I've never understood why the prior administrations did not want the old football starts engaged? what did they think they were going to do?
You need to be a football coach to understand. These guys are supremely motivated to the point of obsession. Because of that and the nature of the business (fired if you don't perform QUICKLY), they become very, VERY protective of everything around the program. They want to control every facet of the football team.
Former players feel super invested in the school they went to and the team they bled for. They may have issues with the coach and how he conducts himself, practices, the way he works with players, etc. In this day and age, those former players also have very loud megaphones by way of social media.
If you're a control freak constantly obsessing over every little detail, bringing in former players who don't move the needle with current players seems like a game of diminishing returns. You might get flak, former players might talk to current players and complain about the coach and the scheme, and that's something out of your control.
You don't want to deal with it if you can't control it. Bringing in the Andre Fontenettes of the world or the Troy Nunes of the world doesn't push the needle enough. Dwight Freeney and McNabb do. There's less risk and more reward with those former players.
It's also how just about every SID for every major college football team deals with media requests, etc. Basically, they try to keep everything in-house and control the message as much as humanly possible. If you're a coach, former players are a distraction. Here's hoping Coach Fran can control that side of it while bringing them meaningfully into the fold.
