There is a massive push for Freeman right now amongst the current and former players and recruits. He’s unbelievably popular and seen as the heart of our program. I’m worried that any external hire (particularly of a white man) will be taken a certain way and a rift will form. The only way to retain Freeman, without handing over the keys to a blue blood over to a coach with a severely lacking resume, is to hire Fickell.
about whom to hire as HC.
They know him very well, having spent a significant amount of time with him over the past year.
By contrast, they have spent 0 minutes with anybody not on the current payroll, so any opinions they have about those guys is pretty uninformed.
Eschewing a real search in favor of what the players want is a surefire way to get this thing wrong.
It happens when you over-correct to being a player-centric program and end up with Tommy Rees and Chris O'Leary as OC and Safeties coaches, instead of dudes from the outside that elite recruits want to play for.
Unfortunately, 5-star QB recruits don't seem to...
Home run hires are going to run you $12-15MM. Triple hires--sorry I mean standing on third hires--initially run $10MM/year until you go 0-5 against your rival and can't beat your little brother and then you have to take a paycut in order to keep your job.
Mel Tucker. James Franklin. Brian Kelly. All in that range and all far from home runs.
Poor and cutting women's and men's programs. Now their handing out 10 million year out of the pez dispenser.
He is giving all of his bonus to Athletic dept employees who were impacted by COVID reductions.
...would be played.
Being willing to pay $10M to the guy in charge of your money making machine is hardly inconsistent with crying poverty when the money machine breaks down.