MU22
Baby Bear
Posts: 38
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Post by MU22 on Oct 5, 2015 20:09:07 GMT -5
Hofstra killed their program off in 2009.
Does Mercer want to tick off all the other SoCon member institutions ? Then institute COA in football.
I think Mercer should pay COA for men's and women's basketball, because the relative costs are negligible and as a mid-major will absolutely have it used against us in recruiting.
It just all boils down to how deep our pockets are. It's a million dollar + decision if fully implemented across the entire athletic program. I think it'd be wise to prepare to offer it ONLY if other SoCon schools make that move. Outside of Chattanooga I don't think there is going to be the appetite or budget by any other league member to incorporate it. Chattanooga probably would hold off and bank that money instead, electing to use it for playoff bidding or maybe a rainy day fund to use if they ever decided to exit the league and pay a buyout.
Furthermore, the entire concept of FCS football as a safe harbor for ever-expanding athletic expenses really gets tested if that expense has to be paid. Some lesser funded programs might decide to shutter their program or reduce scholarships and both of those concepts threaten FCS with dilution. At this level, funding COA is similar to carrying around a nuke you really don't want to use.
And if we just happen to have a spare million $$$ lying around, then put it toward the next stadium addition which will be just as successful for us at differentiating our program from others.
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Post by BearDownMU on Oct 5, 2015 22:00:24 GMT -5
I think COA is fiscally really difficult, no matter the school.
But, unlike other, I'm not convinced it's a major factor in recruiting. I was a Division I recruit and I also was the Assistant Director of Admission at Mercer and worked with athletes and their families. I personally do not believe that a couple of thousand dollar COA would be in the top factors of decision making. The vast, vast majority of students I worked with were concerned about 1) the environment and the quality of the school, 2) the coaching staff and how stable they are and 3) how the school views and cares about their kid as a student.
Obviously money plays into it if, for example, a Division II or NAIA school was offering them money an a Division I school was not. That's a big gap. But if the money is close, all those other things I mentioned came into play a lot more that a few thousand dollar difference in scholarship money.
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Post by chez23 on Oct 6, 2015 9:24:42 GMT -5
All good points made; however,IMO, COA is a big deal for recruits. If it wasn’t then why have it? If MU wants to be a leader in the FCS for football then they need to adopt the COA. I don’t like COA one bit either but unfortunately that is the landscape of college football right now. I rather see MU being active and not reactive, especially being a startup program. MU needs all the advantages it can take right now and offering COA will give MU that edge if others are not offering it. If the top teams currently in the SOCON are not offering COA and MU is then who has the advantage for that 2-3 star who is looking at MU and others SOCON schools? And yes COA is an advantage.
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Post by Clueless Fan on Oct 6, 2015 9:27:26 GMT -5
Thanks for your perspective from your unique vantage point. However, decisions are made on the margin. When all other things are equal and a recruit is deciding between a school that doesn't offer COA and one that does, it will be a factor.
I say only offer COA to basetball because there isn't a separate subdivision for basketball. But the SoCon is a one bid league so it will not impact MU's chances to win the SoCon tourney (provided other SoCon schools don't pay COA to basketball players) but it likely will be a factor in our ability to win a game or two in the Big Dance.
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Post by BearDownMU on Oct 6, 2015 9:29:16 GMT -5
If it is a *big* deal for recruits, things have changed a lot since I was a professional recruiter.
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Post by chez23 on Oct 6, 2015 15:09:26 GMT -5
If it is a *big* deal for recruits, things have changed a lot since I was a professional recruiter. Yea the climate has defitnitely changed. if COA wasnt so important then why have it in the first place. I know shcools in the FBS G5 that are providing COA just to keep up with the P5 schools in recruiting. If you want to be a winning program then you have to play this game. MU has all the right things going for them- location, faclities, campus and academics so why not give the athletic program a little edge, which could mean so much to all the athletic programs and the health of the University with offering COA? Think of it as addtional investment. |
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Post by BearDownMU on Oct 6, 2015 15:14:09 GMT -5
I personally don't think it makes sense to compare FBS recruiting, particularly P5 recruiting, to FCS. Apples and oranges.
As MU said, I could see them doing it for basketball. Don't know if it's feasible for football or the ROI makes sense for football. But, I don't get paid to make those kinds of decisions, so we will see which way they go.
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Post by chez23 on Oct 7, 2015 14:18:37 GMT -5
I personally don't think it makes sense to compare FBS recruiting, particularly P5 recruiting, to FCS. Apples and oranges. As MU said, I could see them doing it for basketball. Don't know if it's feasible for football or the ROI makes sense for football. But, I don't get paid to make those kinds of decisions, so we will see which way they go. Actually it is a good comparison because its still D1 football and its relative to the levels you play in. Football is easily the top ROI at any University that delivers a good program. |
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Post by Clueless Fan on Oct 8, 2015 7:18:38 GMT -5
I personally don't think it makes sense to compare FBS recruiting, particularly P5 recruiting, to FCS. Apples and oranges. As MU said, I could see them doing it for basketball. Don't know if it's feasible for football or the ROI makes sense for football. But, I don't get paid to make those kinds of decisions, so we will see which way they go. Actually it is a good comparison because its still D1 football and its relative to the levels you play in. Football is easily the top ROI at any University that delivers a good program. I have to disagree. Football only has a good ROI at the P5 level. Otherwise, it is a huge money loser. You would have to overstate the value of the intangibles (school spirit, alumni engagement, and such) to even begin to make a case that football at the non-P5 level is a good investment. Maybe it makes sense for Mercer. We can all see that it is one piece of a large plan to increase Mercer's reputation and attractiveness to potential students. But, one could argue that Belmont has done well without football. It only gets worse if you add COA to an equation that already results in a negative number. |
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Post by chez23 on Oct 9, 2015 10:50:05 GMT -5
Actually it is a good comparison because its still D1 football and its relative to the levels you play in. Football is easily the top ROI at any University that delivers a good program. I have to disagree. Football only has a good ROI at the P5 level. Otherwise, it is a huge money loser. You would have to overstate the value of the intangibles (school spirit, alumni engagement, and such) to even begin to make a case that football at the non-P5 level is a good investment. Maybe it makes sense for Mercer. We can all see that it is one piece of a large plan to increase Mercer's reputation and attractiveness to potential students. But, one could argue that Belmont has done well without football. It only gets worse if you add COA to an equation that already results in a negative number. I guess we can agree ro disagree then. If you are going to have a football program then you must go all in. Yes there are programs out there that are not fully committed to the football program and in return see no ROI...but for a school like Mercer to bring football back shows me they understand the importance of that one program and the overall affect on the University. Football program goes way beyond on the field. The intagibles are endless. But MU neeeds to be all in for it to work. Georgia is a hot bed for highschool and college football, so if MU plays thier cards right they could have a dominate and financially sound program. |
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