The biggest issue - investment in the program

[UConnJim]

And, no I'm not talking about facilities. In 2011, UConn paid Paul Pasqualoni $1.5 million per year and the assistant coaching pool ~$1.7 million. Fast forward to 2022 (latest USA Today data) and UConn is paying the head coach $1.5 million and the assistant coaches ~$1.8 million. So in 11 years, the football coaching salaries are flat and down in real terms after adjusting for inflation. Does that show a commitment to winning football?

Compare the above numbers with Cincinnati. In 2011, they paid the head coach ~$1.1 million with a $1.5 million assistant pool. In 2022, they were paying the head coach $5 million (before he left for Wisconsin) with an assistant pool of $3.3 million. Doesn't that show more commitment to football than UConn?

What schools look similar to UConn when it comes to spending money on football coaching salaries? Wyoming, UNLV, Utah St. What G5 schools are spending more? UTSA, Boise St., San Jose St., ECU, USF, San Diego St., Memphis. Are these the schools that we trying to be peers with in athletics?

I don't know how we do it, but we need to find a way to increase spending on football. We have to look at football spending as an investment with a potential return, not as an expense. I think we need to increase the total football salary pool by ~$2 million per year. Give Mora the money to get and keep top assistant coaches.

 

[ZooCougar]

And, no I'm not talking about facilities. In 2011, UConn paid Paul Pasqualoni $1.5 million per year and the assistant coaching pool ~$1.7 million. Fast forward to 2022 (latest USA Today data) and UConn is paying the head coach $1.5 million and the assistant coaches ~$1.8 million. So in 11 years, the football coaching salaries are flat and down in real terms after adjusting for inflation. Does that show a commitment to winning football?

Compare the above numbers with Cincinnati. In 2011, they paid the head coach ~$1.1 million with a $1.5 million assistant pool. In 2022, they were paying the head coach $5 million (before he left for Wisconsin) with an assistant pool of $3.3 million. Doesn't that show more commitment to football than UConn?

What schools look similar to UConn when it comes to spending money on football coaching salaries? Wyoming, UNLV, Utah St. What G5 schools are spending more? UTSA, Boise St., San Jose St., ECU, USF, San Diego St., Memphis. Are these the schools that we trying to be peers with in athletics?

I don't know how we do it, but we need to find a way to increase spending on football. We have to look at football spending as an investment with a potential return, not as an expense. I think we need to increase the total football salary pool by ~$2 million per year. Give Mora the money to get and keep top assistant coaches.

So tell me about the schools who spend even less than us and can put out a superior product.

If we doubled Nick Charlton’s pay it’s not like he would improve. I can’t believe it took $400k to get him away from Maine.

I’m all for increasing pay but let’s actually use it to pull in some people that are worth the money.

 

[Scrutineer]

So tell me about the schools who spend even less than us and can put out a superior product.

If we doubled Nick Charlton’s pay it’s not like he would improve. I can’t believe it took $400k to get him away from Maine.

I’m all for increasing pay but let’s actually use it to pull in some people that are worth the money.

Like GSU? I think I read they pay their coordinator 250.

 

[UConnJim]

Like GSU? I think I read they pay their coordinator 250.

GSU assistant coaches salary pool = ~$1.5 million vs UConn at ~$1.8 million.

And, you can get lucky with up and coming coaches and you can make a big mistake by hiring a retread (think GDL). Hiring is not an exact science. What separates successful programs from unsuccessful programs is the amount they are willing to pay good people and how quickly they move on from hiring mistakes.

 

[noeynox]

And, no I'm not talking about facilities. In 2011, UConn paid Paul Pasqualoni $1.5 million per year and the assistant coaching pool ~$1.7 million. Fast forward to 2022 (latest USA Today data) and UConn is paying the head coach $1.5 million and the assistant coaches ~$1.8 million. So in 11 years, the football coaching salaries are flat and down in real terms after adjusting for inflation. Does that show a commitment to winning football?

Compare the above numbers with Cincinnati. In 2011, they paid the head coach ~$1.1 million with a $1.5 million assistant pool. In 2022, they were paying the head coach $5 million (before he left for Wisconsin) with an assistant pool of $3.3 million. Doesn't that show more commitment to football than UConn?

What schools look similar to UConn when it comes to spending money on football coaching salaries? Wyoming, UNLV, Utah St. What G5 schools are spending more? UTSA, Boise St., San Jose St., ECU, USF, San Diego St., Memphis. Are these the schools that we trying to be peers with in athletics?

I don't know how we do it, but we need to find a way to increase spending on football. We have to look at football spending as an investment with a potential return, not as an expense. I think we need to increase the total football salary pool by ~$2 million per year. Give Mora the money to get and keep top assistant coaches.

Been beating this drum for a while. Chris Dailey probably makes as much as our coordinators. No knock on her, but a knock on the current state of things.

 

[ZooCougar]

GSU assistant coaches salary pool = ~$1.5 million vs UConn at ~$1.8 million.

And, you can get lucky with up and coming coaches and you can make a big mistake by hiring a retread (think GDL). Hiring is not an exact science. What separates successful programs from unsuccessful programs is the amount they are willing to pay good people and how quickly they move on from hiring mistakes.

What separates success from the lack of success is the ability to attract good people and make good hiring decisions.

It seems to me that on the offensive side of things schools that are spending less are doing better at both.

 

[noeynox]

Also the OP is the operating thesis for the "UConn gave up on football" narrative. The school didn't have a plan and is still struggling with losing BCS status resources. I have no idea how they do it either but we are in a weird place. Outspend MAC schools but not really close to what Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis and others were doing. No man's land of football spending.

 

[JohnFSilver]

This would be an issue if it werent for the fact Mora is here .

 

[ZooCougar]

Also the OP is the operating thesis for the "UConn gave up on football" narrative. The school didn't have a plan and is still struggling with losing BCS status resources. I have no idea how they do it either but we are in a weird place. Outspend MAC schools but not really close to what Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis and others were doing. No man's land of football spending.

We also grew our support and operations staff. Which we really had very little of comparatively.

 

[JeepCSC]

The farther you are from a recruiting base, the more you will likely need to overpay for recruiters.

 

[UConnJim]

Been beating this drum for a while. Chris Dailey probably makes as much as our coordinators. No knock on her, but a knock on the current state of things.

I think the basketball coaches deserve what they are paid and the football coaches are underpaid. The men's basketball coach makes over 3x the football coach and the women's basketball coach makes ~2x the football coach. That is not happening at any other FBS school. We have to find more money for the football program.

Think about this. If UConn had hired say Mike Leach instead of PP in 2011 and paid him a big salary, the return on investment would have been huge.

 

[zls44]

UConn’s salary pool is solidly in the G5 range. That is not the problem. You shouldn’t need to pay an OC $1m to get more than 24 yards in a half.

Most schools don’t!

They have exceptional facilities and more than enough support staff. Throwing more money at the problem is not the fix you think it is.

 

[UCFanInSC]

Football needs a conference and something to play for other than getting beaten for paydays by superior teams.
Is the 1.8 million the program is going to get for having the privilege of getting crushed by Tennessee, worth it?

UConn and UMass should approach the MAC for football and build from there. No major conference is going to be calling at this point.

 

[UConnJim]

UConn’s salary pool is solidly in the G5 range. That is not the problem. You shouldn’t need to pay an OC $1m to get more than 24 yards in a half.

Most schools don’t!

They have exceptional facilities and more than enough support staff. Throwing more money at the problem is not the fix you think it is.

I thought we were trying to get a P5 invite? Look at how much Cincy, UCF, and Houston invested to get a P5 invite. In 2011, we paid equal or more than those schools and they kept investing and we didn’t and here we are today. All of our recent OCs have been on the cheap hires and it shows. Even Lashlee was on the cheap as he needed to reboot his career and left for much more money at SMU who is going to the ACC.

 

[Dizzy21]

I thought we were trying to get a P5 invite? Look at how much Cincy, UCF, and Houston invested to get a P5 invite. In 2011, we paid equal or more than those schools and they kept investing and we didn’t and here we are today. All of our recent OCs have been on the cheap hires and it shows. Even Lashlee was on the cheap as he needed to reboot his career and left for much more money at SMU who is going to the ACC.

Before getting into the Big 12 those three schools paid assistants the same as Charlton gets and even now they aren't getting much more. UCF and Cincy got Josh Heupel to come on board for 1.7mln and Fickell to come on board for 1.9 mln. Mora Gets 1.5mln. They didn't exactly splash money around to a good coach. They simply hired good ones and then paid them for success after they won and ultimately into the Big 12.

If Mora went 12-1 like Heupel or 11-2 like Fickell, I am sure the money would come like they did for those guys. The Mountain West and Sunbelt Schools have no issue making football good with coaches paid half as much.

Now it would be nice to be able to drop a bag on someone proven, but those schools that got into the Big 12 simply know how to hire football coaches better than UConn does.

 

[JeepCSC]

The 3 AAC-turned-BXII programs averaged around $7 million in coaching salaries last year. UConn is at $3.3m. I think Temple is the only AAC program that would be below UConn, the others spending upwards of $4m already.

UConn would have been top 3 in the CUSA (North Texas and Texas-San Antonio). UConn would be 8th in the MWC (Boise, Fresno, San Diego, San Jose, UNLV, Wyoming, Colorado State). UConn pays more than anyone in the MAC and Sun Belt.

 

[Buffett10]

Football needs a conference and something to play for other than getting beaten for paydays by superior teams.
Is the 1.8 million the program is going to get for having the privilege of getting crushed by Tennessee, worth it?

UConn and UMass should approach the MAC for football and build from there. No major conference is going to be calling at this point.

You do realize the TN was agreed to when Uconn was in a conference right? And your solution of going to the MAC would still require body bag games.

 

[UConnJim]

Before getting into the Big 12 those three schools paid assistants the same as Charlton gets and even now they aren't getting much more.

Cincy's OC and DC are making 50% more than Charlton. I think they have 5 assistants making about as much as Charlton.

In 2021, before the Big 12 invited UCF, they paid the head coach $2.3 million and the assistant pool was $3.3 million for a total of $5.5 million.

 

[CTBasketball]

Cincy's OC and DC are making 50% more than Charlton. I think they have 5 assistants making about as much as Charlton.

In 2021, before the Big 12 invited UCF, they paid the head coach $2.3 million and the assistant pool was $3.3 million for a total of $5.5 million.

Their athletic department makes football focused decisions. Even when we try to make good football decisions, we fail.

 

[SwingDog]

To me it's pretty simple. Salary increases should be merit-based. If Mora and his assistants produce, they get more money. I agree with @JohnFSilver. We have Jim Mora as head coach, and I'd like to think most of us believe he's capable of turning this program around. He's about the best hire we could possibly have gotten. You start winning games, you fill more seats, you make more money, and the coaches get paid more.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Cincy's OC and DC are making 50% more than Charlton. I think they have 5 assistants making about as much as Charlton.

In 2021, before the Big 12 invited UCF, they paid the head coach $2.3 million and the assistant pool was $3.3 million for a total of $5.5 million.

I think using Charlton as an example is not the correct comparison because honestly one can argue he is overpaid at 400k given what is going on results-wise.

 

[noeynox]

I think using Charlton as an example is not the correct comparison because honestly one can argue he is overpaid at 400k given what is going on results-wise.

Think the argument is you get what you pay for. Also this place is starting to become a coaching graveyard. You are going to have to pay more to get good people to come here soon, if you don't have to already. Tough spot to be in. But as others have said UConn has sucked at hiring. Buffalo goes out and hires Lance Leipold, a proven winner at division 3, and pays him roughly 600k. We go out and get whom at the same time while paying more? UConn a tougher place to coach and win at than Buffalo? Like i said, questions need to be asked about if Benedict can get this turned around. Because he hired Hurley he seems to skate on just how horrible his FB moves have been. If Mora doesn't get it turned around, he shouldn't make the next hire. There is still time. Mora should get 2 additional years to prove it.

 

[UConnJim]

To me it's pretty simple. Salary increases should be merit-based. If Mora and his assistants produce, they get more money. I agree with @JohnFSilver. We have Jim Mora as head coach, and I'd like to think most of us believe he's capable of turning this program around. He's about the best hire we could possibly have gotten. You start winning games, you fill more seats, you make more money, and the coaches get paid more.

So, if we could hire Urban Meyer with top assistants for a total of $6 million per year, you would say no we only pay after they prove than can win at UConn? Isn’t that the mindset that has gotten us into our current situation?

 

[superjohn]

And, no I'm not talking about facilities. In 2011, UConn paid Paul Pasqualoni $1.5 million per year and the assistant coaching pool ~$1.7 million. Fast forward to 2022 (latest USA Today data) and UConn is paying the head coach $1.5 million and the assistant coaches ~$1.8 million. So in 11 years, the football coaching salaries are flat and down in real terms after adjusting for inflation. Does that show a commitment to winning football?

Compare the above numbers with Cincinnati. In 2011, they paid the head coach ~$1.1 million with a $1.5 million assistant pool. In 2022, they were paying the head coach $5 million (before he left for Wisconsin) with an assistant pool of $3.3 million. Doesn't that show more commitment to football than UConn?

What schools look similar to UConn when it comes to spending money on football coaching salaries? Wyoming, UNLV, Utah St. What G5 schools are spending more? UTSA, Boise St., San Jose St., ECU, USF, San Diego St., Memphis. Are these the schools that we trying to be peers with in athletics?

I don't know how we do it, but we need to find a way to increase spending on football. We have to look at football spending as an investment with a potential return, not as an expense. I think we need to increase the total football salary pool by ~$2 million per year. Give Mora the money to get and keep top assistant coaches.

This narrative is an excuse that keeps getting played around here to try and justify why we stink so much. Why are all these other schools who pay the same as us and less than us so much better than us? Why does it matter that we have Mora on the cheap when so many here say Mora is an amazing coach?

 

[BlueandOG]

IF we do not have a D-coordinator because of a lack of money, we need more money. Big time programs are fully staffed. I capitalized IF because I do not know that a lack of money is the reason for no D-coordinator.