Is our program setup for success in the NIL era?

Baseball
1

We want our football, basketball and baseball to be great programs despite the lack of donor support to our athletics in the aggregate

Is this even possible?

Perhaps the admins don’t want to invest in an expensive coach which is why they keep giving Whittingball more chances?

2

You can only fire so many coaches at time with our previous funding. Whitting was saved for last (I hope it will happen) because of his juice with some major contributors and getting close to the end of his contract.

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3

Not possible. We don’t have the money.

NIL has completed college athletics transformation into Major League Baseball. There are Haves and Have Nots. Programs with lots of cash flow and those with a lot less money to buy players.

We just don’t have the alumni base with $$$ or any “friends of the program” to buy a run at a championship.

And I am aware of the basketball program but I suspect that top tier guys are willing to take less money to play for Sampson cause he will get them ready for the big payday in the NBA. Once Kelvin decides to hang it up, I worry tournament appearances will become few and far between.

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Baseball is set up if you make the right hire. It’s been proven you can get talent in here, but you need someone who moves the needle. You can’t tell me teams and Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina should be having more success than us. They have some of the lowest overall budgets in G5, but find a way to win in baseball.

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Part of it was scholarship funding - 11.7 kept everyone at bay - now with 32 or you better keep up or get left behind

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