The cancer on this program is

[appgrad95&97]

I have decided to face reality. I do not see us being able to compete going forward. We just don’t have the money. Money buys speed as they say in NASCAR. We are already falling behind, as it appears , even our peers seem better at growing their donations. I say no more increase for activities fees.

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

[BambooRdApp]

I have decided to face reality. I do not see us being able to compete going forward. We just don’t have the money. Money buys speed as they say in NASCAR. We are already falling behind, as it appears , even our peers seem better at growing their donations. I say no more increase for activities fees.

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

[BallantyneApp]

I have decided to face reality. I do not see us being able to compete going forward. We just don’t have the money. Money buys speed as they say in NASCAR. We are already falling behind, as it appears , even our peers seem better at growing their donations. I say no more increase for activities fees.

The good news is that you may feel this way but it’s not rooted in anything except bad coaching and not as much talent. We have more resources than almost anyone in the sbc and most of our other peers.

We donate more than any 3 sbc west schools and any 2 sbc east schools.

Again this is not lack of resources this is poorly allocated resources and bad coaching.

That’s it.

[boonetown1]

I have decided to face reality. I do not see us being able to compete going forward. We just don’t have the money. Money buys speed as they say in NASCAR. We are already falling behind, as it appears , even our peers seem better at growing their donations. I say no more increase for activities fees.

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

To be fair, the athletics doesn’t make it exactly seamless for ordinary folks to donate. It’s been mentioned 1000k times, but a setup to take small donations would add up quick. To my knowledge we don’t have that.

[ASUTodd]

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

To be fair, the athletics doesn’t make it exactly seamless for ordinary folks to donate. It’s been mentioned 1000k times, but a setup to take small donations would add up quick. To my knowledge we don’t have that.

Because it's an elitist mindset.

[BambooRdApp]

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

To be fair, the athletics doesn’t make it exactly seamless for ordinary folks to donate. It’s been mentioned 1000k times, but a setup to take small donations would add up quick. To my knowledge we don’t have that.

So, Yosef Club does not take small donations or are you talking about something totally different when you say "athletics"?

[Mjohn1988]

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

To be fair, the athletics doesn’t make it exactly seamless for ordinary folks to donate. It’s been mentioned 1000k times, but a setup to take small donations would add up quick. To my knowledge we don’t have that.

So, Yosef Club does not take small donations or are you talking about something totally different when you say "athletics"?

I could be wrong but it seems like a lot of folks are confused about money the university has and NIL money. Money the university has cannot be paid directly to players. Sure it goes toward a bunch of things that benefits players and sure players love awesome facilities but that money is not going directly to players as cash. I just want to make sure when we talk about money we all know NIL is not the same thing as donation to the university.

[Pikapp79]

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

To be fair, the athletics doesn’t make it exactly seamless for ordinary folks to donate. It’s been mentioned 1000k times, but a setup to take small donations would add up quick. To my knowledge we don’t have that.

So, Yosef Club does not take small donations or are you talking about something totally different when you say "athletics"?

I could be wrong but it seems like a lot of folks are confused about money the university has and NIL money. Money the university has cannot be paid directly to players. Sure it goes toward a bunch of things that benefits players and sure players love awesome facilities but that money is not going directly to players as cash. I just want to make sure when we talk about money we all know NIL is not the same thing as donation to the university.

True, for now.

[spacemonkey]

IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!

Time to move on.

[AppStFan1]

I have decided to face reality. I do not see us being able to compete going forward. We just don’t have the money. Money buys speed as they say in NASCAR. We are already falling behind, as it appears , even our peers seem better at growing their donations. I say no more increase for activities fees.

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

I think most of us on 247 and here do contribute and should not be blamed at all. We need support from more alumni. We have a lot of people who don't give anything at all.

[BambooRdApp]

Real question, cause I sure don’t know. How do you know peer universities are growing their donations? Since you talking about buying players I assume you’re talking about NIL money. Is there any reliable information out there about how much NIL money is going to players on each Sun Belt team?

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

I think most of us on 247 and here do contribute and should not be blamed at all. We need support from more alumni. We have a lot of people who don't give anything at all.

Everyone, including myself, can be critiqued on how much we give. It depends on how much one wants to give. That is a personal decision ..to say we should not be blamed at all is very naive. Does everyone give until it hurts... probably not... although the masses help that is for sure...it is typically a core group that keeps the athletic programs going at many schools.
My experience is that there are some that scream the loudest on social media are typically the ones that give the least..

JMU may feel some pain in future if all stays status quo, in terms of rules on giving, if there student fees have to significantly reduce..time will tell

[rbarthle17]

Because it’s your duty as a student to help fund athletics (I don’t mean NIL payments to players) and the school as a whole. Most students are only there because of the notoriety the school received because of football wins. It improved everything from new buildings and better students. Personally, I’d rather the school use funds elsewhere but they’re not taking endowment dollars to improve athletics, so the students should fall in line next. Alumni SHOULD donate more but that’s another discussion.

A student has no "duty" lol...they aren't a solider. Yes athletic success has increased the University's notoriety but it's not the responsibility of the student to fund something that is arguably superfluous.

If you're watching the games and on this blog you're invested personally in the success of the program. Why wouldn't you put your money where you mouth is to see it succeed? If you don't then what right do you have to complain?

Again, the STUDENT should pay more than they’re currently paying but ALUMNI should as well. If you’re going to go to the school then sorry, a few thousand should go towards athletics a year. Our alumni don’t give money and I don’t see that changing dramatically anytime soon so students, it’s on you while
at school. Maybe it will encourage them to KEEP giving down the road. Idk. The school should invest more of its own dollars too.

I donate but we have very little fans compared to big schools so EVERYONE needs to chip in and that includes the students while they’re in school. Bump it up, DG.

Forcing this on students is absurd. College is already getting wildly expensive, and you want to demand more money from people for nonacademics. This type of mentality drives great students away who just want to go to a school for academics, not propping up a football team for entertainment. It's really sad how far this has all fallen. With this mindset, just go ahead and tell all poor and lower middle-class people to piss off and that college isn't for them, regardless of their abilities. Tell them that winning football games is more important than their ability to attend college because yes, a few thousand is a lot of money to a lot of people. That is not just some small pocket change you are demanding for football entertainment. Football just needs to fully separate from colleges and be done with it. Let universities get back to academics first and extracurriculars secondary to help create well-rounded people. If all anyone cares about is football then we just need to be done with it all and split them up for good.

15% increase sounds like a lot but it’s not really in the big picture compared to everything else you’re paying. Should tuition be as high as it is? Why is that allowed to increase but student athletic fees can’t? It’s an idea and way to compete financially rather than going around begging the same big money donors year after year. Athletic success helps the University and there’s no denying it. Sorry, but it should happen.

So you, currently a non-student (?), wants others to pay what you didn't pay, for the sake of your entertainment?

If that is true, the entitlement is off the charts here.

[AppStFan1]

Don’t have any factual evidence for our conference mates. But if we are not falling behind, even them, they’re in just as much peril as us . None of them shuddered major athletic programs as we did. I don’t believe Our alumni base contributes anything enough for us to stay competitive. Budget wise at last report we were mid-conference. I’m sure there are other reasons for my conclusion.

I have no doubt that Gillin blames us too.

And he should....the alumni base contribution is a significant part of being successful

I think most of us on 247 and here do contribute and should not be blamed at all. We need support from more alumni. We have a lot of people who don't give anything at all.

Everyone, including myself, can be critiqued on how much we give. It depends on how much one wants to give. That is a personal decision ..to say we should not be blamed at all is very naive. Does everyone give until it hurts... probably not... although the masses help that is for sure...it is typically a core group that keeps the athletic programs going at many schools.
My experience is that there are some that scream the loudest on social media are typically the ones that give the least..

JMU may feel some pain in future if all stays status quo, in terms of rules on giving, if there student fees have to significantly reduce..time will tell

People give what they can so I will never blame you or myself or others who provide support. It is not fair to say oh because you gave 2,000 this year that it is your fault we lost because you did not give 20,000. Economy is bad and a lot of people don't have as much extra money as they use to. The school should be thankful for all donors and try to add more donors rather than cast blame on those who actually donate.

I can tell you that seeing what this team has done on the field with what I have given does hurt already. Inflation makes going to games a big dent in the pocket right now and tickets just keep going up more and more. We could just not care anymore, save our money to live a nicer life or retire earlier, and not have the stress of a bad season like this. Depending on how the rules change the next few years and the cost of going to games that could be what many of us eventually do.

I 100% agree that often the loudest are not giving. The ones who are giving the most money have direct access to call or text Gillin, Clark, BOT members, Norris, etc anytime they want.

Money does not guarantee anything though. Alabama has way more than Vandy but they lost. Notre Dame has way more than NIU but they lost. There is no guarantee that if all App alumni gave another 10-15M a year that we would be 6-0 right now.

[8993]

I’ve changed my mind: the cancer on this program is fans/alums/staff/athletes that have accepted being just okay and continue to make excuses for being mediocre when we’re supposed to be in our prime, especially in the name of “this community has been through so much, so we shouldn’t fire Clark when his family needs this.”

[Bootsy]

If SC is let go, it’s highly unlikely he’s relieved of his duties mid-season. And it's not just about the buyout; besides the W-L record and Hurricane Helene, there are other factors.

For example, DG currently works for an interim Chancellor. While she is outstanding at the job, I can't see him firing a popular HC without political air cover...which an interim Chancellor can't/won't provided. And anyway, I don’t have confidence in Ponce, Speir or Ware as an interim. Would any of these guys be up to the challenge of holding this squad together and saving even a portion of the 2025 commits?

[appgrad95&97]

Let Clark keep the job. Let him stay for as long as he wants. But we're 4.5 years in. This is it. This is Clark football. These are his players. This is his staff. This was supposed to be the year.

[spacemonkey]

The economy is great.

We don't need an interim head coach because if he wins we have to deal with letting him go as well.

We need to hire a head coach and let him bring who he wants.

[WVAPPeer]

The cancer on the program is "The what have you done for me lately" mindset that so many have - It is totally transactional. As far as I can see or remember the only real negative I have heard issued is the W-L record.
*** App State is one of only five Group of Five
programs (and 14 FBS programs) in the country with at least three
nine-win seasons since the start of 2020.
***3 STRAIGHT YEARS WITH A RANKED WIN
2021: 30-27 vs. #14 Coastal Carolina
2022: 17-14 at #6 Texas A&M
2023: 26-23 (OT) at #18 James Madison
*** No losing seasons
*** Division Champions 2 of last 3 years

This season is not what we had hoped for but who can honestly tell me (not thinking with your heart but your brain) they actually believed we had the talent to make the playoffs - if so, please explain, because I didn't see it.

Now, since I have not read any others reasons to fire Coach Clark other than his W-L records I'm not sure anyone could present this information to a unbiased party and convince them to fire Coach Clark. If there are other reasons other than W-L , such as poor academics, off the field problems, Coach Clark or any on his staff pulling a Bobby Petrino, player arrests, lack of respect for the University they are representing, etc., please let us know ---

[Kafarmer]

The cancer on the program is "The what have you done for me lately" mindset that so many have - It is totally transactional. As far as I can see or remember the only real negative I have heard issued is the W-L record.
*** App State is one of only five Group of Five
programs (and 14 FBS programs) in the country with at least three
nine-win seasons since the start of 2020.
***3 STRAIGHT YEARS WITH A RANKED WIN
2021: 30-27 vs. #14 Coastal Carolina
2022: 17-14 at #6 Texas A&M
2023: 26-23 (OT) at #18 James Madison
*** No losing seasons
*** Division Champions 2 of last 3 years

This season is not what we had hoped for but who can honestly tell me (not thinking with your heart but your brain) they actually believed we had the talent to make the playoffs - if so, please explain, because I didn't see it.

Now, since I have not read any others reasons to fire Coach Clark other than his W-L records I'm not sure anyone could present this information to a unbiased party and convince them to fire Coach Clark. If there are other reasons other than W-L , such as poor academics, off the field problems, Coach Clark or any on his staff pulling a Bobby Petrino, player arrests, lack of respect for the University they are representing, etc., please let us know ---

Well hell! There’s the post I’ve been waiting for. Bravo for this, but be ready for the barrage!

[Pikapp79]

I’m going to puke.