There are multiple threads all in favor of Leipold and Monken. Even Lanning and Kane are getting some love within multiple threads. So let's have a thread for Jones. (Full disclosure: if Jones is not hired, I will not be too upset. I imagine others who favor Jones will feel the same, because all of us just want to see KU be as successful as it can possibly become.)
A lot is on the line; all Jones wants is that opportunity to showcase what he is capable of achieving. All of our questions and opinions will be addressed soon enough. I will not meltdown with whatever happens, but Jones deserves more than the " I like him but..." posting that has taken over this forum during the last month.
- A HC needs to possess highly effective leadership and organization, not the ability to be an effective playcaller: he will not need to call plays. It sounds like he is trusting DeBord with the offense. The interviewed players already talk about how their attention is different, in a productive manner. Moving forward, Jones will be able to devote himself to executing his plan of action with the HC responsibilities.
- He has seen what does not work: Being at TT under Kingsbury and KU under Miles, he has firsthand experience of what will not work. Most HC hires are made based on a lengthy successful resume; Jones does not have that resume to what we mention, but he can specifically describe wrong choices, his thought process during that time, how he can relate to the opposite position, and how he would not repeat those actions. There is a good chance that those messed up actions have happened during the last decade with KUFB, before Miles arrived, so he already is ahead with that.
- He has been a part of the current building up of the program: He was one of Miles' original hires and has seen enough for how much work goes into building up this specific football program. Recruits consistently mentioned the allure to Miles; Jones possesses enough of those qualities but he did it as a position coach. I'd also like to think that if Mike Vollmar is still the FB administrator, this will be his opportunity to actually put more of his fingerprints on the program, with Long and Miles not longer on campus. For a reminder of how we felt when he was hired, click here for that thread.
- He can continue what began with Miles, which will be a sign of positive consistency for the program: We know of Miles' failures, but he did his part with building up the team with some good quality young players and good quality young coaches. We believe in Drake, Eargle, Jackson, and Jones. We praised Peterson after the 2020 TT game. Grimes already appears to be an upgrade. Despite the criticism, Eliot is leading the team's best unit, which should only improve in 2021. And the players will get to continue working with Iannacchione, who appears to be aligned with Jones. The team was simply young in 2020; they are finally receiving some good quality development.
- The hiring process is 90% complete: he can hire Partridge or another coach to take over the WRs. If it is Partirdge, his familiarity with the current offense will not require a lot of extra teaching from Jones. Jones does not need hire a new staff. He already knows everyone and what they are capable of achieving. This should help with him not needing to micromanage too much from the beginning.
A lot is on the line; all Jones wants is that opportunity to showcase what he is capable of achieving. All of our questions and opinions will be addressed soon enough. I will not meltdown with whatever happens, but Jones deserves more than the " I like him but..." posting that has taken over this forum during the last month.
