Some musings on Trustee thinking....
1) College football has seen an unprecedented wave of change over the last few years - pandemic, transfer portal changes, NIL, SEC-B1G expansion, etc. This volatile environment has made everyone uncomfortable. Even programs that have embraced the change (i.e. Miami, Michigan State, and Texas A&M) are not feeling great. Very few, if any, programs are feeling comfortable.
2) Northwestern has undergone major leadership chaos/changes over the last few years. The solid and steady stewardship of Morty Shapiro and Jim Phillips was replaced with chaotic turnover in both positions. Both positions saw replacements named, who then had to be replaced with others.
3) The Pat Ryan gift for a new stadium has been an amazing blessing for the University, but has also diverted almost every available resource into getting it right. Lots of focus on the stadium throughout every level of the athletic department.
In such a volatile environment, Fitz is seen as a guy who is loyal, steady and high-quality while the rest of the organization undergoes major changes. Fitz is someone who always shows up at the right time, says the right thing, does the right thing. In other words, the Trustees are happy to let Fitz be Fitz while they figure out how to react to the volatile environment inside and outside of NU.
However, change is not out of the question...
4) The new AD Derrick Gragg is active, listening to lots of constituents, and perhaps most importantly, knows that football is the most important sport at NU. Gragg knows that the university needs to get football right.
5) The trustees act more like an 'insiders club' seeking consensus. You rarely, if ever, see Trustees speaking out of turn. They are all part of the same purple cabal (unlike say, Auburn or Texas or Ok State, where the Trustees vie for power among themselves). The trustee group is a consensus-building operation.
6) The trustees are sports fans. They were all in Dublin together for the Nebraska game. They were all in Salt Lake City for the NCAA tourney game vs Gonzaga. They hang out in the Wilson Club. They don't need NU sports to go 11-1 to be happy. But they really don't like going 1-11. Trustees may be rich, but they don't like to look stupid. By being 1-11 in the last 12 games, Fitz is starting to make them look stupid.
In the whisperings that I've heard, it is now possible for Trustees to cautiously say "Is Fitz the right guy? Is Fitz over his skis? Is Fitz the right person for this new environment? Why would Fitz hire JON?" Some are wondering if Fitz's greatest talent is "convincing us the trustees that he's the best Northwestern can do? Are we being duped? Is it time for a change?" These questions were rarely, if ever, contemplated 12 months ago. I believe the leash is getting shorter...
Bottom line:
- Massive change in college football over last few years
- Massive change at Northwestern
- Trustees seek consensus amongst themselves
- Being 1-11 over last twelve games is now opening the floodgates to question Fitz's competence
- The leash may be shorter than many presume
1) College football has seen an unprecedented wave of change over the last few years - pandemic, transfer portal changes, NIL, SEC-B1G expansion, etc. This volatile environment has made everyone uncomfortable. Even programs that have embraced the change (i.e. Miami, Michigan State, and Texas A&M) are not feeling great. Very few, if any, programs are feeling comfortable.
2) Northwestern has undergone major leadership chaos/changes over the last few years. The solid and steady stewardship of Morty Shapiro and Jim Phillips was replaced with chaotic turnover in both positions. Both positions saw replacements named, who then had to be replaced with others.
3) The Pat Ryan gift for a new stadium has been an amazing blessing for the University, but has also diverted almost every available resource into getting it right. Lots of focus on the stadium throughout every level of the athletic department.
In such a volatile environment, Fitz is seen as a guy who is loyal, steady and high-quality while the rest of the organization undergoes major changes. Fitz is someone who always shows up at the right time, says the right thing, does the right thing. In other words, the Trustees are happy to let Fitz be Fitz while they figure out how to react to the volatile environment inside and outside of NU.
However, change is not out of the question...
4) The new AD Derrick Gragg is active, listening to lots of constituents, and perhaps most importantly, knows that football is the most important sport at NU. Gragg knows that the university needs to get football right.
5) The trustees act more like an 'insiders club' seeking consensus. You rarely, if ever, see Trustees speaking out of turn. They are all part of the same purple cabal (unlike say, Auburn or Texas or Ok State, where the Trustees vie for power among themselves). The trustee group is a consensus-building operation.
6) The trustees are sports fans. They were all in Dublin together for the Nebraska game. They were all in Salt Lake City for the NCAA tourney game vs Gonzaga. They hang out in the Wilson Club. They don't need NU sports to go 11-1 to be happy. But they really don't like going 1-11. Trustees may be rich, but they don't like to look stupid. By being 1-11 in the last 12 games, Fitz is starting to make them look stupid.
In the whisperings that I've heard, it is now possible for Trustees to cautiously say "Is Fitz the right guy? Is Fitz over his skis? Is Fitz the right person for this new environment? Why would Fitz hire JON?" Some are wondering if Fitz's greatest talent is "convincing us the trustees that he's the best Northwestern can do? Are we being duped? Is it time for a change?" These questions were rarely, if ever, contemplated 12 months ago. I believe the leash is getting shorter...
Bottom line:
- Massive change in college football over last few years
- Massive change at Northwestern
- Trustees seek consensus amongst themselves
- Being 1-11 over last twelve games is now opening the floodgates to question Fitz's competence
- The leash may be shorter than many presume
