This should be one of the best days of his life. He has expressed on many occasions his desire to be a P5 athletics director and, one would gather, him getting that job at his alma mater would have to be his "dream job". However, the fact that he is being thrown into a position where his hire will not be accepted by a large portion of the fanbase (right or wrong) based on the recent hiring process history of the university is bullshit.
In my opinion, Boyce and the other power brokers decided it was Keith's job since day 1. The fact that they were basically telling applicants how to do their job in regards to Luke, diluted the pool of qualified candidates. They knew this would be the case and it was a calculated move. This left the appearance that Keith was the most qualified candidate that this 'national search' resulted in. Again, right or wrong, it appears to be another sham search. Had Boyce just shown leadership within the first few weeks on the job and appointed Keith AD, I think we fans could've accepted that a little better. However, because we put on this whole dog and pony show of a 'national search' that just so happens to lead to a guy already in the building is so infuriating to me and others as fans. It gives the appearance that Boyce and others view us as a bunch of dumb/blind fans that will just accept whatever they decide. Again, not fair to Keith.
Where is hand raise guy or girl to say, "Hey, how about we don't pick the worst case PR scenario for our hires to start on day 1. How about we give our hire a chance to start at zero instead of -50 and actually be accepted by the fanbase?" It almost feels like an orchestrated effort to put our hires behind the 8-ball from the jump. I know that sounds ridiculous but so does the fact that every hire we make 'has to be an Ole Miss/Mississippi person'.
Also, right or wrong, Keith is also going to be on the hook for retaining Matt Luke. The financials are real and he truly may not be able to make a move even if he wanted to but no one is going to remember that or give it much credence if things go south next year. If 2020 goes badly, it will be a strike against him and all of the sudden he is put on the hot seat a little bit.
I apologize for the long post but I, like many of you, am just so frustrated that we have put one of our own, a man who is qualified for the position (maybe not most qualified but qualified) in this position in which he's already behind the 8-ball.
In my opinion, Boyce and the other power brokers decided it was Keith's job since day 1. The fact that they were basically telling applicants how to do their job in regards to Luke, diluted the pool of qualified candidates. They knew this would be the case and it was a calculated move. This left the appearance that Keith was the most qualified candidate that this 'national search' resulted in. Again, right or wrong, it appears to be another sham search. Had Boyce just shown leadership within the first few weeks on the job and appointed Keith AD, I think we fans could've accepted that a little better. However, because we put on this whole dog and pony show of a 'national search' that just so happens to lead to a guy already in the building is so infuriating to me and others as fans. It gives the appearance that Boyce and others view us as a bunch of dumb/blind fans that will just accept whatever they decide. Again, not fair to Keith.
Where is hand raise guy or girl to say, "Hey, how about we don't pick the worst case PR scenario for our hires to start on day 1. How about we give our hire a chance to start at zero instead of -50 and actually be accepted by the fanbase?" It almost feels like an orchestrated effort to put our hires behind the 8-ball from the jump. I know that sounds ridiculous but so does the fact that every hire we make 'has to be an Ole Miss/Mississippi person'.
Also, right or wrong, Keith is also going to be on the hook for retaining Matt Luke. The financials are real and he truly may not be able to make a move even if he wanted to but no one is going to remember that or give it much credence if things go south next year. If 2020 goes badly, it will be a strike against him and all of the sudden he is put on the hot seat a little bit.
I apologize for the long post but I, like many of you, am just so frustrated that we have put one of our own, a man who is qualified for the position (maybe not most qualified but qualified) in this position in which he's already behind the 8-ball.
