Jay Jacobs...

[WarEagle84 0]

Jay Jacobs is nowhere close to the best AD in college sports. I believe he was shaken to the core at the end of the Chizik term and some how, some way somebody (Gouge??) lit a fire under him. He is a great fund raiser and money manger and he has some quality people around him. He is not a great AD.

Interesting comments from "Jay Jacobs' Accountability Partner". Part of being a good leader is surrounding yourself with good people. Whether someone else motivated him or he motivated himself to improve, the results are the same. He may not have started out great, but you have to make a much better argument to convince me he is not now a great AD.

Jay Jacobs is at best Uncle Jed, but more likely Jethro Bodine.

Current coaches tenure and number of SEC titles (while under Jacobs);

Baseball - 1st year / 0 titles

Men's basketball - 0 year / 0 titles

Women's basketball - 2nd year / 1 title

Football - 1st year / 3 titles

Men's golf - 5th year / 0 titles

Women's golf - 20th year / 5 titles

Gymnastics - 4th year / 0 titles

Soccer - 15th year / 0 titles

Softball - 1st year 0 titles

S&D - 4th year / 1 bazillion titles (due to Marsh)

Men's tennis - 24th year / 0 titles

Women's tennis - 3rd year / 0 titles

T&F / XC - 16 years / 0 titles

Volleyball - 3 years / 0 titles

With basically four exceptions, it's been a virtual fruit basket turnover for coaching staffs at Auburn under Jay Jacobs.

Exclude the non-Jacobs hires and we have two SEC titles across ALL sports under Jacobs (both in football).

Not my idea of greatness.

That's a better argument, but I'm still not convinced. I will agree that he was less than impressive between becoming AD in December 2004 and 2012. If the administration had fired him during that time, there would not have been a lot of schools lining up to hire him (and a lot of Auburn fans--I'm guessing you included--would have been quite happy). Whatever the reason for the turnaround, his last 4 hires (and just as importantly, quick decisions to fire) appear to have been out-of-the-park, grand slam home runs:

Gus Malzahn (SEC Championship and a BCS National Championship Game berth in his first season)

Clint Myers (2 NCAA softball titles at Arizona State)

Sunny Golloway (7 NCAA Regionals, 4 Super Regionals and a 2010 College World Series appearance at Oklahoma)

Bruce Pearl (D-II championship, two different D-I teams to dance 8 of last 9 years coaching)

Other than Gus (and given our dramatic collapse under Chizik, you can even be legitimately skeptical about him), none of them have proven anything at AU yet. Whether or not these four continue the success they're known for, Jay has done a remarkable job--as good as any in the country--in the last year and a half just in getting these guys to come to Auburn. On top of that, he has grown the athletic budget to over $100M (I don't recall the exact numbers, but it's among the biggest in the country) and hired a CFO to help manage it. Oh, and he did hire the football coach who brought us our first national championship in 57 years.

Is there still room for improvement? Certainly. But you and I know that one championship in football or men's basketball is worth a hundred golf, tennis, and soccer titles. You may still be holding on to too much resentment from his early years to admit it, but I contend that Jay Jacobs has grown in to a great Athletic Director.

[douggwilliams 61]

It was never a matter of money or facilities. He one flaw was coaching hires and subsequently the bone headed terms in the coaches' contracts. I think he is fixing his flaws. I think we got a steal in CTB and a huge buyout if he decides to leave. Well done all the way around.

[JoeinPF 94]

Some random thoughts:

1. When listing JJ's recent great hires, IMHO you need to include the Women's BB coach.
   
2. The list of sports and championships is incomplete, please revise and include Equestrienne.
   
3. If I had to choose between David Housel and JJ, I'd take JJ all week long and twice on Sunday. David Housel ran the Sports Information Office when I was at Auburn. Look up "Peter Principle" and I think you'll see Housel's picture in the definition.
   
4. Remember, things are never as bad or as good as the seem to be. Yes it is a good time to be an Auburn Tiger, but only time will tell how good.
   

[ToraGirl 5,498]

If you base an AD's success solely on the quality of his hires, then you forget 4 of the 5 criteria that caused JJ to earn the right to keep his job in the first place. No one person is good at all aspects of his job, not even our most adamant AUFamily posters. But we tend to continue to give him a thumbs-up or thumbs-down based upon the areas through which we enjoy living vicariously...a.k.a. "winning"--although more goes into being an AD than any of us could ever imagine.

JJ is enjoying the fruit of his labors to hold the line and develop in his areas of struggle. It's a great day to be an Auburn Tiger, and I'll take honey over vinegar any day.

"We asked the committee to review the Department’s total body of work with a focus on five areas: academic and support services for student-athletes; financial management; customer service; competition, including winning, sportsmanship and compliance; and management structure."

For more...read on...

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/auburn_president_jay_gogue_com.html

[WarEagle84 0]

If you base an AD's success solely on the quality of his hires, then you forget 4 of the 5 criteria that caused JJ to earn the right to keep his job in the first place. No one person is good at all aspects of his job, not even our most adamant AUFamily posters. But we tend to continue to give him a thumbs-up or thumbs-down based upon the areas through which we enjoy living vicariously...a.k.a. "winning"--although more goes into being an AD than any of us could ever imagine.

JJ is enjoying the fruit of his labors to hold the line and develop in his areas of struggle. It's a great day to be an Auburn Tiger, and I'll take honey over vinegar any day.

"We asked the committee to review the Department’s total body of work with a focus on five areas: academic and support services for student-athletes; financial management; customer service; competition, including winning, sportsmanship and compliance; and management structure."

For more...read on...

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/auburn_president_jay_gogue_com.html

I gotta agree, AD is a very complex job. He is essentially CEO of a $100M corporation. And it is definitely an exciting time to be an Auburn Tiger!

I would reclassify and rank Gogue's 5 categories:

1. Winning (win your fair share and be competitive most of the time in all sports--hiring and firing of coaches falls here)

2. Financial management

3. Academic support, sportsmanship and compliance (mostly as they support #1)

4. Customer service (best served by #1, but add amenities to improve gameday experience as #2 allows)

5. Management structure (significant only to the degree it aids or hinders any of the above)

[CircleDrill 178]

You guys are arguing about whether JJ is a great AD or not, but I think you are missing the fundamental point that it "feels" like something has changed quite drastically. Maybe it's pesky boosters getting pushed away, maybe it's very generous boosters getting closer? Maybe it's just simply that they have different goals now, or that JJ was able to cut loose from a person or some people that had too much influence? Could be the opposite as well: Maybe they were letting him do his thing and now he has to report to somebody first?

I don't know, but there is a new attitude there and something has changed big time.

[telling tiger 156]

Thank you CircleDrill, spot on.

A lot of folks bemoaned the behind the scenes folks not too long ago.

Those winds are blowing a different direction.

[InfernoOrangeSS 321]

Thank you CircleDrill, spot on.

A lot of folks bemoaned the behind the scenes folks not too long ago.

Those winds are blowing a different direction.

Could his improvement have anything to do with when the BoT were restructured/changed?

[telling tiger 156]

Don't look a gift wind change in the mouth. Could certainly be true Inferno...we would have to be involved to know the real reason or reasons.

$100 million dollar enterprise needs to show a certain result, no question. Those results start at the top. They don't end there. The big desk gets the pressure, you have to produce.

I'd love to know, I doubt we will.

[Mikey 16,777]

Although they missed an SEC championship, lets don't forget that the women's track & field team won the NCAA championship a few years ago. You know, if we're making a list of successful seasons.

[CircleDrill 178]

Don't look a gift wind change in the mouth. Could certainly be true Inferno...we would have to be involved to know the real reason or reasons.

$100 million dollar enterprise needs to show a certain result, no question. Those results start at the top. They don't end there. The big desk gets the pressure, you have to produce.

I'd love to know, I doubt we will.

Exactly. We'll never know what thing(s) have changed that have led to this new vibe in athletics, but think back 10 years ago and compare how it was then to now. Even though 2004 was a fun football season, there is no question I would rather be here than there!

[InfernoOrangeSS 321]

I think once the BoT decided to run the University instead of the Athletic Dept, it gave JJ more freedom to do what he wanted to do. Of course I have no clue how true that is, but it is a possibility.

[cooltigger21 0]

I think once the BoT decided to run the University instead of the Athletic Dept, it gave JJ more freedom to do what he wanted to do. Of course I have no clue how true that is, but it is a possibility.

:dunno:/>

Whatever the reason, it is a welcome change. It is nice to be able to be excited about Auburn sports after football is over.

[auburnatl1 5,248]

I would also suggest fortunate timing helped a little. Football melting down after malzahn had left for a year of head coaching experience and basketball reaching the last straw as pearl's sanctions were winding down.

Great moves, great timing, great future.

[InfernoOrangeSS 321]

I would also suggest fortunate timing helped a little. Football melting down after malzahn had left for a year of head coaching experience and basketball reaching the last straw as pearl's sanctions were winding down.

Great moves, great timing, great future.

Too true...timing has been in our favor.

[AUIH1 1,515]

I have often posted that "JJ was unqualified for the AD job when he was hired and still is". However; I am going to give JJ credit where it is due with his recent hires. They have been fantastic. As others have posted, something changed, someone lit a fire, etc. Maybe it was the near death experience for JJ that was the Chizik fiasco. All I know is that I like the change.

wde

[AUpreacherman22 3,892]

I was really surprised he survived the 2012 football debacle.

Since then he appears to have done an excellent job hiring coaches.

[cooltigger21 0]

I was really surprised he survived the 2012 football debacle.

Since then he appears to have done an excellent job hiring coaches.

Gouge was retiring and he didn't want to deal with it himself. Had that not been the case he might not have survived.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

I have often posted that "JJ was unqualified for the AD job when he was hired and still is". However; I am going to give JJ credit where it is due with his recent hires. They have been fantastic. As others have posted, something changed, someone lit a fire, etc. Maybe it was the near death experience for JJ that was the Chizik fiasco. All I know is that I like the change.

wde

My thought is that he quit trying to please all the donors with hiring their "guy" and decided to do what he thought was truly best for the school. He surrounded himself with a small circle of past Auburn greats such as Jackson, Sullivan, Person......etc. true Auburn men that really know Athletics that would give unbiased input without their egos getting in the way.

[au75 75]

I agree.

[AUdmd07 2]

I don't know if JJ is the best AD out there, but he certainly is one of the better ones in light of his recent prompt firings and excellent hires.

[milehighfan 1,240]

I know I was one of many who hailed JJ's hiring of Barbee. We all know how that turned out. Well, this one has proven to be a "no doubt about it hire".

[NoALtiger 3,873]

I would also suggest fortunate timing helped a little. Football melting down after malzahn had left for a year of head coaching experience and basketball reaching the last straw as pearl's sanctions were winding down.

Great moves, great timing, great future.

Good point here. Timing often does play a big role in success.