I feel good about our chances with Chris. And no, Moose, not the "KA good feeling" I had last year! Particularly, if we are in the final two for Chris' services.
A recruit tends to have several criteria in selecting a school. These selection items may range from the HC, his staff, the facilities, tradition, the makeup of the rest of the team, etc. However, I believe the HC tends to be the major reason for most recruits' final selections. And that also means the character of the HC. I would stack up Coach Lavin's character with any other coach. He definitely is not the type to be one DUI or fooling around stuff away from being let go, as we have seen happened to a number of coaches in various college sports over the past few years regardless of their past accomplishments.
I believe most recruits want their HCs to be there for the full run of their college careers. Chris, look at this factor among the others when making your decision in the next few weeks.
By the way, I believe you would look great in red at MSG.