The B1G is not the conference to be learning on the job. Especially in 2024. He hired a young, inexperienced staff and it might doom his Purdue career.
Or he might learn and get better.
Win next week and it's a four win team which is already better than any season Hazell had, and is as good as the worst season of Brohm.
It's not remotely crazy to think he could learn enough to win 1-2 more next season.
Then parlay that into a better record the following season.
This was always a 6-7 win ceiling team this season. Get to 4 and it's not a sign that "he can never get better."
Now, if he doesn't win more games next year, then it's easy enough to fire him. But he ain't getting fired after his first season. It's not happening. So folks can either gripe and grind their teeth and shout angry words on the internet or they can see what he does next season.
If y'all are right and he is "the worst," then he'll be fired by end of next season (and the next coach will get the benefit of his good recruiting season). If he does improve well then you have a young, cheap coach who might be here awhile.
It's a low risk, high reward situation. There's always going to be other good coaches looking to coach in this conference, yes, even at Purdue.
It was always going to one step back this season from last. The whole point of the low salary and low buyout is you give him a couple of years and either he improves or not and it's easy to move on.
There are very few hotshot young coaches who blow up their first season. It requires patience which I realize folks no longer seem to have for anything.