Grade Woolard's job as AD

[SRQ]

Trip, there you go again being realistic. You that doesn't go on here.

[Triple B]

Trip, there you go again being realistic. You that doesn't go on here.

Most in here are realistic, especially judging from this thread, but every once in a while ............

[JTrue]

Trip, there you go again being realistic. You that doesn't go on here.

I thought being realistic in here meant you were a "troll"

[Doc]

Woolard deserves a solid A. In order to improve our brand (and thereby land in a strong football conference, since that is $eemingly all that matter$), South Florida needs to become more of a household name. How do you get that? I suppose if your school found itself in the next 2-3 national championship football games and actually won (winning those "lesser" BCS bowls doesn't seem to matter anymore) you might turn some heads (although many would cry "fluke" and await the day you're no longer on top and be quickly forgotten). Or, you can be like just about all those strong brands they flash on that Capital One College Cup commercial, or whatever it's called, and earn a reputation for all-around athletic excellence (many of those schools haven't done anything in football for decades). That means building quality facilities, competitiveness in those "olympic sports," and exposure on a national level. We are getting very close to that, and the day is not too far away that "South Florida" can appear on those lists and nobody would do a double-take. It would be expected. Brand name schools are supposed to win at softball, or volleyball, or soccer, or track. I know there is a chicken/egg argument to be made here, but regarding what is under Woolard's control, I believe that he has taken an approach that will give us the best possible chance of entering and remaining in the national consciousness, and that is a far cry from the not-too-distant days of having to explain who "South Florida" is everytime the name comes up.

[mikemcp88]

Agree w/ doc. we need to be good at multiple sports instead of football only. This year, we definitely got some recognition outside of football, such as basketball and softball.

[SRQ]

Agree w/ doc. we need to be good at multiple sports instead of football only. This year, we definitely got some recognition outside of football, such as basketball and softball.

and men's soccer

[&rew Bull]

Agree w/ doc. we need to be good at multiple sports instead of football only. This year, we definitely got some recognition outside of football, such as basketball and softball.

and men's soccer

The forgotten sport when it comes to talking about our successes...

[Triple B]

I - Incomplete

I need to see where the next round of conference realignment lands USF athletics - either in one of the five other conferences or in a weaker Big East. While the facilities upgrades have been key and we have seen some improvement in our non-football sports, let us remember that football drives the majority of the perception of the athletic program. Success on the football field lately has been mixed at best, but Woolard's grade will ultimately be tied to where all of USF athletics lands in conference relaignment.

Let's check back in a couple of years.

Conference realignment is more in Judy's court than Woolard's ... and some improvement in non-football sports?? 3 out of the top 4 non-football sports have their best season in history, with one Incomplete, is some improvement? Give me a ******* break. Dozer says it best ...

Conference realignment is very much about how your athletic programs fare and draw. This is all about eyeballs on TV for football and to a lesser degree basketball. Why else would the Big East want Boise State? Their baseball program? No, they were the best available performing football program that will draw on TV.

As great as beaseball and softball has been this year, those sports will have zero impact on where USF lands. If Woolard can get us into the Big 12 or the ACC, then he will get an A+ from me. If we land in a re-branded version of C-USA then I would probably give him a D+. I think the upgrades to the facilities have been helped by being in the Big East.

Like it or not, Woolard will be judged by what conference USF eventually lands in.

Neither will football. How great has Syracuse football been the last decade? Boise State was added to the BE because of a need for an upper level football program. The conferences you're aiming for don't need that. Football is not a driving factor for them. There's so many things that are going into these decisions that are basically out of Woolard's control ... Bottom line is he can't make chicken salad out of chicken ****. Take off your Green and Gold Goggles. It would be great to get into one of the real "BCS" conferences but a glorified CUSA is right about where we should be after 15 years of existence.

No Green and Gold glasses here. At no point did I predict where we would land, I only stated what grade I would eventually give him once conference realignment is over.

I didn't say you predicted anything. Your potential grades indicated the conferences where you think USF should be and where you think they should be smacks of Green and Gold goggle wearing.

This mostly amounts to how many television eyes are on your football team, which Woolard has some impact over since he is the leader of the sports programs at USF.

You're getting warmer but again, how many television eyes have been on Syracuse football the last decade? If the Big 12 really want a Florida presence, and FSU and UM turn them down, we MAY have a good shot. IF FSU or UM do go to the Big 12 and then IF the ACC wants to keep a dual presence in Florida, we MAY have a good chance. Neither of those scenarios are controlled by anything more Woolard could be doing so grading him on that just doesn't make any sense.

[BDYZR]

I give him an A. Under the economic circumstances of the last few years, the hiring of the perfect coach to build a program from scratch, the hiring of Skip Holtz, overseeing the improvements in the athletic district, etc.

[Bruce Blingstein]

A - The success this year in basketball, baseball and softball can be tied directly to the facilities upgrades and coaching decisions Woolard has made. Both soccer teams have also benefited from the same. USF Athletics have clearly taken a huge step up under Woolard.

I don't see how the basketball team success is tied directly to the facility upgrade. In my opinion it comes from the recruiting and play of Anthony Collins, who will end up being the most valuable (not best) basketball player usf has ever had. The savior.