I left the practice of law 20 years ago to become a public-school educator. In my profession, the tendency is to search for the “quick fix;” what program can we adopt, what person can we hire, that will immediately cause student achievement scores to increase in a sustainable way? Answer: none. There is no quick fix. Research tells us that turning around a high school in a sustainable way takes 5-7 years.
I think we face the same situation with our football program. We’re going to have to invest in Sam Pittman the way Kentucky has invested in Mark Stoops. We’re going to have to be resolute, even if it takes two or three more years just to reach 6-6 and make a bowl game.
Simply put, I see no other alternative. We’re going to have to be patient in a world that puts no value on that outlook.
I believe Sam’s demeanor and his passion for our program, university, and state will buy him some goodwill among our fan base. I believe he will get it done here; we will be a winning football program again, but it will take some years to build it back.