You make the call and move to option #3. Mack would be a good hire for 3 years before he hopefully won enough to go to greener pastures.
The days of - need more time - is overstated now. For example, the Chiz said in a post-game analysis during the season for one of our games that we were doing things the right way by giving Lebby time to build. Well, historically speaking he was mostly correct on that comment, but not now and not at Miss St. You can't build anything now, except a brand new team every single season for 25M to 40M dollars. Mississippi State cannot do this. It's too much money and you have to have a bonafide group of coaches and salesmen in place, first. We don't have either one, with maybe Arnett as a partial exception. You know pretty quick if you have a winner.
Actually there is a blend that will work. What we need is experience from winning programs. We are now allowed 105 players. SO.. We get to dig deep into lower divisions and pay less. We just need great eval.
Example here is a 65% passer... threw it 450 times this year and 25 Tds. 3,400 yards. He is 6'5" 240 Jr. Rushed for another 2 TDs. He is a DII player.
There is a fast WR Jaylen Himes. 66 catches for 1200 yards as a FR. DII. Now has some D1 offers.
There is a JR RB.. 6'1" 230lbs over 2000 yards rushing with 28 rushing TDs. He is built.
You have to go tht route to find some depth. You continue to pull in HS plyers. You spend your bigger dollars on the lines.
I'll ask you a question I've asked others: If Lebby had beaten Toledo and Arkansas in 2024, is the case to keep him stronger or weaker?
4-8 to 5-7 isn't nearly the "improvement" as 2-10 to 5-7, but surely we're all a lot MORE comfortable with a coach with a better resume, not LESS, right?
AGAIN- eliminate Y1 on Lebby. Our Admin has. He is being judged on 2025 and 2026
It's not weird at all, because it shows the weakness of the "he improved!" argument. The Toledo game was where a lot of our fans realized that Lebby was never going to be a good coach for us, because despite our troubles, we really shouldn't have lost to a mid-level MAC team at all, or if we did, it should have at least been a fluky game rather than a complete embarrassment.
I'd feel more comfortable with 5-7 in 2025 if he hadn't needed such a big "improvement" (but still worst team in the SEC by FPI, 66th to 49th or maybe a little worse after they update it through the bowls) over 2024, but I don't know what the "he improved" copers would be saying instead.