Any Hope out there?

[bearcatrunner]

With our basketball team, I always feel a lot of hope and potential, especially because Wes is doing an excellent job with recruiting. While I believe he still has room to grow in terms of coaching, he's young and has plenty of time to develop.

However, with the football team, I'm struggling to find that same sense of hope. I'm not trying to tear down the team, but perhaps there are things I'm missing that others are seeing. As a big supporter of our players being student-athletes, I’m hopeful they’re excelling in the classroom, though I’m not sure about that.

Does anyone have any optimism or positive insights for me and others who may feel the same way?

[Lobot]

Right on cue for Marcus Freeman.. ($)

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/606...an-cincinnati/

[Lobot]

Look at Fickell. Hes got a bigger mess in Madison than we do here. I'm beginning to think he was a fraud and the real coach was was Marcus Freeman.
.

Nalied it. It was always Freeman. I hold nothing against Fickell at all. Heights were reached but ND made the right call IMO. Luke got screwed over by UC being in the CFP or he would have been gone a year earlier probably to ND oddly enough.

[Cincatz13]

I give CSS another year, but I firmly believe his downfall was his assistants. Look where this team was deficient all year. DBs and Special teams. Who was that coach? Kerry combs, the same guy who couldn't coach 5* at tOSU and was fired.

Look at Fickell. Hes got a bigger mess in Madison than we do here. I'm beginning to think he was a fraud and the real coach was was Marcus Freeman.

CSS has a clear culture of guys wanting to be here. The Godfather and Royer could be in the NFL next year if they wanted. I don't think they would stick around if the team was in dire straights. Do I want him to recruit like we are a Big12 school not an App St? Heck yes and I'm just as disappointed. Do I hate the 3 down lineman on defense? Yes. Is his play calling suspect at times? Sure. But again, we aren't even a full member of the big12 for revenue and have a $150mil practice facility going up. We simply don't have the donors, dollars, and NIL to compete with the oil money in the big12 and other conferences.

An optimistic here because I love my Cats regardless of the coach. These kids are sticking it out and we should as fans.

[bearcatbret]

I like reading takes like these almost as much as all those NFL mocks drafts out there on the interweb:
https://247sports.com/longformarticl...00969/#2582728

The author doesn't have much faith in the HCs at say, Oklahoma and Tennessee, for example...but UCF? (c'mon man)

UCF has near the largest enrollment if not the largest in the country. Sooner or later, the donations will catch up with the enrollment. Once they have the money to play in today's climate, they could be a huge player (the same could be said about USF). Look at SMU's success this year without receiving a cent from the ACC and this is from a small private college.

[JohnFrancis]

I like reading takes like these almost as much as all those NFL mocks drafts out there on the interweb:
https://247sports.com/longformarticl...00969/#2582728

The author doesn't have much faith in the HCs at say, Oklahoma and Tennessee, for example...but UCF? (c'mon man)

[bearcatlifer]

I certainly am not an expert on football coaching.ll I know is what I see on the field.Although I have been a season ticket holder for 15 years.CSS does not produce a winner and only did when he was at App state.
He has no fire.All he can do is shrug his shoulders and claim that we have a few things to clean up.Remember the guy who goadedTuberville with"HeyTommy you're stealing from this university" and of course CTT famously told him to go to ****.That is what I think of Satterfield.

[red_n_black_attack]

What about Mark Dantonio? I liked him at UC. He brought in the defensive platforms that gave UC an edge. What was his record at UC?

Dantonio is in an advisory position at MSU and retired from coaching.

[red_n_black_attack]

With our basketball team, I always feel a lot of hope and potential, especially because Wes is doing an excellent job with recruiting. While I believe he still has room to grow in terms of coaching, he's young and has plenty of time to develop.

However, with the football team, I'm struggling to find that same sense of hope. I'm not trying to tear down the team, but perhaps there are things I'm missing that others are seeing. As a big supporter of our players being student-athletes, I’m hopeful they’re excelling in the classroom, though I’m not sure about that.

Does anyone have any optimism or positive insights for me and others who may feel the same way?

This thread was quickly sidetracked into the fire Satterfield and identify his replacement chat; however, I see some hope in what Satterfield is building. I agree with others, this is it for Satterfield and hope he is fired by game 6 if there is not significant improvement, but here's a few reasons to believe Satt can turn it around in year 3:

1. Corleone, Royer, Sorsby, and Gerhard committed to returning. As leaders, and all-conference or all-Americans, this says something positive about team culture. Those 4 are not the only starters returning
2. Key backups and freshman like Pryor, Samaj, and others didn't enter the portal.
3. Watching the defense, I still hate the 3 down linemen scheme, but I can see LBs and the secondary reacting instead of thinking for a second before reacting. I suppose more time in the scheme will help the players execute it better, and let's be honest, it is the same scheme as Iowa State plays which is a pretty good defense.
4. while I'd like to see a few more players from Ohio State or other P4 conferences come to UC, I'm seeing underated players from G% or FCS who proved they were underated. No matter the coach, one thing that has been continuous for the last 25-30 years; UC takes 3 star recruits and turns them into NFL draft picks. I think this is more the upperclassment showing the underclassmen what they can achieve if they put in the effort in our monster Factor, which our strength and conditioning program is top of the class.
5. The schedule still favors us in 2025. I hate playing Nebraska as a home game in Kansas City, but otherwise the out of conference schedule is in our favor. BGSU was a bowl team, but we should handle them.
6. The conference road games are Kansas, Ok St, Utah, and TCU, which means we could win 2 or lose all 4, though I lean towards 2 road wins.
7. We get 5 conference home games. 3 are very winnable and the other 2, well, any given Saturday, right.

I think it hinges on Nebraska, much like 2022 hinged on that away game at Arkansas. Nebraska has a great young QB, so hopefully we can fool him in pass coverage, and/or put losts of pressure on him. Nebraska is beatable, win that one and momentum grows. It will be tough. Lose there and we MUST win the other two OOC games. You asked for hope, I gave you something to cast away the doom and gloom. Lose to Nebraska and BGSU, then I say fire Sat after game 3. We simply cannot lose to FCS or MAC teams. I mean, that'd be Noter Dame like.

[London 'Cat]

Brian Kelly coached in the Big East which was a power conference at the time.

It was a power conference at that time. IMO, it was an inferior league to the current BigXII.

[bearcatbret]

Maybe, but those coaches did that in lesser leagues than the BigXII. It’s a benefit for recruiting but also makes it more difficult to get to the top. Catch 22.

Brian Kelly coached in the Big East which was a power conference at the time.

[leeraymond]

Because of what Fickell and Kelly accomplished here. They proved that the right coach can win here, and the fan base is far more engaged now than 25 years ago.

What about Mark Dantonio? I liked him at UC. He brought in the defensive platforms that gave UC an edge. What was his record at UC?

[JohnFrancis]

Can I change the thread title to Existential Dread? I'm not the greatest at being positive on here but man, you'd think the program completely died.

I understand negativity can be harmful, but I look around and see the following happen in the NIL and transfer portal era:

UCONN got to a bowl and extended their coach

Syracuse looks like it's on the come up with a first year coach

Boston College made a bowl game with a first year coach

Texas Tech is killing it in recruiting and transfer portal

Look at what Cignetti did in year 1 at IU

Arizona State (heck, we know that story for a 2nd year head coach)

everyone bailed on Washington State the past couple of years and they still went 8-5 this past season

after firing their coach, ECU turned it around, went to bowl and beat NC State

Jeff Brohm basically rebuilt Louisville in one off-season...he's done well in 2 years.

despite the bowl game drubbing, Coach Prime still went 9-4 in year 2.

Several of the schools mentioned herein aren't exactly in recruiting hotbeds either, a couple of private schools, and mostly cold weather locales.

[Lobot]

Can I change the thread title to Existential Dread? I'm not the greatest at being positive on here but man, you'd think the program completely died.

[London 'Cat]

Because of what Fickell and Kelly accomplished here. They proved that the right coach can win here, and the fan base is far more engaged now than 25 years ago.

Maybe, but those coaches did that in lesser leagues than the BigXII. It’s a benefit for recruiting but also makes it more difficult to get to the top. Catch 22.