I'll die on this hill, but Barthel had minimal to do with Johnson and it was pretty much all Holgo and his change in philosophy of what he wanted from the RBs.
I'll also die on the hill that there's no way we "almost lost Barthel to Texas" for the 2025 season and then they had another chance to hire him this year and still didn't despite him "developing" an All-American RB.
Lastly, who is the best RB recruit Barthel has brought in? 2023 - Ives 2024 - No one 2025 - Parker/Booth 2026 - Rule?
There are a few assistant coaches we've had that will be (or were) tough to replace, we would be fine if Barthel left us tomorrow. We are now rolling into 2026 with a coaches son and a walk-on for our 1A and 1B at his position group. RB room is thinner than a bookmark heading into this season. The good news is I think you can have an average RB look good if the line plays like they should.