There have been several comments regarding the top commitments and their likelihood of actually signing on dotted line when the time comes. Many have expressed a great degree of skepticism given our history of being left at the alter. Some, like myself, have have noted the value of appearing to be a catch, even when we never seem to land the bride. finally there are those that bemoan the lack of confidence and negative investment by the fans.
In the past, Louisville never really had a chance to rise to the upper echelons of college football. Sure we might have a good run or two, and we might be able to recruit a 4-star kid or two, but we were never going to be able to recruit and have sustained success that many programs have. Louisville isn't massive state school with huge alumni bases with industrial, oil, tech, or shoe company money. Louisville, while raising it profile, would never come up in conversations about traditional football powers. Finally, Louisville was good enough to hire decent coaches, but none that saw Louisville as a destination when other bigger program schools came calling.
So many may understandably assess that we are who we are, and investing real mental energy in dreaming of getting to that upper tier is a fool's errand. I propose that conditions may be lining up to create a unique opportunity to get over the hump. The following conditions have aligned to create this opportunity:
1) The transfer portal and NIL has reset everything that we have known in the past when it comes to the availability and timeline of accruing top talent. In the past it would take years to turn around a program when it comes to roster management. This isn't the case anymore. This is a double-edge sword however, but if you are on a hot streak, you can really change a roster for the better.
2) For the first time in the school's history, we have a highly-respected coach that doesn't appear likely to want to bolt for the next better gig for obvious reasons. As a result, if we do get on a winning hot streak, we will have the ability to capitalize on that streak by building the program instead of having to reset and start over because the coach took off in the middle of the night in a private jet for convert meetings and a bigger payday. This Sisyphusian history has been a crushing blow to getting to next level.
3) Finally, NIL has really opened up opportunities to recruit top players that normally wouldn't have considered a school like Louisville. Players and their handlers are now willing to look beyond the obvious visibility and reputation advantages of the bigger programs, and appreciate and package that is appealing. There are schools that will always be able to offer more money, more national visibility, a bigger tradition, and more success, but those programs may not have other opportunities and advantages that Louisville can offer.
I'm not saying we are going to be able to be a perennial Top-20 team, but there was ever an opportunity to do so, now and the next few years, would be the time.
In the past, Louisville never really had a chance to rise to the upper echelons of college football. Sure we might have a good run or two, and we might be able to recruit a 4-star kid or two, but we were never going to be able to recruit and have sustained success that many programs have. Louisville isn't massive state school with huge alumni bases with industrial, oil, tech, or shoe company money. Louisville, while raising it profile, would never come up in conversations about traditional football powers. Finally, Louisville was good enough to hire decent coaches, but none that saw Louisville as a destination when other bigger program schools came calling.
So many may understandably assess that we are who we are, and investing real mental energy in dreaming of getting to that upper tier is a fool's errand. I propose that conditions may be lining up to create a unique opportunity to get over the hump. The following conditions have aligned to create this opportunity:
1) The transfer portal and NIL has reset everything that we have known in the past when it comes to the availability and timeline of accruing top talent. In the past it would take years to turn around a program when it comes to roster management. This isn't the case anymore. This is a double-edge sword however, but if you are on a hot streak, you can really change a roster for the better.
2) For the first time in the school's history, we have a highly-respected coach that doesn't appear likely to want to bolt for the next better gig for obvious reasons. As a result, if we do get on a winning hot streak, we will have the ability to capitalize on that streak by building the program instead of having to reset and start over because the coach took off in the middle of the night in a private jet for convert meetings and a bigger payday. This Sisyphusian history has been a crushing blow to getting to next level.
3) Finally, NIL has really opened up opportunities to recruit top players that normally wouldn't have considered a school like Louisville. Players and their handlers are now willing to look beyond the obvious visibility and reputation advantages of the bigger programs, and appreciate and package that is appealing. There are schools that will always be able to offer more money, more national visibility, a bigger tradition, and more success, but those programs may not have other opportunities and advantages that Louisville can offer.
I'm not saying we are going to be able to be a perennial Top-20 team, but there was ever an opportunity to do so, now and the next few years, would be the time.
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