OK. I’m throwing my hat in the ring to be Wake’s next AD (kidding, of course!). Here’s my plan (note that I believe that Wake is trying to do some of these things already - how effectively they are doing them is another question).
If I were the AD I would…
#1: Encourage a culture of INNOVATION and creativity. The football program especially needs to do more with less, so I would apply Moneyball concepts wherever possible. On the recruiting front I’d try different recruiting tactics, pursue nontraditional sources of talent and perhaps install schemes on the field that went against prevailing trends. Per macktheknife's suggestion I'm requiring everyone in a management position to attend seminars and get training in how, everyday, smaller, smarter, and more agile companies kick the shit out of large, calcified, stuck in the mud large companies.
#2: I would make a significant one-time FINANCIAL INVESTMENT in athletics. However, my first priority would be to increase staffing levels. I would ask the head coaches whether they wanted their recruiting staffs doubled, tripled or quadrupled. I’d also try to determine what other support roles could help have a direct impact on on-field performance. Only to the extent that I had money left over, I would invest in upgrading facilities to try and keep up with the Joneses as best I could. I’d start with high-end dormitories for the athletes.
#3: Instill ACCOUNTABILITY for on-field results. I would set clear goals for on-field performance and if those aren’t achieved the head coach would be dismissed. Would they need to be short-term goals like 2-3 years? No. But there would be a set timeline and zero tolerance for not meeting them.
#4: Invest heavily in MARKETING, including SOCIAL MEDIA. We can’t sell winning in the revenue sports right now, so let’s do anything we can to portray Wake Athletics as a first-class organization in everything we do and a program with the “It” factor. We need a new athletics brand and a fresh image. Let’s develop one.
#5: I would do anything that I could to EXPAND THE FAN BASE. We need every fan that we can get, so my message from Day 1 is that every fan is valued and wanted. Whether you give $1 million dollars or just occasionally attend a game. Whether you have a degree from Wake or not. Even if you fly a banner to try to get me fired. We need every fan we can get or we will never sell the revenue sports to recruits. So I want everyone on board.
#6: I would hire head coaches that intended to recruit high character kids that are attracted to Wake for more than athletics. This makes the recruiting path more difficult, but history has shown us that kids that are only interested in athletics often leave Wake before they are any good. So we need to find a specific kind of kid (oh, and we can’t let them go to Duke), and that’s why #1 through #5 above are critical. I would spend two-thirds of my recruiting resources regionally and one-third nationally. My expectation is that my recruiting offices would leave no stone unturned. I’d want to be ranked #1 in the country in terms of the number of recruits evaluated.
What I wouldn’t do…
I wouldn’t recruit kids with character questions or who are focused solely on athletics (see above)
I wouldn’t meddle in decisions about assistant coaches or coordinators
I wouldn’t change the policy about guaranteeing 4 year scholarships. I can’t sell a Wake degree to recruits if they think there’s a risk they will get shown the door if they don’t perform athletically.
What am I missing from my list? What would you do differently?
If I were the AD I would…
#1: Encourage a culture of INNOVATION and creativity. The football program especially needs to do more with less, so I would apply Moneyball concepts wherever possible. On the recruiting front I’d try different recruiting tactics, pursue nontraditional sources of talent and perhaps install schemes on the field that went against prevailing trends. Per macktheknife's suggestion I'm requiring everyone in a management position to attend seminars and get training in how, everyday, smaller, smarter, and more agile companies kick the shit out of large, calcified, stuck in the mud large companies.
#2: I would make a significant one-time FINANCIAL INVESTMENT in athletics. However, my first priority would be to increase staffing levels. I would ask the head coaches whether they wanted their recruiting staffs doubled, tripled or quadrupled. I’d also try to determine what other support roles could help have a direct impact on on-field performance. Only to the extent that I had money left over, I would invest in upgrading facilities to try and keep up with the Joneses as best I could. I’d start with high-end dormitories for the athletes.
#3: Instill ACCOUNTABILITY for on-field results. I would set clear goals for on-field performance and if those aren’t achieved the head coach would be dismissed. Would they need to be short-term goals like 2-3 years? No. But there would be a set timeline and zero tolerance for not meeting them.
#4: Invest heavily in MARKETING, including SOCIAL MEDIA. We can’t sell winning in the revenue sports right now, so let’s do anything we can to portray Wake Athletics as a first-class organization in everything we do and a program with the “It” factor. We need a new athletics brand and a fresh image. Let’s develop one.
#5: I would do anything that I could to EXPAND THE FAN BASE. We need every fan that we can get, so my message from Day 1 is that every fan is valued and wanted. Whether you give $1 million dollars or just occasionally attend a game. Whether you have a degree from Wake or not. Even if you fly a banner to try to get me fired. We need every fan we can get or we will never sell the revenue sports to recruits. So I want everyone on board.
#6: I would hire head coaches that intended to recruit high character kids that are attracted to Wake for more than athletics. This makes the recruiting path more difficult, but history has shown us that kids that are only interested in athletics often leave Wake before they are any good. So we need to find a specific kind of kid (oh, and we can’t let them go to Duke), and that’s why #1 through #5 above are critical. I would spend two-thirds of my recruiting resources regionally and one-third nationally. My expectation is that my recruiting offices would leave no stone unturned. I’d want to be ranked #1 in the country in terms of the number of recruits evaluated.
What I wouldn’t do…
I wouldn’t recruit kids with character questions or who are focused solely on athletics (see above)
I wouldn’t meddle in decisions about assistant coaches or coordinators
I wouldn’t change the policy about guaranteeing 4 year scholarships. I can’t sell a Wake degree to recruits if they think there’s a risk they will get shown the door if they don’t perform athletically.
What am I missing from my list? What would you do differently?
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