jdub27

It would an interesting exercise seeing how upset you could make you biggest and most tenured donors to the actual University, that is for sure. Completely get where you are going with the idea, but until the Champions Club gets enough money to fully support scholarships across the board and get them endowed, probably a non-starter.

If you're going to criticize everyone else, could you fill us in on the whole story?

Different investment types result in different expectations.

Never applied. Or he somehow wasn't a finalist, which I find hard to believe. If he was truly the guy, unless you are doing it for appearances only, why bother with the work of opening it up as an external hire. That makes no sense.

Fairly accurate for the most part. I think you want to make sure the kids are bought in and not immediately looking out for their own interests instead of the team and don't have one foot out the door, but be clear if they buy-in, succeed and want to look at other opportunities after the season, you'll support it.

Football raised some funds real quick doing this...

People can go ahead and blame the AD all they want, so far of base with this. It is going to be a fun one...

Might be on something....or onto something?

Hopefully Sather can use Eaglestaff as a great example of why leaving a year earlier than maybe you should can pay dividends down the road.

Either the talent level a step or two above UND isn't exactly what I think it is or these "agents" are throwing things against the wall and messing with kids, just hoping someone will throw some money at them so they can get a cut of it if some percentage of kids they give "advice" to happen to land somewhere.

I mean, come on. I already beat you to that answer, because it was inevitably going to be your response.

I think you've finally passed gfhockey for the most tired/overused schtick on the board. At least he misspells different words so we know he's at least not copying and pasting everything. And his comes with some originality from time to time and the occasional informational tidbit. We all get your stance (and then some). No need to continue to argue against points no one is making. And yeah, no one is telling you to be quiet or accept mediocritity, because we all know you won't do that. You've made that abundantly clear. And no one is.

There are ways to do it, however they are likely viewed differently at big time schools. A Canadian on a different teams was able to do some things that qualified while back home on break and receive NIL funds for it because they were able to show how it benefited UND and was also done in his home country. UND is doing things on the up and up so there won't be any issues with "market value" or the clearinghouse down the road but I don't think that's the case at all schools. Some appear to blatantly be pay for play but without knowing the details, though to prove.

I'd be wary of anything that isn't the 1883 right now. That may change in time. Plenty of scummy "agents" out there taking 20%+ from players and/or making promises that can't/won't be fulfilled.

Not sure how it works at other schools....but for what it is worth, part of the NIL collective agreements at UND requires players to sign an NDA as to what they are receiving. Violating that voids the contract. Great in theory (and so far in practice, though admittedly new), but remains to be seen the long-term effects. On the football side, where there is obviously a disparity between some players it is not an issue nor is it even discussed. However numbers are likely fairly small compared to the large NCAA schools and numbers out there. Different space and competition than hockey but I who knows what the true numbers out there actually are on that side.

The NCAA is the member schools. And they have lost pretty much every fight in court to slow this down. But the P4 (or P2 even) don't want it. And everyone below them is afraid to rock the boat because at some point, they won't get the crumbs they currently get which sustain their program. Outside collectives will still be allowed. The ruling you're talking about, which still isn't finalized, would allow schools to pay up to $20 million annually in a profit sharing. Below the big-time schools, there really isn't a whole lot of extra revenue to share because anyone below that level is running their athletic department at a deficit. And that is before any Title IX implications and other issues that have already been raised start to come up.

Appreciate you saving us from the normal 4-6 lines this time around!

I'm aware but was just making a point that the AD answers directly to the President. Whether people like it or not, expectations go beyond wins and losses, though there is no argument that is a large part of the equation.

Continously complaining about it anonymously obviously isn't getting you anywhere. Maybe check with his boss on what expectations are and are not being met?

Some are contemplating coming back. Others that have changed their mind have been told their spots are gone. Going to be a handful that probably should have taken a longer to think the decision through.

https://fightinghawks.com/news/2025/3/21/football-nine-fighting-hawks-to-partake-in-unds-pro-day.aspx 9 participants

Agree with it but you still need some guys you are developing because we continue to see that success at the D2 or JuCo level or lack of success at the P4/high mid-major level doesn't translate to being successful where we are. Instead of a crapshoot on 2-4 young guys a year, you're now guessing on 6-8 transfers a year and hoping what you see translates. Mistakes are amplified if you miss an 1-2 guys you expect to have immediate impacts because you're plugging your starting line-up with 2-4 brand new guys a year and hoping the hit and can play together. I don't know what the answer is other than sometimes it will work and other times it won't.

Probably a fair observation, particularly in a few cases. Expectations should be based on support for programs and the coach's ability to sell what they are doing is heading in the right direction. Some extensions could definitely be shorter. Some should probably include a significantly smaller buyout option as a trade-off (looking directly at the football one for that). Starting to think the need to extend coaches earlier because "we don't want to lose players" is falling by the wayside. With the portal, your roster is in constant flux anyway. Not an excuse to extend coaches early anymore. All student-athletes are basically one-year free agents at this point. I'm guessing the giant budget cuts that came through about 8-10 years ago didn't help anything and then take that into Covid where (right or wrong) coaches got more of a leash than they probably deserved. The timing on these contracts coming up isn't a coincidence with some decisions made in 2020 and 2021. A new president who sees the value in athletics is pushing things in the right direction. Armacost is an amazing asset for UND and he understands what athletics can do for the University. If he's OK with the plans being laid out, I'm going to trust his judgment. If he is unhappy, he'll make the necessary change. Don't believe there is any merit to the Title IX investigation other than some people being upset about softball getting a new facility but that's just my take from reading through the complaint and talking to people who are closer to the situation. Similar to the WIH complaint that went absolutely nowhere. If there is merit to it and there are adverse findings, I would change my opinion on it. But filing a complaint doesn't mean there is anything actually to it. Haven't seen any updates on it, so has it even gone anywhere?

Funny that UND was able to at least win one game at the Summit League Championship this year (aka South Dakota State Invitational).

3 of the 4 coaches who left or were let go were hired by the previous AD and I don't think anyone would say expectations were being met with any of them relative to what is being invested into each program. With the recent ramp up in investments/support/facilities over the last 2-3 years, expectations have increased. It is what is is and I assume that is what people want.