If this is the plan, then I'm OK with RE:
We're at a point where we do not have the $ or clout to attract a top-flight coach, be it a coordinator from a big time FBS program or a hot G5 head coach. That leaves us with FCS coaches and brand new or lower-end P5 coordinators. Both of those are huge gambles. We've just gambled twice and both were disasters, setting back the program immensely. A third disastrous hire would risk the program irretrievably falling into the ditch and permanently losing the fans.
The program is currently bleeding out. Fans are fleeing, alums want no part of the direction it was going, donations and season tickets are plummeting. Randy is a stopgap and a bandage. He's proven he can be a competent coach who can average 7 or 8 wins a year, recruit decently well, and put a product on the field that will attract some people. He'll also bring back the NFL (and other) alums into the program from a support, financial, and potentially coaching perspective.
He's also in his late 50s, so if he can give us six or seven years (starting at a low salary to save some $) of solid program building, bringing us back to respectability, and bringing back the fans that positions us very well to bring in or groom someone to be his successor when he would very realistically retire in his mid to late 60s.
UConn's brand name is still strong athletically and the ceiling is immensely higher than anyone in our league as well as numerous P5 schools. The weak link has always been football, but Randy has proven he can improve the program's stature to a point where it can be attractive to the Moorheads and PJ Flecks of the coaching world.
If the plan from DB is to be sitting there in 2024 (oddly when P5 TV deals are renegotiated!) with 25-30K consistent season ticket holders, home games averaging 90% capacity, some bowl wins, consistently winning 8 games a year, maybe a conference title or a big name bowl win or two, and Randy on the cusp of retirement, that aligns us to be in a place where we can bring in the hot name to take us to the next level. Right now, we have absolutely no shot at attracting that candidate.
