Lady Vols⚽️#23 Tennessee @ Alabama 7PM Sunday 9/22 ESPNU

#5,576
#5,576
turbovol said:
The Univ. of Pittsburgh accomplished a real soccer coaching coup when it signed Randy Waldrum to coach the team 6 or so years ago. The guy coached at Notre Dame for about 15 years and compiled a ridiculous 292--58 record and won two national titles. He left Notre Dame to coach professionally in the NWS, taking the helm of the Houston Dash for three years before getting sacked. Waldrum is no spring chicken--he's 67--but he's turned Pittsburgh from a perennial ACC doormat program into a contender--and that is very hard to do in a conference that boasts three or four of the best programs in America. He also coaches the Nigerian women's national team. I asked on a soccer board how much he was making, and one individual replied that it was not all that much without actually revealing his salary. To hire a coach with his chops would be the supreme hiring achievement--but he signed an extension at the beginning of this year through 2027 and so he doesn't sound feasible at all.

Even if a coach of his caliber were available, you'd have to offer him or her a sizeable pay raise to land him, and most athletic directors (including White, to be sure) are cheapskates when it comes to pay for non-revenue coaches. UT's swimming coach has won two SEC titles with the women in the last four years, and White recently gave him a pathetic, embarrassing $10K pay raise. I don't think he even makes $300 K a year--this against the, what, $9 million a year or whatever it is that Heupel makes to get waxed again by bama.

Georgia turned its fortunes around, big time, in 3 years by hiring McAlpine away from Southern Cal, where he won a national title. I've heard that his wife is from Georgia and wanted to get back to the east coach, so that may have played a role in his decision to leave USC--but I'm quite sure Georgia offered him more money that he was making at Southern Cal--and of course the cost of living difference between LA and Athens Georgia has got to be at least 30 percent. He signed with Georgia in 2021, I read, for $335K annually---which was more than double the $150K the school's previous coach (who at been an assistant at Duke) was getting. I'm quite sure he's the best-paid coach in the SEC. Georgia won the SEC East this year (I've no idea why they stilll keep divisions in SEC soccer, as they are meaningless, and it's stupid). Nevertheless, like Waldrum at Pitt, McAlpine has turned Georgia into a strong program quickly ---and given the soccer talent in Georgia, they might get even better. McAlpine's probably making close to $400 K now--or will be soon--which I'm pretty sure puts him near the very top in the country with respect to soccer-coach salary.

Arkansas has been the best program in the SEC over the last six years--and was again this year. Their coach, Colby Hale, doesn't play a very attractive brand of soccer--but his direct-style works. He's paid $265K annually, I read.

I'd bet that Kirt isn't making more than $150/$175, if that. It's worth remembering that we hired Pensky away from the Univ. of Maryland, where he was the head coach. Maryland takes its soccer very seriously--it's men's program has won multiple national titles and its woman's program, under Pensky, was stout. Pensky was probably making around $225/250K with the Vols and got a major pay raise to take over Florida State.

Soccer is a prestige sport--it gets quite a bit of attention now and the sport just keeps growing in popularity--and a lot of the best or prominent universities in America take it seriously. Does White? Not based on his one hire. We've got excellent facilities, a good athletic brand; I'm convinced we could be a formidable soccer program with the right coach.

Your best bet is to hire somene with recognizable chops--a proven winner--but they are going to demand a higher salary than a lot of cheap athletic directors are willing to pay for non-revenue coaches. Or you hire a mid-major coach who's had some success, or an assistant somewhere, you pay them less--and maybe the hire works out or maybe it doesn't.

The coach at Memphis is very good---that's been a good, well-coached program for a number of years. The coach at Xavier, Nate Lie, is good--they beat us last year in the first game of the NCAA tourney (we looked bad). I'd wager that his salary at Xavier is probably pretty modest. I'd have to do more research to see what mid-major-level coaches are making a name for themselves.

White went cheap and lazy with the Kirt hire. I want Kirt to succeed--we all do--but he's going to have to raise his game, and quickly. I think we've got a good staff but it's a very competitive conference--and you've got to recruit and coach well to succeed. A bit of a falloff in recruiting, some bad personnel/tactical decisions (which we've seen a lot of of, IMO), and you can go from 20 wins to where we are now--in 2 short years. Florida has been down--but how much longer will that last? Probably not very long, Kentucky is already on the upswing. This is a dog-eat-dog conference in every sport, and your coaches have to be top tieir and on top of their games or you program will be eating dust pretty quickly.
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Yep Memphis has been above average for years. Not sure what penny has allowed them to pay him though!
 
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#5,579
#5,579
I think Runyon would be more effective than Simmonds up top. Not sure if she's still got a knock/dealing with an injury, or
maybe, if she's healthy, we see her come in for Simmonds at some point. We shall see...Price in Hofmann's spot is also
interesting. Price has played quite a bit the last couple of games and has seemed fairly solid defensively. Hofmann is better
going forward, however. Don't know if Hofmann has an injury issue or if the coaches just think Price offers a bit more defensively.
As with the CF spot, we shall see as this crucial match progresses.
 
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#5,598
#5,598
turbovol said:
I think Runyon would be more effective than Simmonds up top. Not sure if she's still got a knock/dealing with an injury, or
maybe, if she's healthy, we see her come in for Simmonds at some point. We shall see...Price in Hofmann's spot is also
interesting. Price has played quite a bit the last couple of games and has seemed fairly solid defensively. Hofmann is better
going forward, however. Don't know if Hofmann has an injury issue or if the coaches just think Price offers a bit more defensively.
As with the CF spot, we shall see as this crucial match progresses.
Click to expand...
Runyon was on crutches last match!
 
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