliation, etc. But I think it provides some good data for comparison. Again, I think it is obvious that Lea was not an instant impact change-agent relative to these other guys, but hopefully he can keep building and improving and get there.
Lastly, somebody posed the question of what our ceiling is if we have traditionally been conference cellar-dwellers. I bet the Duke, Kansas, and Rutgers fanbases are certainly glad their coaches and admin didn't limit them with past history, but chose to forego excuses and start delivering results in short order.
