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I feel that Gilbert really developed Mendoza. Mendoza made a huge leap this year which was way beyond my expectations.

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I think there are a lot of factors at play—diet, strength, experience—and yeah, Gilbert too. Honestly, I haven’t seen Mendoza say much about how helpful Gilbert was or if they had a strong connection. Maybe I missed something, but Mendoza rarely mentioned Gilbert. The feedback on Gilbert from the CFB Reddit channel is painful.As for Harsin, seems like he’s solid as an OC, but isnt seen as a nice guy. That Reddit channel really has some great insider takes on coaches.

I hope things work out for Mendoza. Saw Toler is headed to UCLA, and I’m curious to see where Bloesch and Gilbert end up. Coaching jobs are tough to come by, and now with NFL coaches following Prime’s lead, it’s getting even harder. And the coaching job seems like hell with NIL/Portal etc. Larranaga, Saban left because of it. We are in a different era.

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Chip Kelly also got out of head coaching because of the f'n NIL

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Yes. The NIL and Portal needs to be revisited. I think we have learned enough from the test.

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That's true. Haven't seen much mention of Gilbert from Mendoza.

I don't care if Harsin is a nice guy. Wilcox is a nice guy. If he can deliver, he can be tough and mean.

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If Gilbert was so good, Mendoza probably wouldn’t have left.

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Absolutely! Some kids will never walk away from talented coaches, especially those they see as father figures. For college football coaches, being that mentor and role model is just part of the game. It is a hard job for sure.

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