Is UL Athletics Broke?

[CajunRage]

Besides the fact that such money was never really available. Because of the acceptance of that much higher external offer, there will never be available hard evidence one way or the other if that amount of money was ever available. It has been widely offered here that the proposed $1,200,000 in raise had external funding (and I buy that) however there has been absolutely no evidence that the $1,250,000 (difference between the other $2,000,000 and what was paid to CMD was available. I have suggested not and that at $750,001, Louisiana was broke.

Unfortunately, hiring and firing of coaches in big boy football is never something where you can just "look at the numbers". You look at the situation at hand and get a handshake deal from a booster for the money you need. I'm led to believe that no booster was willing to fork over any more for CMD and that's why he's making 750k. If Dr. M would have taken some time to find a good candidate AND made the effort to sell his hire, he could have convinced boosters to come up with the difference and we'd be paying 7 figures for a coach. To the question of is UL athletics broke? It's not a simple yes or no. Oklahoma State was "broke" until T Boone decided to bring in the dumptruck of cash.

[RedTails]

Is UL Athletics Broke? SHOW ME THE MONEY

Why is this being asked on a forum of supporters already donating?

We don’t get paid $400,000 per year to answer that or to fix it.

[JayWalker]

So now you are going to tell me how to fan?


That is one of the reasons why we spent $750,000 on a new coach and not $3,200,000 to retain the old one.

At $750,001, we would have been broke and we are not allowed to be broke.

All of the other information gives insight why the level of broke was what it was at the time CMD was hired.

Mike's salary is a competitive salary with coaches in the Sun Belt. It's just 100,000 less than what Napier started at.

[CajunRage]

Mike's salary is a competitive salary with coaches in the Sun Belt. It's just 100,000 less than what Napier started at.

What's Dr Maggards salary compared to the rest of the belt? He got a raise recently while we busted through the established floor on the hire to keep our rising program on the right trajectory?

[ExecutiveCajun]

When Dr. Maggard was hired, here is about where we were generally:

Administration: we had an AD, Asst Ad and I believe one secretarial staff person.

Football: HC HUD got to about $1,000,000 and I would venture to guess maybe $500,000 in all other salaries (pretty sure Des was way under $100,000)

Basketball: Marlin and two assistants - Guess total $650,000

Baseball: Robe $120,000 one paid assistant $50,000

Softball: Lotief’s $100,000 and maybe a $30,000 assistant

Increases:

Administration: Maggard, Nico, Lege all at higher salaries together with about another 15 or 20 support staff (who knows how much all those additional bodies cost)

Football: HC $2,000,000 plus another $2,000,000 support staff

Basketball. Coaching salaries up to about $850,000 now

Baseball: Loan on Tigue to pay and Maggard had raised Robe to about $250,00 and Deggs is now making just under $400,000 with two assistants making more now

Softball. Fired Lotief’s and now Glasco and staff about $400,000

SHOW ME THE MONEY to fund all of these increases. It is surely not attendance increase in your two potential money makers - Football and Basketball

I know some of these numbers may be off some but you get the message. Where is the money tree.

The FOUR areas of substantial increase:

Administration Salaries and number of positions. https://ragincajuns.com/staff-directory
Football HC and Support Staff $1,500,000 to $4,000,000
Baseball: $150,000 to $400,000
Softball: $130,000 to $350,000

SHOW ME THE MONEY

now for all the goofy stuff you post i did not know you were capable of such good subject matter. more of this less of the goofy stuff

[Cajun Monkee]

Beno Cooke once said (and I'm probably paraphrasing) that "college athletic programs spend to their needs."

And they need to spend all of it (I added this).

In the last decade, both Texas and Tennessee have both had to reach to their repspective universities for help in solving budget deficits.

Did we overextend ourselves during the Covid years grasping out the brass ring or did we want to present the illusion everything was okay? When other programs were cutting back on staff, salaries, and sports, I don't think we did the same. So I think its a little of both.

Actually a lot of both.

It took CBN 4 years to build this program up to where it was (and Lafayette/Acadiana still refused to put 25k butts in Cajun Field). He took what he built and brought it to Florida, and Mike had all of 6 weeks to regain that momentum.

We here talk of the 3% percent alotment for athletics from the University budget that isn't being utilized; there's a 2% cap set by Authement and continued by Savoie.

Just a thought on this regard: allegedly we had offered CBN $3.2 million to stay (but Florida more than doubled that so its a moot point). What if Savoie sits on this extra 1% (which admittedly could be a substantial amount) specifically for these purposes? To me, this would be a prudent move on Savoie's part.

To Jay's point, Mike's salary is commensurate with his place in the pecking order.

I hope people wouldn't have expected Maggard to take the potential $3.2 million offered to Napier and offer to somebody else.

They spend to their needs and they need to spend it.

We wouldn't have them do it any other way.

People have said on this board that we should be that stepping stone. If that's the case, we have to prepared for this scenario.

[CajunVic]

Mike's salary is a competitive salary with coaches in the Sun Belt. It's just 100,000 less than what Napier started at.

Who said it was not competitive.

The point is that CMD's salary would not have been sufficient to attract the caliber of coach with the expected experience being demanded on this board and so as to those potential candidates, Louisiana was broke in that they did not have enough money to compete for their employment.

[CajunVic]

now for all the goofy stuff you post i did not know you were capable of such good subject matter. more of this less of the goofy stuff

Pay attention. When the board is engaged in goofy stuff, I give it right back. When it is not, my analysis is detailed and on point.

[JayWalker]

Who said it was not competitive.

The point is that CMD's salary would not have been sufficient to attract the caliber of coach with the expected experience being demanded on this board and so as to those potential candidates, Louisiana was broke in that they did not have enough money to compete for their employment.

You did.

If Dr. Maggard had gone outside to hire a new coach, he sure as hell wouldn't have paid anyone a million dollars to start.

So your comment about hiring Mike on the cheap holds no water.

None.

[CajunVic]

You did.

If Dr. Maggard had gone outside to hire a new coach, he sure as hell wouldn't have paid anyone a million dollars to start.

So your comment about hiring Mike on the cheap holds no water.

None.

Hiring on the cheap was someone else's words. The budget was set and they went out and hired a coach that not only was willing to work for the budget but that they believed provided many more intangibles which other coaches at that salary level probably would not have provided. He also provided the one intangible that only he had . . . he coached under and had 4 years of watching while he waited under a coach that did extremely well here.

[JayWalker]

OK fine. You didn't say the exact words.

But you certainly said it without saying it.

"That is one of the reasons why we spent $750,000 on a new coach and not $3,200,000 to retain the old one.

At $750,001, we would have been broke and we are not allowed to be broke.

All of the other information gives insight why the level of broke was what it was at the time CMD was hire."

In other words, we hired the cheapest coach we could find. Got it. Again.

[CajunVic]

OK fine. You didn't say the exact words.

But you certainly said it without saying it.

"That is one of the reasons why we spent $750,000 on a new coach and not $3,200,000 to retain the old one.

At $750,001, we would have been broke and we are not allowed to be broke.

All of the other information gives insight why the level of broke was what it was at the time CMD was hire."

In other words, we hired the cheapest coach we could find. Got it. Again.

NO, WE HIRED THE BEST COACH WE COULD FIND AT THAT NUMBER.

HOW HARD IS THAT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND?

[JayWalker]

NO, WE HIRED THE BEST COACH WE COULD FIND AT THAT NUMBER.

HOW HARD IS THAT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND?

Because it isn't accurate. Dr. Maggard was not told he couldn't spend more than $750,000. He hired Mike because he thought Mike was the right choice and paid him a competitive salary with other first year coaches in our league.

I think you are totally off base with your hypothesis.

And, don't yell at me.

[no1cajunfan]

I'm suggesting the university is taking advantage of the coaching change to direct every available dime towards a new stadium.

At the possible risk of setting this program back?

[ZoomZoom]

If UL is broke, then why did they not politic to become part of the Louisiana weed market that UBR & Southern now control?

Because both can grow weed being they are agricultural and mechanical colleges. Within their defined mission. They’re Aggies.