Dear AD Benedict/UConn BOT: Spend Some Goddam Money On Football

[huskymedic]

I honestly think Edsall is on some sort of hot seat. Just because we think he will be here long doesn’t necessarily make him untouchable.

Make up your mind...

He gets at least 2 to 3 more years to let the development hopefully by that point we are much better than this year

We shouldn’t get rid of him. It’s stupid to say that. Two years doesn’t do much. Let him do his thing

 

[Block C]

Make up your mind...

I already did he is on the hot seat for me after last nights showing hate to say it. He will be back but I would only give him one more year or two at the most

 

[uconnell]

Not even to save football. How short sighted! How can we get people on the BOT, (young people) should understand how important football is ? Talk about the front porch of the school. Maybe it is good that Herbst is moving on. Who hires the next president of UConn? Can we hire someone who really understands how important sports are to the university?

 

[Block C]

Not even to save football. How short sighted! How can we get people on the BOT, (young people) should understand how important football is ? Talk about the front porch of the school. Maybe it is good that Herbst is moving on. Who hires the next president of UConn? Can we hire someone who really understands how important sports are to the university?

Knowing UConn that’s a very slim chance. We need a AD that knows how important every sport is and have a even budget for all

 

[Dooley]

Why can we cut non revenue. sports until we get football back on track? I hate to do it but football is more important right now.

Because that makes too much sense. Do what we need to do to position for 2021+ ACC/P5. Once in, we can restore funding to whatever. Can do alot with $25M/yr of ACC money.

 

[Chief00]

Offering free tickets to the students, who currently finance just under 40% of our athletic budget, is definitely this missing piece. The last published numbers for revenue and expenses pertaining to the football program showed that for every dollar in revenue the program generated, the university spent two.

UConn has tried everything. The experienced, respected coach with Pasqualoni. The hot, fast-rising assistant at a major program with Diaco. Hiring back the one man who was able to get UConn to perform at a medicore level in Edsall.

The high-point of the program is being the worst BCS representative of all time. Since joining the AAC we are 13-51 against FBS opponents. We are Kansas with 1/10 of the television revenue. Unfortunately, women's basketball and field hockey don't move the needle when it comes to conference realignment (both of which are more of a net positive for CR hopes than the football team). Cut the program. Join the Big East. Let's at least enjoy watching basketball again.

They get free tickets - they tailgate and start taking the buses back to campus before the game starts. Not a few - we are talking 1,000 to 1,500.

 

[Chief00]

Our BOT has generally been feckless for years. It is populated by politicall hacks of both parties. Don't expect bold leadership from them on a football rebuild. Another major issue is UConn funding. There is not a lot of extra dough hanging around. It's right to bring up the BOT though. They have generally disappeared on this critical issue.

It’s another example of how CT politicians have failed the state.

 

[polycom]

Don’t blame politicians of CT. We are citizens vote in these fools time and time again. We don’t have the culture in CT to be good at college football we need to accept it and move on. Go visit a big time school and see the culture of football you’ll understand why we have no chance.

 

[kemba]

You get what you pay for...

48. Memphis, Mike Norvell $2,600,000
58. Navy, Ken Niumatalolo $2,163,000
60. Cincinnati, Luke Fickell, $2,000,000
67. Houston, Major Applewhite $1,750,000
69. UCF, Josh Heupel $1,700,000
71. Tulane, Willie Fritz $1,629,000
73. Tulsa, Phillip Montgomery $1,518,177
78. ECU, Scottie Montgomery $1,102,500
80. UConn, Randy Edsall, $1,100,000
82. South Florida, Charlie Strong, $1,000,000 (Note: Strong due to make $2.5M in 2019)

Legit question because I don't know, how do the other schools do it? Did they cut non-revenue sports or just never have them? Do they just spend less? I'm sure we invest more in basketball but that can't be the only difference.

 

[uconnell]

They get free tickets - they tailgate and start taking the buses back to campus before the game starts. Not a few - we are talking 1,000 to 1,500.

Sad! Very sad indeed!

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Legit question because I don't know, how do the other schools do it? Did they cut non-revenue sports or just never have them? Do they just spend less? I'm sure we invest more in basketball but that can't be the only difference.

None of these schools play hockey or pay their WBB coach what Geno makes.

 

[uconnell]

Even if we had an oncampus stadium I think the students would still find a place to congregate and party. Don’t even need buses to get back to campus so party longer. Maybe when we start wining the students will have some pride in their school! As they do not seem to have much right now.

 

[uconnell]

None of these schools play hockey or pay their WBB coach what Geno makes.

Geno has offered to take a pay cut when the discussion about firing Ollie came @bout.

 

[huskymedic]

Geno has offered to take a pay cut when the discussion about firing Ollie came @bout.

Different situation: Auriemma offers to forego pay in education budget battle - not related to Ollie

 

[Redding Husky]

I completely understand folks for the "Cancel Football" posts and opinions. We are the unquestioned worst team in the country. Nobody - not even UMass - is lower than us. We'll be #1 Bottom 10 on every sports site on Monday morning for the rest of the season.

But I want to do the exact opposite...

UConn boasts about having a G5 leading ~$70M AD budget. We pay Geno and Hurley very aggressively and rightfully so. We're a basketball school and always will be. But when it comes to the one and only sport that could lift our school and state economy out of the doldrums of college athletic's minor leagues, we go cheap. Incredibly cheap. Edsall is paid peanuts. We just let SMU (S.M.U.!) poach an assistant coach from us. Our assistant coaches could leave UConn and make more money bagging groceries at Big Y.

Why bother? You get what you pay for.

Either spend some goddam money and employ an actual FBS level coaching staff - assistants included - or the "Cancel/Drop Football" crowd will only get bigger, louder and, worst of all, 1000% right. What is the point of student subsidies - already astronomically high - if that money isn't being put the one and only use to get UConn into "The Money Club"?? The one and only college sport that could give the state economy a HUGE boost.

Put some goddam money into our football coaching pool. Call it Benedict's Last Stand. Call it our Doug Flutie moment. Call it whatever you want. Increase our football coaching pay pool today and put everything we have into it. Commit fully to it. Slash ticket prices, give students free tickets, and eat more money. Endure the frustrated complaints from the fans and alumni during yet another transition period. And in 3-5 years, when CR will firmly be closed, if we're no better than we are today, drop it and do what you have to do. But please please try. Partial commitment and half arsing is making this program worse, not better.

I agree with most of your post, but don't underestimate SMU. It has: 1) between one and three national championships (depending on how they're counted), 2) a tradition of 83 years in the Southwest Conference, 3) an inexhaustible donor base, 4) academics that are as good or better than UConn, and 5) a location in the most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation (Dallas-Fort Worth produces 5% of all Division 1 FB players).

 

[Hoophound]

We can pay a coach, but we had to buy out Diaco. Edsall’s low salary was a Dave Benedict solution to go in a different direction and get rid of Diaco. In fairness to DB, Edsall wasn’t a bad choice and was certainly the best known commodity that would take the job for $1,000,000. I am not even dissatisfied with Randy, I just want him to give good coordinators autonomy and stop making excuses. We know we suck and we know it is tough to fix. Just give us hope instead of arguing and making excuses.

 

[Dooley]

Legit question because I don't know, how do the other schools do it? Did they cut non-revenue sports or just never have them? Do they just spend less? I'm sure we invest more in basketball but that can't be the only difference.

Other schools/ADs prioritize football considerably more than we do. They devote a far larger % of AD expense to their football programs than we do... just like Pitt, Louisville, BC, Miami, West Virginia, Syracuse, TCU, Utah, and Rutgers did.

 

[kemba]

Other schools/ADs prioritize football considerably more than we do. They devote a far larger % of AD expense to their football programs than we do... just like Pitt, Louisville, BC, Miami, West Virginia, Syracuse, TCU, Utah, and Rutgers did.

Right, but where are we spending that the other schools aren't that makes us have the highest budget but lowest for football? Is it all in hockey and paying our basketball coaches well? Are we spending for all the bells and whistles for non revenue sports, and they are giving them the bare minimum?

I guess what im wondering, if we wanted to devote a higher percentage of our budget to football, would it require some tougher decisions like cutting other sports programs, or investing less in basketball? Or are there some easier ways we could shift money around?

 

[bobbyinaz]

Given the massive budget problems, the UConn athletic dept won't be able to maintain its current spending.

While spending more on football is an easy response the likelihood is that ALL the athletic teams will face cuts.

 

[the Q]

AD Dave is probably interviewing around and trying to jump off the USS UConn Titanic before it's too late. Warde somehow convinced Michigan to hire him so there's hope for him. Sure am rooting for him to save his skin (and reputation)!

There’s no question. He’s getting all the major boxes ticked off:

Nike deal
IMG deal
CLC
athletics district
Hurley

He’s getting it set up to boost the resume for a potential move.

 

[Chin Diesel]

1. UConn sponsors more D1 sports than almost every AAC school. UConn sponsors more D1 sports than most P5 schools.

2. Part of me believes UConn as a university, fans and state residents wear the team's failure as a badge of honor. Falling in to a "football school" culture would be admitting UConn had been doing it "wrong".

3. Demographics. Can't summarily dismiss UConn doesn't have a huge on campus undergrad population, fertile local recruiting base or exist in a college football hungry area of the country. There isn't a huge push from the local population to be good or great at football. No pressure to keep up with the Jones's.

 

[Stainmaster]

There’s no question. He’s getting all the major boxes ticked off:

Nike deal
IMG deal
CLC
athletics district
Hurley

He’s getting it set up to boost the resume for a potential move.

"Potential" move? He's out of here as soon as possible.

 

[CL82]

They get free tickets - they tailgate and start taking the buses back to campus before the game starts. Not a few - we are talking 1,000 to 1,500.

And why do we have buses back to campus right at the start of the game?

 

[crazyUCfan23]

And why do we have buses back to campus right at the start of the game?

Those buses are typically paid for my frats and other organizations. They are not run by the school. The school provides a bus to the game, one leaves at halftime, and one leaves after the game i believe.

 

[CL82]

There’s no question. He’s getting all the major boxes ticked off:

Nike deal
IMG deal
CLC
athletics district
Hurley

He’s getting it set up to boost the resume for a potential move.

So his doing his job is clear sign he wants to leave?