Topic: Charles Huff

[carolinaherdfan]

Just glad Doc is gone.

I did feel that way.
Now I need Huff to show me why I felt that way...

[herd2win]

Ohio State is loaded and so is Va Tech this year.  7-5 would be a solid year with our schedule, 8+ wins and I would bet Huff moves on, and 6-6 will be a tough decision on Huff by AD.

I could see Huff getting a 2 year deal if we go 6-6 and then win our bowl game, 7-5 and a bowl win 3 year.

[BigJimslade]

If your aunt had D!ck she'd be your uncle.  I don't care about Lambert as that's all hypothetical.  I don't hate on Huff but he has not delivered at all.  We will see. 


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Tacky

[svherd]

I did feel that way.
Now I need Huff to show me why I felt that way...

Not a big Huff fan but he has improved the program in terms of culture, discipline - it's been rare that a football player is in the news for something bad. Doc seemed to have multiple kids get in trouble every year. He's improved the training table and study halls. Obviously we judge success by victories and that's where the rubber meets the road.
I really think this is his last year either way.

[Buffalo Bop]

I think if Huff wins 6-7 games with this schedule, his contract is renewed.

[miltonherdfan]

anything worse than the likely 2-2 OOC is unacceptable.  certainly 4-4 SBC doesn't get his contract renewed (6 total wins)?!  i think he has to go 6-2 SBC (8-4) to get another year.  this is his 4th year, he has to show us he's not just another mediocre marshall coach.

[Flat Tire 2]

I think if Huff wins 6-7 games with this schedule, his contract is renewed.

You might be correct. I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a salary reduction with higher incentives. I think Smith showed his hand by the hiring Corny on the cheap. I think Smith is laser focused on reducing Marshall's budget deficit and will not be spending a lot of money on coaches. I think the hiring of Corny showed Smith's position at this time. Now if someone steps up to cover the cost of a new football coach there will might be a change. No one apparently stepped up to pay for a good basketball coach.

Remember, Marshall's mission is to be a viable institution and not be an athletic power. Throw in the NIL and all the changes in college athletics, Smith might be taking a wait it out to see approach to the future of college sports. I bet Smith wished he could take back all the money Marshall gave to Doc. I know if I was in charge at Marshall, I would be fixing the funding of Marshall first before I started to invest in coaches.

Edit: Remember Marshall had a budget deficit of $22 Million earlier this year. It will be hard to invest in athletics until that deficit is eliminated. 


I could be wrong, but it is JMO.

[Rockin Herd Fan]

You might be correct. I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a salary reduction with higher incentives. I think Smith showed his hand by the hiring Corny on the cheap. I think Smith is laser focused on reducing Marshall's budget deficit and will not be spending a lot of money on coaches. I think the hiring of Corny showed Smith's position at this time. Now if someone steps up to cover the cost of a new football coach there will might be a change. No one apparently stepped up to pay for a good basketball coach.

Remember, Marshall's mission is to be a viable institution and not be an athletic power. Throw in the NIL and all the changes in college athletics, Smith might be taking a wait it out to see approach to the future of college sports. I bet Smith wished he could take back all the money Marshall gave to Doc. I know if I was in charge at Marshall, I would be fixing the funding of Marshall first before I started to invest in coaches.


I could be wrong, but it is JMO.

That is an interesting perspective that I've never really considered before.  It could be that even if Huff wins 6 or 7 games, that Marshall might move on from him, IF they think they can hire another head coach for less money and achieve the same results.  It's sad to think that this might be where Marshall is as an institution, but this might be the financial reality of the situation. 

[herdorbust2]

You might be correct. I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a salary reduction with higher incentives. I think Smith showed his hand by the hiring Corny on the cheap. I think Smith is laser focused on reducing Marshall's budget deficit and will not be spending a lot of money on coaches. I think the hiring of Corny showed Smith's position at this time. Now if someone steps up to cover the cost of a new football coach there will might be a change. No one apparently stepped up to pay for a good basketball coach.

Remember, Marshall's mission is to be a viable institution and not be an athletic power. Throw in the NIL and all the changes in college athletics, Smith might be taking a wait it out to see approach to the future of college sports. I bet Smith wished he could take back all the money Marshall gave to Doc. I know if I was in charge at Marshall, I would be fixing the funding of Marshall first before I started to invest in coaches.


I could be wrong, but it is JMO.

I've been saying for a while that is over for Marshall in the big 2 of sports. Yes we may have a year every decade or so that we have a decent year. But with todays NIL and portal along with Marshall having no money, don't expect much from the 2 major sports going forward.

[herd2win]

I see things much different than some of you.  I don't expect us to compete any longer with the Big 15 but I believe we can make smart hires and win the SBC regularly and I enjoy this regional conference. 

Take a trip to App St, JMU, Georgia Southern, Troy, Louisiana...this is a fun conference with teams that have similar issues to MU.

President Smith can be a difference maker and drive enrollment and money coming into Marshall.

[herdorbust2]

I see things much different than some of you.  I don't expect us to compete any longer with the Big 15 but I believe we can make smart hires and win the SBC regularly and I enjoy this regional conference. 

Take a trip to App St, JMU, Georgia Southern, Troy, Louisiana...this is a fun conference with teams that have similar issues to MU.

President Smith can be a difference maker and drive enrollment and money coming into Marshall.

Some of those schools have a much bigger and better vision when it comes to athletics. We have been getting passed by for 25 years now. We were the darlings of the G5. Boise passed us, ucf passed us, app st, JMU and others have passed us and more are coming up fast in the rear view mirror. Some of our fans are still holding on to that past. We simply don't have the money or leadership to keep up anymore. Especially in today's athletics. But keep holding out hope and we might have a solid year every 10-15 years. But I'm not going to kid myself anymore. They have destroyed college sports and Marshall's big 2 is in big trouble.

[whf]

Playing small ball with compensation isn't how one builds a winning organization, in any vertical of the organization.  Invest in the best, hold them accountable, pay them well so that they want more but don't have to worry about things.  I think you all underestimate Brad Smith; I doubt he built a world leading organization by trying to hit on the cheap.

[herdorbust2]

Playing small ball with compensation isn't how one builds a winning organization, in any vertical of the organization.  Invest in the best, hold them accountable, pay them well so that they want more but don't have to worry about things.  I think you all underestimate Brad Smith; I doubt he built a world leading organization by trying to hit on the cheap.

No doubt he will help Marshall to a point. But when will he help football and basketball? I know that isnt all that important in the scheme of things. But everyone thinks Smith walks on water. I have seen nothing with football and basketball since he has been here. We just promoted an assistant in basketball and a huge pay cut from the previous coach. And what is the plan in football? When Huff leaves or gets fired, hire someone at less money also? I've actually been a little shocked at Smith and Spears lack of vision for the 2 major sports.

[bighat]

We are an academic institution that has run a deficit budget in athletics and overall.  I like President Smith's
business approach.  It will make us stronger in the long run.  As an alumnus I am happy he is looking at everything and that will eventually make everything turn around.

[MUther]

Edit: Remember Marshall had a budget deficit of $22 Million earlier this year. It will be hard to invest in athletics until that deficit is eliminated. 

That deficit you keep mentioning is the pay down amount.  It was like $28M.  We've knocked down $6M of it over two years.  We didn't accumulate that debt last season.  There were articles about Smith's plan to reduce that deficit over a given number of years.  This is a positive thing not something holding us back.  This administration didn't create the problem but they are fixing it.

I've just seen you bring it up several times without any context to say something and I want people to know that we aren't operating over our head but actually within budget enough to pay down old debt.   Same articles mentioned WVU's GROWING deficit with no plan to pay it down and looking for a bail out from the state.  We are not doing that!

[coalherd]

Hasn't certainly helped MU's Athletics financial situation that when all this upheaval, NIL, etc., in college athletics hit, our TWO major revenue sports teams had been mired in an up and down, average to mediocre DECADE of overall success.  First in football under Doc followed by essentially more of the same, to date, under Coach Huff.  Ditto for the basketball decade under Danny which saw that Danny's coaching flaws, in recruiting and elsewhere, prevented him and the program from sustaining for a significant period of time the level of success achieved during the NCAA tourney year and the season after.  This led, of course, to fan support and attendance waxing and waning resulting in the "infamous" tarping in the CAM to try and create and maintain the appearance of significant fan support and to boost the appearance of a "thrilling and exciting" almost "packed house" atmosphere at HERD GAMES!!!

[Lord Haw-Haw]

That is an interesting perspective that I've never really considered before.  It could be that even if Huff wins 6 or 7 games, that Marshall might move on from him, IF they think they can hire another head coach for less money and achieve the same results.  It's sad to think that this might be where Marshall is as an institution, but this might be the financial reality of the situation.

It's sad that Marshall either has to or has chosen to do things on the cheap. It would be extremely unfortunate if Marshall fails to move on from Huff unless he wins at least an East Division championship this season. They're paying high pretty big bucks and he's failed to produce thus far. Unless one counts the outlier win versus Notre Dame. Who knows, Brad Smith may not want to take the gamble of having to pay a new coach something like $1.2 million a year for 4 years, and instead extend Huff for a few more years at his current salary. I don't think Smith, getting just under $500K per year himself, would welcome an athletic department salary escalation trend going forward.

[Flat Tire 2]

That deficit you keep mentioning is the pay down amount.  It was like $28M.  We've knocked down $6M of it over two years.  We didn't accumulate that debt last season.  There were articles about Smith's plan to reduce that deficit over a given number of years.  This is a positive thing not something holding us back.  This administration didn't create the problem but they are fixing it.

I've just seen you bring it up several times without any context to say something and I want people to know that we aren't operating over our head but actually within budget enough to pay down old debt.   Same articles mentioned WVU's GROWING deficit with no plan to pay it down and looking for a bail out from the state.  We are not doing that!

wvu cut academic programs and 143 faculty positions when the state government didn't them bail them out.

 "WVU?s Board of Governors has approved budget cuts. Here?s what to know
Over protests from students and professors, the West Virginia University Board of Governors approved cutting dozens of degree programs and laying off 143 faculty to help fix a $45 million budget shortfall."
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2023/09/15/wvu-board-cuts-degrees-layoffs/

A lot of Marshall budget problems were due to declining enrollment and Covid. wvu has a much larger endowment than Marshall and made the hard decisions to cut operating expenses when WV didn't get the money to cover their deficit (the WV legislature gave Marshall the $45 Million for the new Cyber Building).  I am surprised Marshall didn't cut programs and staff to overcome the deficit. wvu also has access to the the B12 revenues which are larger than Marshall TV revenue for sports. Don't be surprised if Smith decided not to go out and hire an expensive coach for basketball, he was saving money until he had the resources to hire a better coach. I trust Smith to the right thing, but it may take some time before he focus on sports.

[herdorbust2]

wvu cut academic programs and 143 faculty positions when the state government didn't them bail them out.

 "WVU?s Board of Governors has approved budget cuts. Here?s what to know
Over protests from students and professors, the West Virginia University Board of Governors approved cutting dozens of degree programs and laying off 143 faculty to help fix a $45 million budget shortfall."
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2023/09/15/wvu-board-cuts-degrees-layoffs/

A lot of Marshall budget problems were due to declining enrollment and Covid. wvu has a much larger endowment than Marshall and made the hard decisions to cut operating expenses when WV didn't get the money to cover their deficit (the WV legislature gave Marshall the $45 Million for the new Cyber Building).  I am surprised Marshall didn't cut programs and staff to overcome the deficit. wvu also has access to the the B12 revenues which are larger than Marshall TV revenue for sports. Don't be surprised if Smith decided not to go out and hire an expensive coach for basketball, he was saving money until he had the resources to hire a better coach. I trust Smith to the right thing, but it may take some time before he focus on sports.

And by that time you may have lost a big chunk of fanbase. Remember we have an older fanbase and imo it's already going in the wrong direction. With mediocre football and basketball teams for decades, nil and the portal, interest is already drying up. As I said, other teams have already passed us by over the last 25 years that we had a head start on and we were way out in front. JMU, App St, Boise, UCF, Troy etc,,, we take another step back over the next few years taking the cheap route in football and basketball how many more will pass us?

[miltonherdfan]

It's sad that Marshall either has to or has chosen to do things on the cheap. It would be extremely unfortunate if Marshall fails to move on from Huff with anything less than an East Division championship finish this season. They're paying high pretty big bucks and he's failed to produce thus far. Unless one counts the outlier win versus Notre Dame. Who knows, Brad Smith may not want to take the gamble of having to pay a new coach something like $1.2 million a year for 4 years, and thus extend Huff for a few more years at his current salary. I don't think Smith, getting just under $500K per year himself, would welcome an athletic department salary escalation trend going forward.

i think Huff's gone at the end of the year, & his replacement will make LESS -- just like both of the new BB coaches.  i think we follow the WBB program pattern & go FCS for his replacement, that'll be willing to take over program for less than a $1M/yr (Huff).  i think Old Main not wanting to "waste" $ on someone no longer employed by the university (in essence, paying double for this year's FB coach, huff's buyout + new coach salary) is only reason Huff wasn't bought out this winter.

[svherd]

i think Huff's gone at the end of the year, & his replacement will make LESS -- just like both of the new BB coaches.  i think we follow the WBB program pattern & go FCS for his replacement, that'll be willing to take over program for less than a $1M/yr (Huff).  i think Old Main not wanting to "waste" $ on someone no longer employed by the university (in essence, paying double for this year's FB coach, huff's buyout + new coach salary) is only reason Huff wasn't bought out this winter.

We should go after a successful, offensive minded FCS HC. Increase his salary a bit and those of his assistants without breaking the bank. Isn't that hard. 

[GreenBison]

We should go after a successful, offensive minded FCS HC. Increase his salary a bit and those of his assistants without breaking the bank. Isn't that hard.

Exactly, basically the same formula we used when hiring coaches for Women's Basketball and Men's Soccer.

[MUfan08]

You might be correct. I wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a salary reduction with higher incentives. I think Smith showed his hand by the hiring Corny on the cheap. I think Smith is laser focused on reducing Marshall's budget deficit and will not be spending a lot of money on coaches. I think the hiring of Corny showed Smith's position at this time. Now if someone steps up to cover the cost of a new football coach there will might be a change. No one apparently stepped up to pay for a good basketball coach.

Remember, Marshall's mission is to be a viable institution and not be an athletic power. Throw in the NIL and all the changes in college athletics, Smith might be taking a wait it out to see approach to the future of college sports. I bet Smith wished he could take back all the money Marshall gave to Doc. I know if I was in charge at Marshall, I would be fixing the funding of Marshall first before I started to invest in coaches.

Edit: Remember Marshall had a budget deficit of $22 Million earlier this year. It will be hard to invest in athletics until that deficit is eliminated. 


I could be wrong, but it is JMO.

Some other things that are about to impact the athletic department is that they will begin revenue sharing with players starting next year, fall of 2025 sports (so potential less money to the athletic department).

The other thing people are not really talking about is that with the NCAA vs House settlement, G5 schools (each school itself) will be required to pay back nil claims (players from 2016 to when nil started) for the next 10 years (which will be between $500,000 to $1.5 million each year over the next 10 years for each school). So not only does the school have to pay this as a part of their settlement, but revenue sharing with athletes starts as well.

College and college sports landscape is totally different than it was 5 years ago and changing even more. I trust Smith from the business aspect of this, but it is a big big challenge.

[FilmJunky]

Griffis aint gonna be the QB.

[GreenBison]

Griffis aint gonna be the QB.

Well thought out response... thank you.