re: What I don't get about Kiffin to UF

I have paid attention to FSU for a while now because there was a time I admired them (when I saw them as an example of how the "second" school in a big state could have a lot of success) and then when they came after A&M hard with butthurt post-Jimbo I got to the point I really disliked them.

Through all of that they just seem really unsophisticated about the business side of the sport, like OU but even worse. FSU feels entitled to success, and is quick to play the victim.

Because of that it seems like they are foolish with their money- like how they wouldn't upgrade facilities but were willing to pay Taggart's buyout instead. Or recently how they accepted a huge buyout with their current coach without a way to pay it if things went wrong (to A&M's credit the Jimbo deal didn't get signed off on until the money was raised to backstop it which we ended up using).

But UF doesn't seem to have that incompetence FSU does. It seems more like a deliberate cheapness, almost a yankee-style "well sports shouldn't be this way and we will prove they don't have to be" notion. Like when yall pushed to ban NiL at a state level.

Hence me asking the question.

Florida fans hate on Stricklin but I think he's made good hires. Napier didn't turn out well, however that doesn't mean he was a bad hire.

Pocket Aces is the best hand in poker, but sometimes it doesn't win. That doesn't mean it was a bad play or that you were wrong to play them.

You're going to want an up and coming coach that has shown the ability to improve programs. That's what Meyer was. That's what Mullen was. That's what Napier was.

Kiffin somewhat meets that bill as well, but the price tag is much higher.

UF has a lot of money but you're right they've been historically cheap since Spurrier.

That's because we won a lot in the old system even though we didn't keep up with the SEC on facilities, etc.

At a certain point you either say "it's not worth it" or you open the piggybank. The ADs thought UF would just run itself if you got a young up and comer. Worked for Spurrier, worked for Meyer, but you're seeing the counterargument.

The only way to win now is have a decent coach and a truckload of NIL.

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If A&M would have come to the SEC in the east division Johnny would have had two by himself.

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Nope. 2012 Georgia was in the SEC Championship with one loss and would have most likely beaten A&M if they played. 2013 Missouri had one loss and did beat A&M

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2012 Georgia was in the SEC Championship

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Pretty much was the NCG IMO.

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The only way to win now is have a decent coach and a truckload of NIL.

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Yeah the sport changed and cheap doesn't work anymore. There is no more "coaching up." No more finding "diamonds in the rough" because even if you do they get poached in the portal once they show talent.

One thing I will say, in the past UF's cheapness could have been framed as something else. In the old era, hiring an up and comer wasn't strange. In the old era without a player payroll, the UF proximity to talent really mattered.

What is interesting is that UF has such an obvious choice to make: either pay up for Kiffin or the cheapness is obvious.

Jeremy Foley (AD before Scott) and the higher ups in the office became products of Spurrier's belief that we did not need to overspend to produce results. This thought pervaded through the UAA for years--evidence is in how behind we were and still are in our facilities (last program in SEC to build indoor practice and standalone facility for football). Foley also came up in the UAA office during the corrupt years and got a lot of recognition for his work cleaning things up. People don't change; When Stricklin got in, the UAA brass from the Foley era was still calling a lot of the shots. Stricklin, I believe, was hired to be a project manager for getting the facilities up to speed.

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Florida fans hate on Stricklin but I think he's made good hires. Napier didn't turn out well, however that doesn't mean he was a bad hire.

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He has made 1 good hire. It was a great higher. The other 11 hires he's made have been awful to mediocre.

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Through all of that they just seem really unsophisticated about the business side of the sport, like OU but even worse.

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Even before you guys hired Jimbo the FSU AD Stan Wilcox had said the next FSU coach was going to be black. People forget about that now, but Mark Schlabach reported on it.

“In case that happens, I’m told FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox would like to land a minority coach if they needed a replacement. So keep an eye on Oregon’s Willie Taggart, former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, and South Florida’s Charlie Strong.”

As an AD it is hard enough to hire a good coach without having skin color be your first filter. It didn’t bother him though, he left to join the NCAA shortly after.

Then their financials were so bad that they almost couldn’t even fire Taggart. They managed it, but then a few years later gave Norvell that crazy contract.

I think a lot of their decision making has been emotional. They were upset at the CFP snub, so they sling a sack of money at Norvell with no way to fire him. And now two horrible seasons later they can’t afford to fire him. They need boosters to give more than ever at a time they want to donate less than ever. Why would a booster give money to the same AD that put them in this mess? I think the lesson here is dont let the desperation to win overwhelm decision making.

They really have been the polar opposite to UF and yet we both get the same on field result.

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Yes that is why Saban moved to Florida, to be around all the poor people. #facepalm

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I’m guessing Saban ain’t living in Gainesville or Starke or any of the glade communities