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Details on Friday meeting between Blake James and large donors

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Andrew said:
Blake didn't have a choice. You either become the least relevant AD in the country or take a risk on Manny being successful. If Highsmith is brought in and turns thing around then they would end up firing James a few years from now.
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This is some nonsense (I'm not saying you came up with it, but still). There are plenty of "forced retirement" coaches and ADs who move over to head the non-profit foundation, so even if Alpha Alonzo muscles out Beta Blake, UM could still use Blake's "fund-raising" abilities. As could a hundred other universities.

You can't spend "relevance". What does it matter if Blake is #1 on the relevance charts or #200? The important thing for him is to KEEP HIS JOB and to keep cashing paychecks. How is the Shermanator doing now that Nebraska fired his skinny ****?

Smart guys know how to spin an "I hired that guy" narrative when they bring in someone who helps to turn things around.

This is just ri-goddam-diculous...
 
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BOT isn’t calling the shots? Odd.

This just sounds like a couple lame ducks desperately gripping onto the power they still have. They need to humble themselves before they humiliate themselves again.
 
JOE'CANE said:
That is pathetic. My view of Blake was that he was a nerd that really didnt care about anything but making the school money. Now my view is he is actively trying to destroy Miami football. He is an enemy of the program and athletic success, which is what put this sh1tty overpriced school on the map to begin with. Smfh.
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That 25 mil should get us a **** of an AD and coaching staff in '21.
 
Dan E. Dangerously said:
A giant middle finger to Blake from Mario.
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Mario is definitely running it up on Miami after they disrespected him and hired a wimpy lisping midget over him.

He had Flowe clown us now he's gonna snatch up Zo. We could've had Mario last year. If we hired Alonzo right now, we would've had him next year.

Instead he's going scorched Earth on the family he wanted that cast him aside.
 
ItsACanesThing7 said:
Purposeful leaks from the BOT members pushing for change, trying to up the heat on Blake James. At least, that's what makes the most sense.
Blake isn't acting in the interest of the program at this point. He's in self preservation mode.

I think that Manny and Lashlee can succeed next year, or get fired like Taggart. I also think bringing in Highsmith, his expertise, and likely vision for a football program are the best for us in the long term. BOT needs to meet with Frenk at this point. If Frenk's really in danger of not being renewed, convince him these moves could save his job.
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That does sound more likely.
 
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rayray said:
this message board has an insane obsession alonzo highsmith. the guy has never worked in college and just got fired by the cleveland browns. he's not a magician or a wizard. there are other people in america who can help fix the program... many of them are more qualified to do so than alonzo highsmith. blake james should not be murdered for declining to create an entirely new athletic department based around him.
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Many BoT members have an obsession with Alonzo Highsmith...a very well accomplished NFL executive. The message board jabronis (like myself) that would support this understand that this might be a great f'n idea.

A lot of those same BoT members have an obsession with Mario Cristobal...who just won a ******* Rose Bowl and Pac12 championship. Some board members have been pounding the table for Mario forever, and they have been proven correct. Sometimes, a hot take takes a while to ferment. This is one of them.

Whoever is not listening to, or blocking those BoT members from having their way are the problem here.

Blake James should be fired. Everyone associated with him should be fired. Manny Diaz after last year...should be fired and his entire operation should be fired with him.

Whats the justification? They are all failures at their jobs. Do you need deep analytics to understand? Its not a nuanced issue.
 
dsddcane said:
The role that stu spoke on and said was agreed to was same power as blake but in relation to football. Not sure if anything has changed as I didnt speak to either today. But I'm curious if that's what the lashlee announcement timing was about. I'm sure plenty will have issues with me. No problem. I understand. You fellas have a great weekend.
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Things are fluid and change in this business
 
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JimmyJohnsonsHair said:
I assume they can. The problem is they are split into factions and cannot get on the same page. There seems to be a “pro Blake” faction that butts heads with the faction pushing for the Zo hire, and then there are others who simply don’t care. It’s extremely dysfunctional.
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Apparently there are 87 members. What a cluster ****.
 
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Miami[]_[]Smoke said:
the meeting was with donors, not the BOT
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Have you looked at the names on the BOT? There is significant overlap. But I see your point, and the fact remains that no matter who held the meeting (and can "big donors" even CALL a meeting?), the results need to sink in with the full BOT.
 
Sigma_Cane_7 said:
Highsmith goes to Oregon with MARIO only to return to Miami together in 2021. Fine with me.
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If this ends up happening I'm more than okay with it. But again it shows the utter incompetence of all the decision makers in play here...I'm sure Mario's current buyout has been spewed on here ad nauseam but I cant think of it from the top of my head, whatever it is, it's going to be substantially higher next year lol.
 
Leadership vacuums lead to scorched earth civil war. Here we are. Frenk on way out, doesn’t care. James in self preservation mode. Manny just trying to hang on. AD trying to continue it’s SJW mission. Most BOT don’t care. But the stink is there, and everyone’s trying to blame someone else for it.
 
The strangest thing to me is that, from the outside looking in, a co-AD role with Blake James and Alonzo Highsmith splitting power seems like a dream match up.

Gimme the guy who knows sports and the guy who knows fund raising and tell them to do what they know how to do.

Fcuking UM Management is beyond incompetent.
 
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TheOriginalCane said:
This is some nonsense (I'm not saying you came up with it, but still). There are plenty of "forced retirement" coaches and ADs who move over to head the non-profit foundation, so even if Alpha Alonzo muscles out Beta Blake, UM could still use Blake's "fund-raising" abilities. As could a hundred other universities.

You can't spend "relevance". What does it matter if Blake is #1 on the relevance charts or #200? The important thing for him is to KEEP HIS JOB and to keep cashing paychecks. How is the Shermanator doing now that Nebraska fired his skinny ****?

Smart guys know how to spin an "I hired that guy" narrative when they bring in someone who helps to turn things around.

This is just ri-goddam-diculous...
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Blake James is supposed to be in the prime of his career, he isn't some 80-year-old former coach that everyone likes having around. Blake will either be the AD or not employed by UM. You don't take a demotion at his age.
 
🔥🔥🔥🔥BJ🔥🔥🔥🔥BJ🔥🔥🔥🔥. He has nurtured our program and has it on its knees in front of D2 schools and he has the authority to say no to Highsmith? Program is a nuclear meltdown 🔥🔥🔥🔥that incompetent🔥🔥bj
 
I'm having a hard time understanding exactly what happened here.

Is Zo saying no to us to take a position at Oregon where he will have the role he allegedly desired from us?

Why in the world would Mario EVER give a second person, no matter who it is, power over him when he is sitting in the cat bird seat in Eugene right now?

Am I missing something?
 
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DMoney said:
Per a source with knowledge of the meeting, a group of high-level donors met with Blake James on Friday. The purpose of the meeting was to offer significant money if Manny was willing to make necessary changes.

Most notably, the group wanted Alonzo Highsmith to take on a general manager role that would usurp some of Blake and Manny’s power over the football program. One booster even offered to pay Highsmith’s salary for two years. Blake refused and instead offered a more traditional “chief of staff” role that was mostly administrative in nature.

Highsmith is not expected to accept the offer and instead is in discussions with Mario Cristobal at Oregon.
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RIGHT there on the spot, you make every call and effort necessary to fire James.....no questions asked.

UM
 
simplycanes said:
Difference is Mario doesn't need Highsmith to be his boss, and more importantly, he likely already sees value in Alonzo's expertise therefore it won't need to be forced upon him.
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The way I read it is they are willing to offer Zo a position. It's his to turn down. But he rather go to a program he has no connections with (other than he and Mario played at UM) and takes essentially a comparable position? You think Oregon AD is going to give up power and create this football czar position just for Zo?
 
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