The Fan's role in building the football program using Clemson as a blueprint

[Elvis P Hogg]

We have been discussing at length what changes CCM would need to bring on and off the field, but the blueprint that he brings from Clemson requires real buy-in from everyone to administration, regional high school coaches, players current, and past, and fans.

So often fans can be fickle and say we will have to wait and see or temper our expectations. What lessons can and should we learn from a fan base like Clemson? Where do we as fans need to grow to be a championship program?

[Hawginj]

We have been discussing at length what changes CCM would need to bring on and off the field, but the blueprint that he brings from Clemson requires real buy-in from everyone to administration, regional high school coaches, players current, and past, and fans.

So often fans can be fickle and say we will have to wait and see or temper our expectations. What lessons can and should we learn from a fan base like Clemson? Where do we as fans need to grow to be a championship program?

great post! First and foremost we need to be positive and supportive but most of all we need to make RWRS the most loud and hostile stadium we can make it. Make new traditions, chants whatever we can do as fans to support our team.

[hogsanity]

We have been discussing at length what changes CCM would need to bring on and off the field, but the blueprint that he brings from Clemson requires real buy-in from everyone to administration, regional high school coaches, players current, and past, and fans.

So often fans can be fickle and say we will have to wait and see or temper our expectations. What lessons can and should we learn from a fan base like Clemson? Where do we as fans need to grow to be a championship program?

well, Dabo wen 4-3 as an interim, then 9-5, the fell off to 6-7 in his 2nd full season before the rockets finally kicked in after he had signed 3 recruiting classes.

[oldman1015]

well, Dabo wen 4-3 as an interim, then 9-5, the fell off to 6-7 in his 2nd full season before the rockets finally kicked in after he had signed 3 recruiting classes.

I'm sure our fans will be patient through 3 years like those.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I'm sure our fans will be patient through 3 years like those.

If you can see the difference on signing day we sure will...

[ChicoHog]

Swinney convinced the administration at Clemson to invest in football.  More pay for assistant coaches (Morris was highest paid in the country at that time and now Venables is one of the highest paid), more money for facilities (Dabo World) and more money for the recruiting budget.  Swinney is a great salesman whether it is to the Clemson power people or whether it's in a living room trying to convince a 17 year old kid to play for them.  he is not a great "scheme" guy.  he is a CEO coach and a recruiting closer second to none.  Saban, Meyer, Harbaugh and Franklin are also great closers. 

[bphi11ips]

Make DWRRS a sea of red and stand and yell loud enough to be heard in West Fork.

And lock the students in until the last snap.

[Al Boarland]

I consider myself a straight shooter. I try not to get caught up in the emotional whims of the fanatical. Buy in isn't something I do. I analyze and remain objective.

[HogPharmer]

I consider myself a straight shooter. I try not to get caught up in the emotional whims of the fanatical. Buy in isn't something I do. I analyze and remain objective.

There's no room for that around here. Be gone with that garbage!!!

[Al Boarland]

There's no room for that around here. Be gone with that garbage!!!

I think it's the best way to go about things.

[bphi11ips]

I consider myself a straight shooter. I try not to get caught up in the emotional whims of the fanatical. Buy in isn't something I do. I analyze and remain objective.

What good is football without emotional whims? 

Objectivity is for coaches and the better journalists.

[Al Boarland]

What good is football without emotional whims? 

Objectivity is for coaches and the better journalists.

It's just how I'm wired.

[go hogues]

Make DWRRS a sea of red and stand and yell loud enough to be heard in West Fork.

And lock the students in until the last snap.

This!

[hobhog]

well, Dabo wen 4-3 as an interim, then 9-5, the fell off to 6-7 in his 2nd full season before the rockets finally kicked in after he had signed 3 recruiting classes.

Morris is given credit by Babo for igniting their success. I think the fans will show up in force starting with the spring game. The people posting on here negatively never go to games anyway.

[The Kig]

Clemson has always had pretty good fan support. Even when they stunk, they were still filling the stands.  They were running on fumes from the Ford natty and were ripe for a guy like Dabo to come in and win. 

Our fanbase has been through the wringer over the past 10+ years.  Even before that, we had the right reverend gnawing away at his fingernails roaming the sidelines. Our best seasons were under Petrino and we knew we were playing with fire with that hire.  We haven't won the conference since joining and finished this year as one of the worst.

Only winning will cure what ails this fanbase.  Being told to get on board obviously has worked for some on Hogville.  Many are already on their 2ND pitcher of kool-aid and are maniacally posting their view that CCM is the most amazing coach on the planet.  A small group will never get on-board since they are incapable of being happy or weren't Hog fans to begin with.  Finally you have a group that are cautiously optimistic (this is where I sit) that CCM, despite his lack of track record as a winning HC at the COLLEGE level, is going to be able to build off his experience at Clemson with Dabo and actually turn this ship around.  He does indeed have a blueprint for revitalizing a down program...

[hogsanity]

Morris is given credit by Babo for igniting their success. I think the fans will show up in force starting with the spring game. The people posting on here negatively never go to games anyway.

My point was that Dabo did not start winning 10 game straight away. Matter of fact, the 1st season that he had mainly his players, they went 6-7. Will people be willing to give CM 3 or 4 years?

[bphi11ips]

It's just how I'm wired.

I get it.  Me, too.  I'm pretty objective here when it comes to discussing football.  People don't like hearing that Cole Kelley needs to work on his mechanics or that Devwah Whaley has stiff hips and needs to work on his pad level.  Those are just observations based on 50 years of playing, coaching or watching football.

One thing I've learned in those 50 years is that a stadium full of bat stuff crazy Razorbacks fans can be the difference in a game.  It's been a while since we've had that on a regular basis.  I believe the BOT or GOBN or whatever you want to call them understood that Jeff Long didn't understand that he was losing the fanbase and the students with the rebranding and alienation of fans outside of NWA.  He could get away with it when the team was competitive, but when they seemed to give up in mid-2016, the PTB realized they needed to do something to re-energize the fans and fix the coaching situation.  They were patient.  They clearly concluded that the administration and coaching and recruiting  philosophy had drifted far from the core that made Arkansas a nationally competitive program.  And it was happening in the middle of a $160M stadium renovation.  So they stepped in, made some choices, and sent a clear message that the Razorbacks are getting back to their roots. 

Now, will it work?  I think it will because I've been preaching this for years.  Where are the Texas recruits?  We don't need no stinking rebranding!  Etc., etc., etc.  But guess what?  We still have to play Alabama and Auburn and LSU.  And we'll get Florida or Georgia or Tennessee about every other year.  And A&M, as much as it pains me to admit it, seems to have passed us as a program.   And those in the SEC who haven't aren't far behind.  And now we are expected to play one marquee OOC game every year.  Notre Dame and Texas are coming up.  So we're going to lose games.  That's just the way it will be.

However, we can be competitive.  We can go 8-4 and have fun doing it.  We can go 10-2 or 11-1 and that will sustain us for a few years.  We might even be able to string a few of those together.  One thing I know - Chad Morris knows we can do it because he remembers when we did.

Crowds will grow with wins.  That's the way it is.  But the more fans show up early and often, and the louder it gets in DWRRS, the better the Razorbacks will play.

[AHorseWithNoName]

Go Hogs!

[The NewEra]

My point was that Dabo did not start winning 10 game straight away. Matter of fact, the 1st season that he had mainly his players, they went 6-7. Will people be willing to give CM 3 or 4 years?

I'm fine with 3 or 4 yrs. to get this ship sailing along smoothly.  What sunk the previous guys boat, and what would sink CCM's ship (and I don't anticipate this at all) was losing embarrassingly time and again on national t.v.  Players throwing in the towel won't sit well with any fan base, so we aren't alone in this.