What Are You Looking For in a New AD?

MeanGreenGlory · November 30, 2022

UNT will be hiring a new athletic director soon. What are you hoping to see in the person that's hired?

For me, four things on my list are:

1. Experience as a successful G5 AD (preferably with some P5 experience along the way)

I liked Wren's philosophy of hiring people who have experience doing the job so that they're not fully learning the job on the job.
I also like the idea of having someone who has done the job at the G5 level, but has also been part of the inner workings of a successful P5 department so they have ideas for how to elevate us to the next level.

2. Proven track record of increasing fan engagement and ticket sales

I see this as a big need for us. Fan engagement and ticket sales are both low right now. It's harder to win in an empty home stadium, and it's harder to fund improvements without revenue.

3. Proven track record of fundraising

With the facility arms race and NIL rules, money is a big part of the game these days. In addition to increasing ticket sales, I think we need someone who can expand the pool of donors and lead fundraising efforts for new investments.

4. Internal motivation to make waves

This is a challenging job and not for the faint of heart. I'd like to see someone who is internally motivated to make waves at UNT and build the program up to be a G5 powerhouse. Hiring a more passive person for this position right now will bring decades of progress to a screeching halt.

What's on your list?

untphd · November 30, 2022

2 minutes ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

UNT will be hiring a new athletic director soon. What are you hoping to see in the person that's hired?

For me, four things on my list are:

1. Experience as a successful G5 AD (preferably with some P5 experience along the way)

I liked Wren's philosophy of hiring people who have experience doing the job so that they're not fully learning the job on the job.

I also like the idea of having someone who has done the job at the G5 level, but has also been part of the inner workings of a successful P5 department so they have ideas for how to elevate us to the next level.

2. Proven track record of increasing fan engagement and ticket sales

I see this as a big need for us. Fan engagement and ticket sales are both low right now. It's harder to win in an empty home stadium, and it's harder to fund improvements without revenue.

3. Proven track record of fundraising

With the facility arms race and NIL rules, money is a big part of the game these days. In addition to increasing ticket sales, I think we need someone who can expand the pool of donors and lead fundraising efforts for new investments.

4. Internal motivation to make waves

This is a challenging job and not for the faint of heart. I'd like to see someone who is internally motivated to make waves at UNT and build the program up to be a G5 powerhouse. Hiring a more passive person for this position right now will bring decades of progress to a screeching halt.

What's on your list?

I hope we can get most of everything you typed. That would put us several steps closer to where we want to be.

MeanGreen22 · November 30, 2022

5 minutes ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

2. Proven track record of increasing fan engagement and ticket sales

I see this as a big need for us. Fan engagement and ticket sales are both low right now. It's harder to win in an empty home stadium, and it's harder to fund improvements without revenue.

This is the biggest one for me. For all that Wren did great, for whatever reason, him and those around him just couldn’t figure this part out. Years of fan apathy is hard to crack but that’s why they get paid big bucks. Winning helps, but creating an atmosphere that people want to be around is a big factor as well.

NorthTexasWeLove · November 30, 2022

1. Hire winners.

2. When the winners aren't winners, replace them with winners in a timely and affordable fashion.

That's it. That's my list. Eeeeevvvvveeything else will fall into place if that simple and effective methodolgy is put to use.

TheColonyEagle · November 30, 2022

35 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

1. Hire winners.

2. When the winners aren't winners, replace them with winners in a timely and affordable fashion.

That's it. That's my list. Eeeeevvvvveeything else will fall into place if that simple and effective methodolgy is put to use.

Don’t really have anything to add…

Mean Green 93-98 · November 30, 2022

1. Fairly portly.

2. Fan of professional "wrestling."

3. From Oklahoma.

MeanGreen4Life1998 · November 30, 2022

42 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

1. Hire winners.

2. When the winners aren't winners, replace them with winners in a timely and affordable fashion.

That's it. That's my list. Eeeeevvvvveeything else will fall into place if that simple and effective methodolgy is put to use.

Thats what i want

DentonLurker · November 30, 2022

1. Hire good coaches and figure out how to keep them here

2. Fundraise, fundraise, fundraise

.

Literally anything else

gordo nation · November 30, 2022

Someone that will continue the progress on the "Light the Tower" master plan

greenminer · November 30, 2022

Let's give Mosely a hard look.

Also consider anyone that has ties/experience to the AAC.

MGNation92 · November 30, 2022

Have the balls to pull the trigger early on firing a struggling coach and not letting BMDS money whip you into submission.

keith · November 30, 2022

What? No Texas ties? That seems to be a requirement for everything else. Hahahaha.

Detail-oriented. We seem to miss on *A LOT* of little things that when added up present an AD in disarray and a negative customer experience. Apogee is a nice stadium but we’ve had constant problems with the ref microphone and video board operation since the beginning. All the early season issues this year was classic amateur-hour stuff. Maybe his focus was elsewhere.

Also need someone who can increase season ticket sales and reliable/dependable ticket office operations. Community engagement also a must. Need to sell UNT athletics to the Denton community. Adding a couple thousand in attendance from the community would change the dynamics and could snowball into something bigger.

meanrob · November 30, 2022

Implements new NIL strategy

untphd · November 30, 2022

finding the money for this would help.

ADLER · November 30, 2022

Someone that looks like this, but is also willing to wear GREEN.

Seriously, I'd take him in a heartbeat whether he wears orange, pink, purple, black, or blue. Wren and Jared have done an amazing job and we win at pretty much everything, our student athletes are doing well academically, were moving up in conferences, and we're doing well financially. It's to their credit. I think he's earned the job if he wants it.

As the great philosopher Crash Davis so eloquently stated, "You never mess with a winning streak".

You know we're doing pretty well when our biggest complaints are about a football team with a 7-5 record and going to the Conference Championship Game.

But I would still like for him to correct the obvious wardrobe problem.

Edited November 30, 2022 by ADLER

Cr1028 · November 30, 2022

2 things:

and

97and03 · November 30, 2022

3 minutes ago, meanrob said:

Implements new NIL strategy

Are you expressing some kind of nuance or still not getting that the AD has nothing to do with NIL?

southsideguy · November 30, 2022

Some one who can fix the score boards and turn down the volume a little

UNT Texas Hooligan · November 30, 2022

Accountability for the Head Football coach

meanrob · November 30, 2022

14 minutes ago, 97and03 said:

Are you expressing some kind of nuance or still not getting that the AD has nothing to do with NIL?

As stated in Vito’s article and said many times here, the donors got together to start the NIL collective and went to Wren about who should head it. According to Vito’s article, Wren recommended RV.

I’ve linked the article several times, if you don’t want to “get it” that that’s what happened, I can’t help you.

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/unt-boosters-form-nil-collective-to-lure-pay-top-student-athletes/article_565c0042-1240-516d-b45e-d1779dcb835e.html

Get it now?

Edited November 30, 2022 by meanrob

bstnsportsfan3 · November 30, 2022

I think we should hire

Bren Waker

MGNation92 · November 30, 2022

6 minutes ago, meanrob said:

As stated in Vito’s article and said many times here, the donors got together to start the NIL collective and went to Wren about who should head it. According to Vito’s article, Wren recommended RV.

I’ve linked the article several times, if you don’t want to “get it” that that’s what happened, I can’t help you.

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/unt-boosters-form-nil-collective-to-lure-pay-top-student-athletes/article_565c0042-1240-516d-b45e-d1779dcb835e.html

Get it now?

Makes me wonder if Wren's appointing of RV was due to his "one foot out the door" mindset.

Hardly a quality candidate to lead those efforts. Wonder if the new AD will get someone else

Edited November 30, 2022 by MGNation92

97and03 · November 30, 2022

1 minute ago, MGNation92 said:

Makes me wonder if Wren's appointing of RV was due to his "one foot out the door" mindset.

Hardly a quality candidate to lead those efforts. Wonder if the new AD will get someone else

Again, recommending is not “appointing.” And the AD doesn’t decide who runs the fund.

9 minutes ago, meanrob said:

As stated in Vito’s article and said many times here, the donors got together to start the NIL collective and went to Wren about who should head it. According to Vito’s article, Wren recommended RV.

I’ve linked the article several times, if you don’t want to “get it” that that’s what happened, I can’t help you.

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/unt-boosters-form-nil-collective-to-lure-pay-top-student-athletes/article_565c0042-1240-516d-b45e-d1779dcb835e.html

Get it now?

Went to Wren for advice and he made a recommendation. The AD has no formal role with NIL and has no ability to “implement “ it.

MrAlien · November 30, 2022

One thing I would like to see is an AD that can get all of DFW involved, more involvement with the larger media outlets in DFW, also make sure that every sports bar in DFW is sowing every UNT football and basketball games.