Miami Hurricanes MBB Coach, Jim Larranaga stepping down

[AppSt94]

The average “fan” who has never set foot on campus but drives the television numbers and those of us alums who have invested in the athletes education during good times and bad are two distinctly different groups. I don’t see the tv numbers changing much but I do believe it’s going to become more difficult to sell alums on investing. If we aren’t there already. Anecdotally I know of a few that are walking away.

Walking away is difficult for me because I feel that there are programs like Volleyball, Soccer, Wrestling and Softball that would become collateral damage to the lost donations. They need the money and these coaches are too good to cut three legs out.

[BambooRdApp]

The average “fan” who has never set foot on campus but drives the television numbers and those of us alums who have invested in the athletes education during good times and bad are two distinctly different groups. I don’t see the tv numbers changing much but I do believe it’s going to become more difficult to sell alums on investing. If we aren’t there already. Anecdotally I know of a few that are walking away.

Walking away is difficult for me because I feel that there are programs like Volleyball, Soccer, Wrestling and Softball that would become collateral damage to the lost donations. They need the money and these coaches are too good to cut three legs out.

Stonewall is accurate in that reality of where some fandoms are...and i can appreciate that.... especially for the teams not in top 15 to 20 or so that have , what seems like unlimited NIL money. For Group conferences, some fans now see it as a feeder program to lose players to Power conference in 1, 2, or 3 years ..so why invest in that model.. rhetorical question....
There are quite a few that are starting to view it that way.

I have just changed my perspective. Players come and go. I will focus on the name on the front. I will have short term disappointment when a good player leaves. However, I try to view it as next player up mentality . I will continue to give at current levels and more if I am able...as I really enjoy GameDay...so I can pull for App. St. no matter the player name on the back ...I will have a deep appreciation for players like 8 and 4 that suffered numerous injuries and came back for TIGMA.
Overall, just hope we can be successful at the Group level.

[Saint3333]

The average “fan” who has never set foot on campus but drives the television numbers and those of us alums who have invested in the athletes education during good times and bad are two distinctly different groups. I don’t see the tv numbers changing much but I do believe it’s going to become more difficult to sell alums on investing. If we aren’t there already. Anecdotally I know of a few that are walking away.

Walking away is difficult for me because I feel that there are programs like Volleyball, Soccer, Wrestling and Softball that would become collateral damage to the lost donations. They need the money and these coaches are too good to cut three legs out.

In its current state college athletics will be forced to protect the perceived money maker at the cost of other sports. Those other sports will be the first to go.

One aspect that doesn’t get enough attention in the increase is scholarship levels across all sports. Baseball tripling in grants is a great example.

This will cripple the competitiveness for all sports further shifting to power schools.

Every move is making a subset of programs stronger, and it ain’t us. 10 years from now we’ll be closer to club sports than competing with P2 programs in all sports.

Unless there is a drastic shift in regulation and revenue sharing.

[Mjohn1988]

On the issue of fans walking away I can see this happening in the student population. Imagine being a student paying full pop for your education and sitting beside you in class is a guy getting it for free and getting say 50k per year. Thats bad enough but then after a season of going to games and cheering for that guy he goes in the portal for more money. I think we will see some very bitter students who stop going to games and never give one nickel in support after graduation.

[Bigdaddyg1]

Imagine if your favorite NFL team put out a Go Fund Me to raise money to cover salaries? It’s bad enough now to have to pay for Netflix or some other streaming service to watch what was free for 100 years. Why give a dime for football scholarships if the guy you helped pay for jumps to another school after his freshman year.

[Stonewall]

Student fees for athletics is going to become even more of an issue.

[AppDawg]

Imagine if your favorite NFL team put out a Go Fund Me to raise money to cover salaries? It’s bad enough now to have to pay for Netflix or some other streaming service to watch what was free for 100 years. Why give a dime for football scholarships if the guy you helped pay for jumps to another school after his freshman year.

The Greenbay Packers and Atlanta Braves have essentially done this by going public.

[WASU 93]

The average “fan” who has never set foot on campus but drives the television numbers and those of us alums who have invested in the athletes education during good times and bad are two distinctly different groups. I don’t see the tv numbers changing much but I do believe it’s going to become more difficult to sell alums on investing. If we aren’t there already. Anecdotally I know of a few that are walking away.

Walking away is difficult for me because I feel that there are programs like Volleyball, Soccer, Wrestling and Softball that would become collateral damage to the lost donations. They need the money and these coaches are too good to cut three legs out.

Stonewall is accurate in that reality of where some fandoms are...and i can appreciate that.... especially for the teams not in top 15 to 20 or so that have , what seems like unlimited NIL money. For Group conferences, some fans now see it as a feeder program to lose players to Power conference in 1, 2, or 3 years ..so why invest in that model.. rhetorical question....
There are quite a few that are starting to view it that way.

I have just changed my perspective. Players come and go. I will focus on the name on the front. I will have short term disappointment when a good player leaves. However, I try to view it as next player up mentality . I will continue to give at current levels and more if I am able...as I really enjoy GameDay...so I can pull for App. St. no matter the player name on the back ...I will have a deep appreciation for players like 8 and 4 that suffered numerous injuries and came back for TIGMA.
Overall, just hope we can be successful at the Group level.

Understood. I am trying very hard to be engaged in this year’s men’s basketball team. But, it’s hard (look at the bball traffic on the cabin). I love Fall Saturdays in Boone, but I fear that players like Harrington and Castle are going to be such an anomaly.

And, it’s hard to say this, but there will be a point for me where I’ll be priced out. Not because I can’t afford it, but because I’ll just deem it too expensive and walk away.

Stonewall made a point in a post that really hit home. There are investors that put generous amounts of money and backing into our program over the last 20 years to build it to where it is. But, there was also a culture that was built. And, in the new era, I am not sure that the foundation that was built counts for anything.
If other programs can simply outspend App to win, then we’re at zero in the new system. That’s why I was rooting for Clark to be successful. (Yes, it was time for a change). But, even in the new system, our best chance for success is an alternative strategy of finding players that want to be a part of something different and won’t hop for the next shiny object. It’s why Army and Navy may be set for up for success in the future. Football is still a team game. You have to have the talent, but chemistry will still matter.

[TheMoody1]

Regarding Army/Navy, aren't their players basically under contract? They can't just jump to the portal, right?

[WASU 93]

Regarding Army/Navy, aren't their players basically under contract? They can't just jump to the portal, right?

From what I read, they can transfer prior to their Junior year. Graduates are expected to complete 5 years of military service.

[Bigdaddyg1]

I’m sorry but some of that “culture” that some of you speak of and believe exists (and has been built) is basically irrelevant and doesn’t exist. Most of these young players could not care less and will leave at the drop of a hat. The more talented players also could not care less if App State wins the Sunbelt. Please prove me wrong.

[AppDawg]

I’m sorry but some of that “culture” that some of you speak of and believe exists (and has been built) is basically irrelevant and doesn’t exist. Most of these young players could not care less and will leave at the drop of a hat. The more talented players also could not care less if App State wins the Sunbelt. Please prove me wrong.

Correct. That “player led” culture was broken when we decided to rebuild through the portal and not HS recruiting. Look back to 2022. We became outsider (transfer ins) top heavy roster. There is no “ownership” built via multiple years of “blood, sweat, tears” shed to create the blue collar attitude our teams historically have had.

This was a choice made for quick wins and it didn’t work. Is what it is.

The fact is, we have zero remaining players on our roster that know what this means or what it takes to win at AppState. The lone remaining players reaching back to the Satt/Drink years are now gone.

I think most acknowledge and, at least for myself, are ticked at this reality. I believe getting back to some semblance of this is how a we can compete. We need to do something different, b/c we cannot compete with $.

We are at a crossroads either we continue to play portal roulette or we develop and try to maintain/rebuild commitment, blue collar mentality and pride in a program.

[Cro-Magnon App]

Did Laranaga expect those players to stick around? What would he base that on? Most of them had transferred into Miami and there were at least two that had transferred multiple times. His latest teams have been heavy on the transfers accepted. He has 6-7 transfers on the roster now.

[AppSt94]

Did Laranaga expect those players to stick around? What would he base that on? Most of them had transferred into Miami and there were at least two that had transferred multiple times. His latest teams have been heavy on the transfers accepted. He has 6-7 transfers on the roster now.

I think that he was using what happened as an example of how despite any measure of success that you are likely having to start over every year which isn’t appealing.

[MrCraig]

Did Laranaga expect those players to stick around? What would he base that on? Most of them had transferred into Miami and there were at least two that had transferred multiple times. His latest teams have been heavy on the transfers accepted. He has 6-7 transfers on the roster now.

Older coaches are retiring because they can’t or don’t want to evolve with the sport. It has ever been thus, there’s just some people that feel very strong negative feelings about the current state of college athletics. While you have a Laranaga, you also have Jim Mora at UConn and Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss who are embracing the portal and have been quite successful.
Coaches like Laranaga are just like the players they are throwing under the bus. Things have changed, they don’t like it, they’ve made plenty of money, so they quit.

[Stonewall]

It’s not sport. It’s business.