Let's be honest with ourselves... KU went 0-12 last year with the coaching staff that was initially assembled by HCDB. 4 assistants have now left (Mitchell, Kane, Kubiak and Hyman (just reported)). I think most KU fans are sad on some levels that Mitchell, Kane and Kubiak are leaving. I haven't heard much grief about Hyman's departure.
It sucks that the 3 mentioned as valuable above are leaving, but I don't fault them. Think of where they are in their careers. If you are a young guy like Kubiak or Kane and your coaching resume includes a bunch of winless or 3 wins or less seasons with very little all-conference talent being produced from your position group, you are digging your own grave. I am certain they were "warned" by people that they trust and view as mentors to keep their eyes open and ears to the ground for positions elsewhere. Kubiak probably always thought he would get into the pro game because the recruiting aspect and resulting time commitment/uncertainty goes away and the money is better. Kane had an opportunity to take on a bigger role for a program that is humming along. He goes there and produces, he will become a candidate for a head coaching position somewhere and I predict fast. Mitchell is in the twilight of his career and I think he wanted to be able to go into bigger recruits' living rooms with a chance. He wants to recruit kids that are going to end up in the NFL and continue to build his legacy.
Yes, coaches want a challenge, but they also want talent, they want the opportunity to recruit the best kids or coach the best talent. The reality is that KU sucked last year and we are likely going to suck this year. Our roster is not good and we are trying creative things to get kids in here. We aren't competing for national talent on a consistent basis. I hope that we can find some great young minds that will come in here, connect with the kids, coach some kids up and get recruited to go to other programs. As we build more success, those kids are going to start staying around and not having to leave for greener pastures to build their resumes. The bottom line is that the sky has pretty much fallen already because we had such a bad year record-wise, but there is coaching talent out there to replace what we lost that will bring relationships that will lead to us landing recruits. Things aren't that bad because we have lost 4 assistants, so don't fret too much on the turnover yet.
It sucks that the 3 mentioned as valuable above are leaving, but I don't fault them. Think of where they are in their careers. If you are a young guy like Kubiak or Kane and your coaching resume includes a bunch of winless or 3 wins or less seasons with very little all-conference talent being produced from your position group, you are digging your own grave. I am certain they were "warned" by people that they trust and view as mentors to keep their eyes open and ears to the ground for positions elsewhere. Kubiak probably always thought he would get into the pro game because the recruiting aspect and resulting time commitment/uncertainty goes away and the money is better. Kane had an opportunity to take on a bigger role for a program that is humming along. He goes there and produces, he will become a candidate for a head coaching position somewhere and I predict fast. Mitchell is in the twilight of his career and I think he wanted to be able to go into bigger recruits' living rooms with a chance. He wants to recruit kids that are going to end up in the NFL and continue to build his legacy.
Yes, coaches want a challenge, but they also want talent, they want the opportunity to recruit the best kids or coach the best talent. The reality is that KU sucked last year and we are likely going to suck this year. Our roster is not good and we are trying creative things to get kids in here. We aren't competing for national talent on a consistent basis. I hope that we can find some great young minds that will come in here, connect with the kids, coach some kids up and get recruited to go to other programs. As we build more success, those kids are going to start staying around and not having to leave for greener pastures to build their resumes. The bottom line is that the sky has pretty much fallen already because we had such a bad year record-wise, but there is coaching talent out there to replace what we lost that will bring relationships that will lead to us landing recruits. Things aren't that bad because we have lost 4 assistants, so don't fret too much on the turnover yet.
