RU is great at firing coaches. It does it all the time in football and basketball. So, today meant little. It was old hat. Now comes the important part. The hire. This moment is what matters most. It will have enormous and lasting effect. It isn't about "healing" something or accomplishing short term goals related to recruiting. It isn't about biding time until some time when the school might care more. Those are routes to a deeper hole.
Ready or not, this is the RU Football B1G hire. The opportunities are enormous. As is the downside. Do it right, and the sky is the limit. Do it right and budget deficits go away and become surpluses when the 2021 money kicks in. Do it right and facilities upgrades in other sports become possible and quickly. Get the right coach, one who can recruit, coach, hire good assistants, and agrees with the importance RU places on education and integrity. Do that right, and it gets good here.
And that isn't easy. Its hard hiring the right people. But RU has to get good at it and now. That means a lot of things - including money. The administration must be all in, not performing a reluctant chore. Dive in enthusiastically with the goal of getting the right person. Make it clear that RU is in the B1G because it wants to be and belongs. RU isn't lucky. RU is deserving. RU intends to lead the B1G's expansion to success. RU should ready give candidates what's necessary to accomplish that. It should be crystal clear about all this.
If this administration wants a successful big time college football program -- and they already committed to that when they joined the B1G -- this should be an easy job to sell, not a hard one. This should be a program to emulate, not laugh at. Great, historic school, one of the oldest is the country. The first winner of a college football game ever. It's in a great state loaded with top employers and companies. It's in the middle of a massive media market. It's surrounded by great local HS football talent and programs. It has excellent facilities and can upgrade easily with success. This should be an easy sell if the administration truly believes it.
What has gotten in the way, though, has been the administration's lackluster support. Stop that. Stop the half measures, the toe in the water, the half-hearted participation. Stop the huge committees that scream complication, divided intentions, incompetence and lack of control. That's what people see. It's the foundation for not taking RU seriously. It hides, even buries, the great things that are RU. Pick a vision, buy in, show that to candidates, and offer them and their assistants the money that makes clear you're serious. Then talented people come, donations come, budgets balance, surpluses come, and things get fun.
It's either that or more of the same. That's a choice that almost makes itself.
Ready or not, this is the RU Football B1G hire. The opportunities are enormous. As is the downside. Do it right, and the sky is the limit. Do it right and budget deficits go away and become surpluses when the 2021 money kicks in. Do it right and facilities upgrades in other sports become possible and quickly. Get the right coach, one who can recruit, coach, hire good assistants, and agrees with the importance RU places on education and integrity. Do that right, and it gets good here.
And that isn't easy. Its hard hiring the right people. But RU has to get good at it and now. That means a lot of things - including money. The administration must be all in, not performing a reluctant chore. Dive in enthusiastically with the goal of getting the right person. Make it clear that RU is in the B1G because it wants to be and belongs. RU isn't lucky. RU is deserving. RU intends to lead the B1G's expansion to success. RU should ready give candidates what's necessary to accomplish that. It should be crystal clear about all this.
If this administration wants a successful big time college football program -- and they already committed to that when they joined the B1G -- this should be an easy job to sell, not a hard one. This should be a program to emulate, not laugh at. Great, historic school, one of the oldest is the country. The first winner of a college football game ever. It's in a great state loaded with top employers and companies. It's in the middle of a massive media market. It's surrounded by great local HS football talent and programs. It has excellent facilities and can upgrade easily with success. This should be an easy sell if the administration truly believes it.
What has gotten in the way, though, has been the administration's lackluster support. Stop that. Stop the half measures, the toe in the water, the half-hearted participation. Stop the huge committees that scream complication, divided intentions, incompetence and lack of control. That's what people see. It's the foundation for not taking RU seriously. It hides, even buries, the great things that are RU. Pick a vision, buy in, show that to candidates, and offer them and their assistants the money that makes clear you're serious. Then talented people come, donations come, budgets balance, surpluses come, and things get fun.
It's either that or more of the same. That's a choice that almost makes itself.
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