UNC CHARLOTTE FOOTBALL: A PROGRAM TO WATCH

Original G5 Content


A PROGRAM IS BORN

On November 13, 2008, Charlotte Football was reborn. After years of  student and alumni support , the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees voted to approve the creation of an FBS level program. In 2011, Charlotte Athletic Director Judy Rose, hired former Wake Forest Defense Coordinator Brad Lambert to serve as the 49ers first Head Football Coach. Lambert, who is known for his solid,  no nonsense coaching style, quickly became the 49er Football Program's best cheerleader, tirelessly making the rounds to media outlets preaching the 49er Gospel. Lambert, much like ODU's first Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder, is an excellent face and symbol for the young 49er Football Program.

The 49ers are set to fully join Conference USA and the FBS in 2015. (Charlotte basketball is already in Conference USA) The move to the FBS division of College Football is however, not without peril for the 49ers. The Mid Major market in College Football is more crowded than ever. In the past five years alone, schools like Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, ODU, UMASS and Georgia State, just to name a few, have decided to try their luck at FBS Football.

The driving force and  motivation to  enter the FBS division of College Football  is easy to understand,  Money. With soaring TV contracts for the best leagues and teams(see BIG MONEY FOR P5 CONFERENCES), often at 20 million  a year,  the allure of a potentially large payday has proven to be tempting for many schools to  ignore. So Charlotte, like the other new FBS programs,  has committed itself  to paying millions of dollars in start up costs all for chance of winning and winning big at the FBS level. Charlotte however, is unique, in that their Football Program was created specifically to go straight to the FBS Division as soon as the rules would allow.

Even with this unique mandate, UNC- Charlotte still faces many of the same challenges that any new or old  FBS Program must face.  Two of the most significant of these FBS challenges to Charlotte will be revenue streams and recruiting. We will briefly examine both of these issues, starting with the revenue issue first.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

It's no secret that the  P5 Conferences have been trying to distance themselves from the rest of College Football for the last two years. The perceived need of  the P5 to go it alone,  is in large part a product an over saturated market in College Football.  An over saturated market that they P5 believe threaten to dampen their own revenue streams.

There are,  for example,  125 FBS programs at the moment with four more set to enter in 2015. This will bring the FBS total to 129 schools. All 129 will need  money, lots of it.  One of the real challenges for Charlotte going forward will be the need for a steady flow of income.

FBS football programs are expensive to operate as the architects of Charlotte Football no doubt understand. Ever wonder just how expensive it is  to fund an FBS Program? Below is a small excerpt from an excellent article in the Journal ETHOS that breaks down the expenses and revenue of two Mid Majors. These two schools, Marshall and Texas State are very similar in size and scope to the new football program at  UNC Charlotte.

" For example, at Marshall University—a smaller top-tier program with a storied history—the expenses of the football team ($7,083,399) nearly wash out their revenue ($7,760,381).  The remaining “football” revenue only marginally supports the expenses of other sports.  Or, at Texas State University-San Marcos, a far less competitive football program at a university with enrollment numbers comparable to the University of Alabama, the revenue and expenses were both reported as exactly $5,633,155.  The point is that once you get out of the upper echelon of the top tier—let’s call it the football 1%—the sport is hardly profitable for itself, much less for universities.(ETHOS ARTICLE ON COST OF FBS FOOTBALL)

If Charlotte has hopes for a steady income stream or large payday from their newly formed football program, they will need to be creative in making this a reality.  Many new and old FBS  schools lose money or break even at best with their football programs.  UNC-Charlotte will need to negotiate the FBS carefully and wisely if they do not want the rest of their  athletic programs to suffer. The FBS is a big tank full of sharks and barracuda. Charlotte will need to avoid playing the role of minnow if it hopes to have a successful football program.

RECRUITING FOR UNC-CHARLOTTE

It is important to mention that Charlotte knows what it looks like to field a successful  men's collegiate team.  UNC-Charlotte Men's Basketball is for example a stellar program with a rich and proud tradition.  The UNC-Charlotte  men's basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament 11 times. They were also Conference USA Champions in  1999 and 2001. In fact Charlotte basketball should help raise the overall profile of Conference USA in the next several years. Basketball however, is not Football. This is especially true as it pertains to recruiting.

The state of North Carolina has suddenly become very crowded with FBS football programs. By the time Charlotte joins the FBS division of College Football, there will be 7 FBS programs vying for recruits in the state of North Carolina. Charlotte's main competitors for high school players will initially be Appalachian State and ECU. App State already has a very good pipeline of players from western North Carolina, as well as South Carolina and Georgia. ECU, the most dominant of the G5 programs in North Carolina, has a good pipeline in North Carolina, South Carolina and a renewed recruiting  relationship with Florida. Charlotte will need to convince players who are leaning towards App State or ECU, that they are a better fit for them.

Charlotte will also be competing against the rest of the FBS programs in North Carolina as well as programs like Clemson and South Carolina. All of this makes Charlotte's first few years in FBS competition crucial to the success of their program. If the 49ers start fast and win some games they are not supposed to win , then Charlotte suddenly becomes a viable option for quality recruits. Start slow and get blown out on a consistent basis and the 49er program becomes a place where marginal recruits find a home.

It has taken ECU and Appalachian State decades to not only build their fan bases, but also to carve out a niche for their programs on the recruiting trail. UNC-Charlotte will need great coaching, tremendous fan support and some good old fashioned luck to make the first few years of their FBS football life a success. Charlotte does have something however, neither of these programs have in terms of recruiting. That is they are situated in the middle of one of the most fertile recruiting areas in North Carolina, Mecklenburg County.  Charlotte will need to leverage this gold mine of recruiting to their advantage if they want to compete with the FBS schools in their region. They will need to do so fast however, as Appalachian State, the closest FBS program to Charlotte, appears to be on the brink of doing very good things once they enter the Sun Belt Conference.

GOING FORWARD

Charlotte offers a unique and intriguing FBS storyline . The school is located in North Carolina's largest city and in the midst of the recruiting hotbed of Mecklenburg county. They have a fan base that is passionate about their new  football program and a new stadium that is  both fan friendly and ascetically  pleasing. They have an excellent head coach in Brad Lambert and an administration that seems eager to make the football program a success and a priority.  Charlotte Football will also have the blessing and curse of a large media presence in both television and print.

There are  of course many obstacles that UNC-Charlotte will need to navigate if the 49er Program is going to succeed.  Two of the most difficult of these obstacles, as we have discussed, are revenue streams and recruiting. It is hard, however, not to be optimistic for the 49er Program going forward. The program, even in its infancy,  has many of the most important ingredients needed to compete and compete well at the FBS level.

UNC-Charlotte will be
a team  to watch over the next several years. If they are able to manage their considerable assets in wise and prudent ways, then Charlotte could become a Football Program that rises quickly and swiftly. Conversely, if the 49ers stumble out of the gate and fail to guide the program around the various pitfalls, they could be looking at many, many seasons of failure and disappointment.   Stay tuned....