So I don't know any BMD's, and I don't know anyone who knows a BMD. I don't have an inside source, and I don't have a source that has an inside source. I am embarrassed that I got caught up in all the hysteria and actually believed that anonymous internet characters who associate their identities with long-retired hoopsters and squalid sea creatures had any better intel than the rest of us. I feel like I have been reading a very bad Dan Brown novel. Only a very few individuals have any real knowledge of what has happened or will happen. I personally don't believe that UM will ever be head football coach for Texas. I don't base that on anything other than common sense and what I can see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears. I will be very pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. I will continue to read this thread for the entertainment value and the occasional useful recipe or cooking tip. But until Herman is officially fired I will not get sucked into analyzing flight plans, trying to interpret hieroglyphic tweets, scrutinizing social media posts of everyone within UM's Kevin Bacon range, or putting the slightest bit of credence in anything grounded in hearsay. I will not be part of UManon.
Many on here have tried to impose a timeline for change based on early signing day, arguing that a new coach will want to maximize the 2021 class. Others have suggested that out of professional courtesy UM would wait until later in order to avoid negative impacts on OSU. And some have said that CDC will not pull the trigger before the regular season ends, i.e. after KU whenever that is - and maybe not before the bowl game.
I question the make-or-break impact of ESD. Getting the class solidified is hugely important, but the expanded transfer rules mitigate that somewhat. If the right coach is named, attracting transfers should not be hard. The first year is still a transition year on and off the field. A new coach is going to be looking mostly at year 2 and beyond. Recruiting after year 1 should take care of itself if the right coach is in place. With proper coaching Texas has enough talent to win the Big 12 next year even without a top 10 class. If I remember correctly, ISU has not had a class in the top 40 since Campbell has been there, but ISU won the Big 12 round robin and beat both Texas and OU. What I'm saying is there are ways to fill in any talent gap caused by a one-year drop off in recruiting.
Given a choice between a knee-jerk firing before the end of the season (without a named replacement or with a Plan C guy) and getting UM (or the best qualified Plan B guy) on a longer timetable, I opt for the latter. If it's UM, fantastic. If it's Mullen or Cristobal or a coordinator or an NFL guy whose seasons are still ongoing, then I would rather wait for right guy at the right time. Getting it right is more important than getting it fast.