We have to support the program with donations. We need to go after the big companies in ct that they need to be donors to our program. This state has a lot of billionaires and big corporations that should be paying money to UConn athletics. We as fans need to donate also if we want UConn to be successful.
Where is the money going to come from? People here have this false illusion that because UConn is located in Connecticut it is a rich school. It's quite the opposite. Regionally when compared to other private schools UConn is still a budget-best-for-money state school. The dog pound can throw a few bones but it won't move the needle in the grand scheme.
I just read an article mentioning that TCU is raising its tuition to over 60K (EXCLUDING ROOM BOARD AND FEES) which (pending Harvard's raise) is on par or in some cases over the cost of Ivy Leagues. TCU fundraised over a billion dollars as of October and currently has an over 2 BILLION $$$ endowment. To give perspective Uconn hasn't even passed 500 million yet. SMU just had donors step up and buy their way into the ACC for the bargain price of 330 Mil. That is something UConn alumn/faithful could never do and state taxes would never cover, even with the school's creative accounting methods.
So I ask again where is the real money going to come from? Do any of you guys have it? Cause last I checked I don't know of many UConn Alumn millionaires.
If Mora is disappointed that UConn isn't competing for NIL money from alumn/faithful like very wealthy mid-tier football programs such as Duke, SMU, Wake Forest, Tulane etc then maybe he chose the wrong program to come to. Perhaps coaching at UCLA and playing at Washington has put him out of touch with what UConn is and he's not liking what he sees.
I still think there is a path forward for UConn football to be competitive. Although I love Mora's passion and his pedigree and we are lucky to have gotten him, perhaps his roots in the NFL and very wealthy schools like UCLA and Washington have put him out of touch with where UConn stands financially in comparison with football resources. Maybe he was dangled BIG12 $$ and his whole world came collapsing in. If things don't work out perhaps UConn should be targeting very SUCCESSFUL proven FCS coaches who INNOVATE even if we are a stepping stone. Some of the grittiest best coaches started in high school but had employers who saw their undeniable potential.
I don't think any of us have the unrealistic idea we will ever be a Bama, Michigan etc. This isn't college basketball, Boise is still buried after all their success vs. say, Gonzaga. With the $$ emphasis I predict they will fall further behind each year. The entire point of NIL is to separate the established haves from the have-nots. The sooner the elite big boys with insane $$$ to burn can separate from the rest of the pack the sooner we can establish something fun that looks like college football again, hopefully regionally.
