The situation feels similar. They obviously are not similar people.
Both coaches were (presumably) hired cheap because they had no head coaching experience. They were chosen because it was expected they would be good recruiters at a time when the programs were being criticized for not recruiting good enough. If they happen to show they can actually succeed at being a head coach, then all the better! Johnson recruited Coffee, Brewster recruited Vince Young. Both are very much high risk, high reward. I will be cheering hard for Johnson; hopefully he works out better than Brew.