An Open Letter From John "Bluto" Blutarsky: On Universities With Fickle Coaches

[CalBear95]

What [redacted] happened to the [Oregon] I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just [redacted] from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this.

 

I get talent attracts attention and I have no issue with that same said talent doing what it can to maximize their compensation and situation.  But why is the university expected to act as the passive partner in these situations?

 

Usually a coach with a wandering eye looks like one of the two scenarios: "Hot coach looking to upgrade their situation and pay" and 'this is my dream job...gosh I'm so torn.'  I think the university has two distinct options in each.  Let's start with the last scenario first as that is where OBD find themselves today:

 

I think Mullens (or any university facing the situation) should have put forward an exploding offer AHEAD that expired Sunday post Civil War?  They should leak that news in parallel.  At that point, you are letting Miami know they don't have to bid against someone else and you have, in essence, put the question to MC (and effectively received the answer) well before you get stuck in this game of 'are we hosed or not?'  You might say that forces MC out but it really doesn't.  If he is 'I want to wait and see what Miami comes with' then you know he is gone so why play that game?  You aren't forcing him out.  You are forcing him to stop toying with you.

 

That approach also has the benefit of cutting the negotiating leverage out from under MC as a wonderful parting gift.

 

Now, in the 'am I staying or going' scenario, a program like Oregon starts looking for other coaches.  Maybe Mullens has been doing this but I too would 'accidentally' leak this.  If this hurts the coach's ego then they need to grow up.  "Mr Coach, you can't publicly commit to us by signing our very generous extension - or being super coy - so why are your feelings in any way hurt when I am doing the same to you?  According to you, Mr Coach, it's all a business and if you want to operate by that framing, then this is exactly how the world of business works.' 

 

Again, in this situation and exploding offer might work well.  Extend them a very attractive but fair extension and offer a window of negotiation but make it clear there will be no further offers if someone else tries to poach them.  Doing this has the downside of (1) pushing them closer to leaving when perhaps they would not have been and (2) if they stay, bad blood could result poisoning the proverbial well and making the departure a self-fulfilling prophecy except you end up in Clay Helton world.  Not awesome.

 

IDK, maybe you have a clause (I'm dreaming here because the university doesn't have this type of leverage) that says if you are found to be in discussions with another university I can terminate your agreement and you forfeit all buyout money on my side.

 

OK, reflecting on it, maybe my aggressive take on scenario two is utterly unworkable but I would like to see the university let it be publicly known they aren't playing the game and getting out of this 'will they or won't they' dilemma given the early signing period makes it incredibly devastating when their decision doesn't go your way.