UAB to Reinstate Football

[TheRef]

Good news for UAB that they are officially announcing the return of UAB football after a very 17'd up situation there. I hate it that they basically gave themself the Death Penalty for no reason (blame the BoT). Would anyone argue if we played UAB in 2016?

[MSUDawg99]

Nope. Sure wouldn't argue. Hope it works out.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I'd be on the phone with them now. Even though I think our deal is already done just hasn't been announced.

[DancingRabbit]

Paul Bryant Jr. and his buddies screwed them over. Good for UAB.

[Tbonewannabe]

Bama still screwed them out of a bowl last year.

[I seen it dawg]

Sucks for all those guys and coaches and had to quickly pick up their lives and go find some place to play or work. Sorry bastards.

[BulldogBear]

Sucks for all those guys and coaches and had to quickly pick up their lives and go find some place to play or work. Sorry bastards.

I saw something on this earlier today but it seemed more like someone saying "a source told me" kind of stuff. Has there since been something official?

[TheRef]

I saw something on this earlier today but it seemed more like someone saying "a source told me" kind of stuff. Has there since been something official?

Ray Watts has confirmed to the AP that he is reinstating football.

[MSUDawg99]

Ray Watts is an asshole & should be fiyad

[starkvegasdawg]

So are their players returning or did they all leave for other teams? If they all left seems a little late to piece a team together.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

They won't play in 2015 will start back up in 2016.

[Dawg Corps]

Is there any off-chance that Watts only did this as a ploy to get donors/boosters to pump more money into the university and knew all along that he'd be reinstating football six months after he killed the program?

Other potential hoaxes/conspiracies: the moon landing, global warming (*********)

[fader2103]

Anyone know if Bill Clark will be back?

[TUSK]

I, for one, am happy they get back the program... admittedly, I've not followed the situation very closely, though...

what, exactly, did the U of A do to cancel the UAB FB program? or is this some Bryant JR v Gene Bartow/Aliens v Predators thing?

[rcsteph1]

If what Ive read and heard there were two different groups raising money to bring them back. One with a promised goal to eventually build an on campus stadium.

[TheRef]

I, for one, am happy they get back the program... admittedly, I've not followed the situation very closely, though...

what, exactly, did the U of A do to cancel the UAB FB program? or is this some Bryant JR v Gene Bartow/Aliens v Predators thing?

UA BoT shut it down because they said that they were hemmoraging money from the program. But multiple independent studies have found that the football program was actually making money for the UA system. Also, the previous President of UAB petitioned to the BoT for an on-campus stadium, was shot down, then her contract wasn't renewed. Then they brought in the current President who didn't fight the shut down of the UAB football program.

[TheRef]

If what Ive read and heard there were two different groups raising money to bring them back. One with a promised goal to eventually build an on campus stadium.

Too bad the President doesn't want to do an on-campus stadium. He's literally just a BoT yes-man.

[Really Clark?]

I wonder if the damage has already been done and the program really does start to bleed money. Will they still allowed to stay in conference for football when they are reinstated?

[TheRef]

I wonder if the damage has already been done and the program really does start to bleed money. Will they still allowed to stay in conference for football when they are reinstated?

I believe so...

[BulldogBear]

Interesting comment I found on fbschedules.com:

The financial adjustments, capped subsidies and increased donations, along with shelving wish list projects (over $100m worth) to make FB work as more or less break even is a good thing. It should make it stable. It looks like they have raised about half the $30m required in the next five years to support FB as break even. $17m to cover operational costs, and $13m to cover necessary facility improvements (e.g., artificial turf for practice field to be all weather, new offices and meeting rooms, etc). All good. Too bad it took a crisis to get the budget in order and secure FB. This should have been avoided. Oh well.

One thing that does concern me is the restart date. 2016 is far too ambitious. They will be lucky to have a little over 50 scholarship players, many will be a lower caliber, more FCS than even G5 types, since the first class will have to be red shirt. If they try to play game and double recruit for 2015, they will wind up crippling the program for three years with bottom level players holding scholarships and being underclassman at that. They program will get back to winning faster if they do a small recruiting for 2015, and then recruit a full 2016 and 2017 (half of this class JC transfer) and return in 2017 playing a mixed FCS and a limited FBS schedule, returning to FBS schedule in 2018. If they do that they could be competitive in CUSA by 2019. If they rush it they will have too many below average players on scholarship and suffer such bad losses on the field that it could take 10 years to be competitive.

[Really Clark?]

Interesting comment I found on fbschedules.com:

The financial adjustments, capped subsidies and increased donations, along with shelving wish list projects (over $100m worth) to make FB work as more or less break even is a good thing. It should make it stable. It looks like they have raised about half the $30m required in the next five years to support FB as break even. $17m to cover operational costs, and $13m to cover necessary facility improvements (e.g., artificial turf for practice field to be all weather, new offices and meeting rooms, etc). All good. Too bad it took a crisis to get the budget in order and secure FB. This should have been avoided. Oh well.

One thing that does concern me is the restart date. 2016 is far too ambitious. They will be lucky to have a little over 50 scholarship players, many will be a lower caliber, more FCS than even G5 types, since the first class will have to be red shirt. If they try to play game and double recruit for 2015, they will wind up crippling the program for three years with bottom level players holding scholarships and being underclassman at that. They program will get back to winning faster if they do a small recruiting for 2015, and then recruit a full 2016 and 2017 (half of this class JC transfer) and return in 2017 playing a mixed FCS and a limited FBS schedule, returning to FBS schedule in 2018. If they do that they could be competitive in CUSA by 2019. If they rush it they will have too many below average players on scholarship and suffer such bad losses on the field that it could take 10 years to be competitive.

That is part of what I was alluding to with my question. It is almost like the BOT gave them the death penalty. Money is one thing but if the product is not good, especially jumping all the way straight to a D1 conference from having no program or players, could be very tough for this type of school to bounce back. They may bleed through that money quicker than anticipated if things are bad for 2-3 years and then it gives the BOT tangible evidence to disband the program for good. Not to mention getting players to by in to a place with the axe hanging over the program's head. If USA is smart, now is the time for them to trally try and increase their program and put UAB and Troy well below them. They could set themselves up to take over as the permanent next tier school below Bama and Auburn. The whole thing stinks for UAB though.

[Tbonewannabe]

I, for one, am happy they get back the program... admittedly, I've not followed the situation very closely, though...

what, exactly, did the U of A do to cancel the UAB FB program? or is this some Bryant JR v Gene Bartow/Aliens v Predators thing?
One thing was Bryant wouldn't allow them to hire Jimbo Fisher. I have never heard of a board doing that. Could you imagine if AU had not allowed you to hire Saban after the deal was pretty much finalized.

[Vinsanity]

The BoT should also approve their bid for an on campus stadium to show that they really do support UAB and are not doing it because of public backlash.