05_never_again
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I might get flamed for saying this, but perhaps the biggest reason Phil was so successful here in the 90s is because the rest of the SEC except Florida was ass. Please don't misunderstand; Phil was a good coach, and he had to be a good coach to be able to take advantage of the situation and win at the level he did. However, I don't think it is a coincidence that when Richt, Urban, and Saban entered the SEC in the early 2000s, Phil's recruiting prowess started to decline.I'd like to open this up to folks who are older than me: what was it that made Fulmer successful here as head coach? I was four years old in 1998, my first real memories are the 2001 season, so I've really only seen this program come down.
Is it as simple as David Cutcliffe was just that good? I think that doesn't give Fulmer his due.
Is what he did here replicable in 2020?
Phil's calling card is that he was a great recruiter, and he let his assistants focus on Xs and Os. Phil was really lucky to have Cut and Chavis already on staff when he took the HC job after Johnny; all he had to do was promote them. When Phil had to replace Cut, it didn't go well either time (Randy Sanders and Dave Clawson). Phil was not a strong Xs and Os guy, and while he had longtime, loyal staffs for the most part, he wasn't good at replacing people when they left.