UND08

I think surrounding himself with guys like Lance Leipold during his run in Omaha helped with this greatly...

Counterpoint - The right coach raid's his current program's signing class and we grab 15 guys from the portal and infuse an immediate talent boost while building a recruiting base that brings us better all-around talent. And also...you're only talking offense with player retention...because chances are Fruechte would entirely re-boot the defense so those players will likely be evaluating their futures regardless.

I think Fruechte has a bright future...but at this point I think we need a reboot.

I agree with all of this.

Agree with everyone's take on this. And honestly...does Saturday even matter? Kinda feels like the damage has been done...

Well I might have taken a few liberties to make my point...haha! That said...how many players have seen the field on defense this year? How many coaches have been involved in the defensive gameplan? How many support staff have assisted the defensive coaches in film sessions and what not? That combined number might be close to 40!

You're right...it absolutely doesn't have to! But we are not FBS...transfer portal can make a huge difference...I'm not sure we can do it that quickly here. One thing I do know...is if Bubba is the one leading the correction...it absolutely WON'T be overnight (and likely very little will change)!

I agree that this isn't a "snap your fingers and everything is fine situation"...it's going to take awhile to get things going the right direction...likely multiple seasons. That said...the question is WHO do we want to lead the charge of getting things going in the right direction. Bubba's had eons of time...Chaves too...I'd prefer to roll the dice on someone else in both roles.

1 - The athletic department had the ability to make the change at a much more affordable cost but instead chose to tack on $750k+ last spring. Why is there no accountability for that decision? 2 - The reason for the change that you speak of is still employed by the University and has been for over a decade. The thought of giving said person more time to "fix" things rings awfully hollow to me when I compare our program to our immediate peers at the FCS level. I mean...Bob Nielson was on the hot seat two years ago...and since then has put his team into position to have back-to-back top 8 seeds into the FCS playoffs, while doing so with fewer resources than we have in Grand Forks. That's the kind of "fix" we needed a couple of years ago. Is the standard tough to live up to? Yes...but that's life in NDSU/SDSU's back yard. The Bubba defenders had to know this discussion was coming after last year. I maintained a positive outlook throughout this season until the back-to-back losses at YSU/ISU(b). Couple that with the UNI debacle last year and it's readily apparent to me that this program will never be ready for the next step as it is currently constituted. If the Bubba defenders want to throw enough influence around to keep this going...that's their right (and apparently, they're quite good at it) ...but good luck filling the Alerus next year with Bo gone and a continuously porous defense (from a defensive head coach). I listened to the SDSU game on the radio (vs watching on TV or attending) and Mike Berg was very frank in his assessment of this team lacking speed and talent (especially on defense). That was honestly refreshing to me...since it's been readily apparent for awhile now. Any AD worth his weight in salt would be concerned...but oh well we got a hockey game in Austin TX to get ready for!

I mean...I'm with you on the defense...but I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Simon Romfo will ever be anything more than a middle of the pack MVFC QB that lags behind the upper echelon. Great story...no doubt...but he's had one game all year where I really felt like he was in command (YSU), and his coach trusted him so much that he took him OFF the field for the biggest play of the game. But to your point...there's 348 other deficiencies with this team...Simon doesn't rank in the top 40 of them.

How much is Arch Manning being paid in NIL money to stay at Texas? I mean they have Lamborghinis at the stadium for recruits to drive when they visit...haha! At the FCS level...the idea of waiting to see the field when playing is how you monetize your ability is a bad financial decision. When I heard that Gronowski at SDSU turned down a $1.2 million NIL deal to come back to SDSU my first thought was "he's an idiot"...

They didn’t fire him…all done under the table…and because he’s a good enough coach (hence the 60-11 record) he had options. But what NDSU tends to do really well is listen to their stakeholders. I’m not saying they’re perfect…but again somebody has to sell the vision. I’m no longer contributing toward the program if Bubba is leading it. I’m sorry that hurts the feelings of the old guard but that’s not a worthwhile investment to me. I’ve had 10+ years of track record to make that decision. If the vision is there…it’s a different story.

The last two pages of this discussion shows me why UND will seemingly NEVER get to the upper echelon! NDSU fans and boosters ran a coach out of town who had a 60-11 record and two titles because they didn’t like the trajectory the program was on. And now they’re cruising… Meanwhile we extend Bubba multiple times with much more mediocre results and to some it’s “water under the bridge”… This is D1 folks…wake me up when we want to look the part!

This is my mindset: I’ll happily pitch in for the buyout if Chaves is sent packing with Bubba. The entire reason behind the buyout figure being where it’s at is the foolish extension that Chaves executed without the blessing of alums/boosters. At this point not ponying up a penny if Chaves gets to have any input in how it’s spent. I can appreciate the mindset of Ira (not meaning to pick on you) and the like…but this isn’t D2 anymore. You watch the other Dakota schools and it’s apparent we don’t fit in. We were there as of Oct. 14, 2023…but since then the fall off the cliff has been dramatic. Winning matters…probably more than it should but that’s life. We need someone who can sell the vision…sell a plan to execute the vision. Right now we don’t have that…and until we do the program isn’t going anywhere (but backward).

Had this same idea (at least on the D1 level). One day doubleheader with the 4 D1 schools in ND/MT. Could alternate hosting each year between Bismarck and Billings.