It is early & I don't want to be "that guy" but I do think it's a little of both. It was definitely strange timing with the Beckham hire but it was absolutely the right move (even with the bowl berth last year). The whole athletic program seems to be somewhat of a mess w/Thomas, allegations of abuse spanning several sports, & even all the way up to the top with the chancellor. It just didn't seem like the whole team could be on the same page & the promotion of Cubit to interim head coach could do just that.
As a grad, I'm obv a huge fan but haven't had much to cheer about since the Rose Bowl my senior year. Zook was a great recruiter but couldn't maximize the talent he brought in. Since then, we have struggled to recruit although that's been a problem going back more often than not. You have to get the top kids in your state to stay home & that's always been a disaster. MSU, UM, Iowa, ND, Wisky, etc have come in & poached away our kids but it's hard to argue with the recruits' rationales when you see the product on the field, nearly empty student sections, most home games being at 11 AM, & the lack of marquee opponents on the schedule (home & homes vs KU, Duke, UNC, USF, UVA, & UCONN among others).
I think we are slowly heading in the right direction but it will still be tough sledding this year. We have several players out for the season already including Mikey Dudek who was great as a true frosh last season & a pair of RB's on offense. 3 of our 6 scholly DT's are out today (2 hurt including 1 for year & 1 suspended). While it's probably terrible luck, my friends & I attribute this to the curse of the Chief. Lunt is a great QB & our line is decent enough but a lack of depth at the skill positions & on the DL will really hurt & show as the season goes on.
We do need to start winning very soon before the rest of the fan base turns away. I gave up my season tix after my young alumni eligibility was up b/c it simply wasn't worth paying for what I was seeing on the field. I'll keep my fingers crossed but there will be some very ugly games for us once conference play starts.
