Moneyball

[Techastrophe]

More than ever, football is a money game. We are facing a perfect storm of money issues.

• Debt already on the books
• Bad HC contract for a bad HC
• Attracting and keeping a staff that can right the ship is going to cost a lot
• The NIL dimension
• Conference realignments and the consequent revenue outlook

GT hasn't been and won't be in the top tier of program budget. However, the money needed to stay in the mix is ballooning. Yes we need a competent coaching staff and yes we need an AD who makes good hires and good contracts. Even more than that we need people who can raise money in each of the different types of accounts, for a losing program, and do it quickly. If we look back from success in 10-15 years the heroes will have to include leaders of fundraising. Who and where are those leaders?

 

[okiemon]

Even more than that we need people who can raise money in each of the different types of accounts, for a losing program, and do it quickly. If we look back from success in 10-15 years the heroes will have to include leaders of fundraising. Who and where are those leaders?

I posted this on another thread yesterday, but it applies to your post here. Maybe she’s not the answer…but someone like her could be.

Just heard someone on ESPNU radio that could be a good candidate for AD. Her name is Katie Pate, and she is Assistant AD at App State. Very articulate, very smart, great background. Not a “football person” per se, but she’s worked at both Marshall and App State, both with winning FB traditions.

Katie Pate - Associate Athletics Director for Development - Staff Directory - App State Athletics

In a career that has taken her from the sidelines to the press box, to the broadcast headset and the classroom, collegiate athletics veteran Katie Pate joined Appalachian

appstatesports.com

 

[link3945]

This is actually an area where I think Stansbury has been solid. He's definitely beefed up our fundraising ability, which has partially helped fill the gap of the ACC's disastrous media rights deal.

We really need to find a way out of that TV deal fast.

 

[Techastrophe]

This is actually an area where I think Stansbury has been solid. He's definitely beefed up our fundraising ability, which has partially helped fill the gap of the ACC's disastrous media rights deal.

We really need to find a way out of that TV deal fast.

I agree he has made strides, but his credibility as the face of the fundraising is increasingly compromised. With AD as chief fundraiser, unhappy fans are going to speak by withholding money, which can turn into a death spiral very quickly.
I'm not an expert on the regulations, but economically it would make sense to give fans the opportunity to support "the program" in ways that are distinguishable from confidence in the AD himself/herself. There are lots of ways for fundraising to go off the rails with booster organizations too. It takes really good management to keep the forces balanced and keep all parties focused on a winning program rather than beating on each other for control.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

This is another thread full of the same tired excuses. Yes, to be a top 5 program you need big money. But to be a top 20 team all you need is a solid coach who actually has a solid QB, and a somewhat reasonable defense. That’s it. Y’all make it sound like GT is a pauper school. We aren’t. Those who run GT simply have decided to put money elsewhere. And even with that we can still be a top 20 type team. Look at the polls. Plenty of these ranked teams are in the same monetary zone as we are. NIL and the portal are nothing but excuses many of our fans use as a crutch. The only difference in Pitt and GT is they have a decent coach who can recruit a real college QB. Same with NC State.

Please stop with the excuses. Our only problem between where we are now and 8 wins is that we hired the wrong coach 4 years ago.

 

[Techastrophe]

I accidentally posted a reply to the thread and not the reply. Now I can't delete it.

 

[Techastrophe]

This is another thread full of the same tired excuses. Yes, to be a top 5 program you need big money. But to be a top 20 team all you need is a solid coach who actually has a solid QB, and a somewhat reasonable defense. That’s it. Y’all make it sound like GT is a pauper school. We aren’t. Those who run GT simply have decided to put money elsewhere. And even with that we can still be a top 20 type team. Look at the polls. Plenty of these ranked teams are in the same monetary zone as we are. NIL and the portal are nothing but excuses many of our fans use as a crutch. The only difference in Pitt and GT is they have a decent coach who can recruit a real college QB. Same with NC State.

Please stop with the excuses. Our only problem between where we are now and 8 wins is that we hired the wrong coach 4 years ago.

Hmmm. No, not trying to make excuses at all. We had plenty of money to do better. I'm saying that it will take a lot more money now to fix things, and the money to fix things needs to come quickly.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

It won’t. Why bring up NIL? NIL has nothing to do with where our program. Our program has tanked not because of money but because we hired the wrong guy. Our cash strapped AA isn’t the reason we are a doormat either. We simply hired the wrong coach and once it was known anyone with brains left. Derrick Moore, check. Many players saw it and left too as did a few coaches. Now that the vast majority of fans have finally seen it the world is ending. It’s not. We just need to hire a solid coach who can find us a solid QB and field an average defense. That’s what every ranked team has in common. Now to be be top 7 or 8, yes you gotta buy some players with NIL. We are so far from that point as a program that NIL is a non- issue right now. Hopefully in 2 years it will be an issue as high end players once again look at GT. Right now this coach has us in a way bigger hole than the option ever put us regarding recruiting and money plays no role in that. I was at the Lee County/ Colquitt County game a week ago and know a lot of parents down here and we are an absolute joke in the eyes of high school players. They respected Johnson even if they didn’t want to play in that. But Collins is seen as GT just giving up.

 

[Techastrophe]

It won't... take a lot more money to fix things? I must be missing something. I thought the reason CGC wasn't fired last year was not enough money for the buyout and a new staff. I thought the reason he hasn't been fired this week is not enough money for a buyout and a new staff. I thought insane amounts of debt service has been holding the GTAA back from new investments that would help sweeten the deal for coaches and athletes. If the coaching problem can be fixed with the money already available, why hasn't it been done? Who knows if NIL would have made a difference to some athletes who transferred out, or would have transferred in?

 

[bobongo]

It won't... take a lot more money to fix things? I must be missing something. I thought the reason CGC wasn't fired last year was not enough money for the buyout and a new staff. I thought the reason he hasn't been fired this week is not enough money for a buyout and a new staff. I thought insane amounts of debt service has been holding the GTAA back from new investments that would help sweeten the deal for coaches and athletes. If the coaching problem can be fixed with the money already available, why hasn't it been done? Who knows if NIL would have made a difference to some athletes who transferred out, or would have transferred in?

Money's a thing, and it'll always be a thing, but it isn't the main thing keeping us from putting a decent team on the field.
We need to make smarter decisions - about who we hire and where we spend the money we have, such as more of it directed to coaches' salaries and recruiting and less of it thrown away on the stadium and jumbotrons, just for example. We need to start putting the horse before the cart instead of the other way around. Spend it directly on the team, and the resulting Ws will enable us to raise more of it later.
But the main thing is to start making smarter decisions regarding coaching hires. There are people who will swear on a stack that we only had maybe about two people who would have come here when CGC was hired. That doesn't even pass the smell test. We just didn't look.

 

[Techastrophe]

Money's a thing, and it'll always be a thing, but it isn't the main thing keeping us from putting a decent team on the field.
We need to make smarter decisions - about who we hire and where we spend the money we have, such as more of it directed to coaches' salaries and recruiting and less of it thrown away on the stadium and jumbotrons, just for example. We need to start putting the horse before the cart instead of the other way around. Spend it directly on the team, and the resulting Ws will enable us to raise more of it later.
But the main thing is to start making smarter decisions regarding coaching hires. There are people who will swear on a stack that we only had maybe about two people who would have come here when CGC was hired. That doesn't even pass the smell test. We just didn't look.

People. Read the post. I didn't say the fundamental problem is revenue. Read it again.

I said that NOW that we have an underperforming team with a big buyout for a bad coach, and NOW that the credit cards are already maxed out, and all the other bullet points, the path forward needs more revenue.

Our problems weren't caused by lack of revenue, but solving them is going to take more revenue. Two completely different things.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

People. Read the post. I didn't say the fundamental problem is revenue. Read it again.

I said that NOW that we have an underperforming team with a big buyout for a bad coach, and NOW that the credit cards are already maxed out, and all the other bullet points, the path forward needs more revenue.

Our problems weren't caused by lack of revenue, but solving them is going to take more revenue. Two completely different things.

People are going to read their biases into anything written on these boards. I wouldn't worry overmuch.

 

[bobongo]

People. Read the post. I didn't say the fundamental problem is revenue. Read it again.

I said that NOW that we have an underperforming team with a big buyout for a bad coach, and NOW that the credit cards are already maxed out, and all the other bullet points, the path forward needs more revenue.

Our problems weren't caused by lack of revenue, but solving them is going to take more revenue. Two completely different things.

Well, you're right it does, but there are building funds chock full of revenue. The money's there - it just needs to go to the place where we can get the biggest bang for the buck. Funding priorities need to be altered all the way around.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Well, you're right it does, but there are building funds chock full of revenue. The money's there - it just needs to go to the place where we can get the biggest bang for the buck. Funding priorities need to be altered all the way around.

The problem is these are designated funds and cannot be legally altered.

Edit to add TStans newest mailer is soliciting funds to bring the "right" coaches to Tech.

 

[takethepoints]

Hmmmmm. Maybe the film can tell us what's going on here:



Yep. That's it. Tech's situation is a direct analog of what Billy is saying here about the As. One of the things I liked about Paul was that his program was Moneyball. We went after players other people overlooked that fit our way of playing football. We got players who often didn't think they'd get a chance to play P5 ball (remember all those players thanking Paul for "giving them a chance" on senior day) and put them in a successful program. And, I might add, this happened on both sides of the ball; our best DL in Paul's later years came from OZ, of all places. And the main lesson is correct: if our coaches think like Ugag in their offices, they will beat us on the field.

Mods: Sorry for the f-bomb in the clip. If you want to remove this post, feel free.

 

[bobongo]

The problem is these are designated funds and cannot be legally altered.

Yes, I know. When I said, funding priorities need to be altered "all the way around", I mean the donors need to alter their priorities and direct their donations toward coaches' salaries and recruiting, which is what TStan emphasized in his latest appeal.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Yes, I know. When I said, funding priorities need to be altered "all the way around", I mean the donors need to alter their priorities and direct their donations toward coaches' salaries and recruiting, which is what TStan emphasized in his latest appeal.

I got you. That's why I added the edit. I know you understand but some on this board don't. I've had to explain why the GTAA can't take all the money Texiera donates to baseball for football use.

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

This is another thread full of the same tired excuses. Yes, to be a top 5 program you need big money. But to be a top 20 team all you need is a solid coach who actually has a solid QB, and a somewhat reasonable defense. That’s it. Y’all make it sound like GT is a pauper school. We aren’t. Those who run GT simply have decided to put money elsewhere. And even with that we can still be a top 20 type team. Look at the polls. Plenty of these ranked teams are in the same monetary zone as we are. NIL and the portal are nothing but excuses many of our fans use as a crutch. The only difference in Pitt and GT is they have a decent coach who can recruit a real college QB. Same with NC State.

Please stop with the excuses. Our only problem between where we are now and 8 wins is that we hired the wrong coach 4 years ago.

The last coach only won 8 games twice in his last 7 years here after he had long established his system. Between the money, NIL, open transfer market, and the academics I don't know why anyone would expect us to win that many games.

 

[AlphaBuzz]

Hmmmmm. Maybe the film can tell us what's going on here:



Yep. That's it. Tech's situation is a direct analog of what Billy is saying here about the As. One of the things I liked about Paul was that his program was Moneyball. We went after players other people overlooked that fit our way of playing football. We got players who often didn't think they'd get a chance to play P5 ball (remember all those players thanking Paul for "giving them a chance" on senior day) and put them in a successful program. And, I might add, this happened on both sides of the ball; our best DL in Paul's later years came from OZ, of all places. And the main lesson is correct: if our coaches think like Ugag in their offices, they will beat us on the field.

Mods: Sorry for the f-bomb in the clip. If you want to remove this post, feel free.

I can't like this one enough. The option was different and allowed us to recruit guys who wanted to play P5, but couldn't in a regular system. JT was recruited to be a DB at 'bama but wanted to play QB. He was too small for every other system but was a star for us.

We need to think differently to be successful. The TO was one "option", but it's not the only one out there. We know that talk is cheap (even moreso after the past 3+ years), but find the guy who does it differently. The guy who just wins with a different set of skills that the factories don't recruit.