Thoughts on a new coaching staff

[yoteforever]

As most are aware of, I am not in favor of a coaching change at the present moment for reasons I've given before, and I don't want to be redundant and say the same thing over and over again. And I can also understand why some on here do want a change, the arguments make sense as well. It's just really a tough dilemma.

So I got thinking about what it would take to bring in a new staff and compete in the Missouri Valley. Much discussion has centered around hiring a coordinator at a current D1 school, a so called up and comer. Makes sense. But if you look at the average salaries in college football today, coordinators make huge dollars, and most coordinators, if not all, make in excess of $200,000 a what we would call mid majors. A place like Miami of Ohio, or Kent State. Then, coaches that aren't coordinators make in excess of $100,000 at those same schools. Although I don't have the salaries of what we pay in front of me, I'm guessing if we found that perfect candidate to be head coach, it would cost us at minimum $200,000. More then Joe makes. In addition, whoever comes in is going to want a commitment from the administration that football is a priority, and he needs competitive salaries for his staff. Now initially, in the interview, it may go something like this....."yes I can find people to come and coach here at the salaries your proposing" but eventually when reality sets in, it goes more like this...." It's virtually impossible to hire the quality of coaches I need to win and compete with the salary constraints and number limitations I face. In addition to that, the fact they can't offer anyone something other than a one year contract is crippling. Maybe not death, but sure isn't good.

You see, to me, that's the issue. Right now we can't commit what it takes to compete in terms of dollars, because we simply don't have them. Period. So if we let Joe go, or he says on a volunteer basis that's he's had enough, we aren't really in a position to make the kind of hire we need to make anyway. Although none of us would ever really know the inside scoop, my bet is we would be turned down by a vast majority of potential coaches because of salary issues and funding for recruiting, Dome renovation, new football offices, and a dedicated weight room. So, if I'm correct, or close to being correct, who now becomes our potential head coach? Who would take the job?

Let me throw out a name. Glen Caruso. Former offensive coordinator at USD, current head coach at St. Thomas and has built them into a national power at the D3 level. Caruso has a great gig going right now. He's paid a lot, he has facilities better than we have for training, lives in the twin cities, and I could go on. But Caruso also in my opinion has a burning desire to prove to the world that he can coach and succeed at the D1level. Bringing assistants he's comfortable with would be easier because I'm sure they are paid on par up there with what they would get in Vermillion. Sounds like a great hire doesn't it? Actually I think it might be, but.......deep down, does Coach Caruso understand the talent it takes to win in the MVFC? Can he judge that talent, and more importantly, can he recruit that talent?

Coaches today have to be so connected, it's not funny. Somehow, some way, when a kid pops up that could be a difference maker,he has to be on high school coaches speed dial to inform him of such kids. Very much like Ed recruited. Stephan Logan being one name that pops up. Guys like him. Then there's the argument he's only been the head coach of a D3 program. Valid argument. May or may not be right. Time will only tell. The point is, we go right back to square one if Joe either quits because he's had enough' or is asked by AD to step down. We end up taking a chance, and starting over.

I think I know Joe well enough to say if he doesn't feel he can't get it done, he won't continue. He doesn't have that larger than life ego. He's a great Coyote, make no mistake about it, and he wants to succeed every bit as much as we want him to. He isn't blind to the situation, he knows what's at risk. And because he loves this University as much as we do, I don't think his ego for one second would get in the way. Again, if he feels like he can't get it done, or because he's such a nice guy letting go of certain staff that maybe needs replacing is hard for him to do, then bet your bottom dollar he will step down.

I just think before there's a large clamor for him to go, everyone has a somewhat of an understanding at what's at risk. Maybe I'm all wet, but if don't think so. And go back to the lack of funding for Dome renovation, that hurt more than you'll possibly know. We simply don't have the plan in place to raise the dollars it takes. I feel sorry for Herbster because he is trying to do a hundred things, when in all reality, he should be focused on say 10. But budgets don't allow for him to perform any other way than he does. Simply put, we need to raise more money. End of discussion. Part of that money can come from season ticket sales, and now as we have area. That's struggling, it's hard to get motivated to go to the game. It's truly a CATCH 22 situation. Right now. These are just my thoughts, I'm no expert, but this is indeed how I see it. It's really not as simple as "just fire the coach".

[fightsd]

Here's my thoughts on it. I'm not going to go into a ton of detail and reasoning why I feel this way. We have all heard that stuff enough.

Would a new coaching staff really make a difference? You know, it is what it is. Our guys are prepared enough to play with anybody, we just plain don't. Sure you could say a new staff would come in and fix all our problems, but would it? We don't support the program as it is, any programs for that matter. I know the athletic department is making money, we just won't commit to having good sports programs. That's the bottom line. Everyone wants Ferrari performance on a Volvo budget.

I agree with yoteforever. Not sure about the Caruso hire, but that type of candidate is the only we could land. Someone that may or may not have the skill to win here.

[yoteforever]

Nov 5, 2014 9:32:52 GMT -6 fightsd said:

Here's my thoughts on it. I'm not going to go into a ton of detail and reasoning why I feel this way. We have all heard that stuff enough.

Would a new coaching staff really make a difference? You know, it is what it is. Our guys are prepared enough to play with anybody, we just plain don't. Sure you could say a new staff would come in and fix all our problems, but would it? We don't support the program as it is, any programs for that matter. I know the athletic department is making money, we just won't commit to having good sports programs. That's the bottom line. Everyone wants Ferrari performance on a Volvo budget.

I agree with yoteforever. Not sure about the Caruso hire, but that type of candidate is the only we could land. Someone that may or may not have the skill to win here.

So we are clear, I am not endorsing Glen Caruso for the job, I merely use his name as an illustrative point I was trying to make. In other words, like you said, that's the type of candidate we most likely woüld hire.

By the way, I wished we were on a Volvo budget. Let's start with KIA

[obc]

When USD decided to move their programs to D1 - they needed to only do so if they were going to fund them appropriately. I define funded appropriately is to be fully funded in terms of allowable scholarships, a fully staffed staff with salaries and incentives that are industry competitive. I am not supportive of kind of funding the program. I would rather they dissolved the FB program than fund it on a shoe string. I say that as a former FB player that loves football first and foremost among any other sport. Do it right or not at all.
I still think the problems are deeper than just budgetary. As I stated in a previous post - how many on here would be confident USD can go on the road and beat D2 teams that rank in the top 25 of that division. USD has more scholarships and at least an equivalent budgets to them, yet I would expect the Yotes would have challenges winning. I hope they can turn it around - 3 games left to see this year.

[yote14]

Not only do I agree with Glenn being the best coach we can get at the current time, I feel like he is a great coach period. Getting rid of Glenn would be a death sentence for our program right now. The lack of success is not on him. It's on the current limitations of the program itself.
I do feel like we need to shake up some of the assistant positions at the end of the year, no qestions asked. If nothing else it will bring some fresh prospective into the program even if the candidate is on the same level of quality as the current assistant.
I know I have asked this question before but have not recieved a response on it yet. I undrstand a lot of endowments are designated towards specific areas (educational scholarships etc). But when USD's endowment is around $180,000,000.00 and NDSU and SDSU endowments are both under $100,000,000.00 how can we not make the financial commitment needed to make us successful?
I agree with obc. I'm sure/know the university did a ton of research into the move to D1. We had to know the costs. we had to know what it was going to take. We also know what type of money we have coming in and the support we have had for the past 150 years. If we were not going to have what it takes to compete in the MVFC then maybe we should have looked at the Big Sky. I have no doubt USD could compete in that conference right now. The 2 ranked teams from that conference we played this year were the 2 best games of this season. one win and one loss and both of those teams are competing for the Big Sky crown and currently ranked.
I always brag about how smart/successful our alumni are compared to the other state schools. For being so smart it seems like we make a lot of poor decisions sometimes. Where do we funnel all of our money? I have a hard time believing that our endowment is twice the size of NDSU and SDSU(I know NDSU has made a huge commitment financialy to the football program itself) but that no one wants to give money to the athletic departments and its all designated to academics only. Maybe I'm completly wrong about that. If we were not going to do what it takes or have what it takes to compete then we should not have made the jump. I dont want to have 1-8 seasons in football for the next 30 years hoping that in 30 years we will have the funding to make it happen.

[coyotecrazie5]

I have to disagree on USD should have went to the Big Sky. Would you rather get beat up for a few years and play in the best conference as well as get to play our rivals every year; or play teams people don't get as passionate about playing and get some more wins? I agree that I too am confused on some of the endowment figures, but by not having that information, it is all speculation. I am all for USD football, and would have no problem if the University allocated more funds to the program, but I would hope that they do not cut into the education portion. People need to remember that the reason people go to a college is because of the education, and not the sports. I know I did not attend USD because of how good their sports teams were, but because it was the best education I could get in state. Sometimes I think that some of the posters from up north are opposite of that. I know everyone keeps saying give it time, but I'm not ready to write off this regime yet. If next year is just as bad, then I will reconsider my opinions.

[Yote 53]

I am beginning to wonder where you have all been for the last 25+ years. The truth is USD has never put any sort of serious financial backing into its athletics programs, especially football. We have always gotten by on shoestring budgets and minimal financial support for our athletic programs. It just feels like once the Dome was built way back when the university just said "ok, we're done." Seriously, the only reason some of our programs have had any success over the years is because we've been lucky to come across quality coaches who have decided to make Vermillion home for one reason or another. USD was just flat out lucky to have people like Boots, Lucky, and Gotts or those programs wouldn't have been successful either. The big difference is with football it takes a deep, well-funded program to have continual success. A good coach might be able to come in for a short period and have some success (Ed M) but in the long run that success will run out because of the lack of resources.

NDSU is successful because they put their money where their mouth is and financially fund that program. In return the football program has given that school national exposure that dwarfs the financial commitment put into the program (3 NC & ESPN Gameday...TWICE!) If we want USD Football to be successful we better start putting up the resources to be successful. That means the Dome upgrade has to go through and we have to be willing to open the checkbook for qualified coaches and spend the money it takes for recruiting. If we're not willing to do that then we just need to be realistic, once in a while we'll have winning seasons, we'll pull off some upsets here and there, but we'll never be contenders. As a fan just enjoy spending your Saturdays tailgating and enjoy the gameday experience, which is actually enhanced when you quit stressing about the outcome of the game. That's where I'm at right now, it's just a party, might as well have a good time.

I really thought that when we went D1 and then got into the MVFC we would step up and emulate NDSU & SDSU in football. Put our money on the table, fill the stands, compete right with them. Instead, I get the feeling we're just happy we got an invitation to the party. Whoop-de-do, we played at Oregon. Man, did you see us get trounced at Wisconsin? That was great. Hey look, we're in the Valley. We get to play STATE...every year! Isn't this great! Wee, this is fun!

Here's the rub. You can't really say the University isn't putting up the money to be a successful D1 athletics program. They are putting up the money. They are spending $66 million on a new basketball facility (and outdoor track, and soccer complex, etc). They have just decided that they aren't going to spend that kind of money on football, who continues to operate on a tight budget and low salaries for coaches. Instead football gets to play the bodybag money games that help to fund the athletic department and gets to languish in the bottom of the MVFC. Unacceptable.

[jackl]

Nov 5, 2014 12:05:15 GMT -6 obc said:

When USD decided to move their programs to D1 - they needed to only do so if they were going to fund them appropriately. I define funded appropriately is to be fully funded in terms of allowable scholarships, a fully staffed staff with salaries and incentives that are industry competitive. I am not supportive of kind of funding the program. I would rather they dissolved the FB program than fund it on a shoe string. I say that as a former FB player that loves football first and foremost among any other sport. Do it right or not at all.
I still think the problems are deeper than just budgetary. As I stated in a previous post - how many on here would be confident USD can go on the road and beat D2 teams that rank in the top 25 of that division. USD has more scholarships and at least an equivalent budgets to them, yet I would expect the Yotes would have challenges winning. I hope they can turn it around - 3 games left to see this year.

Didn't USD fully fund football scholarships shortly after going D1? Maybe i'm remembering wrong,but i thought they did that instead of phasing in over time.

[Yote 53]

Yes, USD fully funded their scholarships ASAP after going D1. Needed to be a counter to sign the money games.

Did beat the Gophers at the Bank though, so we got that out of the deal. Seems like so long ago.

[yote14]

I feel like it is unfair to say the university is investing in athletics with the new arena when they didnt move a blade of grass until almost all of the money was raised to build it.
If they want to prove to a lot of people that following Coyote football is worth it again they need to make the investment in coaching salaries and other funding NOW and figure out a way to get the Dome renovations completed before 100% of the funds are raised.
Other schools in the region of equal or smaller size get projects done in clever ways before raising 100% of the funds why cant we? The last I heard State's new stadium is being built without 100% of the funds up front.

[obc]

The program needs money and someone in the leadership that can get that money raised. IMO that leader has to be lazer-focused on the top few priorities for the athletic department and have a charismatic enough personality to sell the vision both in private meetings and public presentations. President Abbott has been able to do that on the academic side. The facilities results (buildings on campus) are evidence of his success. USD needs the equivalent on the athletic side. They need a great communicator and fundraiser. If the budget for the coaching staff is lacking - it is up to the AD to find a way to fix that. In any business, it is about the right people in leadership that can effectively drive results and build mass-support. The USD athletic department is no different - with great leadership, fast progress can be made.

[azsod73]

Nov 5, 2014 18:43:29 GMT -6 obc said:

The program needs money and someone in the leadership that can get that money raised. IMO that leader has to be lazer-focused on the top few priorities for the athletic department and have a charismatic enough personality to sell the vision both in private meetings and public presentations. President Abbott has been able to do that on the academic side. The facilities results (buildings on campus) are evidence of his success. USD needs the equivalent on the athletic side. They need a great communicator and fundraiser. If the budget for the coaching staff is lacking - it is up to the AD to find a way to fix that. In any business, it is about the right people in leadership that can effectively drive results and build mass-support. The USD athletic department is no different - with great leadership, fast progress can be made.

This is what it is all about.

Herbster is a good guy and does a lot of things well but he needs to make a stand with the FB program. He needs to call out the Administration, Foundation, fans, and alumni. Lets hear him spell out all the numbers, what will it take financially to get to the competitive level and how we are going to get there. If he can't communicate that in a meaningful way then he should be looking for a career change.

[olifer]

I have a bit of a different perspective than most of you on this forum and hopefully you'll take the time to hear where I'm coming from. Unlike most of you here, I am not an alum, don't have a kid playing, and don't live in Vermillion. I consider the category that I'm in to be the most coveted of all... "the casual fan." Not casual from the standpoint that I show up for games when the weather is perfect or there's nothing else to do in Sioux Falls where I live, but casual in the sense that I'm not an "automatic given". So why do my wife and I come to every home game and travel to a number of the away games? Why are we Howling Pack members? Why do we buy season tickets? Why do we pay for enough space annually so we can bring my motor coach to tailgate for every game (except this weekend due to a personal scheduling issue)? Why do we have more USD clothing gear in our closet than we do anything else? Why do we oftentimes make a weekend of it when we come down to Vermillion for the games?

About 10 years ago or so a friend of mine had gotten some tickets to a USD football game and asked if I wanted to come along and since I hadn't been to a game down there since the early 80's, I took him up on it. Not to bore you anymore than I already have, I enjoyed it greatly even though USD lost and went to the remaining couple of games that year by myself. The next year my wife and I went to all but one home game, and the year after we bought season tickets and have been in the groove ever since.

We get as frustrated as anyone here with the roller coaster that we're on right now and like the rest of you, we have more questions than answers. Nonetheless, we're like the Trane commercial, meaning we're in it for the long haul. Despite the team's record in the past few years, we've seen enough bright spots in all of this to keep us coming back for more.

The friends we've made and the things that we've witnessed both on and off the field simply make us smile and proud to be "casual fans" of USD.

I have to believe that there are more people like me out there, and I also believe that in the long term USD really "needs" the casual fan's support. I don't know exactly how we fix all of it but I'm a true believer in making sure that there are butts in the seats for each and every game.

So here's one simple idea that might accomplish that part of it. There are a lot of people here wondering how many people will be at the game this Saturday, right? Why not send an email blast out to every season ticket holder telling them that they have 2 free general admission tickets at their disposal for each of their paid season tickets to use as they wish. Encourage them to bring someone to the game that maybe hasn't been to a game in a long time or ever. I truly believe that someone is apt to bring a "casual fan" that may eventually become a fixture like I have.

As for me, I honestly don't care if everyone else at the game got in for free and I'm the only one paying for my seats. Fill the dome and then we'll have a different kind of problem on our hands. There is an indoor football team in Sioux Falls that has had this mentality for a long time and I even though I'm not a frequent attender of their games, their success is as an organization is largely due to the fact that they put butts in the seats every single game… no matter what.

[jackjd]

Nov 5, 2014 14:03:10 GMT -6 yote14 said:

...I know I have asked this question before but have not recieved a response on it yet. I undrstand a lot of endowments are designated towards specific areas (educational scholarships etc). But when USD's endowment is around $180,000,000.00 and NDSU and SDSU endowments are both under $100,000,000.00 how can we not make the financial commitment needed to make us successful?
...
I always brag about how smart/successful our alumni are compared to the other state schools. For being so smart it seems like we make a lot of poor decisions sometimes. Where do we funnel all of our money? I have a hard time believing that our endowment is twice the size of NDSU and SDSU(I know NDSU has made a huge commitment financialy to the football program itself) but that no one wants to give money to the athletic departments and its all designated to academics only. Maybe I'm completly wrong about that....

A few comments in response to the above. On the subject of endowments, SDSU's is considerably larger than what I have seen reported on, for example, Wikipedia. I do not know if USD's is twice as large as SDSU (it's possible USD's endowment is larger than what is reported on Wikipedia, too). I do not claim to know a lot about USD's endowed funds but I think the following statements are accurate (usdlaw and others who visit this board may have much more info on the following): USD's reported endowed funds jumped considerably several years ago when the funds in the Law School Foundation were merged with the USD Foundation funds (nothing wrong with that, it's all USD but the funds are tracked so that it is known what portion is related to the law school etc. Endowed funds generally are not going to be used (by USD, SDSU or NDSU) for athletics. I think the concept of the endowment is to have permanent funds which are invested and the interest from those funds is used as determined by the foundation. I question whether the size of a schools endowment is directly related to support for athletics.

The funds for athletics will have to come from donations, ticket sales, sponsorships and advertising etc. And, as important as every $100 donation is (and they're REAL important), it is really, really big gifts that make it all work. If USD is falling short of what NDSU or SDSU are doing for athletic support, it will have to focus on those areas to catch up.

USD has the right to brag about some of its alums (I don't agree with the implication in "compared to the other state schools"-- you may tend to overlook or not be aware of outstanding alums from SDSU or the grads of SDSU professional programs including Pharmacy, Engineering, Nursing and specialized Economics offerings). But, there's no question USD has some remarkable grads. Are they supporting USD athletics like NDSU alums support Bison athletics?

added: Just read olifer's post. I think fans like olifer are the best opportunity for a school. A great percentage of alums are going to be fans. Picking up loyal fans who are not alums may be the best sources for increasing donations to athletics.

[yotemeal]

I think a lot of people have a misunderstanding of foundation activity and the controlling influence of donor intent. I last took a look at USD Foundation consolidated financials over Dakota Days. The USD Foundation endowment is now above $200 million (around $215 million, I believe). Some are mistakenly under the impression that the endowment is one large slush fund that the university allocates as it pleases. That $200+ million is actually a collection of hundreds of endowed funds, each with a unique purpose established by donors, some more restrictive than others. For example, let's say Joe Smith from Woonsocket graduated from the chemistry department in 1975. He could establish an endowed scholarship (minimum endowment is $25,000 at USD) to benefit chemistry majors from Woonsocket. A portion of the earnings on that $25k will fund the scholarship each year (assuming there's a candidate), while the remaining earnings are reinvested. If the stock market cooperates, that $25k endowment grows considerably over time, spinning off larger scholarships. There are plenty of funds far less restrictive than the example provided. Some people establish funds that actually do allow the university great discretion, but more often than not, there is a more defined purpose. The foundation and USD are legally bound to observe donor intent. [Side note: JackJD, last I checked, the value of the endowed funds transferred from the former law school foundation was roughly $7 million.]

I know there are endowed funds that benefit our athletics programs, but obviously not to the level all of us would like to see. The big push right now is for spendable cash to build the basketball arena and other facilities. Multi-million dollar construction and renovation obviously requires this type of fundraising, but the foundation's emphasis is otherwise building the endowment, a strategy for long-term stability. Not all institutions have this philosophy. Some focus more on unrestricted dollars that can be spent in full immediately. I'm not suggesting that's the philosophy at SDSU or other peer institutions, and I'm also not suggesting endowment-building is the only effective strategy for a prosperous university. But from all that I've observed, USD's endowment is exceptional in size and performance. Over the past 10 years, it's growth performance ranks in the 2nd percentile. Over the last five years, the 1st percentile. That's pretty remarkable.

The beauty of foundation giving is that people have the ability to craft their legacies. Hopefully, over time, we see more successful folks step up and dedicate resources to athletics.