Very true. I spent lots of time with Chris Hill over the years, ever since he was the crimson club director. I love the guy.so I’m not unbiased about this. I have spent a little time with Harlan, too, and he’s simply a different guy, with a different attitude about his staff. He has always been friendly and polite, never offensive. My take is that he is a much more intense individual in the way he approaches his job. For example, I don’t think Chris would ever have said what Harlan said after the 2024 BYU game, but I respect Harlan for showing some fire and standing up for the program. I think that’s what we are seeing. He’s just his own guy. A family man who loves his kids and his wife and his dog..He’s not the slap-on-the-back guy Chris is, and again I love that about Chris, but Mark is a pro who cares an awful lot about his job and works very hard. He also expects his people to work hard. I’m pulling for him.
And, I think in 2026 the Chris Hill style would struggle.
Frankly I think Chris’ final years weren’t great for the athletic department. We started to fall behind a bit.
I think as people we’re often apt to just want to replace people we like with clones of those people. Most of us hate change.
Harlan is certainly different from Hill, and the world he has to navigate and work in is also far different than the world Hill had to navigate.
I’ll add, my organization recently had a very high profile leadership change (some of you know where I work)
I was very apprehensive. My job is one that, unlike most in the organization, is directly impacted by the person at the top on a daily basis.
The change has been awesome. But it took a few months for it to feel awesome.
I guess both Hill and Beck are heading to Michigan. Too bad about TDS. Oh wait, no I don’t give a crap. 