UND-FB-FAN

Spot filled. If he doesn’t leave for USD or UNI before the season starts, we’ll get to see what he can do for UND with a very difficult 2024 schedule …

Of course. Need more leadership and vision to acquire more for non-hockey sports and enhance the budget. It’s obvious but can’t be ignored: NDSU and SDSU don’t have to fund a hockey program whereas UND does. It still seems that the Kennedy/Engelstad McGarry feud and REA Inc. agreement is causing issues. After Kennedy left, seems UND realized it is not worth the trouble and moved on; thus, they’re in a stranglehold via REA, Inc. But if you don’t acknowledge the problem then it’s certainly easier to cope.

Bubba isn’t capable to facilitate the turnaround. I agree there needs to be more leadership and vision.

The optics of Freund and Landry leaving are still issues. No question NDSU and SDSU have done better than UND of late on the court and field, but now there’s negative press on UND with their coaches leaving for NDSU and SDSU. It projects UND as being the inferior institution within the region. The only argument is hockey, which none of these rival institutions even sponsor. It puts UND into a vulnerable dilemma. Again, we can criticize individual coaches for having “no character”, but that won’t fix the much bigger issues. Plus, these coaches who are leaving are UND alumni. Why is UND not able to surpass NDSU and SDSU? Why is UND losing alumni coaches to these peer institutions as opposed to the other way around? These are straightforward yet incredibly important issues facing UND.

Bubba is an absolute genius! Who cares about wins and losses when you can hire good assistants (who later bail for the same position at rival schools you’re supposed to be “competing” with). UND athletics is on autopilot in non-hockey sports and it’s absolutely disgusting. No desire for greatness whatsoever. There isn’t even an attempt other than blatant lies to the few who question it directly.

The honest question is what should be done? I’m not surprised this mayhem is happening right now. Bubba needs to be promptly terminated after 2024 season unless there is a major surprise and team wins playoff games. Coaching salary pool then needs to be increased, and a solid up-and-coming coach needs to be hired, and it needs to be done at a record-setting rate for UND to show increased commitment to higher expectations.

UND leadership needs to deliberately want to get better. It won’t happen by accident. Can’t be hockey-only. Can’t be extending mediocre coaches. Need to hire young up-and-comer, not an old-timer lifer, but ultimately have to hire the right guy. Need to then give the new staff the proper support, as cant fail to underfund the coaches. So many facets needed to right the ship for UND football. Easy to sit back and watch the ship sink as apathy settles in, but there needs to be a group of proactive supporters that ignite the resurgence. Who will it end up being? Or, will it end up happening? We will see …

Most times, instead of pointing fingers, it’s instead best to look in the mirror. This is known in many successful circles as accountability. This is needed for UND football at this time more than ever.

Both left because UND football is in a vulnerable position relative to NDSU and SDSU. That is disappointing, but it is reality. Need top notch leadership at UND to change positioning, and that is why Chaves and Armacost are a needed part of this conversation. Bubba is just a lame duck coach at this point.

Bubba’s ineptitude did cause this, and Chaves extended, thus enabling it. And now, this is what you get. Ridiculousness and UND embarrassment for the benefit of rival institutions NDSU and SDSU.

There’s a reason it has become a cluster.

The reality is these perceptions can change in 5-10 years; they often do per historical trends.

Not 100% on Landry. A large portion, sure, but the reality is UND football doesn’t have the glamour we all want it to. That isn’t on Landry who wasn’t a UND employee for much more than a week. That’s on Bubba, Chaves, etc.

If UND football was a more attractive position, you would not have someone breaking their word. And why did Bubba hire someone with such questionable motives? Another example of both systematic failure and Bubba’s inept decision-making.

We can displace some of our anger on individuals, sure, but this is a systematic problem at this point. Look at the bigger picture.

UND football is just not a high-reputation, powerful job right now. NDSU and SDSU are regarded as undoubtedly better jobs, and that should infuriate anyone who loves UND. We know NDSU and SDSU have been better for the past decade plus on the court and field, but now it’s spread to the office, head and hearts of UND alumni. That is beyond damaging. This current sad state of affairs has to do with the fragile mediocre trend over the past several years, which falls on the shoulders of Bubba and Chaves. When being aggressive and making the rational contemporary decision was necessary, it was instead deferred, and in some cases, the opposite was actually done.

Once again …The central themes on this board, although farfetched, misinformed, and laughable at times, are usually overall spot-on given the passion and love for UND. Bubba has been strung out way too damn long, should’ve been fired in 2017, 2018, or 2021, but now, here we are: this is the result.

2023 Assistant Coach Development Award/Championship

I am guessing 6-6 is a real possibility but that should still lead to Bubba’s termination, or at least it needs to. A losing season is certainly possible though too.

Definitely appears that way now. The situation is so horrid for UND football right now that UND alums are ditching Bubba left and right for conference rivals. This is an indirect reflection on the horrible state of UND football, and both Bubba and Chaves are to blame, although some “supporters” likely enabled this a few years ago by sticking their neck out for the “good guy” Bubba. I think everyone can “see clearly” now. You can’t run a program when even the most diehard UND/Grand Forks guys are willing to abandon ship. The house absolutely needs to be completely cleaned out: Culture reset.

Both. Reputation tarnished as he exits from UND this year, either before the season or after.

Sure, but this is an indictment on both UND and Jake Landry, and definitely more so the former.

Bubba is a good man but not a great coach. UND / Chaves hung on too long. The central themes on this board, although farfetched, misinformed, and laughable at times, are usually overall spot-on given the passion and love for UND. Bubba has been strung out way too damn long, should’ve been fired in 2017, 2018, or 2021, but now, here we are: this is the result.

I’m embarrassed for everyone involved. I won’t divulge anything specific right now, but circumstantially, this is incredibly embarrassing for UND football.

Addition by subtraction? Likely not. Bubba’s defense is awful.