Yeah an alarm went off for me when he Justin said something to the effect, that Fran wanted the same things as him and that’s to win and to play on Sundays
Wondering if we were all asleep at the wheel for a few years
Things change over time. Perspectives change. Priorities change sometimes, too.
I think Dino wanted to do well at SU. And did everything that HE knew how to win at the highest level he could. I think that is every single person's intention when they take a job.
How they react to circumstances that they can control and maybe more important, things they can't control, will likely make or break how they're perceived and how much sustained success they have. I think the COVID year was a huge setback. I also think the fast-paced offense that had gotten us to become unique was offset by rule changes. He wasn't quick enough to adapt.
College-age kids have changed rapidly over time. They have a ton of power in this space. The way they communicate is completely different. Certain personality types are better suited to doing well in this landscape. Just because Justin Barron wasn't a fan or was going to leave if he returned, doesn't mean everyone hated him. I'm pretty sure Dino wanted all of his players to be successful. That's Barron projecting. Not necessarily fair.
Dino won 10 games as head coach at SU. His teams also made 3 bowl games in 8 years. Not great, but not horrific. This was also at a time when college football has made it much more difficult for a school like SU's to win consistently. Pasqualoni won 10 games 3 times, just once in his final 12 years. Coach Mac did it 2 times in 10 years. Marrone (for all the love he gets) never did it in a much less difficult conference. Shafer, Robinson, please.
I get that Fran Brown is exciting - I'm right there with everyone. I'm excited too. Extremely excited. And I'm not even a Babers fan necessarily - I thought it was time, just like a lot of others. But just because the end isn't great, doesn't mean Babers was terrible.