however, I wanted to offer some perspective as someone who follows the team, though not as closely as I do basketball. With that said, the early calls for Foster’s dismissal seem premature to me. It’s interesting how quickly the narrative has shifted. Not long ago, even the subscription sites were talking about how Foster inherited a depleted roster and was doing a solid job of rebuilding the infrastructure and strengthening relationships with donors, especially in terms of NIL support.
Then the season started. The team struggled against Hawaii, but they got the win. Expectations were high heading into the Indiana game, but we got rolled. It turns out Indiana is a Top 20 team. After that, we faced three more highly-ranked opponents and lost, which was largely expected from the start. Some would even argue we performed better than anticipated in those games, and Vegas seemed to agree. So, aside from the Indiana game, this season has gone pretty much as expected.
At this point, I think it's worth revisiting why the higher-ups chose Foster in the first place. Was it to keep the current players on board? Or was it about moving away from Chip and bringing in someone who could re-energize the community, rebuild relationships, and work tirelessly to enhance our NIL capabilities? Early on, Foster was praised for doing exactly that. Now, I understand there’s an on-field component to this, and many doubt Foster has what it takes. I think what’s more important is that he surrounds himself with people who have the necessary in-game experience.
Landing Bieniemy was a huge win, in my opinion—a guy with deep community ties and a wealth of NFL experience. He can tell recruits, ‘I’ve coached the best and won Super Bowls with the best.’ While the on-field performance hasn’t been what I expected, it’s still early. We need to give these guys a full chance.
So, before calling for Foster’s head, I suggest we all do our part—whether it’s supporting the team or contributing to the NIL. Personally, I believe Foster deserves at least two full seasons, but let’s wait until the end of the year before making any drastic decisions.