Men's soccer coach was hired by TP and yes reading the other sports board there was a big movement to get rid of him recently. Women's soccer was promoted by JH from within. Wrestling coach was hired by Mulcahy, but they added a key assistant to the the staff recently under JH. Budgets for assistants in FB/MBB have improved and attempts were made successful or otherwise to get better assistants.
Donations and more specifically the number I'm interested in, number of unique donors, are at record levels. That's a good thing. I use the first year in the B10 as a baseline and so far one report for the first quarter year over year numbers show a 17% increase from the same quarter last year. I'm not sure if that level of increase will be maintained over the whole fiscal year but it's still a good sign. I mean did we even have a position that SB is filling right now before JH got here?
Hiring coaches is definitely a big part of the AD job as I've said many times. But that's just part of it with regards to a successful athletic program. An AD also has to give those coaches as much resources as possible to be successful. People were looking for her to swing the axe on some of these coaches from the moment she set foot in the door. I think she actually took the right approach in judging them only after some time and trying to give them more resources to actually have a fair chance to be successful at their jobs.
Just hiring a coach and giving them no support means what exactly? Or just firing a coach and giving the new one no support means what exactly? From renovating the sorry coaching offices, to helping raise money for the programs, to hiring better assistants or attempting in the case of the MBB program, to building a practice facility, etc..all these things matter in addition to identifying and hiring the right coach. I think she's tried to give every coach in the AD a fair chance with some adequate support rather than swing the axe wildly as soon as she stepped in the door and judging coaches who never really had the full backing of the AD behind it.
Also a lot of this stuff is being done without a penny more of B10 money. Our take from the conference isn't much different than the last year in the AAC. It's still around 10M and will be in that 10-11.5M vicinity for the next few years.
As to the FB coach, well who knows how much authority she has or doesn't have. That's just assumption by others here who may or may not know. The end of the year hasn't arrived yet and if a change is made that is usually the time of it, before the silly season in coaching this year. Flood's extension was fine by me. How many were complaining just a short while ago that his security was affecting recruiting. It was funded privately so I don't have a problem with it. After last year I saw no complaints, this year I do. The question isn't the extension, the question how much does it affect your long term financial flexibility. If it doesn't then the extension doesn't matter. It's playing both sides of the fence which is what you want. If Flood works out, his security is set. If he doesn't you haven't significantly harmed your long term financial flexibility and you can let him go. Either outcome is covered. On top of which Flood wasn't even her hire. She also gave him more money to hire assistants and the highest paid coordinator we've ever had here. Again like I said above trying to give the current coach more resources to do their job and let them sink or swim on their own after.
Media stuff is all overblown. How did our last 2 ADs do with that. Giving them nothing and interacting with them as little as possible should be the blue print for JH and any future AD here. They do you no favors no matter how buddy buddy you are with them. Only deal with them as necessary. Everything else can be handled through RU media platforms and statements. The faces of the AD are the football coach and the MBB coach not the athletic director. JH and any future AD can hide under rock during their time here for all I care. I only care about the meat and potatoes of the job, hiring good coaches and fundraising. That is what will help lift the entire athletic department.
