Slightly surprised. I think the addition of Tony Franklin has the potential to be a real boost to the team. I imagine this is one of the key factors for the higher expectations this season.
Last season obviously was great to see the two young freshman on offense develop into top players. The overall progress of the team had been rather gradual, dare I say slow? The concern with that? The effect on fan interest and attendance. The last couple of years of just above average was not helping with buzz, energy, and attendance. Brent and James provided some hope last season in that regard, but would two be enough with eleven needed on the field?
Then after the season, it appeared that recruiting was picking up. IMO, MT has been doing some better things the last couple of years in recruiting. Solid recruiting still takes a few years, but the improvement was good to see. I'd rather see good solid recruiting improve, succeed, and build through smart good hard work over time instead of cutting corners for the quick fix. Some apparent improvement built upon work and success was quality WRs wanting to come to play at MT after seeing Brent and James succeed tremendously. A key area in my opinion that has slowly been building and improving is along the line of scrimmage. In my opinion, about the most important positions on the team are the lineman on both sides of the ball. The team appears to finally getting to the place of legit size and strength in lineman with some quality depth finally starting to build in those lineman. It's great to see a whole slew of OL on the roster 6-3+ and 300+ lbs.
Tony Franklin was the other offseason news that really kicked up the confidence and optimism for MT football these next few years.
These developments have been good to see considering the lack of fan enthusiasm the last few years. The new young players, reasonable depth on the roster, player development, and coaching seeming to come together sets the stage for MT to take another step of progress this year.
