Given the past coaching hires that many have said are in over their heads I wouldn't be so fast to throw VN posters under the bus. Many are pretty good, many have been right.
Heupel was hired to get the best college QB he can, in college. These tend to be really good between the ears and accurate. The ones who have both succeed at the next level, and this one. Having one is fine in college.....ask Tebow. There's a difference. At this point we're talking progression, mentally, and accuracy. Milton shows neither.
My genuine fear is Heupel is seeing neither in his QB room and is either hoping to compensate it with running ability, or perceived pressure/competition. And he's chosen poorly unless he thinks he can teach the right traits. At this point, I do suggest he's kidding himself. So yeah, I'm questioning his judgement. Why now, why Milton? Makes no sense on film.
I'll suggest that if Heupel's eye for QB talent is not better than those on VN, then we're truly screwed. His primary claim to fame is his own QB history and his development of Drew Lock at Missouri.
If he lacks the ability to judge QBs, we're in worse shape than we were with "defensive guru" Pruitt. Heupel has never been known for anything else but offense, particularly fast tempo, heavily QB read based offense. It all begins and ends with the QB being smart, able to read the D, and making good quick decisions.
The D is thin. ALL of us know..... EVERYONE knows...... there's simply no doubt, the D is thin, yet Heupel went after Milton when we had 4 QBs in the room. Some say: Milton is a specimen, you have to take him. Seriously? The D is thin but you go for a QB when Maurer, Salter, Bailey and Hooker are already in the room.
Something doesn't add up. I could understand picking up Milton if the D was solid and deep. It's not.
So I'm left with lousy choices: Heupel is, in your words, not capable of discerning a QB with "high school" progression checking ability or Heupel is so focused on offense and a QB that he'll leave the D recruiting out to dry to go fishing for a QB or Heupel is a better judge than us and the QB situation is sketchy enough that we needed Milton.
I'm not claiming to know the solution but just look at what happened: 4 QBs were in the room at the time Milton signed (and 2 were VERY highly touted, Bailey and Salter) and the D is thin, especially in the secondary. I'll agree we've done a damn good job of trying to plug holes but we're still pretty thin.
I just ask: Why? Milton isn't Tua, Trevor or Fields and we had more pressing needs. I don't get it.