Skip Holtz’s debut USF season has been accorded a success. And not just because the Bulls finished 8-5, went to yet another bowl game and ended the year impressively with wins over Miami and Clemson.
It’s because Holtz won in a transitional year, one that was accompanied by upheaval and distraction. Before he could install his own system, he had to instill
credibility and stability. Not all coaches, even ones with a Holtz pedigree, can do that. His biggest victory of 2010 was winning over his players.
Holtz followed a fired coach, Jim Leavitt, who was popular with most players and had been there since creation. Holtz won without his own recruiting class, and he won when losing would have been more understandable than unacceptable.
But like a movie sequel, year two for a new coach is an imposing challenge. This time it’s about much more than survival and maintenance and continuity. It’s about fulfilling expectations borne of that better-than-expected first year. Encore upgrades are never easy.
What was forgiven in year one, will not be forgotten in year two, one that kicks off at Notre Dame next month. The sequel season will underscore why he was brought in. The real reason: To finally realize all that unrealized potential.
USF has always had enough talent to win, especially in a Big East that is far from intimidating, although TCU joins next year. But for all their promise, the Bulls were perennial also-rans in their conference. They were better than that, but developed a reputation for, well, choking in big games. Beat West Virginia as an underdog and then self-destruct when favored against Rutgers.
The pattern of frustration had become self-fulfilling and was not likely to change. When the pressure was on, it seemed, the Bulls were sure to channel Leavitt, their composure-challenged head coach. No longer was it enough to remind everyone that USF had come so far so fast. It obviously wasn’t far enough.
The slapgate incident was fortuitously timed. It expedited Leavitt’s ouster.
Holtz, as noted, has more than weathered that transition season. Now he confronts expectations. USF is a consensus top three Big East team. But it has been there before — and milestones became millstones. Holtz can’t let that happen. He also needs to recruit more blue-chip, local prospects and rely less on transfers than his predecessor did. He has the personality, experience, bloodlines and commitment to engender realistic hopes on both accounts.
Indeed, it’s a different kind of pressure in year two. But it’s the kind Holtz was brought in to address. USF is a big time program in a big time market with enough big time talent to wind up somewhere other than the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Season two formally begins Sept. 3 at South Bend, Indiana, still the ultimate college football venue — and spotlight. The pressure is already on to make a mark with the nation’s fans and media scrutinizing this game for all kinds of reasons, including the Holtz-ND nexus.
But should the underdog Bulls win, which they are quite capable of doing, the pressure will ratchet up immediately. And Holtz will be reminded once again why he was brought in.