I think a real case can be made that he was.
1. Won more games every year
2. Players did not get into trouble, and he had 85, not 13.
3. Got to a bowl game
4. Recruiting improved every year he was here, albeit marginally
Now he was a buffoon who clearly had no business being the Illinois coach, but I still think he is the best of the three. Given what he was fired for, that is a pretty damning indictment of Groce and Bollant, and most importantly Mike Thomas.
Bigger question - did Thomas make three colossally bad hires because of poor choosing or because no one wanted to work for him?
1. Won more games every year
2. Players did not get into trouble, and he had 85, not 13.
3. Got to a bowl game
4. Recruiting improved every year he was here, albeit marginally
Now he was a buffoon who clearly had no business being the Illinois coach, but I still think he is the best of the three. Given what he was fired for, that is a pretty damning indictment of Groce and Bollant, and most importantly Mike Thomas.
Bigger question - did Thomas make three colossally bad hires because of poor choosing or because no one wanted to work for him?
