Chad spent time at Clemson (speaking of places where there's only one game in town) and I think he believes in his ability to build a program. He's been successful at every stop but I think he is well aware he needs to completely rebuild Arkansas' roster with "his" guys but also has to know the fan base and decision makers there have limited patience
Article from the Athletic this morning tells us everything we need to know and why CM doesn't deserve a single ounce of credit.
"SMUΓÇÖs starting quarterback is a transfer (Buechele). So is its leading receiver (Roberson) and its top tight end (Kylen Granson from Rice). So is its leading tackler (Patrick Nelson from Illinois), a starting defensive tackle (Zach Abercrumbia from Rice) and a starting cornerback (Brandon Stephens from UCLA). So is its starting kicker (Luke Hogan from West Virginia), kickoff specialist (Russell Roberts from Middle Tennessee) and kick returner (CJ Sanders from Notre Dame)."
ΓÇ£ItΓÇÖs been a really good thing for us,ΓÇ¥ Dykes said. ΓÇ£We had good players when we got here, but weΓÇÖve been able to build depth and do some things weΓÇÖve never been able to do.ΓÇ¥
"I don't see it as a rebuild," Morris told Bleacher Report. "I see it as a new era. It's a fresh start, and it's going to be something different from anything any SMU fan has seen." "I hope that in the not-too-distant future, you and I will do an article about one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of college football," Morris told me. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2440204-texas-favorite-son-chad-morris-is-ready-to-finally-save-
Charleston Pony wrote:Chad took over a program that JJ had unfortunately left in a shambles. JJ had taken over a mediocre program and tore it down before improving on it but then got lazy and allowed it to completely collapse. Sonny took over a mediocre program and has improved on it. The question is whether he can take us to the next level, i.e., consistently ranked and competing for AAC Championships. I know a lot of posters don't like Chad or how he bailed on SMU, but it's hard to ignore the fact he inherited a mess from JJ and did help in rebuilding our roster.
Chad Morris is pretty much on par with Phil Bennett. Both laid the foundation for their successors to succeed at SMU.
Charleston Pony wrote:Chad took over a program that JJ had unfortunately left in a shambles. JJ had taken over a mediocre program and tore it down before improving on it but then got lazy and allowed it to completely collapse. Sonny took over a mediocre program and has improved on it. The question is whether he can take us to the next level, i.e., consistently ranked and competing for AAC Championships. I know a lot of posters don't like Chad or how he bailed on SMU, but it's hard to ignore the fact he inherited a mess from JJ and did help in rebuilding our roster.
Chad Morris is pretty much on par with Phil Bennett. Both laid the foundation for their successors to succeed at SMU.
As much fun as it is to rag on Morris, this is a very fair assessment of his time. It is good that he moved on which, thanks to Sonny Dykes, provided stability in the program.
With him it was always about the next job both for him, players, and fans. That element is now gone and we are better for it.
An atheist is a guy who watches a Notre Dame-SMU football game and doesn't care who wins. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower