For the first time in at least three years, we have certainty about who will lead this program
If you are of the group that has already deemed Matt Wells a miserable failure, then you likely won’t agree with this point. But for the more pragmatic among us, we should be thankful that for the first Thanksgiving in the last three, we do not have to wonder who is going to be leading this program for the foreseeable future.
The constant speculation about Kliff Kingsbury’s future began in earnest as the 2017 season unfolded and it did not stop until the end of last year. That means that for the last two Thanksgivings, Red Raider families around the nation have engaged in the great Kliff debate while passing the stuffing and gravy to grandpa. That became one of the most draining topics we’ve endured in quite some time and we are all happy to have it behind us.
No program succeeds without stability and certainty. We saw the toll that this program suffered as Kingsbury’s grip on his job grew more tenuous with each passing week over the last two years.
This offseason will be the first in the last three that we will not be discussing whether a coaching change is going to be made (sorry Wells haters, he isn’t going to be fired next year unless he goes 0-12) but rather, we get to discuss what this program might become in year-two.
In other words, the focus gets to return to the product on the field and how it will develop, rather than the merits of the man wearing the headset. Again, I know that some Red Raider fans are going to complain about Wells until he wins at least eight games. If you are of the more rational mindset, you won’t pay that train of thought all that much attention.
Most of us are thankful that we know what the future of this program looks like from a leadership perspective. Whether we are confident in that leadership or not, at least it is nice that finally, we are to the point that our hope is now that something will be built rather than hoping that something would be torn down, as was the case for the last two seasons.