...where is our monetary standing comparison to others? I asked the question because I legit don't know how the processes work. Symmetry sounds great, but there needs to be actual dollars to use, or it's just another word used to make people feel warm and fuzzy.
I have no clue where ICON is with donations for football, but as of right now, it appears the proof is in the results. If the Avery Jones story is true - and given our history I have no reason to believe it isn't - I know everything I need to know about our current 3rd party financial dedication to football.
NW is in deep shit. They had a once in a lifetime hire with Fitz on the heels of getting lucky with Barnett. With the Fitz embarrassment staring them in the face, I have a hard time believing they have a steady group of people ready to throw infinite money at keeping their program relevant.
Purdue is basically identical to Illinois in a lot of ways... and they have a lot more momentum and interest in the program right now than we do. If we were coming off a Jeff Brohm era like theirs and hired a young dick-swinging coach like Walters who is winning in recruiting, our alumni would probably be more open with their wallets as well.
Louisville doesn't seem like a relevant comparison. I've always been under the impression they throw money at sports at an SEC-like clip.
Which comes back to where are we? Does our HC truly have the ability to make that call and make $ happen for a player he needs?