I think the Chang vs Hughes/Sarkisian concern from @SydneyCarton, @golfclap, and @Ricky's one-hitter is worthy of examination, but I struggle to get behind it until more comes out about what's going on.
For one, while I'm of the opinion that Chang's team was solid at evaluations, I don't think that's an exclusive feature for a good recruiting department. That should be table stakes for anyone in that role at a program of Texas' reach. Hughes has plenty of skins on the wall to point at from UCF forward in his own right. The handwringing over trading out Hughes for Chang is unwarranted from the "can the new guy meet the performance of the old guy?" concern.
So I don't get the big deal about wanting to replace a person in a key role with your guy. There doesn't seem to have been any hesitation about that move by Sarkisian. Maybe you guys don't see this as a turnaround since it was one of the elements that was fine under Herman, but that's never how hostile regime change works. It's actually shocking that Sarkisian has kept as many on-field and off-field staff as he has. "I don't care how they were doing it. That got everyone fired. If I'm going to get fired or win, we're going to face that doing it my way."
So then you're left with a speed to market issue. The program is playing from behind on offseason work such as tournament and camp attendance. Okay. The notion that the new guy should hit the ground running immediately with "3 to 4 of his guys" is an easy thing to say, and a harder thing to do. Know how I know? I've done it, at times with even more than "3 to 4 guys" in tow. Not in football, but in the same fashion. Asking people to uproot immediately and be at the next place overnight is easier said than done. The less money they're making, even if you're offering a step-up, the less quickly many can move. This isn't a fucking movie. This isn't Oceans 14 - Austin Style, where everyone converges on Bellmont at the same time, high-fiving and grabbing cell phones to make calls all at once, shortly after a travel montage set to Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" or some shit shows them getting there from disparate locations.
The timing expectation provided around this premise is absurd. Sarkisian didn't know he had the job until roughly NYD. Then outreach might begin in earnest, while balancing CFbP needs for 12 days. How much time, given all of that and whenever he spoke to Hughes, is Hughes supposed to have had to have his "3 or 4 guys" fucking sewn up, packed, moved, and in-territory recruiting and gladhanding? It's 1/25.
This Hughes dude's background includes installing a frontline of students doing research and analysis, coordinating with the on-campus relations partner, and then building out the full-time staff for off-campus relations, camp creations, etc. If he and Chang didn't handle it the same way, he's going to want it done his way.
2021 is a sunk cost for the new off-field staff. Maybe they get lucky following a lead or two, but that's it besides the obvious pre-existing targets. So they're late to the party on 2022 and 2023? Take the effort to do it right the first time and count on performance and brand to sling-shot the program forward again once you've laid a foundation on bedrock.