Tulane Can Break - Up "The Biggest Recruiting Advantage In College FB"

[Wave755]

This stuff is spinning way out of reasonableness. This thread has us joining the SEC and the coach having his recruiting sabotaged by the suggestion that he will not be here to see any of his classes graduate. He has not played one game or held one organized practice yet. I'm optimistic too, but let's see what happens. As for Coach Fritz getting poached away, that would take at least a couple of years, even if he is very successful. By the time this season starts, he will be 56 years old. That's not really the trend in college football for the P5s; most go get a HC or coordinator in the 40s or (maybe) early 50s.

I think Willie Fritz will be great for us and stay, and we are a sleeping Baylor/TCU. In regard to the non-stop "chicken little" hysteria on this forum, I still remember how after the Tulsa game of 2014 some on GoTula lamented that Tanner Lee would "definitely" leave us for the NFL after only his junior year.

Things are looking up for us Wave fans, "prophets of doom" please take deep breath.

[nawlinspete]

NOT predicting doom, predicting success; BUT asking Tulane to be proactive and control our image. If we are as successful as we hope to be we must not do boneheaded things like turning down the Rose Bowl and recommending Alabama to replace us, de-emphasize, leave the SEC, tear down our stadium and slip into virtual oblivion.

Tulane needs to get ahead of potential competitors saying Tulane "got lucky" as they did with Bowden/RR. How does Tulane do that ? By Coach Fritz announcing that he is in for the long ride, for as long as Tulane will have him and his staff. Concurrently Tulane must pledge to not allow itself to be out bid or out hustled when success comes. Such commitments do not bother the Stanfords or the Michigans.

[RobertM320]

Pete, here's a quote from Fritz, yesterday. Take note of the emphasized section:

"I'd like for the number of people we sign to be a bit higher in the future. Obviously, when you are recruiting, you are trying to build relationships, and trying to build a relationship in that short period of time is difficult, but I have been very impressed with the talent level in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans. Obviously, this is going to be our recruiting base for many years."

[anEngineer]

Also, when Coach Fritz was talking about not reaching for players, he said that was because they are in it for the "long haul". Obviously, every coach thinks they will be successful wherever they are for a long time and that's what they say. If Notre Dame comes to 59-year-old Willie Fritz and offers him $8 million/yr, I suspect he would take it and I could not blame him. I am not going to worry about anybody leaving until they show me they are worth keeping.

[Greenanyway]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

[RobertM320]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

If he wins big over the next three years, and then the Big XII comes calling, would there even be a reason to leave at that point? Unless of course, he's got some dream job somewhere. You'd be the head coach of a P5 program that you controlled, you had your own system already in place, and you were winning. Why leave? No ones saying we expect him to be here for 15-20 years, but the potential is there for the right coach to make this a destination job sooner rather than later. If Bowden had stayed and we'd have tacked on 3 more winning seasons and a couple more C-USA titles, and coaches would have been knocking on the door to have this job the minute he left. If he left.

[JerseyWave]

We should not worry about a Coach being hired away. It has been a long time since Tulane had a Head Coach that someone else wanted. Dannen said he will have the money to make an offer similar to what Houston did to keep their Football coach. I would love to keep Fritz for the next decade, go to 10 straight bowl games, and then he retires.

[Greenanyway]

You are correct in that there is no reason to worry, per my previous comments, but every GOOD Tulane coach HAS been hired away, and, if you consider 17 years a "long time", then OK.

[DfromCT]

When Coach Fritz (and I hate the "CWF" moniker, btw!) took the GSU job, it was his first step into D1. He took over a team that competed regularly for national championships at the FCS level as they were moving to D1. It was his biggest job to date. He was there two years and would have taken the team to two bowl games had the NCAA not enforced a ludicrous rule that prohibited a team from going to a bowl game it's first season in D1.

That was two years ago. If he has the same success at Tulane, he'll be on radar screens, no doubt. We can hope his age and a newfound love for Tulane and New Orleans keeps him here. But if he's getting offers to go elsewhere it means he's done a damned good job at Tulane. There's not much we can do, and as others have pointed out, he hasn't even had a formal practice with the team yet. So yes, this is all premature. Who knows where any of us will be in two years?

[Aberzombie1892]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

If he wins big over the next three years, and then the Big XII comes calling, would there even be a reason to leave at that point? Unless of course, he's got some dream job somewhere. You'd be the head coach of a P5 program that you controlled, you had your own system already in place, and you were winning. Why leave? No ones saying we expect him to be here for 15-20 years, but the potential is there for the right coach to make this a destination job sooner rather than later. If Bowden had stayed and we'd have tacked on 3 more winning seasons and a couple more C-USA titles, and coaches would have been knocking on the door to have this job the minute he left. If he left.

Even if Tulane got into the Big 12, it would rank pretty low in the hierarchy of P5 jobs (athletic prestige/history/recruiting/facilities/pay for coaches and assistants), and around 80% or more of the Big 12 jobs would be better jobs.

[jonathanjoseph]

Pete, not really sure what you're referring to with this "history of two and done" stuff. The ONLY place they were ever two and done was GSU, and if I had the chance to leave Statesboro for New Orleans I'd be gone in a heartbeat as well.

Coach Fritz and his staff if they do not get ahead of this issue will always be challenged by it by opposing recruiters. IT IS TIME FOR TULANE TO BE PROACTIVE NOT REACTIVE.

It's not really reasonable to ask someone to start proving they'll stay two months into the job. That would reek of desperation not to mention be meaningless.

[jonathanjoseph]

NOT predicting doom, predicting success; BUT asking Tulane to be proactive and control our image. If we are as successful as we hope to be we must not do boneheaded things like turning down the Rose Bowl and recommending Alabama to replace us, de-emphasize, leave the SEC, tear down our stadium and slip into virtual oblivion.

Tulane needs to get ahead of potential competitors saying Tulane "got lucky" as they did with Bowden/RR. How does Tulane do that ? By Coach Fritz announcing that he is in for the long ride, for as long as Tulane will have him and his staff. Concurrently Tulane must pledge to not allow itself to be out bid or out hustled when success comes. Such commitments do not bother the Stanfords or the Michigans.

It doesn't work that way. You change the image by winning and creating an environment where CWF wants to stay and does.

[jonathanjoseph]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

Good stuff.

[jonathanjoseph]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

If he wins big over the next three years, and then the Big XII comes calling, would there even be a reason to leave at that point? Unless of course, he's got some dream job somewhere. You'd be the head coach of a P5 program that you controlled, you had your own system already in place, and you were winning. Why leave? No ones saying we expect him to be here for 15-20 years, but the potential is there for the right coach to make this a destination job sooner rather than later. If Bowden had stayed and we'd have tacked on 3 more winning seasons and a couple more C-USA titles, and coaches would have been knocking on the door to have this job the minute he left. If he left.

Even if Tulane got into the Big 12, it would rank pretty low in the hierarchy of P5 jobs (athletic prestige/history/recruiting/facilities/pay for coaches and assistants), and around 80% or more of the Big 12 jobs would be better jobs.

Absolutely wrong. If Tulane became a P5 it would be one of the best jobs in the country by far, with a traditionally low bar, all the resources in the world and NOLA to sell.

You think it's easier to build a program in Waco than NOLA?

[Aberzombie1892]

I simply can't understand all of the credence that y'all place in every word that a coach speaks, especially words such as "many years" and "long haul". First, while I hope that Coach Fritz is the absolute best coach in Tulane history, and that he stays here for decades to a ripe old age, I think expecting that is delusional, and indicates a failure to recognize just how much the college football landscape has changed, and just how far TU has allowed itself to sink. Like you, I hope that he wins fast and big, which will of course open real opportunities for him to move on somewhere else. If this takes place, I also hope that we fight to keep him here in every conceivable way that we can. However, from a practical perspective, in the end, I don't think that this is the critical point. We have to once and for all cease worrying over whether a coach will STAY AT TULANE! We need to invest, win, replace, get better, replace, get better...until we are a place good coaches don't want to leave. To expect that at this stage (as low as we've dropped) is ludicrous. It can be done...it will take time...the hole that has been dug is deep. ROLL WAVE!

If he wins big over the next three years, and then the Big XII comes calling, would there even be a reason to leave at that point? Unless of course, he's got some dream job somewhere. You'd be the head coach of a P5 program that you controlled, you had your own system already in place, and you were winning. Why leave? No ones saying we expect him to be here for 15-20 years, but the potential is there for the right coach to make this a destination job sooner rather than later. If Bowden had stayed and we'd have tacked on 3 more winning seasons and a couple more C-USA titles, and coaches would have been knocking on the door to have this job the minute he left. If he left.

Even if Tulane got into the Big 12, it would rank pretty low in the hierarchy of P5 jobs (athletic prestige/history/recruiting/facilities/pay for coaches and assistants), and around 80% or more of the Big 12 jobs would be better jobs.

Absolutely wrong. If Tulane became a P5 it would be one of the best jobs in the country by far, with a traditionally low bar, all the resources in the world and NOLA to sell.

You think it's easier to build a program in Waco than NOLA?

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

[DfromCT]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

+1

We're still a long road away from being in a P5. IF Tulane were to ever get an invite, it would probably mean that we've been winning since the 2016 season, and our fan base has grown. There's too many schools ahead of us right now to think we're going to make the cut the next time around. Yes, we have a lot to offer. But we don't have what matters most: A track record of sustainable success and a fan base that actually gives a damn.

I was wondering which schools would make up the 20% in the Big 12 that we'd be ahead of (in terms of coaching jobs) our (mythical) first year in the conference?

[JerseyWave]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

+1

We're still a long road away from being in a P5. IF Tulane were to ever get an invite, it would probably mean that we've been winning since the 2016 season, and our fan base has grown. There's too many schools ahead of us right now to think we're going to make the cut the next time around. Yes, we have a lot to offer. But we don't have what matters most: A track record of sustainable success and a fan base that actually gives a damn.

I was wondering which schools would make up the 20% in the Big 12 that we'd be ahead of (in terms of coaching jobs) our (mythical) first year in the conference?

The fact is the Big 10 added Rutgers and Maryland because of the market they brought to the table for the Big 10 TV Network. Maryland brings Washington DC and Rutgers is the closest Division 1 Football program to New York City. Both schools are mediocre at best athletically. Rutgers has been nothing short of embarrassing with some the incidents within their athletic department the last couple of years.

Tulane's advantage that must be exploited for Big 12 expansion is that New Orleans is located in the heart of SEC country.

[DfromCT]

Yes, but Rutgers and Maryland have been a bit more competitive over the years, and, being their states' Flagship Universities, they have fan bases that dwarfs ours. I agree that the recruiting chip in SEC country is our biggest asset. AAU status/USN&R rankings are way down the list. The New Orleans TV market is nothing to draw excitement, as other P5 wannabe's are in significantly larger markets.

The destination factor, and possibility of having a conference championship game in the SuperDome are all factors as well. But it's a HUGE pipe dream if we don't start and continue to win. Winning will draw fans. Mediocrity, or worse, what we've seen most of the last 18 or 19 years, will keep us out of the "Power" conferences.

[Aberzombie1892]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

+1

We're still a long road away from being in a P5. IF Tulane were to ever get an invite, it would probably mean that we've been winning since the 2016 season, and our fan base has grown. There's too many schools ahead of us right now to think we're going to make the cut the next time around. Yes, we have a lot to offer. But we don't have what matters most: A track record of sustainable success and a fan base that actually gives a damn.

I was wondering which schools would make up the 20% in the Big 12 that we'd be ahead of (in terms of coaching jobs) our (mythical) first year in the conference?

The fact is the Big 10 added Rutgers and Maryland because of the market they brought to the table for the Big 10 TV Network. Maryland brings Washington DC and Rutgers is the closest Division 1 Football program to New York City. Both schools are mediocre at best athletically. Rutgers has been nothing short of embarrassing with some the incidents within their athletic department the last couple of years.

Tulane's advantage that must be exploited for Big 12 expansion is that New Orleans is located in the heart of SEC country.

In a rational world, we would easily make the cut in the next round of realignment, and Tulane/Cincy would be added together since that combo makes the most since in regard to balancing recruiting/academics/geography/potential/P5 in state competition. In that situation, the Big 12 would have its championship game either in NOLA or Houston every year. Even though Oklahoma appears to be in our corner, the Big 12 as a whole seems more inclined to pursue UConn/Cincy or USF/UCF for the purposes of creating a conference network since we do not add much in terms of a television market.

As for the Big 12 football programs that we may be ahead of in regard to football coaching jobs if we were given the golden ticket, I was referring to Iowa State and Kansas. While both of those programs have hands down better facilities, we would have a dramatically better access to recruits and thus we would have more potential than those two programs.

[jonathanjoseph]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

[Aberzombie1892]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

I'm saying that Tulane + P5 status alone is not sufficient to make it one of the best jobs. If Tulane entered the Big 12 this year, it would still be at least 5+ years alway from being one of the most attractive P5 jobs. We need a reputation for winning, higher coach/assistant pay, solid recruiting, and better facilities (and possibly more academic support) before we become close to being an attractive enough job that would be able to draw away a winning coach from a winning P5 program. Baylor and TCU both have reputations for winning, high coach pay, solid recruiting, and outstanding facilities. Yes, they are among the most attractive P5 jobs. Utah is not one of the best P5 jobs in the country. It's not now, and it never will be.

[jonathanjoseph]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

I'm saying that Tulane + P5 status alone is not sufficient to make it one of the best jobs. If Tulane entered the Big 12 this year, it would still be at least 5+ years alway from being one of the most attractive P5 jobs. We need a reputation for winning, higher coach/assistant pay, solid recruiting, and better facilities (and possibly more academic support) before we become close to being an attractive enough job that would be able to draw away a winning coach from a winning P5 program. Baylor and TCU both have reputations for winning, high coach pay, solid recruiting, and outstanding facilities. Yes, they are among the most attractive P5 jobs. Utah is not one of the best P5 jobs in the country. It's not now, and it never will be.

No, we would not need five years if we were invited to a P5. The "reputation" for winning, higher coach/assistant pay would already be there (as Dannen is making it so), the winning would be there (as CWF would be making it so).

People seem not to realize how quickly things can change. Prior to 2010, Baylor hadn't been to a bowl game since 1994.

[Wave755]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

I'm saying that Tulane + P5 status alone is not sufficient to make it one of the best jobs. If Tulane entered the Big 12 this year, it would still be at least 5+ years alway from being one of the most attractive P5 jobs. We need a reputation for winning, higher coach/assistant pay, solid recruiting, and better facilities (and possibly more academic support) before we become close to being an attractive enough job that would be able to draw away a winning coach from a winning P5 program. Baylor and TCU both have reputations for winning, high coach pay, solid recruiting, and outstanding facilities. Yes, they are among the most attractive P5 jobs. Utah is not one of the best P5 jobs in the country. It's not now, and it never will be.

No, we would not need five years if we were invited to a P5. The "reputation" for winning, higher coach/assistant pay would already be there (as Dannen is making it so), the winning would be there (as CWF would be making it so).

People seem not to realize how quickly things can change. Prior to 2010, Baylor hadn't been to a bowl game since 1994.

In 2007 Baylor was 3-9 overall & 0-8 in Big 12 play, need I say more?

[Aberzombie1892]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

I'm saying that Tulane + P5 status alone is not sufficient to make it one of the best jobs. If Tulane entered the Big 12 this year, it would still be at least 5+ years alway from being one of the most attractive P5 jobs. We need a reputation for winning, higher coach/assistant pay, solid recruiting, and better facilities (and possibly more academic support) before we become close to being an attractive enough job that would be able to draw away a winning coach from a winning P5 program. Baylor and TCU both have reputations for winning, high coach pay, solid recruiting, and outstanding facilities. Yes, they are among the most attractive P5 jobs. Utah is not one of the best P5 jobs in the country. It's not now, and it never will be.

No, we would not need five years if we were invited to a P5. The "reputation" for winning, higher coach/assistant pay would already be there (as Dannen is making it so), the winning would be there (as CWF would be making it so).

People seem not to realize how quickly things can change. Prior to 2010, Baylor hadn't been to a bowl game since 1994.

In 2007 Baylor was 3-9 overall & 0-8 in Big 12 play, need I say more?

I hear what you're saying, but you can't compare us to Baylor since it has been in the P5 since the beginning.

Let's say we did.

How many years has it taken Baylor to move from a doormat to being considered an anomaly and then move to being considered a consistently serious contender? There is a difference between stringing together a couple of good seasons and building a program into a "best" job type of program. Baylor was considered an anomaly for several years, even though it won the Big 12. However, Baylor has finally turned a corner from being an anomaly to being a power so now as long as Briles is there, it will be considered a power.

Tulane in 1998 is widely considered to be anomaly and Tulane is generally considered to be a doormat. Fritz needs to win for a few years, but, during those years, our performance will be considered to be an anomaly until it has been proven that we can sustain success.

[Bearwave]

Tulane? One of the best P5 jobs in the country? Just by virtue in being in a P5? Seriously?

Just as Utah, TCU and Baylor have become plum jobs.

Huge difference in those 3 and Tulane. They have facilities, money being spent on athletics, and the win on a national level in multiple sports. TCU and Baylor also reside in the state with the most high school football talent in America.
The only chance to get a Big XII invite is to win real soon and greatly improve facilities.