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Post being replied to

One concern raised about Kelly in 2009 was age/tenure. by Bruno95

If he were such a hot commodity, we noted, why was he still in Division II on his 40th birthday? Why did it take him decades to reach the heights of a winning MAC season? Urban Meyer certainly didn't need to toil in obscurity for long. Nor, in later years, did Lincoln Riley or Ryan Day. The market doesn't ignore stars in the making for long.

Likewise, LSU and ND don't fight for 34 year old defensive coordinators unless they sense they might be getting a guy who brings something to the table. That's what ND, right or wrong, believes they have here. That may even be why, when husky Gonzo came to ask for more program bells and whistles, they weren't able to get him on the calendar.

No one can ignore the risks and potential downside to hiring a young, relatively inexperienced assistant. But haven't we harped for years on our artificially high floor and struggles to break through and become elite? Look at this year's slate. Do we need to focus on the downside as much as we did in 2004 or 2009? I think we can handle Georgia Tech and Stanford with any sentient presence under the coach's headset.

What we need is someone who can crack the ceiling. Recruit at an elite level. Not a solid level, not a really good level. Meyer level. And if you think you have another Meyer on the staff, now's not a bad time to find out what he can do. If you wait and he proves you right somewhere else, you could face another empty plane.