You're really, really stretching for correlations here. Stop trying so hard. It's recruiting. Whatever you think you've got it pinned down to, you're probably way off. That's recruiting.

There's not any sense to be made out of this fret over Pugh leaving and it being the sole purpose we don't get someone late in the process. We had Pugh for one season. What does that show every single recruit? What does the entire industry show recruits? That position coaches are a dime a dozen and constantly on the move. They're moving laterally. They're moving up in promotions. They're not being retained by new bosses. They're getting fired.
Sagapolu is a mission kid. His recruiter was with us for only one season, and moved on to an OC position just like that. Why would someone leaving on a mission even make a big deal about who the next OL coach is, or if Pugh was going to stay? Pugh could have left at any time while the kid is out on his mission. And the NEXT coach could leave as well. It's a high turnover industry. You don't get so attached that your main reason for choosing where to play for the next FOUR+ years, is who your position coach is.