East Carolina fires Mike Houston

[Stonewall]

Skip Holtz getting a lot of buzz down East.

[appdaze]

They will have to fork over some cash to pull skip back to the G5 purgatory.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/ufl/w ... skip-holtz

A lot of these Group of 5 schools, the expectations are higher than the reality or the investment that they're willing to make," Holtz said. "You always hear people talk about accomplishing more with less. I was just soured on it. … Right now, I've had a couple calls with an opportunity to go back to the Group of 5. Which I have not had a lot of interest in.

"I have turned those opportunities down to stay where I am. I love the job that I have. I have really enjoyed working with these athletes and building those relationships. And watching them grow and develop. I just want to be excited about what I'm doing."

[AppStFan1]

If our financial situation is as bad as described, Gillin needs to be on the block also.

That is one thing I don't understand. How are we making a lot of money but always so low on it? Should we really be spending 50M on a facility when that money could be used for staff and player retention or to hire the next staff? I think some financial questions are fair to ask.

I think it's perfectly fair to ask some questions, but I think some folks just make stuff up. Check out this site, which compiles finances for all FBS teams: https://www.sportico.com/business/comme ... 234646029/

App is tops in the Sun Belt in revenue. However, operating expenses for all athletics runs pretty close to revenue, so it looks like the school breaks even most years. That's good, but it means there isn't a whole lot of extra money to fire and hire coaches and whatnot.

Look at basically every athletic budget in the US, you will find the same (that or they’re over-spending). It’s because if you operate under budget, you’re at risk of having next year’s budget reduced. It’s that way with every university department and private business.

It often means someone is spending the remainder in December on anything they want, whether it’s needed or not. Just the way of the world.

I know that is how it often works but just because something is usually done a certain way does not mean you have to do it that way. You should never shrink a budget no matter what because of inflation. Why not do the buyout and include that amount in the budget for the following year? We have not been buying out coaches so we should be able to pay 500k on a buyout.

[MrCraig]

They will have to fork over some cash to pull skip back to the G5 purgatory.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/ufl/w ... skip-holtz

A lot of these Group of 5 schools, the expectations are higher than the reality or the investment that they're willing to make," Holtz said. "You always hear people talk about accomplishing more with less. I was just soured on it. … Right now, I've had a couple calls with an opportunity to go back to the Group of 5. Which I have not had a lot of interest in.

"I have turned those opportunities down to stay where I am. I love the job that I have. I have really enjoyed working with these athletes and building those relationships. And watching them grow and develop. I just want to be excited about what I'm doing."

If you're Skip Holtz, why would you ever go back to ECU? You're getting paid well to coach a pro team with pro players, and you're very successful at it. Why would trade that in to move to Greenville and have to worry about recruiting, transfers, NIL, etc?

[AppSt91]

They will have to fork over some cash to pull skip back to the G5 purgatory.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/ufl/w ... skip-holtz

A lot of these Group of 5 schools, the expectations are higher than the reality or the investment that they're willing to make," Holtz said. "You always hear people talk about accomplishing more with less. I was just soured on it. … Right now, I've had a couple calls with an opportunity to go back to the Group of 5. Which I have not had a lot of interest in.

"I have turned those opportunities down to stay where I am. I love the job that I have. I have really enjoyed working with these athletes and building those relationships. And watching them grow and develop. I just want to be excited about what I'm doing."

If you're Skip Holtz, why would you ever go back to ECU? You're getting paid well to coach a pro team with pro players, and you're very successful at it. Why would trade that in to move to Greenville and have to worry about recruiting, transfers, NIL, etc?

Saw on X where Holton Ahlers brought up Dwayne Ledford. My reaction as the same. What coach with a solid NFL job would want back in the college game as it stands now.

[AppStFan1]

They will have to fork over some cash to pull skip back to the G5 purgatory.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/ufl/w ... skip-holtz

A lot of these Group of 5 schools, the expectations are higher than the reality or the investment that they're willing to make," Holtz said. "You always hear people talk about accomplishing more with less. I was just soured on it. … Right now, I've had a couple calls with an opportunity to go back to the Group of 5. Which I have not had a lot of interest in.

"I have turned those opportunities down to stay where I am. I love the job that I have. I have really enjoyed working with these athletes and building those relationships. And watching them grow and develop. I just want to be excited about what I'm doing."

If you're Skip Holtz, why would you ever go back to ECU? You're getting paid well to coach a pro team with pro players, and you're very successful at it. Why would trade that in to move to Greenville and have to worry about recruiting, transfers, NIL, etc?

Saw on X where Holton Ahlers brought up Dwayne Ledford. My reaction as the same. What coach with a solid NFL job would want back in the college game as it stands now.

That is my first thought. NFL coaches have it so much better. Someone in the pros would have to be crazy to want to go to college.

[Stonewall]

They really do. But my point is that he is on the top of the list of certain folks down east , as of this morning. Not that there is mutual interest .

[Yosef84]

That is one thing I don't understand. How are we making a lot of money but always so low on it? Should we really be spending 50M on a facility when that money could be used for staff and player retention or to hire the next staff? I think some financial questions are fair to ask.

I think it's perfectly fair to ask some questions, but I think some folks just make stuff up. Check out this site, which compiles finances for all FBS teams: https://www.sportico.com/business/comme ... 234646029/

App is tops in the Sun Belt in revenue. However, operating expenses for all athletics runs pretty close to revenue, so it looks like the school breaks even most years. That's good, but it means there isn't a whole lot of extra money to fire and hire coaches and whatnot.

Most schools don't keep a massive war chest in reserve but I think they should. App should be taking about 250k or more a year to put in a savings account for buyouts or any emergency. If you spend 100% of what you make then there is nothing left for a rainy day.

Can a nonprofit do that?

Yes. It’s a state agency . There are ways to account for it. You have to retain a certain amount to cash flow operations and debt.

It's basic "fund" accounting. Set up an account for designated purposes. As long as the funds are used for the purpose, you're fine. At a high level that's all there is to it.

[Bootsy]

Holtz has no reason to consider a return to CFB...much less heading back to the capital of "buggy & muggy" (aka, G-vegas).
He's paid his dues, his UFL team is a juggernaut and Holtz seems like he's enjoying life. Happy for the guy!

[Tru2ASU]

If people are throwing around Ledfords name, might as well throw Gas, also.

As far as athletics finances, it will be interesting if the new chancellor allows funds from other areas to be reallocted like Everts did.

[Stonewall]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

[AppStFan1]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

It could be that or ECU has other problems. If true, it definitely means a coach has to do a good job of hiring people to take care of those things.

[Bootsy]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

Sounds like the responsibilities of an NFL coach. And I wouldn't disagree with that assessment of what the HC role is these days.

[spacemonkey]

With the new world....I would recruit athletes and I would have a huge lineup of players and let them battle it out every practice. I would would look for the player that has that "DOG" in them. It is a new world and App is going to have to adapt. It will take a while to find how to do it but it seems to me the biggest and fastest guys would play for me and I would teach them what I could and then I would do it again next year. Someone that started the conversation with how much money, would be shown the door.

The alternative is have a bucket of money and you get paid for each game you get to play in. If you start you are getting paid but if you get benched you don't get paid. This is the other way I would run the modern day football team.

A combination of both would get the job done with a good x and o coach that can adjust on the fly to the skills he/she ends up with.

[WASU 93]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

That’s why Charlotte took on the Biff Poggi experiment. Coastal tried it previously. But, that direction isn’t working for them, yet.

Maybe the next direction is for a university to hire a GM who doesn’t see the field and pairs him/her? with an X’s and O’s coach. One handles the front office (sales and marketing), the other handles the field/player development (operations)

[BambooRdApp]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

That’s why Charlotte took on the Biff Poggi experiment. Coastal tried it previously. But, that direction isn’t working for them, yet.

Maybe the next direction is for a university to hire a GM who doesn’t see the field and pairs him/her? with an X’s and O’s coach. One handles the front office (sales and marketing), the other handles the field/player development (operations)

Some schools already have started doing this

[spacemonkey]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

That’s why Charlotte took on the Biff Poggi experiment. Coastal tried it previously. But, that direction isn’t working for them, yet.

Maybe the next direction is for a university to hire a GM who doesn’t see the field and pairs him/her? with an X’s and O’s coach. One handles the front office (sales and marketing), the other handles the field/player development (operations)

Some schools already have started doing this

Sounds like you guys are warming up to my idea of having a head OC and Head DC...no head coach. Fire the one that is not getting it done. Save money on the head coach and make that a GM/head coach pay him for amount of money raised.

[T-Dog]

Sounds like you guys are warming up to my idea of having a head OC and Head DC...no head coach. Fire the one that is not getting it done. Save money on the head coach and make that a GM/head coach pay him for amount of money raised.

So like the Roman Republic's dual consuls? One would command practive one day and the other the next.

[BambooRdApp]

Back to Houston, commentator opined that the game passed him by . He is a coach. Wants to coach football and has proven that he can. However in today’s world the head coach doesn’t coach. He raises money , hires coaches and players , essentially is the CEO. Different skill set , different mindset. Some can make the transition others can not. Interesting take.

That’s why Charlotte took on the Biff Poggi experiment. Coastal tried it previously. But, that direction isn’t working for them, yet.

Maybe the next direction is for a university to hire a GM who doesn’t see the field and pairs him/her? with an X’s and O’s coach. One handles the front office (sales and marketing), the other handles the field/player development (operations)

Some schools already have started doing this

Sounds like you guys are warming up to my idea of having a head OC and Head DC...no head coach. Fire the one that is not getting it done. Save money on the head coach and make that a GM/head coach pay him for amount of money raised.

Not what I said. I just said some schools have GMs. I reaad somewhere a few months back where a few schools hired GMs....coach is still there .takes some responsibilities related to non coaching items of coaches plate

[Bigdaddyg1]

Makes you wonder what the thought process/approach would be of players if the system only provided game checks and those game checks were based on actual performance. Would teams basically have the equivalent of practice squads who would only receive a stipend to go along with their scholarship (if that piece even remains)? The true measure of a coaching staff would be to monitor daily practices and then name a limited game day roster. Zero reason to have a roster of 85 players for a game. I know teams have travel rosters which are limited. Basically what I’m thinking is that only about half of an active roster would get a game check. The rest have to earn that spot. This won’t happen in most likelihood but it could help level the competitive balance because that 4th best back at Alabama won’t see any game check but he probably would at App State.