UConn football coach Jim Mora on what it will take for his vision of the program to become a reality…

[huskymedic]

Alternate access link here <<

 

[AzHusky]

I guess it's a good thing that "Fly off the handle yard" isn't really catchy enough to be a name.

Wait are you saying that their are people here that jump to conclusions?

 

[How Sway?!]

Need that fundraiser up and running asap.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Wait are you saying that their are people here that jump to conclusions?

I can see why you might jump to that conclusion...

 

[Luna]

Couldn’t the boneyard have something to help the players for NIL?

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Alternate access link here <<

The further clarification helps. That reads much more positive than the earlier clip. I just read it as a guy pushing the school to step up. And now is the right time.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I’d be shocked if he didn’t have one by now.

Why? Waste of money.

 

[ScottVib]

Some data from the last year I could find (2020):

Recruiting expenses: $339k; (for comparison $369k Men's Basketball, $319k Women's Basketball)
Coaching salaries (including all assistants): $5.3M ($4.8M MBB, $4.0M WBB)
Meals: $222k ($229k MBB; $135k WBB)

These are a lot of the smaller items where UConn has traditionally spent for a full football roster like it does for the basketball rosters. I wouldn't be shocked that Mora may think there could be some additional investment there.

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To an extent the overall expenses of the football program are often overstated due to the $4.6M chargeback for scholarships to the players vs. $825k for the hoops program. This is further exacerbated by the rental fees for the stadium of $1M for the football program compared to 367k for basketball.

If you take out the internal state chargebacks for Scholarships and Stadium rentals the $17.2M of expenses for football turns into an $11.6M expense (compare with $11.2M->$10.0M MBB; $8.2->$7.2M WBB)


Obviously the school has a history (for obvious reasons) of doing a good job of devoting resourcing to the Basketball programs. Football with its lack of recent success has seen a much lower (per participant) level of funding for things like recruiting, assistants, even meals. Beefing those up may be necessary to have a program that can compete at a higher level.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Some data from the last year I could find (2020):

Recruiting expenses: $339k; (for comparison $369k Men's Basketball, $319k Women's Basketball)
Coaching salaries (including all assistants): $5.3M ($4.8M MBB, $4.0M WBB)
Meals: $222k ($229k MBB; $135k WBB)

These are a lot of the smaller items where UConn has traditionally spent for a full football roster like it does for the basketball rosters. I wouldn't be shocked that Mora may think there could be some additional investment there.

--
To an extent the overall expenses of the football program are often overstated due to the $4.6M chargeback for scholarships to the players vs. $825k for the hoops program. This is further exacerbated by the rental fees for the stadium of $1M for the football program compared to 367k for basketball.

If you take out the internal state chargebacks for Scholarships and Stadium rentals the $17.2M of expenses for football turns into an $11.6M expense (compare with $11.2M->$10.0M MBB; $8.2->$7.2M WBB)


Obviously the school has a history (for obvious reasons) of doing a good job of devoting resourcing to the Basketball programs. Football with its lack of recent success has seen a much lower (per participant) level of funding for things like recruiting, assistants, even meals. Beefing those up may be necessary to have a program that can compete at a higher level.

Considering that you are basically recruiting nearly seven football players for every one men's basketball player, wouldn't it be reasonable to expect the football recruiting budget to be at least slightly larger than the men's basketball recruiting budget?

 

[huskymedic]

Alternate access link here <<

-> “There was a need, an investment that was going to be necessary so that he could build out a staff in a way that he thought was going to support the kind of program he wants to build,” Benedict said. “We made that investment, that was one of the specific things we committed to.”

Mora eventually signed a five-year contract for $1.5 million per year, a little more than half what he was making at UCLA in his last head coaching job. UConn made an investment estimated at $500,000 to add to the football operation, the equivalent of 11 new full-time positions and some part-timers. Three areas were bulked up: Recruiting, which has become more labor intensive with the new transfer rules, content and social media strategists, and analysts to assist coaches. <-

->UConn has seven full time and two part-timers in the recruiting space where there had previously been one full-timer and two part-time. There are five new analysts, up from three to eight, and four full-time positions in sports performance, where there had been three plus one part-time.

“There has been an expansion over the past five-plus years,” Benedict said. “Where you are seeing staffs being built out for recruiting purposes, and that’s their only responsibility, and how that feeds into the staff. In previous times, coaches were really responsible for that in its entirety, where as now there is a whole separate entity.

“There is also the piece that directly and indirectly impacts recruiting, which is all of your content, digital and social media strategies. That support that has been growing in its impact. There is also the idea of what people refer to as ‘analysts,’ and having additional people that can help in certain areas. Analysts are limited in certain ways, but they can do things that absolutely make your staff more efficient.”

The program’s official Twitter page now has 58,200 followers, with another 24,100 on Instagram, significantly higher than in the past. Mora has always expressed pleasure in what he has seen of UConn’s facilities, housed in the Burton Family Complex. The ability to reach recruits and stage more appealing visits helped the program land 40 new players, many of them experienced players through the transfer portal, for Mora’s first season. <-

-> “I don’t think anyone comes to UConn to be average and we have to do the things that are necessary to make sure we’re in a position to not be average,” Benedict said. “I don’t know that UConn is ever going to be in a place where we’re going to outspend all of our peers and spend more than everybody. That hasn’t necessarily been the recipe at UConn, but it’s having great coaches that have enough resources to be successful, and that will continually evolve.” <-

 

[BugsyCT]

I think Mora's realistic enough about the situation with the program and what he was getting himself into when he and Benedict were in discussions before the hire. He took the job because he wanted a challenge but also saw potential to make UConn football at least on par with UConn basketball's status. He's got lofty expectations because he's had much larger-profile jobs than this. That doesn't necessarily mean he's leaving anytime soon if his goals aren't met quickly (which is what all the hand-wringing in this thread has been about).

He's not wrong about anything he's said about what it would take to get UConn Football to a big-time level. We don't want to settle for .500 seasons at best either. It's just a matter of whether there's enough interest in CT to do that....and enough $$$. In the meantime let's keep doing our part to support the program.

 

[ScottVib]

Considering that you are basically recruiting nearly seven football players for every one men's basketball player, wouldn't it be reasonable to expect the football recruiting budget to be at least slightly larger than the men's basketball recruiting budget?

Absolutely. That's why I highlighted the similarity. I am definitely pro-additional investment in football. The long-term health of all the programs within the athletic department only increases with more success in the highest profile (and largest revenue potential) collegiate sport.

 

[ZooCougar]

Why? Waste of money.

You’re silly.

 

[Waquoit]

At the end of the day, this reads far short of a shot over the bow.

 

[Kolumbo]