In Reply to: Still, I think we could've done better than DeShaun but... posted by BrewNGold on August 27, 2025 at 15:54:26
TBH, I don't think ANYONE could have done much better than 5-7 given the late start and brutal schedule and OL health issues.
Saban went 6-6 in his first season at 'Bama, Carroll went 6-6 in his first season at 'SC, and both had a full offseason. Yes, the transfer portal helps, but Foster didn't get a shot at the main transfer portal window AND has the additional disadvantage of every player having a window to transfer out.
As is, what we saw was a team that didn't give up and played hard, and got better as the season progressed, despite ALL the disadvantages.
So, it's pretty unreasonable to negatively judge Foster based on last year, BUT, this year is a different story, and where we can truly evaluate him as a coach and leader of the program.
So far, he has significantly upgraded both recruiting and the roster, and (probably) the coaching staff. At this point, the eval for this year is pretty good, BUT we'll have a much better idea after Saturday. Is the OL/Running Game/Playcalling/scheme fixed? Can Malloe, et al, on the defensive side keep the good tackling and coaching and incorporate all the new faces? And maybe cut down on the Personal fouls which led to TD's? I think so, but we won't know until after Saturday.