Topic: Our Administration

[Big Ol' Hillbilly]

I'm sure there are a lot of good kids --- Logan, Chad's boy and many others -- who were hurt by this, but it is what it is.   

Umm... "Chad's boy" is one of the first ones to jump into the transfer portal. Doubt he was that hurt.

[svherd]

Let's just stop with the 75 game. We quit this year plain and simple. Either the administration quit or the players did. Regardless just stop pretending to honor them.

WVU fired their coach. The whole staff was intact for the bowl and only one starter opted out. That's because the fired coach told and pleaded with the staff and kids to stick together.
As opposed to our former coach and another staff member who encouraged the kids to look at the portal and opt out.

Neal Brown has more character in his pinky than Fluff does his entire body.

[parshall2marshall]

Who is "we"?

Hey, go easy on Champ. No doubt he went back to my 2008 satirical post, "Marshall set to return to the SoCon in 2009". Under the great leadership of Kayo Marcum, Greg White and the Snides.

[marshallmark]

WVU fired their coach. The whole staff was intact for the bowl and only one starter opted out. That's because the fired coach told and pleaded with the staff and kids to stick together.
As opposed to our former coach and another staff member who encouraged the kids to look at the portal and opt out.

Neal Brown has more character in his pinky than Fluff does his entire body.

That may be some of it, and certainly helped.  However, most of WVU's players have some sort of NIL deal, and the final payments were not payable until after the bowl game and only payable if they participated. 

[whf]

That may be some of it, and certainly helped.  However, most of WVU's players have some sort of NIL deal, and the final payments were not payable until after the bowl game and only payable if they participated.
[/quoteOUr you saying our NIL deals weren't built that way?  Shame on us then.

[svherd]

That may be some of it, and certainly helped.  However, most of WVU's players have some sort of NIL deal, and the final payments were not payable until after the bowl game and only payable if they participated.

Seems like we need to structure our NIL deals in similar fashion.

[MicDrass1]

I?ve been wondering if MU had a bowl game clause not paying them if played. 

[marshallmark]

Seems like we need to structure our NIL deals in similar fashion.

Very few of our players have NIL deals, but how they're structured is not something I'm familiar with. 

[2xBison]

WVU fired their coach. The whole staff was intact for the bowl and only one starter opted out. That's because the fired coach told and pleaded with the staff and kids to stick together.
As opposed to our former coach and another staff member who encouraged the kids to look at the portal and opt out.

Neal Brown has more character in his pinky than Fluff does his entire body.

Huff probably only coach in country coaching team to championship with expiring contract.  Let's keep repeating the company line because obviously we are not butt hurt.

Huff is Huff and plenty to criticize, I just get a kick out of everything's all his fault and the administration is without fault.   Not to mention, our players or ex players are adults they own their decisions.


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[herdorbust2]

Huff probably only coach in country coaching team to championship with expiring contract.  Let's keep repeating the company line because obviously we are not butt hurt.

Huff is Huff and plenty to criticize, I just get a kick out of everything's all his fault and the administration is without fault.   Not to mention, our players or ex players are adults they own their decisions.


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Couldn't agree more. Gibson is the greatest (although he has never coached a game) and Huff is to blame for everything even if we have bad leadership. Huff is gone and will fail or succeed at S Miss. seems a lot of our fans are terrified he will turn them around in a couple years.

[ru4mu2]

Couldn't agree more. Gibson is the greatest (although he has never coached a game) and Huff is to blame for everything even if we have bad leadership. Huff is gone and will fail or succeed at S Miss. seems a lot of our fans are terrified he will turn them around in a couple years.

Terrified?  lol.  I'd be shocked if he doesn't lead them to 5+ wins next year!  Good for him.  That's why they hired him.  Guy led us to a SBC title.  I thank him for that.  He's now gone and I thank him for that too!  Gibby, nobody knows if he'll succeed but I'm ready to find out because he's the next man up! 

[BigJimslade]

I dont. They have handled this so poorly. I no longer have any faith in Spears. When is the last interview hes done? Embarrassing


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Wrong again lol

[svherd]

Huff probably only coach in country coaching team to championship with expiring contract.  Let's keep repeating the company line because obviously we are not butt hurt.

Huff is Huff and plenty to criticize, I just get a kick out of everything's all his fault and the administration is without fault.   Not to mention, our players or ex players are adults they own their decisions.


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Sure it's a two way street but all evidence in the past points to Huff not wanting to be here. I trust that Smith is pretty damn good at reading people and if he felt Huff was the best coach for us and was sincere, Brad would have made every effort to extend him. That didn't happen. We'll never know the real story I guess.

[2xBison]

Sure it's a two way street but all evidence in the past points to Huff not wanting to be here. I trust that Smith is pretty damn good at reading people and if he felt Huff was the best coach for us and was sincere, Brad would have made every effort to extend him. That didn't happen. We'll never know the real story I guess.

Exactly. Two sides. I just know that despite "not wanting to be here" he built championship team in year four and got us to best bowl game we ever received bid to. And when he left, we paid next guy more than Huff got here, and more than he got at So Miss despite fact he got nice raise. Given that, seems our administration didn't want him here either.  Obviously his players thought highly of him as well, hence portal issues.

So other than fact he interviewed elsewhere during his time we fine with him.  So, we managed to not get a buy out as he leaves and move on to investing more in unproven.  All while most here would tell you we want Coach to win big here then get hired away. 

Onward and upward. Let's go Gibby.


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[MUther]

And when he left, we paid next guy more than Huff got here, and more than he got at So Miss despite fact he got nice raise.

To be fair, if Huff had accepted an early extension he would have been accepting more money, as well.  And, if he'd had coordinator experience, he would have been hired at a higher rate from the beginning.  We shouldn't pay a premium dollar for a learning curve.  That would be silly, just as not accepting a raise and an extension, which can only benefit yourself and do no harm, would be silly...oh wait.

[Johnnyherd]

Sure it's a two way street but all evidence in the past points to Huff not wanting to be here. I trust that Smith is pretty damn good at reading people and if he felt Huff was the best coach for us and was sincere, Brad would have made every effort to extend him. That didn't happen. We'll never know the real story I guess.

Evidence

Greatest P5 victory in Marshall history
Victory over Virginia Tech in 50 years
Highest GPA of all time
Highest ranked recruiting class of all time (this is debatable)
Lowest Arrests and discipline
1st Sunbelt Championship
10 win season
Blowout win in Champions game

Took some interviews at higher playing jobs

What happened to the Western Kentucky head coach model where you hire the best young coach on the market, he goes off to the P4, hire the next best young coach.

During Doc tenure the board was begging for that system,

[svherd]

Evidence

Greatest P5 victory in Marshall history
Victory over Virginia Tech in 50 years
Highest GPA of all time
Highest ranked recruiting class of all time (this is debatable)
Lowest Arrests and discipline
1st Sunbelt Championship
10 win season
Blowout win in Champions game

Took some interviews at higher playing jobs

What happened to the Western Kentucky head coach model where you hire the best young coach on the market, he goes off to the P4, hire the next best young coach.

During Doc tenure the board was begging for that system,

No doubt Huff had some great moments. As said, who knows the real story. All you can do is email Brad and tell him what a dufus he is for letting Huff go. And then when Gibson goes 4-8 next year and the year after, people can say - " I told you so."

[Johnnyherd]

I just want the best for Marshall football.  I couldn?t care less if I?m right or wrong.

[Johnnyherd]

WVU fired their coach. The whole staff was intact for the bowl and only one starter opted out. That's because the fired coach told and pleaded with the staff and kids to stick together.
As opposed to our former coach and another staff member who encouraged the kids to look at the portal and opt out.

Neal Brown has more character in his pinky than Fluff does his entire body.

You are forgetting some reasons Neal Brown does not want to give WvU cause or even get on anyone?s bad side, specifically 9,500,000 reasons.

[BigJimslade]

So Marshall and the Sunbelt did not lose any money whatsoever by not playing in the conference?s top bowl?

I don?t think anyone has said the administration should?ve held the team at gunpoint and forced them to play in the bowl.

Obviously, we are using hindsight to judge, but it appears no one was with the team to try to calm the situation and assuage players.  I say this because so many went in the portal and apparently many left campus and went home (with a freaking bowl game scheduled) We left a bunch of 18,19,20 year olds in chaos and panic and we are surprised they all distanced themselves from the chaos by transferring or going home.   There is no reason Charles Huff should be the last person that spoke to the team on a Sunday when the portal opens Monday.

I don?t know for sure but it seems like Speers makes this massive decision and he distanced himself by running off with the soccer team to avoid an uncomfortable situation and problems that he helped create. 

Speers expects Tony Gibson whom is a complete stranger to all these kids but 1, to quell  and handle the situation?  That was completely unfair to him and setting him up for failure.  In the transfer list there are many starters.  I would be surprised if 80% of the starting lineup has left. 

All that was built in terms of culture is gone.  What Huff did as far as reconnecting the former players to the program has to be redone.  Seeing Marshall as a family environment that cares about it own and a close community that athletes can trust is out the window. 

We are a business that just makes business decisions.  The 75 game is just a marketing strategy and is apart of a business plan.  Hell Pennington and Yates were some of the first kids in the portal. They might have went anyway, but I can?t see all the kids getting the portal and especially half the kids just going him leaving campus.

This whole situation was a strategy to avoid the program falling completely apart because we were afraid Huff would leave for a P4 without notice.  So we force him out to a competitor and the results are worse. 

Do you think recruits and their parents are gonna notice that half the team left and refused to play and the coach was let go after winning a championship and the school really didn?t give a valid public explanation, which leads to a bunch of rumors and gossip. 

Even if the recruits, parents and agents didn?t follow the situation, I?m sure they know something doesn?t smell right and when faced with going to a G5 that has stability and culture or going to our strange, disgruntled mess with a brand new unproven coach, which do they chose?

I noticed posters saying that they will come here to be a D1 starter.   Every good D1 talent is told by every team that recruits them they will be a starter.  The only kids that transfer just to be a starter are the kids that are 2nd string level and want to play.

Again, this was all done to protect Marshall?s best interests and I think it backfired and damaged our reputation and did the opposite of what it was intended.  A classic Dunning Kruger.

It?s gonna be ok bubby. Take a deep breath. 😮‍💨

[muherd34]

It?s gonna be ok bubby. Take a deep breath. 😮‍💨

Hahaha right. Yates was in the portal because he has been tampered with for about 3 weeks before the season ended by Kiffens staffs. Penny was always leaving to try and get some playing time at a lower level.  We just won the SBC title with a bunch of 2nd and 3 rd stringers from other teams.  Not sure why we can?t do it again.  Go herd and quit being dramatic

[herdman22]

Didn?t think about our players that?s for sure!  They loved their HC

Pretty much every program in the country the majority of players love the coach that brought them in and they play for.


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[CharlestonHerdGuy]

I feel like people are making a mountain out of a molehill. I"m more concerned about the future and more particularly whether we can continue the success of last year with another top 15 recruiting class.

[Flat Tire 2]

Huff probably only coach in country coaching team to championship with expiring contract.  Let's keep repeating the company line because obviously we are not butt hurt.

Huff is Huff and plenty to criticize, I just get a kick out of everything's all his fault and the administration is without fault.   Not to mention, our players or ex players are adults they own their decisions.


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It appears to me that both sides have some accountability for how these events turned out. We all know Huff's faults and he was looking to move up to a better job. A lot of former Marshall have done the same. Yes, he did refuse a one contract extension in 2022. I have heard one rumor that Marshall made the decision to not to rehire Huff at the end of last season, I don't know that if that is true. That may explain Marshall's reason not to look at a contract extension until  the end of this season, not sure. The decision put Huff in a bad place and I don't blame for looking for another job, he has a family and he needs a job to take care of them. If your employer wouldn't give you the assurance that your job is secure, you would be looking for a new one.

I think Marshall thought this season was going to turn out bad and they we would let Huff go without any problems. Surprise, Huff wins the SBC and now that made it a different situation. Again, if Marshall was interesting in keeping Huff, they would started contract negotiations with him while the team was finishing the season strong.
 
A couple of observations:
Huff supposedly applied for a lot of jobs, but didn't get any offers. Huff wins the SBC and can't get a better job than SM? That is very interesting and telling.

I wonder why Smith was so down on Huff? I have rumors that Huff and Spears didn't get along well and maybe Spears sold Huff down the river to Smith? Remember, Smith may have been a CEO, but he has no experience with college athletics and dealing with college coaches. College coaches are a lot different personalities than say a CFO or a HR director.

Maybe Smith relied on Spears to be in charge of the situation and that may caused a lot of the problems? Spears should have been on top of this situation and should have realize the downside of letting Huff leave Marshall. Spears didn't handle the situation from a publicly or from a management positions very well. If Spears didn't realize that team would choose Huff over Marshall, he has problems. If Spears is not a good AD, then let's see if Smith has the leadership to make a change at that position. By the way: Smith has done so much to improve and grow Marshall, he is going to get a pass on the whole situation. JMO

[s1uggo]

It appears to me that both sides have some accountability for how these events turned out. We all know Huff's faults and he was looking to move up to a better job. A lot of former Marshall have done the same. Yes, he did refuse a one contract extension in 2022. I have heard one rumor that Marshall made the decision to not to rehire Huff at the end of last season, I don't know that if that is true. That may explain Marshall's reason not to look at a contract extension until  the end of this season, not sure. The decision put Huff in a bad place and I don't blame for looking for another job, he has a family and he needs a job to take care of them. If your employer wouldn't give you the assurance that your job is secure, you would be looking for a new one.

I think Marshall thought this season was going to turn out bad and they we would let Huff go without any problems. Surprise, Huff wins the SBC and now that made it a different situation. Again, if Marshall was interesting in keeping Huff, they would started contract negotiations with him while the team was finishing the season strong.
 
A couple of observations:
Huff supposedly applied for a lot of jobs, but didn't get any offers. Huff wins the SBC and can't a better job than SM. That is interesting and telling.

I wonder why Smith was so down on Huff? I have rumors that Huff and Spears didn't get along well and maybe Spears sold Huff down the river to Smith? Remember, Smith may have been a CEO, but he has no experience with college athletics and dealing with college coaches. College coaches are a lot different personalities than say a CFO or a HR director.

Maybe Smith relied on Spears to be in charge of the situation and that may caused a lot of the problems? Spears should have been on top of this situation and should have realize the downside of letting Huff leave Marshall. Spears didn't handle the situation from a publicly or from a management positions very well. If Spears didn't realize that team would choose Huff over Marshall, he has problems. If Spears is not a good AD, then let's see if Smith has the leadership to make a change at that position. By the way: Smith has done so much to improve and grow Marshall, he is going to get a pass on the whole situation. JMO

Let?s face it , if we had extended Huff we would be going thru his this same stuff again only this time it would be called Wake Forest. And then next week it would be someone else over n over again.  Huff wanted  one way contract, MU owes him everything if he fails , he would owe nothing to step up