We NEVER make a splash hire. Ever. In any sport.
Hang on a second. You're being a bit disingenuous.
You're correct that we don't make a splash hire, however, we have usually made solid hires. Pat Dye. Terry Bowden (until 97). Tommy Tuberville. Nothing sexy about any of them, but they're good enough to get behind, support, and have faith in the future.
Gene Chizik was 5-19. Five and fucking nineteen. That's not just a failure on making a splash. That's a facepalm hire to the nth degree.
Gus Malzahn, who I do think is a good coach, is also a fail. A big fat fail only because he's too connected to what happened under Chizik. It's not that it's not a splash hire. It's that it's really easy to see why this is going to fucking suck.
What's the common denominator here?
Jay Jacobs.
Fuck him.