^^^This. IF Leonard wanted to stay in college and IF he wanted to take an SEC job, Bama, Ten, Aub, and LSU would take him immediately. Not one of those schools would hire Toney. If everybody else is looking to upgrade, why shouldn’t we?
I suspect that if this fan base and program had never been accustomed to having a great D, it would be one thing. But to have witnessed great D only to have been let down and frustrated by the last 3 year descent into mediocrity has been miserable. Toney will get one more year no doubt. But there should be marked , not marginal improvement. Another season anywhere like this, and especially if it contributes to a record like this one was and THEN Billy chooses to keep him yet another year, BOTH their butts will have heat under them. Year three will have to be a really really good year.
Gator fans just want to see competent defense after years of horrific product. Terrible defense that can't get off the field drains a Home crowd in the worst way so I understand fans drooling over the idea of a proven coach. Toney indeed walked into a mess but the problem I have with blaming talent alone is that it doesn't ask the question, did we do the best we could with what we had on the field? I find it hard to believe that even with our talent deficiencies that USF or Eastern Washington should ever run up and down the field the way they did against UF. The USF was one of the worst performances I have ever seen and that doesn't even mention what lsu and other teams did this year. Toney isn't going anywhere yet and I agree he gets a year with a talent infusion but I don't think he deserves a total pass either.
Mediocrity is being kind. This defense was the worst in Fl Football history. I agree with your assessment otherwise. Its gonna get very hot in Gainesville if the D drags this team to another poor record in 2023.
I would go as far as saying 11-1. If our defense was even close to top 40-50, UK would have been a win along with LSU, Tenn and FSU. Vandy also. Georgia would have still beaten us. Hold those other teams to 20ish points and our record looks much different.
You could almost say we still lose UK but beat Georgia given a better defense. I could see a better defense tipping the scale against UK but offense is what lost that game.
Easy - cruel to Toney. He walks into the mess left by Grantham and the head coach who brought him over here fires him after his first season? Look, I was calling for Toney’s head during a few games myself, but every man deserves a better chance to succeed than that
Nobody hiring our DC away for anything...CBN is going to have to let his buddy go...weve all seen this movie before. It aint happening.
Grantham had a track record of getting worse at every stop, which is exactly what happened here. Toney's limited track record doesn't indicate that. Plus, the recruiting difference is substantial. Comparing Toney getting a second year to fix Grantham's mess to Mullen keeping Grantham here for 4 is stupid.
I agree. I also know his track record of improvement, but both can be accomplished with an addition like I suggest. Leonhard won't be here long if the D plays lights out. He will get HC offers pretty soon. Let Toney benefit from such a mentor and have him ready in 2 years. I get why it likely wont happen. I get why Billy trusts Toney. I also get that JL is like Charlie Strong in his prime. Lock down tough nosed defensive guru.
this is the big boy SEC. I agree every coach deserves a shot, but he couldn’t hold FSU to less than 40. Couldn’t hold LSU to less than 40. That to me was his shot, and he failed. We’re 6-6 instead of 8-4. That’s on him. if Leonard is willing to take the job, you give Toney his walking papers, because you don’t get the opportunity to hire a top 5 DC very often. Toney was paid a million $ this year, he’ll get a million $ buyout, and he’ll get a another job. I struggle to see what’s so unfair. Players get replaced by better players all the time, why can’t we replace an underperforming assistant?
the most productive players lost during spring or during the season where on the defense at positions of need. 2/3rds of our productive LB's transferred out, and we dismissed one of our few seniors we had in Cox and was also our best pass rusher at the time. The team, let alone the defense consisted of overwhelming amount of freshman and sophomores getting some of their 1st real playing time. Started seeing even more underclassmen playing over the last 4 weeks. In like what tilly said bout Co DC but I'd like to see one more year for Toney to see if he can do what he did at ULL, which is improve greatly year after year. If not change will be needed.
Reasons to keep Toney as DC: He needs another chance Reasons to replace Toney with Leonhard: He's arguably the best DC in the country in the last 5 years. I'm not saying we have shot at Leonhard. But if we do, "not being cruel to Toney" should not be part of the decision making. This is not a charity, we are looking to build a winning football program.
But what if Leonhard came, we get rid of toney, and after 1 year he leaves for another elsewhere? Then we are set back again going for the 3rd DC in 3 years. Lots of things to think about before making hasty decisions based off 1 year where we were young and relying on the little bit of experience we actually had of which lied in the hands of guys that also contributed to the previous 2 years of bad defense. It's no coincidence, and as we seen, the defense started seeing more and more young guys coming on the field. I would bring JL on but in a CO-DC capacity. Can't risk being the 1 year stop gap for a better coaching job. After the last decade+ continuity among key coaching positions in important.
Of course you make contingencies for that. What kind of organization are we if we are afraid to hire someone because they might succeed?
It makes as much sense as keeping a guy because he has no chance of getting a better job, for the sake of staff continuity
He has a history, just not a long one (too young for that, I believe). He had a huge improvement at ULL from year 1 to year 2. He will get the same chance here. Like uga hiring Kirby?
