The return of Matt Viator is a huge victory for McNeese, a large feather in athletic director Heath Schroyer’s cap, and a thrill for Cowboy fans young and old.

But don’t be fooled by the move.

There is still a ton of work to do if the Cowboys want to regain their place among FCS elite.

Viator is the winningest football coach in school history, which is why Schroyer brought him back after nine years.

He’s a very good football coach, but he’s no magician.

There is no magic pill for what has ailed this program in the near decade since he left. There is no special antidote.

He can’t just blow his whistle on the first day of practice and make all the problems go away, though it’s nice to think about. 

Yes, Viator has knowledge about what works at McNeese, a proven, effective formula, and the passion to make his alma mater great once again.

But that’s just the start.

Fixing the Cowboys will take work—hard work and lots of it. To his credit, Viator knows that.

“I would have to be an absolute idiot if I thought I could come back here and do the same things,” Viator said. “We have to make a new way, start a new standard, and set a new bar.”

And find a new path.

The road to winning in college football is much different now. Unfortunately, coaches don’t sell players on a program; they buy them. 

Like it or not, money runs the game. Tradition, brand, and loyalty are all great catchphrases fans love to rally around, but players think in terms of dollars and ‘sense.’

Players want to know how many dollars they can make, and they want the coaching staff and program they’re investing in to make sense. 

Scholarships sound nice, but college athletics has become a cash-and-carry business.

McNeese’s future lies as much in developing talent as it does in obtaining it.

Let’s take Micah Davey, for instance. The All-American linebacker is the most important recruit on the McNeese board, and he’s been playing here for the last three seasons.

Davey is in the transfer portal and likely getting plenty of attention. Getting him back next year would be a Christmas gift for all.

He is really the first big Cowboy to leave the transfer portal and enter the new world of college free agency, and he should have.

Nobody has earned the opportunity to make a few more bucks than Davey has, but if McNeese wants to play in the big sandbox, they have to find a way to keep him and other talented players.

Schemes, game plans, and trick plays can only take you so far. Championships are won with talent, and these days, talent comes with a price tag.

It’s capitalism in jock straps. 

McNeese knows this and has been gearing up for it for some time now. The investment in athletics can be seen all over campus, and coaches are better paid now than before. 

The school has also seen some nice early returns on those investments, but much work remains before this is a finished product.

Matt Viator will level the playing field and will win over the home crowd, but it will take a village to make McNeese champions again.

And a few bucks too.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance sports writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. He can be reached at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com