With Bobby Johnson’s impromptu retirement press conference concluded, everyone watching is left knowing nothing much more than we did ahead of time, other than that Johnson’s thankfully not battling some secret fatal illness that makes this step necessary, and neither is his wife. SBN’s Vanderbilt community, Anchor of Gold, takes a step back to ponder the timing of this decision:
Anchor Of Gold: Johnson Retirement Timing Makes A Strange Kind Of Sense
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that July IS the best time for a coach like Bobby Johnson at a school like Vanderbilt to retire. If he retires at the end of a season, recruiting for the following year is completely screwed. Anytime between December and the end of June and the recruits they’ve signed can opt out (which might be worse than having no traction for the following year). By mid-July, they’re enrolled in summer school. Also, the current/future coaching staff can begin damage control at the earliest possible time for the next recruiting class. As a follow up, this is probably why Vandy’s 2011 recruiting class had really yet to grow (especially compared with where they were with the 2010 class a year ago).
(Don’t miss the part where a commenter suggests that Vandy’s football program continue to operate without a head coach much in same manner as their athletic department operating without a dedicated AD. This is far from the craziest suggestion proffered today.)
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