Coaching is also about fit. I'm starting to wonder if Fickell at a P5.job is a bad fit. That's not a knock. I don't know that Kirby Smart could go to a Group of 5 school and reach a CFP (without his current clout).
Some coaches are good at getting elite talent to gel. Some coaches are good at mining 2 star talent into something. And levels in between. Next year is a big prove it year for me with Fickell. He was great at Cincinnati. But he has massively underachieved in his first two seasons at the P5 level