Welcome to the current state of college/semi-pro/AAU/always free agent/mercenary/pay for play athletics.
Athens, Ohio and Ohio University do not and will not have enough $$$ to compete. Sadly (and it may vary by sport and by season - and ultimately it may take years 10-12 to fully flesh itself out) - we don't even have enough $$$ to be in the top half of the MAC. Between urban populations, median household incomes and local business revenues - we're a bottom 1/3 of D1 program. This is our reality given the new normal.
You can argue this team is bad. It is.
You can argue Boals hasn't done a great job this year. I'd agree.
But Boals HAS done a good to above-average job in his tenure here....and I guarantee that if you fire him, unless money bags McGee shows up with the new HC, the results will only get worse not better.
This is becoming a lazy argument with each season. Simmons’ agent is my classmate and he got a 6 figure deal to come here. He left a conference rival with a practice facility for Athens. You know, the same school we just lost to Tuesday (again) despite poaching its best player from a season ago.
We’re not flush with cash, but we’re certainly not crying poor either. Our entire portal class this past cycle consisted of 3 starters from better teams a season ago. Which of the top MAC schools could have said this in May? Breath came from a better conference as a 2 year starter and has gotten worse. Pending how you viewed the SBC, Connors has also gotten worse since coming here. This isn’t an NIL problem, it’s a coaching and roster construction problem.
On the flip side, Kent and Akron continue to remain at the top of the MAC with 4 year players like Gillespie, Lyles, and Johnson taking massive leaps this season. They’re all looking like 1st Team All MAC players. That isn’t NIL, that’s coaching and player development.
Boals hasn’t had a 4 year player of his own take that kind of stride during his entire tenure here. AJC went from preseason MAC POY to finishing on the 3rd team last year. Thats as close as it’s gotten. Sears was the last 1st Team player we had. But sure, a lack of money has caused this.
You don’t think in this era part of the vetting process includes how a coach will raise NIL? Regardless, give me someone who recruits all verticals, can develop, and actually runs a system to give us an identity. Something we haven’t had the last 4 seasons.
This program won’t be worse off without Boals because it isn’t very good with him and becoming more painfully obvious 20/21 was lightning in a bottle.