FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[raiderpa]

From what I see, Mount Union does not possess the All-American player that it is used to having on both sides of the ball.  Dartt, Kappas, and Bruney, all played with these types of players and benefitted from their presence.  They are seemingly coaching and play calling like these types of players are on the field and they are not.  I believe they have to change their mind set to player development to bring the players they have to their highest potential. This is what LK did in early days before he started to get the cream of the crop. All-American players are motivating to other teammates to get better, I don't see that at the moment. As I see it, and I am no expert by any means, I think player development, and finding a few gems in the rough, is the path forward.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

My biggest concern is that Maloney seems to throw into coverage quite often this year. I'm not sure if the reads are different or what's going on, but he seems to force a lot of passes to receivers who are not open.

I've also heard that when Burke came in, he completely changed the terminology of the offense.

Obviously that's his right to do as an offensive coordinator, but I would think he would want to adjust his scheme to what was working and just tweak things.

But maybe he thought it needed a total reset.

[MUC 2008]

My biggest concern is that Maloney seems to throw into coverage quite often this year. I'm not sure if the reads are different or what's going on, but he seems to force a lot of passes to receivers who are not open.

I've also heard that when Burke came in, he completely changed the terminology of the offense.

Obviously that's his right to do as an offensive coordinator, but I would think he would want to adjust his scheme to what was working and just tweak things.

But maybe he thought it needed a total reset.

I could see the desire for a reset.

However, and call me impatient or ignorant if you will, but this offense is, so far, even less imaginative and effective as the previous one - no small task to accomplish.

[pradierguy]

The only redeeming thing this season will be when the big bad mighty Yellow Jackets come rolling into Alliance with the highest of expectations and swagger only for them to remember they're Baldwin Wallace and ultimately pee down their legs and choke away a playoff spot.

[USee]

I have an honest question for you guys. I understand the desire to make a change at HC. I also realize that to win national championships consistently it takes institutional alignment across the University (recruiting, admissions, financial aid, compensation, etc). I remember Augustana in the 80's (4 straight National Championships) had a massive advantage in financial aid that allowed them to capture much more of the Chicago area talent than their conference competitors. I know North Central has an athletic friendly administration, access to a lot of funding (6+ full time coaches), and collaboration with admissions on recruiting and financial aid. Brad Spencer has benefitted from the structure put in place with the Thorne regimes. Augustana lost much of their advantage after Bob Reade Retired. UWW has struggled to get back to the top under new head coaches and some of their recruiting advantage has seemingly spread to other WIAC schools. 

Has anything outside of the HC changed for Mt Union? If so, changing the HC, while its the lowest hanging fruit, may not be the (only) answer.

[#1OacFan]

The AD has Changed.


Look at the JCU's Staff. That is a school that is pumping Money into Football!

[pradierguy]

Has anything outside of the HC changed for Mt Union? If so, changing the HC, while its the lowest hanging fruit, may not be the (only) answer.

Yes, the University as a whole has changed significantly. It seems more concerned with diversity and inclusion and less about educational and athletic success. And that is totally and completely fine, no issues with it as long as they realize a significantly large portion of their alum base were athletes, most specifically successful football players. So when they no longer have interest in the school or program, they take their dollars with them.

Taking the program for granted as a cash cow to get butts in classroom seats and to fundraise works great when you're winning 3+ National Championships a decade.

But when you're a "hoping for the OAC playoff spot" quality program, it isn't as attractive.

There was a point in time when Football and winning was priority number one organizationally across campus. It isn't anymore. And again that is totally fine, as long as you're willing to deal with the consequences.

[BergAlum2]

The AD has Changed.


Look at the JCU's Staff. That is a school that is pumping Money into Football!

Got me to look at their Coaches page, didn't realize ONU's Dean Paul was now JCU's Defensive Coordinator

[Dr. Acula]

Has anything outside of the HC changed for Mt Union? If so, changing the HC, while its the lowest hanging fruit, may not be the (only) answer.

Yes, the University as a whole has changed significantly. It seems more concerned with diversity and inclusion and less about educational and athletic success. And that is totally and completely fine, no issues with it as long as they realize a significantly large portion of their alum base were athletes, most specifically successful football players. So when they no longer have interest in the school or program, they take their dollars with them.

Taking the program for granted as a cash cow to get butts in classroom seats and to fundraise works great when you're winning 3+ National Championships a decade.

But when you're a "hoping for the OAC playoff spot" quality program, it isn't as attractive.

There was a point in time when Football and winning was priority number one organizationally across campus. It isn't anymore. And again that is totally fine, as long as you're willing to deal with the consequences.

Like a lot of D3 schools, athletics is absolutely critical to enrollment for Mount.  Around 40% of the students play a sport according to their website.  If the internet is to be trusted Mount has around 1200 male students.  The non-football male sports roster count right now is 373.  Men's track has almost 100 kids.  Baseball has 54 currently and has consistently been between there and mid 60's for years. 

Point being that you want enrollment and kids are attracted to good financial aid and good programs (academically and athletically).  Mount has historically been very pro-athletics.  I really like their academic additions of the engineering school, nursing program, PT, PA, etc.  I hope they don't sacrifice one for the other because it's only getting more competitive for students going forward. 

[WRMUalum13]

Has anything outside of the HC changed for Mt Union? If so, changing the HC, while its the lowest hanging fruit, may not be the (only) answer.

Yes, the University as a whole has changed significantly. It seems more concerned with diversity and inclusion and less about educational and athletic success. And that is totally and completely fine, no issues with it as long as they realize a significantly large portion of their alum base were athletes, most specifically successful football players. So when they no longer have interest in the school or program, they take their dollars with them.

Taking the program for granted as a cash cow to get butts in classroom seats and to fundraise works great when you're winning 3+ National Championships a decade.

But when you're a "hoping for the OAC playoff spot" quality program, it isn't as attractive.

There was a point in time when Football and winning was priority number one organizationally across campus. It isn't anymore. And again that is totally fine, as long as you're willing to deal with the consequences.

I've heard this take on these boards before and I see little evidence for it, in fact I'd argue the institution has put more emphasis on athletic success over recent years as the higher ed landscape has become more competitive and sports have become a more important enrollment driver.

Since I graduated from Mount in 2013 there have been significant investments in football / athletics by the institution

1) Dom Capers media center (2013)
2) Video replay board (2017)
3) Full turf practice fields (2019)
4) Dom and Karen Capers FOOTBALL coaching center (2020) - yes an entire building for JUST football coaching
5) Locker Room Upgrades (not sure of date, probably 2018ish)
6) New Athletics branding initiative (2025)

Additionally Mount Union has 15 coaches on staff. Which is more than they had in 2019 (I counted 12)

I just don't see any evidence that Mount Union is deemphasizing football or athletics in any way. These are key enrollment drivers that the University is clearly prioritizing.

Additionally I'm not sure why or how DEI initiatives would be antithetical to educational or athletic success. At an institution like Mount Union these types of initiatives would be aimed at making sure students from various backgrounds feel comfortable and are able to succeed, they are designed to improve educational outcomes not take away from them. I'm not trying to get political here, I just don't follow the logic, especially when student athletes tend to be a more diverse group than the general student population.

[D3fanboy]

here's your weekly Geoff Dartt vs a piece of gum interview on the Sam Bourquin Show

https://youtu.be/CDLrjltqsBk?si=1Pimq3N_HtAFXjM3