Storyline: Florida hit the trifecta of coaching hires–Davis (FIU), Strong (USF), and Kiffin (FAU). What’s going on? Florida Atlantic’s brand nails it: “Unbridled Ambition.”
My, my! The stars are shining on Florida when it comes to head football hires.
Lane Kiffin goes to FAU (photo, SB Nation)
Florida International just signed Butch Davis.
South Florida inked Charlie Strong this week.
Just a few days ago Florida Atlantic hired Lane Kiffin.
Those are three big names in college football.
All three schools have aspirations to climb the ladder. They want to get into the spotlight, stay there, and make a jump to The Power 5.
South Florida would have made it this year had the Big 12 come calling. But it didn’t. So the plodding proceeds.
And it’s tough plodding in the “tier beneath.” The record shows that few, if any, schools rise to the top and stay there. Consider Northern Illinois and Boise State as examples. Navy is trying hard. Toledo is, too. This year it was Houston and Western Michigan. Next year it will be guess who?
But there’s more to why the Florida coaching stories are interesting. In addition to high aspirations, these three schools share another thing in common: they’re football newbies.
USF launched football in 1997.
FAU came along in 2001, guided by legendary coach, Howard Schnellenberger,
FIU started playing football in 2002.
And all three schools jumped to NCAA FBS status quickly—USF in 2001 with both FAU and FIU coming on board in 2005.
To have made it so quickly is simply incredible. And they all want more.
USF hires Charlie Strong (photo, LarryBrownSports)
I think the best hire of the three–in coaching character, coaching selection, and salary payout–is Charlie Strong at USF.
Although Strong didn’t succeed in Austin, he did a fine job earlier at Louisville (37-15). It’s also reinforcing to see a school replace a coach-of-color (Willie Taggart left for Oregon) with another coach-of-color.
The money made sense, too. Because Strong had signed a long-term contract at Texas, USF saved big money by hiring him. Why? UT will subsidize Strong’s paycheck for multiple years. For its part, UT will pay Strong a lot less than it would have had to pay him otherwise – had he remained unemployed. It’s a good financial deal for both schools.
I’m far less enthusiastic about the two other hires. Why? RISK is the watchword at both FIU and FAU.
Achieving gridiron success hasn’t been an issue for Butch Davis. He did a good job at Miami and also at UNC. But he’s not as reliable when it comes to off-the-field matters. Risk applies to Kiffin, too. Kiffin had trouble getting head coaching looks. Most of “the noise” seems to be about maturity issues.
But for all three coaches it’s a chance to compete again—not at the highest level, but close to it. Each will make a ton of money doing it and, if they succeed, the “Big Time” will beckon.
Biggest upset in college football history? It may have been App State’s iconic win at Michigan (photo, SI.com)
Yeah, they’ll play mostly before smaller crowds and against lesser teams, but at least once a year they’ll have a chance to “shock the world.” Consider FAU’s upcoming schedule:
2017 v. Wisconsin
2018 v. Oklahoma, and
2019 v. Ohio State.
That’s not bad for a team that drew only 10,000 on average for 2016 home games–last in attendance in Conference USA. Kiffin’s hire will undoubtedly sell more tickets.
So I think the hires are great for the coaches. But what about for the schools?
Well, they’ll all shell out a lot of money. A bunch of it will come from the university general budget and a lion’s share will come via student fees. Both are needed because sports revenues, like gate receipts, don’t cover the bills. That’s how most ADs balance the books.
For evidence. let’s look at recent financial numbers (for the years 2010-14).
Courtesy: Change Magazine
At South Florida, the university generated $230 million in sports revenues. $90 million came via subsidies from the university general fund and through student fees. Students paid dearly, about 88% of that $90 million dollar price tag.
At Florida Atlantic, the school generated $111 million in sports revenues. Again, most of that money came from university general funds and student fees. FAU students paid over 75% of $73 million in sports subsidies.
At Florida International, students paid 90% of $106 million in subsidies to sports. That’s includes paying for a football team that drew about 17,000 a home game in 2016 … at a school with over 50,000 students.
In contrast, less than 25% of athletic revenues at Florida and Florida State came from subsidies over that same four-year period.
What about comparative academic metrics? Let’s use a standard metric—graduation rates over 6 years. Who does best among Florida’s public institutions? The “Big Boys” do: Florida at 85% and FSU at 75%. Rates at USF and FIU are considerably lower–at 57% and 49%, respectively, and FAU’s rate is 41%. FAU’s rate is nearly 20% below the national average for public universities and half of the performance rate in Gainesville.
All three schools aspire to move up. FAU’s brand says it all: Unbridled Ambition.
But what I don’t get is this: Why don’t schools like these feel more fulfilled by focusing on what they were founded to do (many are municipal or regional universities) and what they do well? They all want to be Big Boys.
My take? I believe that some organizations, just like some people we know, aren’t comfortable in their own skin. They put tremendous energy in trying to be something they aren’t.
Some succeed. Some don’t. But the cost of getting there is always enormous.
Courtesy: Business Insider
A few years ago a candidate for a university presidency told me what had happened to him during the public interview. He was asked what it would take to propel that school to a top-tier ranking.
“It’s not worth it,” he told the audience. “It will subvert who we are. Let’s focus on what we do well. Improve elsewhere. Do what’s best for our students. Serve this state.”
He didn’t get a job offer.
He was happy he didn’t.
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Note: For another analysis on this topic read Dan Wolken’s recent column in USAToday Sports. Dan evaluates these three hires—and 14 other recent major hires in college football—and gives each school/coach a grade. (Spoiler alert: USF/Strong, Grade A (top of the class); FAU/Kiffin, B+; and FIU/Davis, B-. Lowest grade: Fresno State/Jeff Tedford, C-).
