While I'm less generous in my view of Cutcliffe post-2015 than Jim, Duke failed the 2021 team at an institutional / University level.
The cumulative effect of decisions to maximize the end of the Coach K era, plus admin aversion to the optics of paying buyouts while curtailing employee pension contributions, left an incredibly high-character roster relying mostly on themselves for leadership on-field and off.
It was clear to everyone in college football three years prior that Duke did not have an answer for life after Jim Knowles, yet the adults responsible for providing the players with the tools to succeed just shrugged their shoulders for 3 more seasons. It's surprising the roster held together as well as it did.
Just look at where last year's coaching staff has landed: with the exception of Ben Albert, none were able to land comparable P5 roles. Several couldn't land on-field roles at all.
[Only Calvin McGee, who sadly passed away, took a well-deserved step up.]
The answer to why Mike Elko wanted the job, and why the team has shown signs of life many of us may not have expected, is in the character of the players. Both the roster from last year and the recruiting class hung together to a far greater degree than you'd expect, and however the rest of the season plays out it's clear they are totally bought into the vision and plan this staff is selling.
I’m looking forward to being in Wallace Wade Stadium tomorrow night for the ACC opener. It is time to win a conference game.
While I'm less generous in my view of Cutcliffe post-2015 than Jim, Duke failed the 2021 team at an institutional / University level.
The cumulative effect of decisions to maximize the end of the Coach K era, plus admin aversion to the optics of paying buyouts while curtailing employee pension contributions, left an incredibly high-character roster relying mostly on themselves for leadership on-field and off.
It was clear to everyone in college football three years prior that Duke did not have an answer for life after Jim Knowles, yet the adults responsible for providing the players with the tools to succeed just shrugged their shoulders for 3 more seasons. It's surprising the roster held together as well as it did.
Just look at where last year's coaching staff has landed: with the exception of Ben Albert, none were able to land comparable P5 roles. Several couldn't land on-field roles at all.
[Only Calvin McGee, who sadly passed away, took a well-deserved step up.]
The answer to why Mike Elko wanted the job, and why the team has shown signs of life many of us may not have expected, is in the character of the players. Both the roster from last year and the recruiting class hung together to a far greater degree than you'd expect, and however the rest of the season plays out it's clear they are totally bought into the vision and plan this staff is selling.