In Reply to: Re: So now a coach has to be a funds raiser as well? posted by mikeo on July 28, 2025 at 07:56:56
agree, but also the focus on what you said earlier about the importance of a personal connection with the guy in charge. It's why politicians, both incumbents and those who want to be incumbents, have to do so much personal fundraising. Rubber chicken dinners have been around as long as governments = fundraising is a full time job nowadays.
Many universities have pre-game meetings in which significant donors get to meet with the HC before the game and the coach talks with them about game strategies and drops a few insider tidbits. It connects them personally with the program and that, in turn, energizes fundraising.
And, as you said, so much of it today is about the money pure and simple. Always was key under the tables - many, many tables - but today it's the name of the game. Donovan Dent really wanted to come home for his final year and he was willing to take less to play at UCLA. But if we hadn't ponied up as much as we did no way he could have gone to UCLA - a pro career is no sure thing and hardly any kid is going to be able to turn down millions more for one year of playing ball (say $4 million as opposed to $1.5.
In FB, Iamaleava is a good example. Tracy Pierson talked on this in a recent podcast - and I've heard similar comments from others including Rick Neuheisel - that Nico really wanted to play at home but his father did go to Tennessee and ask for more money. He was getting $2.4 million and his father asked for $4 million for him to stay with the Vols/ When UIT declined, he took less to go home to UCLA. We don't know how much less but I have to guess it was less than he was already getting at UT. It's a balance but it seems illustrative to me.
Clearly in recruiting it focuses on the coaches - for a very few, if you have a rep such as Saben did, there's not as much required. - but if you don't have the rep or if it's faded - see Chip Kelly - you really can't sit it out and realize good results in recruiting.
And in fund raising it's much the same. People - Donors - want to feel they're inside; they want to feel they have personal relationships with the coaches.
Certainly ADs and fund raising staffs and programs have a significant role to play but there's nothing like people wanting to say, "Oh yes, we went to a dinner with him the other night and he was really sharp and seems a good guy" - be it politics or nonprofits or charities or churches or sports programs.