Charlie Strong to USF?

[Adios]

What does this mean? Are you saying UConn fans who protest the retention of this miserable coaching staff should seek fandom elsewhere?

It's already happening. My sister is a Wesleyan grad. We got Andrus Field.

Beep Diaco!

 

[huskymedic]

Texas booster's plane bound for Tampa. Is Strong on it?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

So
Will
I

Connecticut
College
Alternatives
For
Those
Who
Don't

Yale
Sacred Heart
CCSU
SCSU
ECSU
WCSC
New Haven
Wesleyan

ECSU doesn't play football. Beautiful baseball stadium though. Absolutely puts JO Christian up 195 to shame.

 

[Dogged]

LOL!

Trinity

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Randy Shannon would actually be on my list for UConn.

Strong is perfect for USF - it would
be better than even money he takes them to a NY6 bowl.

Strong at USF would make them very dangerous.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I think this viewpoint is a bit extreme. It was stunning that UL hired him? He was a VERY successful DC at UF for years. It was surprising to Gator fans that he wasn't hired sooner. The only thing "stunning" was that he had to wait so long to be a head coach.

But...I do think it is a fair point to question how good of a HC he is until he is successful with Bridgewater. I think UConn fans are skeptical (fairly) because we saw a below average UConn team beat a supposedly much better UL team....at Louisville.

He inherited a dumpster fire on wheels went he started at Lap Dance U. Of course his first few seasons were mixed. He cleaned house, found his QB and the rest is history.

 

[ZOOCONN]

So
Will
I

Connecticut
College
Alternatives
For
Those
Who
Don't

Yale
Sacred Heart
CCSU
SCSU
ECSU
WCSC
New Haven
Wesleyan

Hey dont sleep on THE UNH football, GO CHARGERS!!!!!

 

[sportsart]

Has a coach, who moves up, ever not had a very good to great QB?

So what position have we lacked a star at for over 10 years?

A few coaches have proven to be less than stellar after leaving for that proverbial step up, without that stud signal caller.

 

[whaler11]

Has a coach, who moves up, ever not had a very good to great QB?

So what position have we lacked a star at for over 10 years?

A few coaches have proven to be less than stellar after leaving for that proverbial step up, without that stud signal caller.

Randy Edsall?

 

[huskymedic]

Source: Bulls have 60-40 shot at landing Strong

 

[huskymedic]

Pete Thamel ‏@SIPeteThamel
Source: Charlie Strong expected to be next coach at South Florida. Sides closing in on a 5-year contract.
Source: USF to hire Charlie Strong as head football coach

 

[huskymedic]

Pete Thamel ‏@SIPeteThamel
Source: Charlie Strong expected to be next coach at South Florida. Sides closing in on a 5-year contract.
Source: USF to hire Charlie Strong as head football coach

Brett McMurphy@McMurphyESPN 4 mins ago
Charlie Strong told @ClowESPN Sunday he "remains in conversations" with USF but "that no deal has been reached"

LOL

Brett McMurphy@McMurphyESPN2 mins ago
Former Texas coach Charlie Strong has agreed to deal to become USF’s coach, sources told@ClowESPN

 

[Dooley]

Great. But we can't hire him because he's too expensive. USF just leapfrogged us on the P5 candidate list.

 

[huskymedic]

Great. But we can't hire him because he's too expensive. USF just leapfrogged us on the P5 candidate list.

Dooley - I get that everything UConn Football is toxic to you right now but humor me...

Even if there was an opening in Storrs, why would Charlie Strong take UConn over the other current "known" options available to him this year (USF w/ prior Florida experience and recruiting base/Oregon DC)? There has to be mutual interest.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Great. But we can't hire him because he's too expensive. USF just leapfrogged us on the P5 candidate list.

There is no list, it was thrown on the fire by the B12 after their decision.

 

[RSTuthill]

Diaco
Is
Coaching
Next
Year

No doubt. But where?

 

[BlueDogs]

I will cheer the Boys on for the sake of the kids and the School, but I will not reward incompetence and the attitude that takes the fan base as a cash machine for granted. They will not see another voluntary dollar from me until things change. This gravy train reached the end of the line.

 

[FDNY99]

No doubt. But where?

Storrs/Rentschler

 

[Dooley]

Dooley - I get that everything UConn Football is toxic to you right now but humor me...

Even if there was an opening in Storrs, why would Charlie Strong take UConn over the other current "known" options available to him this year (USF w/ prior Florida experience and recruiting base/Oregon DC)? There has to be mutual interest.

I'll humor you. We have a $72M AD budget. Posters here claimed we couldn't hire him because we couldn't afford him. That may be true. However, it's incredibly difficult to stomach watching UConn (with a $72M budget) not find the money to bring in a big name coach but USF (with an AD budget about $20M less than ours) can.

If we can't pay someone $3M/yr to come coach here because "nobody wants to come here", then why would anyone want to pay money for tickets? Seriously. If nobody wants to come to UConn (coaches or players), what incentive is there for fans/alumni to come to the Rent? At some point, we need to put our New York Yankee-esque G5 payroll to better use, bite the necessary financial bullets, and take an "all-in" shot at rebuilding our football program back to a conference contender. If it doesn't work, then we will always have options 5-10 years from now to move basketball into better conferences...even as a standalone.

UConn Football is toxic to me right now because it is quite literally the only anchor keeping UConn out of a P5 and we are doing absolutely nothing about it. Fix football and we fix UConn. I believe in that with 100% of my bleeding blue heart.

 

[huskymedic]

I'll humor you. We have a $72M AD budget. Posters here claimed we couldn't hire him because we couldn't afford him. That may be true. However, it's incredibly difficult to stomach watching UConn (with a $72M budget) not find the money to bring in a big name coach but USF (with an AD budget about $20M less than ours) can.

If we can't pay someone $3M/yr to come coach here because "nobody wants to come here", then why would anyone want to pay money for tickets? Seriously. If nobody wants to come to UConn (coaches or players), what incentive is there for fans/alumni to come to the Rent? At some point, we need to put our New York Yankee-esque G5 payroll to better use, bite the necessary financial bullets, and take an "all-in" shot at rebuilding our football program back to a conference contender. If it doesn't work, then we will always have options 5-10 years from now to move basketball into better conferences...even as a standalone.

UConn Football is toxic to me right now because it is quite literally the only anchor keeping UConn out of a P5 and we are doing absolutely nothing about it. Fix football and we fix UConn. I believe in that with 100% of my bleeding blue heart.

A lot of people on here talking about what we can/can't afford probably can't balance their own checking accounts (that's not pointed @ you).

As you know, it's not just the salary for the new coach that attracts candidates to a school. My point is/was why in this specific instance, at this point in time, would Strong choose UConn over HC @USF or DC @Oregon. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Dooley]

A lot of people on here talking about what we can/can't afford probably can't balance their own checking accounts.

As you know, it's not just the salary for the new coach that attracts candidates to a school. My point is/was why in this specific instance, at this point in time, would Strong choose UConn over USF or Oregon. Nothing more, nothing less.

I agree with your point - USF offers a better opportunity than UConn to win right away so that Strong can land another P5 job eventually.

My point is that if our inability to bring in top talent to UConn over these commuter schools in our conference (with a fraction of our AD budget) is a systemic issue, then we need to fix our system. If we can't figure out a way to use our $72M advantage that we hold towards bringing in a top staff, then our problems run deeper than I thought.

It's not Strong that I'm upset about, specifically. It's the fact that we can't even discuss bringing in a guy like Strong when he becomes available because our program is so much of a dumpster fire.

 

[UConnNick]

A lot of people on here talking about what we can/can't afford probably can't balance their own checking accounts.

As you know, it's not just the salary for the new coach that attracts candidates to a school. My point is/was why in this specific instance, at this point in time, would Strong choose UConn over USF or Oregon. Nothing more, nothing less.

That's not the point. The point is we are apparently not currently in the market for anybody, whether it be Strong or anybody else, because we've got a lead weight tied to our feet named Diaco. We're understandably sick and tired of watching other schools IN OUR OWN LEAGUE hire some of the best available coaches on the market.

Every second we sit idly on the sidelines watching this coaching sweepstakes go on without doing anything about it puts us further behind the other schools IN OUR OWN LEAGUE.

Can anyone imagine Bobby Diwhacko beating Strong or any of the other head coaches being hired by other AAC schools during the present hiring frenzy?

 

[UConnJim]

I'll humor you. We have a $72M AD budget. Posters here claimed we couldn't hire him because we couldn't afford him. That may be true. However, it's incredibly difficult to stomach watching UConn (with a $72M budget) not find the money to bring in a big name coach but USF (with an AD budget about $20M less than ours) can.

If we can't pay someone $3M/yr to come coach here because "nobody wants to come here", then why would anyone want to pay money for tickets? Seriously. If nobody wants to come to UConn (coaches or players), what incentive is there for fans/alumni to come to the Rent? At some point, we need to put our New York Yankee-esque G5 payroll to better use, bite the necessary financial bullets, and take an "all-in" shot at rebuilding our football program back to a conference contender. If it doesn't work, then we will always have options 5-10 years from now to move basketball into better conferences...even as a standalone.

UConn Football is toxic to me right now because it is quite literally the only anchor keeping UConn out of a P5 and we are doing absolutely nothing about it. Fix football and we fix UConn. I believe in that with 100% of my bleeding blue heart.

When it comes to coaches, it is all about fit. Charlie Strong, based on his history, was probably not a good fit at Texas, but he is a good fit at USF. Also, USF brings back just about everyone, has a very easy 2017 schedule, and he will have a senior QB in Quinton Flowers, so he is taking over a very good situation. He should win 10 games plus next year as USF is not a rebuild.

As for pay, UConn is one of the top 3 to 4 highest paying jobs in the G5. The only places that are paying more that I can see (don't see the privates) are Navy, Cincinnati, and possibly Memphis. Strong's salary at USF will be odd because of his buyout at Texas that requires some of his coaching salary to offset his buyout.

 

[Dooley]

That's not the point. The point is we are apparently not currently in the market for anybody, whether it be Strong or anybody else, because we've got a lead weight tied to our feet named Diaco. We're understandably sick and tired of watching other schools IN OUR OWN LEAGUE hire some of the best available coaches on the market.

Every second we sit idly on the sidelines watching this coaching sweepstakes go on without doing anything about it puts us further behind the other schools IN OUR OWN LEAGUE.

Can anyone imagine Bobby Diwhacko beating Strong or any of the other head coaches being hired by other AAC schools during the present hiring frenzy?

Yup. Other schools are looking to hire top guys - even if they are rebuked in their efforts. We're content with 6-7 seasons and value them $5M more than any other school would...even in the AAC. We can't even discuss replacing a 2-10/6-7/3-9 coach because somebody at UConn thinks so poorly of UConn that we tie ourselves to a $5M anchor after a combined 2 seasons of 8-17. Seriously? That's the absolute best we can do? 8-17 is enough of an incentive to aggressively tie ourselves to someone?

If we wind up canning Diaco and hiring Joe Moorhead on 1/1, then all is forgiven. Until then, I'm fired up and awfully cranky.

 

[Dooley]

When it comes to coaches, it is all about fit. Charlie Strong, based on his history, was probably not a good fit at Texas, but he is a good fit at USF. Also, USF brings back just about everyone, has a very easy 2017 schedule, and he will have a senior QB in Quinton Flowers, so he is taking over a very good situation. He should win 10 games plus next year as USF is not a rebuild.

As for pay, UConn is one of the top 3 to 4 highest paying jobs in the G5. The only places that are paying more that I can see (don't see the privates) are Navy, Cincinnati, and possibly Memphis. Strong's salary at USF will be odd because of his buyout at Texas that requires some of his coaching salary to offset his buyout.

I understand Strong wanting USF > UConn. Quicker path to wins = quicker path back to a P5 job.

We were 7th in the AAC football coach salary. 7th. That's not even top half of a G5 conference. With our total AD budget being so significantly higher than everyone else in the G5, I expect a larger percentage of that money to go towards the one thing that actually has an affect of us ever getting out of the G5: football.

 

[UConnJim]

I understand Strong wanting USF > UConn. Quicker path to wins = quicker path back to a P5 job.

We were 7th in the AAC football coach salary. 7th. That's not even top half of a G5 conference. With our total AD budget being so significantly higher than everyone else in the G5, I expect a larger percentage of that money to go towards the one thing that actually has an affect of us ever getting out of the G5: football.

Only Houston, Cincinnati, and Navy were above UConn in 2016 as Memphis, USF, and UCF paid about the same as UConn ($1.7 to $1.8 million). In 2015, Diaco made more then Herman at Houston, but when he got a big raise in 2016. For 2017, Applewhite will make less than Diaco, and Strong's salary will be odd due to his Texas buyout.

 

[huskymedic]

That's not the point.

That was MY point - not any other peripheral points. Taggert left on his own accord>Strong is a natural fit for USF not a natural fit for UConn. Nothing to do w/ finances.

 

[Stainmaster]

That was MY point - not any other peripheral points. Taggert left on his own accord>Strong is a natural fit for USF not a natural fit for UConn. Nothing to do w/ finances.

We would be just as unattractive to Strong even if we were to pay him more than USF is.

 

[jazyj]

People in strong's camp have said that he wanted his next job to be his last, if that's true USF hit a homerun

 

[Dooley]

That was MY point - not any other peripheral points. Taggert left on his own accord>Strong is a natural fit for USF not a natural fit for UConn. Nothing to do w/ finances.

Charlie Strong. I get and agree with your point. Strong was never coming to UConn. I just want to make sure that when there is a big name available that is a good fit for UConn, that we can get him. Such as...

...Pat Narduzzi. We lost out on him because of low assistant coaching salary pool. Pitt is not a heavy hitting P5 job by any means - yet they commit to paying assistants fair market value and we don't. When Narduzzi wanted to bring in Matt Canada, Pitt ponied up the $500K/yr (soon to be $600K/yr) to hire him. Meanwhile, we scrape couch cushion change to bring in a bunch of duds and then are blindsided when we can't get a single first down on the majority of our possessions. The Narduzzi miss has a lot to do with finances. If Benedict/Goetz commit to paying $500-$600K/yr for an OC, then maybe Diaco brings in somebody who can run a 2017 FBS level offense. Maybe things turn around quickly like they did at Penn State when Franklin brought in...

...Joe Moorhead. He's a guy that fits perfectly for us and, I think, would help us score more points and win more games that will ultimately sell more tickets. He likely wouldn't come at a $3M/yr price tag either. If we can Diaco on 1/1 and hire Moorhead, that would be seen as a HUGE step in the right direction. I have little doubt that Moorhead would have the ability to round out a much better staff than Diaco has too.

But my money is on Diaco staying put, UConn continuing to shop from the assistant coaches dollar menu, and another "level 100 process year" for 2017. This is why this program and athletic department is so toxic to me right now. If we can't up our OC and DC salary to $500K range, and bump up the positional coaching staff salaries to modest levels, then our problem is very much a financial one. I understand the $5M buyout is tough to swallow - just as $3.4M buyout will be tough to swallow - but committing an additional $1M/yr to fund assistant coaches salary should not be this much of a teeth pull for a school with a $72M AD budget.