I posted it in the chat, but we need to fire Stricklin ASAP. He shouldn't be AD on Monday. The new AD should then get to decide Billy's fate and find his replacement when it is time to part ways. If we let Stricklin hire another HC, we're going to get another clown.
I don't think Billy is the answer, but I don't think now is the time to fire him. We need the talent he's bringing in for the next guy. So if I was the new AD, he stays for next season unless one of the following happens:
1. He refuses to bring in a new OC and hand off play calling duties. The OC needs to be a splash hire and someone the new AD likes as well.
2. He loses the recruiting class. This is defined as losing either Lagway or 5+ other players with 4* or more.
3. He needs to get enough guys out of the portal to effect a complete turnaround next year. No more mulligans, no more weak units.
Next year, he needs to stay above .500 at all times and end the season 8-4 or better. If either of those doesn't happen, he's fired. I think the odds are low, so now is the time to have some back room conversations with boosters and get funding lined up for his buyout and the new hire. Pull some money from the "make the swamp smaller and worse fund", too.
If he manages to survive next year, the benchmark the year after is 10 wins and a playoff berth. It stays there after that; that's the standard we hired him for. There's no reason we should ever settle for less than that consistently with the resources and location we have.
I have no illusions any of the above will happen. The likely outcome is he's fired after Georgia next year with a losing record and Stricklin, still AD, picks another crappy unproven coach and pays like we're poaching from a blue chip.