McElwain calmly rebuilding the program from the ground up

[PatDooleySucks]

Facilities aren't the reason for poor recruiting. See Heavener video...Chump is the reason and the "sick" Cryer.

Nobody who thinks the facilities are this end all to recruiting success acknowledge our consensus '13 top five class and our '14 top ten class. Our facilities as they currently stand will always bring in top five classes when attached to winning. IPF, dorm updates, student athlete life updates are great, but they are marginal recruiting advantages without winning and stability.

 

[PatDooleySucks]

So is that all related to the fact that we don't have a free juice bar? We got plenty of 5 star guys until just the last couple years.

Biggest misconception out there is that we didn't recruit well the last couple of years. We recruited lights out.

 

[PatDooleySucks]

Love this comment. The athletic dorms should be 5-star. While I was a student at Florida, I was dating this girl who had a 4.0 from HS and received a full ride at Florida including living. She cheated on me and all, but that is a separate story. They housed her in the newly build Honor Student dorm. At the time, those dorms were considered pimped out. When I visited the football dorms, it was like slumdog millionaire. Many of these football players come from rough neighborhoods. Yes they want to win championships in a high profile program, but they may have 3 or 4 choices at programs to accomplish this. So then it comes down to the coaches. If they like the coaches equally, then it is the facilities and living situation. As you saw with this years recruiting, we were in the running for several quality players. You dont want facilities to ever be a deciding factor.

You didn't elaborate on the most interesting part of your post. Tell us more.

 

[divits]

Meyer gave us 2 rings, so we should not complain about that. Muschamp on the other hand gave us misery and pain. We should never group these two in the same category. Would we should be asking ourselves is if Foley did everything in his power to make Urbs happy. Why did Urbs make a lateral move?

The million was bogus and no real explanation was ever really given for it. He had already been paid his championship bonuses and all the money due him. That million was some kind of addendum Foley added when he panicked after Meyer "retired" and came back.....only to leave again.

To answer the second question, as has been stated before, Meyer left because he realized that the monster he had created in the pursuit of winning at all costs had gotten out of control. The inmates were running the asylum. The program was, to use his words, "broken".

 

[Blacklabgator]

Yet now he is at OSU winning again. I think something else was going on.

Yes, it's called infidelity....

 

[TLB]

So.... some of the deadenders are still claiming our facilities haven't fallen behind (behind basically everyone including Vandy, UCF and some other midmajors).... bc Fooley is a great AD and knows how to run a program... unless Fooley now says we have fallen way behind which means he's wrong.

Is that where were we are now?

I've admitted, and will again as necessary, I backed the concept of Foley stating we were fine in terms of facilities. I'm also stating I'm fully behind the recent assertions of re-building the program from the ground up.

It's been stated how strong UF is across the spectrum of sports in college athletics. For those of you who keep the tunnel vision and only focus on Football - that's your mistake to make. Yes, it is the major revenue maker, and yes it is the most visible product for the school, but it remains ONE of MANY sports this institution fields.

As an AD, Foley is responsible for not only hiring the coaching staffs, but maintaining the budgets for all programs as well as the fund raising required for those budgets. I count 11 women's sports and 8 men's sports (excluding any club activity) for UF. Each with it's own coaching staffs, facilities, scheduling requirements, at times differing league or conference affiliations (see lacrosse not being in the SEC as the SEC doesn't have enough teams to be a league). His job it to help ALL these programs achieve success.

Even with a big staff, I'd see any AD relying heavily on his coaches for bringing him the ideas on what needs doing within a given sport - we need certain supporting coaches, or staffing, or a change in facilities, or whatever else is needed to help that particular sport or program. YES, an AD is visiting with leaders from other schools, and seeing other programs as we compete with them. But while an AD must determine if a program's needs are legitimate and how to fulfill them....it is in a coach's best interest to be pitching improvements to the AD to better their program.

As much as some of you pound JF for the lack of spending on football upgrades, ask yourself this - how much have the coaches pitched as needs to improve the program? SOS apparently got some when he was here, so at that time Foley was willing to spend on football. It appears Urban and WM both accepted what was and did little to improve things (someone will correct me, I'm sure, but werent the trophy hall and Heisman statues put up during Urban's time?) - it seems the coaches offices, dorms, etc have remained as they were since the 90's. Instead of only stating that Foley wouldn't spend, consider what the coaches were asking for? It seems little from Urban and nothing from WM. That JMac comes in and says we have to change it if we want to improve the program, and Foley is backing him to do whatever we need to regain our position among the nation's universities, does that not say JF is willing to not only hear a coach, but act on suggestions/requests that make sense? Do we know for a fact JF wasn't willing to spend under WM, or do we also have to assume WM wasn't asking for anything. JF was such a penny pincher, and yet he gave raises and extensions to a miserable excuse of a coach. Sounds to me like JF was willing to spend, he just didn't know where to spend it. So, without recognizing for himself the facilities need updating (a criticism he should face) he put it towards the coach to provide confidence and hopefully improve the program. I have stated before, improving the coaching is a first step, and the facilities are secondary. You could have awesome facilities, but without a coach that can develop a winning program, those spends are for naught. He may also have had to been hedging his spending, knowing he'd be buying out WM and possibly the next incoming HBC, and therefore spending was curbed based on securing a winning staff before we could/should spend on facilities. Keep in mind, however, that the O'Dome project had been budgeted and planned for a long time, and the budgeting and planning of the IPF had been underway for 2 yrs. Facilities were being addressed, but coaching buyouts were an expected expense that had to be planned for as well.

I take the recent statements from JF as indicating he's there to what needs done. It may be a criticism of him to not see this need for football, but it would be equally on the coaches for not presenting that as a strong need for the program. JMac comes in, lays out for JF what's needed, and what happens? Does JF say "We can save up for it."? No. Does he say "Win first, and prove your worth that kind of debt"? No. He understands WM didn't have that vision (and neither did JF), but once it is understood....he is acting on it. Without hesitation or strings attached. Bottom line, he's doing his job for football, getting the facilities to a level he understands we need to be competitive in today's world. He's been doing it for other sports all along, but as to football, he had to deal with buyouts first and then secondly learn where we are and where we really ought to be. Seems he's doing that, and moving in the right direction - but you can't be happy with a positive change, you have to stand their and point and cry about history? I've used this with you before, and it still fits....

 

[PatDooleySucks]

I've admitted, and will again as necessary, I backed the concept of Foley stating we were fine in terms of facilities. I'm also stating I'm fully behind the recent assertions of re-building the program from the ground up.

It's been stated how strong UF is across the spectrum of sports in college athletics. For those of you who keep the tunnel vision and only focus on Football - that's your mistake to make. Yes, it is the major revenue maker, and yes it is the most visible product for the school, but it remains ONE of MANY sports this institution fields.

As an AD, Foley is responsible for not only hiring the coaching staffs, but maintaining the budgets for all programs as well as the fund raising required for those budgets. I count 11 women's sports and 8 men's sports (excluding any club activity) for UF. Each with it's own coaching staffs, facilities, scheduling requirements, at times differing league or conference affiliations (see lacrosse not being in the SEC as the SEC doesn't have enough teams to be a league). His job it to help ALL these programs achieve success.

Even with a big staff, I'd see any AD relying heavily on his coaches for bringing him the ideas on what needs doing within a given sport - we need certain supporting coaches, or staffing, or a change in facilities, or whatever else is needed to help that particular sport or program. YES, an AD is visiting with leaders from other schools, and seeing other programs as we compete with them. But while an AD must determine if a program's needs are legitimate and how to fulfill them....it is in a coach's best interest to be pitching improvements to the AD to better their program.

As much as some of you pound JF for the lack of spending on football upgrades, ask yourself this - how much have the coaches pitched as needs to improve the program? SOS apparently got some when he was here, so at that time Foley was willing to spend on football. It appears Urban and WM both accepted what was and did little to improve things (someone will correct me, I'm sure, but werent the trophy hall and Heisman statues put up during Urban's time?) - it seems the coaches offices, dorms, etc have remained as they were since the 90's. Instead of only stating that Foley wouldn't spend, consider what the coaches were asking for? It seems little from Urban and nothing from WM. That JMac comes in and says we have to change it if we want to improve the program, and Foley is backing him to do whatever we need to regain our position among the nation's universities, does that not say JF is willing to not only hear a coach, but act on suggestions/requests that make sense? Do we know for a fact JF wasn't willing to spend under WM, or do we also have to assume WM wasn't asking for anything. JF was such a penny pincher, and yet he gave raises and extensions to a miserable excuse of a coach. Sounds to me like JF was willing to spend, he just didn't know where to spend it. So, without recognizing for himself the facilities need updating (a criticism he should face) he put it towards the coach to provide confidence and hopefully improve the program. I have stated before, improving the coaching is a first step, and the facilities are secondary. You could have awesome facilities, but without a coach that can develop a winning program, those spends are for naught. He may also have had to been hedging his spending, knowing he'd be buying out WM and possibly the next incoming HBC, and therefore spending was curbed based on securing a winning staff before we could/should spend on facilities. Keep in mind, however, that the O'Dome project had been budgeted and planned for a long time, and the budgeting and planning of the IPF had been underway for 2 yrs. Facilities were being addressed, but coaching buyouts were an expected expense that had to be planned for as well.

I take the recent statements from JF as indicating he's there to what needs done. It may be a criticism of him to not see this need for football, but it would be equally on the coaches for not presenting that as a strong need for the program. JMac comes in, lays out for JF what's needed, and what happens? Does JF say "We can save up for it."? No. Does he say "Win first, and prove your worth that kind of debt"? No. He understands WM didn't have that vision (and neither did JF), but once it is understood....he is acting on it. Without hesitation or strings attached. Bottom line, he's doing his job for football, getting the facilities to a level he understands we need to be competitive in today's world. He's been doing it for other sports all along, but as to football, he had to deal with buyouts first and then secondly learn where we are and where we really ought to be. Seems he's doing that, and moving in the right direction - but you can't be happy with a positive change, you have to stand their and point cry about history? I've used this with you before, and it still fits....

Great post. WM did want a new IPF, but he didn't pitch any of these other things. Regardless, your post is spot on. Ppl aren't going to move on. We have ppl on this board who are still outspoken about some unfathomable hatred for Meyer

 

[TheDouglas78]

I've admitted, and will again as necessary, I backed the concept of Foley stating we were fine in terms of facilities. I'm also stating I'm fully behind the recent assertions of re-building the program from the ground up.

It's been stated how strong UF is across the spectrum of sports in college athletics. For those of you who keep the tunnel vision and only focus on Football - that's your mistake to make. Yes, it is the major revenue maker, and yes it is the most visible product for the school, but it remains ONE of MANY sports this institution fields.

As an AD, Foley is responsible for not only hiring the coaching staffs, but maintaining the budgets for all programs as well as the fund raising required for those budgets. I count 11 women's sports and 8 men's sports (excluding any club activity) for UF. Each with it's own coaching staffs, facilities, scheduling requirements, at times differing league or conference affiliations (see lacrosse not being in the SEC as the SEC doesn't have enough teams to be a league). His job it to help ALL these programs achieve success.

Even with a big staff, I'd see any AD relying heavily on his coaches for bringing him the ideas on what needs doing within a given sport - we need certain supporting coaches, or staffing, or a change in facilities, or whatever else is needed to help that particular sport or program. YES, an AD is visiting with leaders from other schools, and seeing other programs as we compete with them. But while an AD must determine if a program's needs are legitimate and how to fulfill them....it is in a coach's best interest to be pitching improvements to the AD to better their program.

As much as some of you pound JF for the lack of spending on football upgrades, ask yourself this - how much have the coaches pitched as needs to improve the program? SOS apparently got some when he was here, so at that time Foley was willing to spend on football. It appears Urban and WM both accepted what was and did little to improve things (someone will correct me, I'm sure, but werent the trophy hall and Heisman statues put up during Urban's time?) - it seems the coaches offices, dorms, etc have remained as they were since the 90's. Instead of only stating that Foley wouldn't spend, consider what the coaches were asking for? It seems little from Urban and nothing from WM. That JMac comes in and says we have to change it if we want to improve the program, and Foley is backing him to do whatever we need to regain our position among the nation's universities, does that not say JF is willing to not only hear a coach, but act on suggestions/requests that make sense? Do we know for a fact JF wasn't willing to spend under WM, or do we also have to assume WM wasn't asking for anything. JF was such a penny pincher, and yet he gave raises and extensions to a miserable excuse of a coach. Sounds to me like JF was willing to spend, he just didn't know where to spend it. So, without recognizing for himself the facilities need updating (a criticism he should face) he put it towards the coach to provide confidence and hopefully improve the program. I have stated before, improving the coaching is a first step, and the facilities are secondary. You could have awesome facilities, but without a coach that can develop a winning program, those spends are for naught. He may also have had to been hedging his spending, knowing he'd be buying out WM and possibly the next incoming HBC, and therefore spending was curbed based on securing a winning staff before we could/should spend on facilities. Keep in mind, however, that the O'Dome project had been budgeted and planned for a long time, and the budgeting and planning of the IPF had been underway for 2 yrs. Facilities were being addressed, but coaching buyouts were an expected expense that had to be planned for as well.

I take the recent statements from JF as indicating he's there to what needs done. It may be a criticism of him to not see this need for football, but it would be equally on the coaches for not presenting that as a strong need for the program. JMac comes in, lays out for JF what's needed, and what happens? Does JF say "We can save up for it."? No. Does he say "Win first, and prove your worth that kind of debt"? No. He understands WM didn't have that vision (and neither did JF), but once it is understood....he is acting on it. Without hesitation or strings attached. Bottom line, he's doing his job for football, getting the facilities to a level he understands we need to be competitive in today's world. He's been doing it for other sports all along, but as to football, he had to deal with buyouts first and then secondly learn where we are and where we really ought to be. Seems he's doing that, and moving in the right direction - but you can't be happy with a positive change, you have to stand their and point and cry about history? I've used this with you before, and it still fits....

Under Urban before the 2008 season there was an overhaul of the football facilities and offices in BHG. I was given a tour of the full BHG facilities during Thanksgiving of 2008, and they were state of the art. A few of the coaches mentioned how they were a major upgrade and were better than the competition at the time. To say Foley hasn't spent on Football in 2 decades would be entirely false. To say that the Athletic Dorms currently needed an upgrade, I can't speak to that, but it wouldnt' surprise me. An Indoor Facility has been needed for a while, Spurrier would take the team into the O'Dome for practices during the rain, but you really couldn't do much there (before it became Billy's).

Is the Indoor Facility difference between some recruits coming here and some not. Sure, I'm sure it would be a tipping point for some. But the major reason we were not getting offensive recruits in my opinion are the offenses we have been running for the last 5-6 years. Maybe before that for some recruits. If we aren't a school that is developing offensive talent for the NFL, why would offensive talent come here?

 

[I Have No Friends :(]

Is the Indoor Facility difference between some recruits coming here and some not. Sure, I'm sure it would be a tipping point for some. But the major reason we were not getting offensive recruits in my opinion are the offenses we have been running for the last 5-6 years. Maybe before that for some recruits. If we aren't a school that is developing offensive talent for the NFL, why would offensive talent come here?

 

[LagoonGator68]

Love this comment. The athletic dorms should be 5-star. While I was a student at Florida, I was dating this girl who had a 4.0 from HS and received a full ride at Florida including living. She cheated on me and all, but that is a separate story. They housed her in the newly build Honor Student dorm. At the time, those dorms were considered pimped out. When I visited the football dorms, it was like slumdog millionaire. Many of these football players come from rough neighborhoods. Yes they want to win championships in a high profile program, but they may have 3 or 4 choices at programs to accomplish this. So then it comes down to the coaches. If they like the coaches equally, then it is the facilities and living situation. As you saw with this years recruiting, we were in the running for several quality players. You dont want facilities to ever be a deciding factor.

Athletic dorms were outlawed by the NCAA in 1991 to be effective in 1995. Try to keep up.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Athletic dorms were outlawed by the NCAA in 1991 to be effective in 1995. Try to keep up.

Doesn't Kentucky have a luxury dorm for their basketball team?

 

[LagoonGator68]

Doesn't Kentucky have a luxury dorm for their basketball team?

Link?