what would 11-2 do for recruiting?

[Just1More]

It is the traditional competing interest... if the coach (and/or the program) does great, we may lose the coach, or coaches. However, in the time it takes to get the required attention, the program builds, succeeds, and the dividends outweigh that potential loss. It always hurts a program to lose the head coach, but the other 12 associated benefits are generally held in check, up until and thru the acclimation of the next coach (if it is strictly due to the program's success).

That said, I don't see Bustle leaving any time soon. I do expect the program to build and he will be inching up the attention list. I really like what Bustle and his staff have been able to do. We have improved in many, many categories since his arrival. We want instant success, but slow determined success is much much better. And, that is what this football program is doing.

It is always great when one of your worries is "will we be so successful that we may lose our coach to a bigger program?" That is the kind of problem we need. Geaux Cajuns!!!

[Kal]

Kal,

Also think bigger schools will want to make sure its not a flash in the pan, aka, North Texas with DD. Sure, they dominated the SunBelt for a few years; but look at them now. Sustained excellence might do it; but it will take more than 1 or 2 good years. At that point, I'd have to say "Thanks Coach and Good Luck". But you never know, he just might really like it here and not be in a big hurry to leave if the situation is still improving at UL.

Shof

I sure hope you are right because I really like Bustle as the head coach.

[MiamiCajun32]

I sure hope you are right because I really like Bustle as the head coach.

Of course we could not keep Bustle from going to a major BCS program, as that would be an opportunity of a lifetime. However, he is not going to be recruited by those top programs unless he has great success for a number of years (which would be a great problem for Cajuns to have).

The key is keeping Bustle from considering 2nd tier teams, such as conf usa teams or high end wac or mwest programs. These programs can offer more compensation and more financial support to program. Cajun nation needs to figure out how to do what the university cannot financially do, when it comes to keeping Bustle for a number of more years.

I think Bustle has a much better chance of becoming top end BCS coach if he stays with Cajuns, than if he goes to a conference usa type team. Why? Cajuns have better chance to dominate the lowly sunbelt than any team in conference usa has of dominating year after year. It is quite a challenge for the Cajuns to be able to win sunbelt for several years in a row and the odds are against it, but those odds are better than what Bustle would face as coach in a more competitve conference. And the key to getting the big BCS job, the million dollar+ jobs, are winning big year after year as a D-1 coach and taking a smaller program to the higher level, with bowls year after year.

But if Bustle would ever be offered 50% more compensation to run a more financially supported program, then it would be hard to pass up, regardless of his fondness for Cajuns program he has built into a winner.

[locoguano]

Bustle actually has an ideal situation down here... he is in the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country... even if we get big12 and sec cast-offs down here, they are still better than the top guys in many parts of the country...


Should Bustle leave, will this be our new head coach (to keep the spread offense going)?

Rob Christophel

[CDeb]

Keep in mind that Bustle is no spring chicken. While it won't prevent a BCS school from hiring him, it DOES seem that the BCS schools are hot for the up-and-comers.

[MiamiCajun32]

Keep in mind that Bustle is no spring chicken. While it won't prevent a BCS school from hiring him, it DOES seem that the BCS schools are hot for the up-and-comers.

great point. You are right. Seems like the BCS programs like to only hire the 40 year old clean cut up and comer guys who like like they are 30.

I am an alum of University of Florida and I am still amazed that UF hired Urban Meyer over a Steve Spurrier return, no matter how successful Urban has been, as it does not and will not compare to Spurrier's success.

Seems like there are very few of the 60+ BCS head coaches and even fewer that are hired to by a BCS school at 60+.

[MiamiCajun32]

Bustle actually has an ideal situation down here... he is in the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country... even if we get big12 and sec cast-offs down here, they are still better than the top guys in many parts of the country...


Should Bustle leave, will this be our new head coach (to keep the spread offense going)?

Rob Christophel

Cajuns unfortunately don't yet get the SEC and Big 12 cast offs consistently. Those kids go to Conference USA usually before even a greatly positioned sunbelt program. If Cajuns were in better conference then those second tier recruits would consistently come to Cajuns over most other second tier programs. Unfortunately the sunbelt is a third tier conference, maybe in the third tier all by itself, although 2/3 of the WAC belongs there too.

It would take consistently winning the Sunbelt to attract consistently recruits away from programs like Southern Miss. Even then, it would be a challenge. Cajuns will always get a few players that could go to BCS school and a number of others that had Conf USA options, but across the board half or more of the Cajuns recruits may be Conf USA cast offs, not just Big 12 and SEC.

Great recruiting and great coaching can make up for that problem, but it is a challenge and the Cajuns are not necessarily in position to catch consistently the Big 12 and SEC cast offs, just because of a great geographic location.

Evan

[Just1More]

I agree that Bustle is not at risk for BCS school interest any time soon, if at all. More $ to a WAC/CUSA/etc would be the threat. UL football has to accomplish dominance in the Sunbelt before anything credible will surface. The south is a good place to coach football and UL is far from peaking. Bustle may be wise enough about the area to know what he could do here. If we keep up the winning and get the right private funding organization in place, we can start having lots of meaningful conversations about interesting possibilities.

I think the single entity holding this program in check, other than Ws, is the private funding component. We have limits in this state that arguing is not going to resolve. I do not discount the power of winning records, but we need an infusion of funds.

PS I have heard that we "have private funding" and so on and so forth. I am talking about a new group modeled after LSU's TAF.

[UL Ragin Cajun]

PS I have heard that we "have private funding" and so on and so forth. I am talking about a new group modeled after LSU's TAF.

We do?????

[VObserver]

We do?????

Yes, we do. It is called the UL Foundation. Any moneys donated for athletics to the UL Foundation will be spent on or invested on behalf of athletics. The problem we have with 'private' funding is that:
1) Not enough people know about the Foundation. and
2) Many of those that do know about it don't trust Doc A to honor their requests on how their money is spent.