New FB Coach - short list?

Back-to-back PL champs 2016 and 2017.... but need to get back to relevance in the national FCS scene.
HFO
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by HFO » Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:55 am

I do not buy into you cannot recruit Eastern Pennsylvania or North or Western NJ players.
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, CAREER
1. Phil Stambaugh 63.71 St. Pius X, Rosetto, PA PIAA District 11
2 Nick Shafnisky 63.37 Whitehall, PA PIAA District 11
3. Mark Borda 62.45 Bethlehem Catholic, PA PIAA District 11

Matt Cohen Allentown Central Catholic. All-American Linebacker

Every year PIAA D1, D11 and D12 send players to FBS and FCS schools and then they graduate. Nobody is saying admissions has to let a player in with under 1000 SAT, but they sure as hell can let some in who do not have 1300 SAT. There has to be some middle ground to land top tier talent and then guide them to a major they can complete.


Sundayamqb
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by Sundayamqb » Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:33 pm

HFO wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:29 am Here is perennial FCS powerhouse North Dakota State Head Coach base pay and incentive.
Lehigh has to be in the $300,000 base range to get top tier FCS existing head coach or top tier Assistant Head Coach.
https://footballscoop.com/news/matt-ent ... head-coach

If Lehigh can pay $400,000 for a Business School Dean that cannot get Lehigh into Top 40 MBA program, it sure as hell can afford a Head Coach at $300,000 and $10,000 per game win bonus and another bonus for player graduation rate.
I'm just asking:

Lehigh's 2020 IRS 990 form shows the top 17 salaries, including the business school dean's -- who appears to be the highest paid among academic types at $494,800+. The university's chief investment officer is at $1.5 million+. That's more than the ex-prez. who came in at $914,361.

No. 17 is the treasurer at $101,500.

I don't see any coaches (or the AD) on the list. Why? Could that be possible? I saw no coaches on the list as far back as 2018.
ngineer
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by ngineer » Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:48 pm

I am not familiar with the form you reference, however, it is possible that the coaching positions are not classified in the same manner. They are neither faculty nor administrators, so possible they get categorized differently. I would be stunned if Gilmore's salary was not in the $250K area.
ngineer
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by ngineer » Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:11 pm

HFO wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:55 am I do not buy into you cannot recruit Eastern Pennsylvania or North or Western NJ players.
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, CAREER
1. Phil Stambaugh 63.71 St. Pius X, Rosetto, PA PIAA District 11
2 Nick Shafnisky 63.37 Whitehall, PA PIAA District 11
3. Mark Borda 62.45 Bethlehem Catholic, PA PIAA District 11

Matt Cohen Allentown Central Catholic. All-American Linebacker

Every year PIAA D1, D11 and D12 send players to FBS and FCS schools and then they graduate. Nobody is saying admissions has to let a player in with under 1000 SAT, but they sure as hell can let some in who do not have 1300 SAT. There has to be some middle ground to land top tier talent and then guide them to a major they can complete.
I think the PL has a 'standard deviation' formula for admissions based upon the mean SAT scores; however, in view of fact that some schools are no longer using SAT/ACT scores, I don't know if that still fully applies. years ago I was told that admissions allowed athletics the ability to deviate downward about 200 points. That would translate to about a minimum of 1150. Does anyone have any reliable information on exactly how 'liberal' we can be relating to academic admission scores? I recall the IL using 'bands' wherein each school is allowed "x number" of admits within a certain band below he schools median. The available fishing pond is quite shallow in the Lehigh Valley area, in competition with the Ivies, other PL, and the FBS world, some of which have excellent academic departments, even if they are viewed as large "football factories".
StablerBum
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by StablerBum » Tue Nov 29, 2022 10:54 pm

Sundayamqb wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:33 pm
HFO wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:29 am Here is perennial FCS powerhouse North Dakota State Head Coach base pay and incentive.
Lehigh has to be in the $300,000 base range to get top tier FCS existing head coach or top tier Assistant Head Coach.
https://footballscoop.com/news/matt-ent ... head-coach

If Lehigh can pay $400,000 for a Business School Dean that cannot get Lehigh into Top 40 MBA program, it sure as hell can afford a Head Coach at $300,000 and $10,000 per game win bonus and another bonus for player graduation rate.
I'm just asking:

Lehigh's 2020 IRS 990 form shows the top 17 salaries, including the business school dean's -- who appears to be the highest paid among academic types at $494,800+. The university's chief investment officer is at $1.5 million+. That's more than the ex-prez. who came in at $914,361.

No. 17 is the treasurer at $101,500.

I don't see any coaches (or the AD) on the list. Why? Could that be possible? I saw no coaches on the list as far back as 2018.
I've often wondered this too - coaches not appearing on the 990. They often do at other private universities. Is it because a number of the head coaching positions are endowed and not coming out of the operating budget?
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Wed Nov 30, 2022 1:31 am

HFO wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:29 am Here is perennial FCS powerhouse North Dakota State Head Coach base pay and incentive.
Lehigh has to be in the $300,000 base range to get top tier FCS existing head coach or top tier Assistant Head Coach.
https://footballscoop.com/news/matt-ent ... head-coach

Lehigh needs to go with a proven winner of a Head Coach whether FBS, FCS, or DII. I personally don't think it is in Athletic Department best interest with an outgoing Athletic Director to take a gamble with an unproven assistant coach.

The new coach on Day 1 has to be program building with all facets of NCAA rules, recruiting, academic support, player development and running their system.

Lehigh is not enough of a name or powerhouse that it can draw coaches nationally, so you are likely looking at only 5% of head coaches looking to make a move of 261 Division 1 coaches and 164 Division 2 coaches. 425 total coaches, so likely 20-25 viable candidates. Now it becomes a question, how aggressive of an incentive contract you can offer to get the top tier talent head coaches to apply.

I would take a serious look at PAUL TORTORELLA! Head Coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 9 years an assistant coach at FBS level with Maryland and Akron. Defensive back development and defensive coaching history is amazing.

If Lehigh can pay $400,000 for a Business School Dean that cannot get Lehigh into Top 40 MBA program, it sure as hell can afford a Head Coach at $300,000 and $10,000 per game win bonus and another bonus for player graduation rate.
The athletic department has to work with Lehigh's academic leaders to make the highlighted part happen! This circles back to Lehigh's ability to put the right people in the right place in order to succeed at a high-level (within context) in all endeavors.

If Lehigh truly has elite faculty and top-self support systems and are committed to the brave new world of "DEI", then admit a few well rounded student athletes who might have an at worst "slightly better than average" SAT score. Besides, I have to imagine there is a noticeable portion of the faculty who object to standardized tests as part of the admission process anyway. Trust me, I hated the SAT because it cost me a shot at Bucknell and perhaps even Michigan 20 years ago. It was never a quality assessment when it comes to intellect/academic ability regardless of the person; my grades/class suggested a 150-200 point higher score. I say this as someone who did not come from an underserved population.

If Lehigh wants to extend a welcoming hand of inclusion use admissions as a facilitator of such a cause. Include student-athletes who have succeeded in the face of social obstacles. IMO, the whole concept of the AI is borderline criminal based on conversations I have had with current/former PL coaches. These are institutions more than capable of operating in autonomy when it comes to maintaining academic standards. If there's a solid "B" average kid from Philly/DC/North Jersey etc with a 1050 SAT, great character, dealt with some BS, give them a chance! I don't care if they play football, basketball, softball or lacrosse! Lehigh should have the resources/support systems in place to allow that person to become a rock star!

I love your posts HFO! You are a tremendous asset to the university! We both share a great love for academia and athletics while understanding the seemingly endless complexities of their relationship!
Last edited by Go Lehigh TU Owl on Wed Nov 30, 2022 1:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Wed Nov 30, 2022 1:39 am

ngineer wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:48 pm I am not familiar with the form you reference, however, it is possible that the coaching positions are not classified in the same manner. They are neither faculty nor administrators, so possible they get categorized differently. I would be stunned if Gilmore's salary was not in the $250K area.
If Lehigh is paying around 250k with some perks (access to Saucon Valley, company car, moving costs, etc) then there should be people lining up around the corner! The quality of life for a quality coach can't be beat!

I mentioned Jim O'Neil. I think you will see guys like Jay Wright, David Shaw and others who really value the student-athlete gravitate to "these type of jobs". They won't give two poops about the compensation. They simply want to coach and cultivate winners!

Even shady guys like Jim Calhoun and Rick Pitino opted for FAR less money for FAR less BS. And generally speaking, there are far worse dudes out there than those two *caugh* Hugh Freeze *caugh* Bruce Pearl....Auburn is a cess-pool...SEC is becoming the old SWC....

You need someone who is willing to push people within the university. Bob Chesney's influence at Holy Cross goes well beyond wins and losses. I believe Kevin Higgins had a similar influence in the late 90's at Lehigh. He injected a lot of energy into the program....
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:00 pm

Based on the tenor of the D2/PSAC boards it seems like Clements is definitely in the running? So much so there is already speculation as to who will be KU's next coach?

Any scoop?
kbees92
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by kbees92 » Sun Dec 04, 2022 8:04 am

Keeping Tom Gilmore until the end of the season was a mistake. This man should have been fired in Week 6...actually, he should have been fired in Spring 2021...well, actually, he should have never been hired.

That said, the only way to keep this team together and bring back some of these Covid Year Grad Students was to send a signal early by removing Gilmore. That didn't happen, and these kids cannot afford to wait around and see who the next Lehigh coach will be while opportunities in the portal slip away.

The new HC hire needs to happen quickly, giving him a chance to pull some of these kids back out of the portal. Tom Gilmore set this program back years. It is a terrible shame...but time to turn the page, quickly.
HFO
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Re: New FB Coach - short list?

Post by HFO » Sun Dec 04, 2022 6:49 pm

I am a very old man. Lehigh being a pinnacle of excellence is the return I hope for all alumni.
In my era, Lehigh was an institution on par with Carnegie Tech, MIT, Case Institute, GA Tech and others. It was an institution that produced industrialists. Men of science, also prepared for leadership within all the great industries of the time. As an institution now, I do not see our graduate at undergrad and graduate level in the Top 5% of available graduates nationally which was the norm when I began at Lehigh in the 1940s.

When the administration begins to accept mediocrity whether football, academics, or scholarly output, that is on the President. Lehigh has been lost for a decade plus. The current strategy statement and implementation plan are suspect at best. We shall see if the current President has the "right stuff" or is just another of a long sequence of mediocre leaders and administrators.

The President sending a signal that the AD must convene a committee of former players for this coach selection with the AD being a non-voting member would go a long way to getting this sinking Lehigh ship back afloat again. There have been power silos building for years with certain alumni and administrators on campus to the detriment of the institution and the history of the institution. It now must be corrected by alumni demanding a return to Lehigh standards of high peer equivalence.

On we go...
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