Mason was a bad HC throughout his tenure, but he really put himself behind the 8-ball with his initial staff. His DC (Kotulski) was an over-the-hill guy going through the motions (who I think retired after one year). His OC (Dorrell) seemed to take the job as a favor to Mason and also didn’t seem to have his heart in it. His initial DL hire had a drinking problem and washed out prior to the start of the first season. I could go on, but the point is Mason was unprepared and he brought in an equally unprepared staff.
Lea HAS to get his initial staff right in order to get the program aimed in the right direction. I think he has leverage right now - he has a long-term commitment from Vanderbilt that allows him to sell stability to a community of assistants who generally live with instability. Descriptions of him suggest that he would be a guy that would be good to work for - smart, disciplined, effective communicator. Hopefully, he negotiated for a substantial assistant salary pool and he shoots high. Find 2-3 stud recruiters (Haye seems like a logical first step) and at least 1-2 experienced guys that help him with the organization and planning of his first program. Get an experienced OC that understands that the college game is now all about dynamic offenses. Find a DC that can run what he wants to run.
Lea HAS to get his initial staff right in order to get the program aimed in the right direction. I think he has leverage right now - he has a long-term commitment from Vanderbilt that allows him to sell stability to a community of assistants who generally live with instability. Descriptions of him suggest that he would be a guy that would be good to work for - smart, disciplined, effective communicator. Hopefully, he negotiated for a substantial assistant salary pool and he shoots high. Find 2-3 stud recruiters (Haye seems like a logical first step) and at least 1-2 experienced guys that help him with the organization and planning of his first program. Get an experienced OC that understands that the college game is now all about dynamic offenses. Find a DC that can run what he wants to run.
