To be a successful coach, you have to do the following regarding personnel:
1) Recruit Freshman and Transfers who are good players,
2) Train and develop these players,
3) Evaluate players to determine if they fit your system, and
4) Then keep the players who support what you are doing and jettison the players who don't.
While this sounds simple, it requires a head coach to be a good leader and decision maker. It also requires him to be very honest with his players and say and do unpopular things. It also may require him to replace coaches who he likes personally but who are not getting the job done.
As to BC and Hafley, he is doing a good job retaining and recruiting players. After a total collapse of the O-line this year, he has recruited a starting guard and tackle from two traditionally good D-1 programs and gotten our All American Guard to return to BC for his final year. As to the skill positions on offense, he has secured a highly recruited running back and wide receiver. Both of these young men should start. While we still could use a tight end, maybe he is yet to come. On defense, we have gotten a series of defensive backs and a talented linemen from Michigan. I would not be surprised if we got one or two more defenders at either linebacker or tackle. I would imagine, the staff is still working on that.
As to jettisoning players who don't fit, we have lost two defensive backs whose playing time had been diminished. We lost an offensive linemen who was not playing and three or four others who weren't working out. While we will likely lose some additional players after Spring Ball, Hafley seems to have been able to retain players who might have left a program where the coach was not inspiring his players.
The unproven part for Hafley after going 3-9 this past season is his player development and training. so far this off season, I have not seen or observed anything that suggests that he is going to a better job. No new coaches or systems have been announced. Are we to believe that everything will be solved just with a new class of recruits and transfers? Based on the above analysis, I think Hafley is going to have to make some changes in this area as well