Many issues with TVD but the Bama stuff didn't bother me. He did not hold a gun to UMs head, UM put the gun to its own head by ****ty QB recruiting and bad QB evals. He had leverage because UM had no plan B and he used it. He's under no obligation to do UM a favor. He had almost 2 seasons of film, it wasn't a secret that he is a one read QB that wasn't a very good leader. UM should have brought in a capable backup like it did this year with Poff. If TVD had gone down in game one, season was basically over. That is terrible roster management. Proper response when TVD flirted with Bama would have been to say, "Good luck to you" and laughed at Saban for getting the wool pulled over his eyes. The irony is that Emory was actually a capable backup. The Clemson game showed that he could manage a game well. All he had to do was take care of the ball, let the D do it's thing and make a pass on occasion. TVD was a turnover machine. I think if Emory had played the whole season, we end up with 9 wins, possibly 10 if Emory goes into the FSU game with more experience.
Miami Ohio - W
TAMU - L
BCU - W
Temple - W
GT - W
UNC - L
Clemson - W
UVA - W
NC St -W
FSU - L
UL - L
BC - W
Rutgers - W
Bottom line is TVDs shortcomings were not a surprise to anyone who watched him in 2022, and UM likely wins more games with our backup, who was better at taking care of the ball and leadership. For whatever reason, Cristobal/Dawson didn't see it and allowed themselves to be put in a position where TVD could maximize his leverage.
He's not a NFL QB and he probably knew that, so he only had one chance to get enough NIL to have a nice nest egg. I've got no problem with any player holding out for more money or strong arming the coaching staff. It's just business. If Cristobal had done his job well, TVD isn't in a position to negotiate.