STrib: Gophers AD Mark Coyle says department might need a GM role to oversee ‘cap management’

[BleedGopher]

Per Marcus:

Coyle said the Gophers need to have “cap management.”

“If we bring [players in] and we’re doing revenue sharing, how do we know we’re getting our value right, and what are the metrics?” he said.

A new role — similar to a general manager in pro sports — could be required in the near future. Coyle talked about that potential job and other topics in this latest Q&A.

Q: When you think of GMs in pro sports, it’s in large part about hiring coaches, but how would that be different in the college model?

A: If it’s at $21 million to $22 million [annual shared revenue], you have to have somebody who’s going to manage that cap for you at the same time.

If a professional team misses on a player, it really impacts their cap for future years. And so, we’re going to have to start to think that way. We’ve looked at, do we need to bring somebody in that can help us manage those caps? Is it different people for different sports?

And then, more importantly, we want to be very strategic and analytical when we assign those dollar values, when we make those commitments to those kids where we’re different than the professional level. It’s not just how many baskets do they make, right. Are you going to class? Are you going to graduate? Those things all come into play too. Those are things we ought to measure.

Q: Is it pretty clear cut that football players will gobble up the most shared revenue?

A: I have conversations with other programs, and at the end of the day, finances play a big, big part in what we do. … Football is 90 percent of that. And so, we are very, very wise that we continue to invest in football to help that program grow.

Gophers AD Mark Coyle says department might need a GM role to oversee ‘cap management’

Critical decisions are coming for Mark Coyle and his staff as they determine how much money each athlete should make under the new revenue-sharing model next year.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Good move to get someone in here.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Boo-urns!

 

[hello-world]

Good move to get someone in here.

Preferably someone that reports to PJ.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Nobody’s policing it. Do your best. Surely they have some undergrads that could throw some numbers together.

 

[upnorthkid]

Nobody’s policing it. Do your best. Surely they have some undergrads that could throw some numbers together.

Bama just paid their guy ~800k for the job. I’d prefer we get someone who knows who feeds the rest of them in there if you’re going to have someone in that spot.

 

[MilosRevenge]

They're throwing away six figures every year for Hugh McCutcheon's made up position...that would be a good start.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

They're throwing away six figures every year for Hugh McCutcheon's made up position...that would be a good start.

Welcome Milo.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Bama just paid their guy ~800k for the job. I’d prefer we get someone who knows who feeds the rest of them in there if you’re going to have someone in that spot.

I was a little tongue in cheek but in all seriousness, he’s talking about a high level decision-making position? Is the competence in finance, management, recruiting, contracts, talent, cap spreadsheets. MN doesn’t already have these people?

Alabama has revenue what, twice MN? Not sure. All indications are costs are heading up, squeezing most programs. Adding another high dollar admin spot may not be popular when there are so many (perceived) existing overlapping responsibilities, and talk of reducing sports. There might be some of this

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

They need to hire an additional admin for this so it doesn't take away from Coyle's primary duties of playing Minesweeper and talking into a fan so his voice sounds like Darth Vader.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Per Marcus:

where we’re different than the professional level. It’s not just how many baskets do they make, right. Are you going to class? Are you going to graduate? Those things all come into play too. Those are things we ought to measure.

Typical gopher attitude. Offer athletic money to less qualified athletes for no reason related to the athletics.

(And before people jump on me, I'll admit this doesn't really affect football since PJ makes them go to class. But still, I don't think it's the correct approach.)

 

[upnorthkid]

Typical gopher attitude. Offer athletic money to less qualified athletes for no reason related to the athletics.

(And before people jump on me, I'll admit this doesn't really affect football since PJ makes them go to class. But still, I don't think it's the correct approach.)

Athlete incentives would actually be a wise thing to include for revenue sharing as it keeps your athletes eligible, out of the spotlight, and benefiting your apr. zero reason you can’t reserve bonus pay to those who make academic all conference teams. Those who become academically ineligible forfeit their revenue share.

But again coyle is a horrible communicator so hard to know if that’s actually what he’s thinking or not

 

[Pompous Elitist]

They need to hire an additional admin for this so it doesn't take away from Coyle's primary duties of playing Minesweeper and talking into a fan so his voice sounds like Darth Vader.

Funny, but in all seriousness somebody has to hire the guy that hired the guy, that hired the guy.

Is there a comprehensive organizational chart. I believe they have some quasi-third party entity working with a few in-house staff already doing NIL contracts. Can’t recall but I believe the company sprang up 3-4 years ago offering consulting to ADs. Learfield, maybe.

 

[60's Guy]

Cap management? You crazy? I ain't doing that job. You gotta make decisions, take a stand on your beliefs and principles...somebody could criticize me. You nuts? We're hiring somebody we can fire for that job. I certainly ain't doing it. Why would I get in the middle of that?

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

It all rolls uphill. Coyle isn’t trying to dodge responsibility, he understands that if the program fails and can’t handle the revenue coming in, he will lose his job.

I think this is a full time position that reports into the AD. In fact, I think it’s probably more like a new division that reports into the AD with the GM at the top of that division.

More than anyone, I miss old days of college football but they’re gone. We have to either embrace the change or stop following college sports (I’d understand either decision) but pretending and hoping this all goes away is lunacy.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

It all rolls uphill. Coyle isn’t trying to dodge responsibility, he understands that if the program fails and can’t handle the revenue coming in, he will lose his job.

I think this is a full time position that reports into the AD. In fact, I think it’s probably more like a new division that reports into the AD with the GM at the top of that division.

More than anyone, I miss old days of college football but they’re gone. We have to either embrace the change or stop following college sports (I’d understand either decision) but pretending and hoping this all goes away is lunacy.

The real heavy lifting is in deciding how to distribute revenue, if the school or conference or counsel doesn’t do that for him. After that it’s relatively cut and dried. I don’t fully understand the need for a full time high dollar cap-oriented position, but I’m willing to entertain arguments. Maybe we need Jerry Jones. J/k.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Can we delegate the AD's public speaking duties to this new position?

 

[upnorthkid]

The real heavy lifting is in deciding how to distribute revenue, if the school or conference or counsel doesn’t do that for him. After that it’s relatively cut and dried. I don’t fully understand the need for a full time high dollar cap-oriented position, but I’m willing to entertain arguments. Maybe we need Jerry Jones. J/k.

Just adds to the administrative bloat that has become all too common all over. Agreed this should not be challenging in terms of figuring out the numbers. The revenue and revenue sharing criteria are set away from you and you just have to divide it up. You won’t be popular on campus with some circles of athletes and their coaches/families, but if the person is transparent about the breakdown and how they got there, this seems like a really easy and large paycheck to cash because the market is going to explode because of what Bama just paid their guy

 

[caliGopher]

They need to hire an additional admin for this so it doesn't take away from Coyle's primary duties of playing Minesweeper and talking into a fan so his voice sounds like Darth Vader.

Yeah, let's start with a competent AD, then go from there.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Athlete incentives would actually be a wise thing to include for revenue sharing as it keeps your athletes eligible, out of the spotlight, and benefiting your apr. zero reason you can’t reserve bonus pay to those who make academic all conference teams. Those who become academically ineligible forfeit their revenue share.

But again coyle is a horrible communicator so hard to know if that’s actually what he’s thinking or not

In a vacuum, yes. But if I'm an athlete and other schools are offering me $x amount just for being on the team, whereas the Gophers are offering $x for not just being on the team, but with strings attached, well...the offer just doesn't seem as good.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Cap management? You crazy? I ain't doing that job. You gotta make decisions, take a stand on your beliefs and principles...somebody could criticize me. You nuts? We're hiring somebody we can fire for that job. I certainly ain't doing it. Why would I get in the middle of that?

Ummm...I'm not sure anyone offered you. Kinda funny though because just last month you were on here talking about how since you were a high school AD at one point, you could do Coyle's job for less money. And now this rant???

 

[caliGopher]

Cap management? You crazy? I ain't doing that job. You gotta make decisions, take a stand on your beliefs and principles...somebody could criticize me. You nuts? We're hiring somebody we can fire for that job. I certainly ain't doing it. Why would I get in the middle of that?

I disagree.

A competent manager understands the focus required to do this well and unimpeded by the politics of his position. If a competent AD needs to hand hold the board of regents because of their inability to understand anything as it relates to the university (or so it seems to someone from the outside since the late 80s - only qualify that because that's when I first paid attention to the BoR) - this can't get put off until tomorrow. do that one too many times, then there are headlines and accusations and a veritable shit show that both of the newspapers that are only worth wrapping dead fish will gleefully wallow in -- usually on the eve of whatever success might be coming our way.

What we do need is a competent AD that does not think the way Mark Coyle does (aka, has the ability to think, communicate, and make good decisions, maybe even fund raises to pay for the athletes village.....)

Then she/he needs to hire someone who doesn't suck.

 

[upnorthkid]

In a vacuum, yes. But if I'm an athlete and other schools are offering me $x amount just for being on the team, whereas the Gophers are offering $x for not just being on the team, but with strings attached, well...the offer just doesn't seem as good.

I would envision much of the big ten will have the same set up/contract for base. Was more meaning an additional set of payments added on (given there’s no way you’ll know who’s making all academic teams pre season/academic period). Would envision this is what Coyle is talking about as if someone is going to class or not isn’t going to be known when a player signs and id also envision the revenue share will come at the end of the year rather than preseason.

All that said, I’ll be real curious to see what the actual dollar amount comes out to in terms of the actual share each athlete sees and if it ends up being a lump sum versus a fund used in some way

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Just adds to the administrative bloat that has become all too common all over. Agreed this should not be challenging in terms of figuring out the numbers. The revenue and revenue sharing criteria are set away from you and you just have to divide it up. You won’t be popular on campus with some circles of athletes and their coaches/families, but if the person is transparent about the breakdown and how they got there, this seems like a really easy and large paycheck to cash because the market is going to explode because of what Bama just paid their guy

Yeah, without hearing more seems like it’s a wierd new way to flush money. And given the relatively poor ratio of revenue to mouths to feed does the return on investment make any sense? I’m sort of joking but I really don’t understand what this person would do. Certainly not going to make recruiting decisions. There’s no draft process. Does the department envision paying and contracting players beyond some base rate (TBD). There is an existing management hierarchy. Even in the NFL I’ve always wondered why the GM position exists given they don’t seem to usually have the requisite deep football, financial, cap, or technology knowledge to really give good advice, so they function as sort of a middle manager with mythical draft skills. Kind of analogous to ADs selecting teams for the CFP. I’m willing to hear arguments against.