I agree Schrage is less blameworthy than Aoki, especially given his wife's passing just before his first season. But the program has been in a funk for a dozen years now.

I suspect the reason he failed at ND was he could not figure out a way to recruit around the cost of attending ND on 1/2 scholarship at best. His other coaching stops have been at schools where it is far cheaper to attend so perhaps he is more able to recruit.

That's really the only logic I see for why he's been above average both before and after ND. He's been at relatively cold weather schools each job, so that's not his issue. I don't think ND played a materially tougher schedule while he was at ND either -- not in the ACC then.