Pssst...
Um, Walker left us with his last 3 seasons at 4 wins or better in the BIG. Fitz has achieved that 1 time out of his last 5 seasons. No comparison. Fitz needs to raise the program back to the standards of the baton that Walker passed to him. But, he prolly has to at least focus on a season that can go to a bowl game first. I think he can find 7 overall wins next year with a solid defense, stable kicking game, and a few gamers on offense.
That said, imo, the biggest difference between Walker and Fitz outside the win column is QB health.
The Bazmanien Devil was an incredibly hard worker who excelled, and was fairly healthy his last couple years [See developed Offensive Lineman who ended up being Pros]. Fitz usually does well at the onset of a season but his QB's usually get pounded and injured once they enter the BIG. Maybe Fitz would have won a lot more games if Persa didn't get eaten alive, or Colter/Siemian didn't have to run for their lives. No development of the OL, no nothing. End result is having a mangled QB or a backup playing.
Thorson has to be the guy this year if we are to win more than 3 BIG games. I've seen enough of Oliver to realize he is only a glorified Kreinbrink. Since he didn't seem to develop or grasp some fairly basic things in 4 years, then I don't see him developing over the next 6 months.
And I have no idea what happened to Alviti's accuracy, and his ongoing struggle with the position, but maybe he had more confidence in High School. So, by default, it has to be the athletic Thorson, if we have a chance to win more than 3 BIG games. Hopefully, Thorson learns fast and can sustain heavy bombardment without injury. Having JJ behind him will help, and most likely a better receiving corps. I wouldn't be surprised if Shuler loses a significant amount of touches. He's quick running in a straight line but he has little wiggle to go along with suspect hands. Not sure how much we can get out of PYA or Dickerson out wide but they didn't impress either. I'm not counting on Christian Jones coming back at 100% but he should still be a monster upgrade to the previous starter.