One4VT
33,213
Posts
1
Threads
2,303
Likes
Member since:
January 08, 2002
Last post:
04/26/2022 10:18 AM ET
Signature:
Don't down vote me bro!
Posting History (184)
Football Board
10 mo ago
Is that part of the board agenda packet for 30th?
I agree, there is so much low hanging fruit that a competent (just average) fundraising op could take advantage of. We have almost 300k alumni! Think of all the data that could be collected and analyzed for fundraising opportunities. Its all latent because we dont have the staff to run it.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
$ is fungible... what if they pitched you on another program?
Theres so much they are leaving on the table.... can you at least allow that if someone did reach out to you, it would represent a massive overhaul that might portend better days in the football operation?
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Some back of napkin math suggests its possible.
Clemson, with almost 200,000 alumni, raised almost 79 million from 25,000 individuals in 2024 for its athletic enterprise.
VT, with almost 300,000 alumni, raised 23 million from 25,000 individuals in 2024 for its athletic enterprise in 2024.
So with a alumni base a third smaller then VTs, Clemson raised $56 million more for sports. I think we have room to hit the mark......
https://iptaycuad.com/record-year-for-iptay-donors-as-the...
https://hokiesports.com/news/2024/04/4/hokie-club-celebra...
Football Board
10 mo ago
Sad thing is, we might not even need that if fundraising was up to snuff
We are leaving so many dollars on the table. Every living alum, with a good phone contact, and I mean all should receive a personal phone call from thier local hokie club reps (provide incentives to your volunteers) . The call doesn't even have to be an explicit fundraising ask but it should have profile questions and ques set up so that our fundraising op can build donor profiles. Its not hard, it just takes good management willing to push through. Id rather make sure we've done the best we can with alumni before selling out to corporate interests, but thats just me.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
On 2nd thought, it probably wasn't a good idea for JB to flaunt ....
, or be allowed to flaunt, his relationship with Beamer, like by being seen walking virtually every day on campus with CFB. How was that to be seen by Fuente as anything other then an unspoken hindrance to his leadership?
** Edited by One4VT at 9/18/2025, 11:12:10 AM
Football Board
10 mo ago
Teel mentioned him as well...
I agree he has a body of work at Northwestern that speaks for itself. However, the world of DI football has drastically changed in the last 36 months and now we dont know how he would deal with wide open NIL scene.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Let me stop you right there....
No. we have to differentiate, I agree with you there. Its the model that has to do it though. Making a splash hire is same old. I suspect that with the GM model, we will see some programs expirament with having coaches that developed within or hire from outside when a proven coach fits a playing model. Its possible that the days of head whistles coming in, demanding a bunch of $, totally getting thier way, etc may be on way out or at least not be the one and only dominant model
Football Board
10 mo ago
Let me stop you right there...
The last collision Jimbo was involved in was his time at A&M ending like a bad car wreck.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Isnt it typical for new ADs to expect a hand in head whistle hires?
What concessions do you have to make in order to get one to agree to accept an incumbent coach?
Football Board
10 mo ago
We wont know until we get a good op set in place
To start doing data analysis and using relationship management software to build up good profiles on alumni (including family and networks)
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Someone structured a recent deal
Whereby the coach would add a year to the contract for each 8 or 9 win season and it also gave him incentives if the program hit certain revenue markers. The explicit buyout was moderate. We cant play the same game everyone else is, im confident of that.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Yes, I've acknowledged that point
The coach will either need to be fired or replaced after someone plucks him.. Id rather be in the later position. I NEVER said there should be no buyout. Only that it never be priced on the idea that it will prevent a breach. The breach will occur, and if it occurs because someone wanted him, your revenue situation is taking care of itself (throw the coach a revenue bone if certain markers are hit) and if you have to can him, its not cost prohibitive
Football Board
10 mo ago
Everyones busy...
Ive got 3 kids going in multiple directions, its hard to keep it all straight.
Someone at VT, who represents a department I've donated to in the past reached out to make personal contact. We then went over the vision and what was needed for the future. I guess he could have waited, under your theory, wishing/hoping that i would "look in the mirror" and somehow (through telepathy?) know exactly what his vision was. Leadership and casting your vision to those you want something from matters.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Agreed! Thats why the contracts should be circumspect
The coach is going to be gone in 3 years either way
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
The "right guy" will be courted and likely be gone in 3 years...
Theres no buyout level in the world that will protect your investment when Ohio State comes a calling
Football Board
10 mo ago
The people perish for a lack of vision....
We are paying people to lead our fundraising and its like a Chinese firedrill over there
Football Board
10 mo ago
It feels, to me, like the industry is on cusp
Of someone showing how a different model will work... something like a GM in charge of all off field stuff and the coach just coaching period.... much shorter coaching contracts and less $. One bad run, and boom, next guy up, a lot more direct promotion opportunities up through the ranks and occasionally hiring outside if a specific guy meets your game model.More like the club soccer model in many foreign domestic leagues. It feels like we are approaching that type of disruption/destruction moment.
Football Board
10 mo ago
There are no good or bad coaches
There are simply coaches you have to fire and simply coaches others will hire away from you... statistically most of that happening around the 3 year mark. Make sure the contracts are structured to reflect that reality. Pay them well but no stupid buyouts or restructures
The Lounge
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Given the late breaking developments, call a special meeting
You have to give your people something, a timeline, anything.... even just a draft summary subject to final adjustments at the regular meeting
Football Board
10 mo ago
Agreed but Sands and the BOV need to be explicit about that vision...
Otherwise we are twisting in the wind.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Please deal in reading comprehension...
I've made it perfectly clear, twice, that the contracts should be honored
Football Board
10 mo ago
The CW here seems to be that the buyouts are cost prohibitive.
Is the BOV being parsimonious? Perhaps. I certainly cant think of a merit based reason not to move foward as quickly as possible on the terminations, the AD being 1st to allow time get one in that can model out thier search preferences before the coaching carasal starts going around.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Past a certain monetary threshold, I would argue yes
If its for joe the janitor, then hell yes, I want his transition to keep in mind hes probably living paycheck to paycheck.
Football Board
10 mo ago
Please make sure you read entire post, not just the part that rustles you
I literally said im fine with honoring contracts... I just dont want to hear anything about loyalty, love for the university, when its really about rhe cold hard cash transactions. If we have to delay the inevitable for revenue constraint reasons tied to the buyouts, its bidness from thier end.
Football Board
10 mo ago
We need to find out exactly how much Pry and Babcock love VT...
And the Commonwealth. Are they going to insist on thier full "i gots mine" contract buyouts or are they going to be a part of solution after they exit by leaving us $ to move foward? Im fine with it honoring thier contracts as agreed to but I dont want to hear anything about "love" "foward looking" etc
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
The way professional soccer works (in most parts of the world)...
Is that the manager is meant to be instantly replaceable as a cog of a plug and play system of recruitment/style of play. A string of 5-10 bad matches, boom gone, next guy up. Yeah they have buyouts but in a lot of cases, they are hiring up through thier own system so its cheaper from the start. I can see a lot of d1 football programs going that route- where the manager of ops has a team that does the recruiting/scouting, the manager is explicity a practice/game manager
Football Board
10 mo ago
He was a creature of Beamer, I knew that
So essentially it was a "we've always done ot this way, Frank would agree" issue
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Ive been out of game for a bit... can someone brief me on Balien?
Specifically on the idea that he actively stonewalled Fuentes and what he is or isnt doing with Pry regime?
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
Football Board
10 mo ago
You could leverage those other programs to generate revenue...
I discussed it yesterday, a dedicated CMS operation to understand the interests of each and every alumni and thier families. Example- knowing a potential donors(meeting certain income/asset metrics) granddaughter plays softball and lives in Raleigh. You offer to give them a pass to the field for pre-game warmups and even to take a batting session/pitching with players at the upcoming series at NC State. When they get there, a set of official vt softball warmup gear is waiting for her. Its not hard, it just requires thinking about how to turn liabilities into assets or at least approach revenue neutral status.
** Edited by One4VT at 9/9/2025, 12:51:44 PM
Football Board
10 mo ago
We have to play a different game now....
Just like CFB unlocked the power of special teams when no one else cared, we have to differentiate.
Football Board
10 mo ago
We cant play the same game everyone else is...
We clearly cant win at it. I dont know what the answer is (yet) but we have to create some differentiation at least until we get more revenue flowing in