Matt Mitchell joining Wisconsin staff

[Woodbury]

UIW football is doing fine. All other team sports with win/loss records appears have losing records.

[champgymusa]

Look what UIW has done in football since moving up. They had four bad seasons to start out, made the playoffs in year five, and now they’re competing for the title coming out of the Covid dead year. They lost by 3 to NDSU in the semi-final. With the programs we’re seeing moving up to FBS from FCS, it really opens the door for a GVSU to eventually be competitive.

Totally doable...of course UIW only has 5 or 6 sports where as GVSU has 9 or 10, but they could cut half of the sports to go FCS...can you imagine how that would be recieved? Also Texas has more FCS schools in the state to play...GVSU would be on the long bus trips plan. Did you get a chance to find the UIW budget? I couldnt find it with my usual sources...being private I am sure they dont have to say much...LOL...kinda like Hillsdale..

[BeachinLaker]

Look what UIW has done in football since moving up. They had four bad seasons to start out, made the playoffs in year five, and now they’re competing for the title coming out of the Covid dead year. They lost by 3 to NDSU in the semi-final. With the programs we’re seeing moving up to FBS from FCS, it really opens the door for a GVSU to eventually be competitive.

[UISguy23]

Ferris and Grand Valley would likely compete playing FCS teams now, the only difference being that Grand Valley has the facilities, fan base, and maybe the money. Ferris and GV both have been recruiting good enough athletes and players for FCS football. Ferris doesn't have the facilities or the fan base, and likely not the money for FCS Football. Its FCS and considerable travelling. I can't imagine that FCS schools are going out of their way to play many of the championship level D2 teams either.

Ferris does have high profile D1 experience in another sport, since the 1970s, and have even played in a Natl Championship game ( 2012 ) at the highest level in that D1 sport. With that D1 experience in that sport, and all the travelling , I don't think it's likely Ferris would pursue FCS level football. NMU, the only other Gliac school that might be somewhat attractive for FCS , has a nice domed football stadium facility, but that's about it.

The other problem is all the FCS teams in the Midwest are in Illinois, Iowa ,Indiana, Missouri, Youngstown State in Ohio, and a few in North and South Dakota . Otherwise lots of travel out East, down South, or farther West. There are no FCS teams in Michigan, it goes from five FBS teams, and jumps right down to the D2 level. Conference affiliation would be big, not sure how many teams would play independents. GV going to FCS football may be
viable

If they both moved up I truly believe they'd be automatically competitive similar to how Bellarmine is in basketball

[Gliac_fan10]

I don’t see any path where Stuursma would be the hire, I think the only D3 guy would have a chance would be Geoff Dart (Mt Union), a ton of the other schools with sustained success have head coaches in their first or second season and basically the rest are older and have been with their schools a long time. Which I don’t think would be the direction GV wants to go.

I would think the other options would be (obviously) internal (Vitzthum, Postma, Louis, Wooster), rising D2 coaches (Moore, B Wright, those are the two that come to mind for me) or an FBS assistant (numerous candidates).

So looking at the D2/D3 pool I think you are probably talking 7-10 guys max (including internal). Plus the pool of FBS assistants (which could be any number of candidates).

**but who knows, I could be way off on my feel for it**

[UISguy23]

Please stop the nonsense about GV going to D1, they don't have the sports facilities, fan base , recruiting, size of school or budget, it just doesn't make any sense. A Lefty president who was a Dean at Ferris, probably not on her list of priorites anyways. M.M. skipping town. For Pete's sake, FCS?
Stay focused here, and concentrate on steamrolling that team up North. FCS, really?

You must be living under a rock or something. It has always made sense but you don't want them to leave even if they had all that

[champgymusa]

My counter to this would be....we've been saying something to the effect of "be careful what you wish for" for a decade now in regards to TA. And nothing has happened. Nothing probably will happen. Nobody in D2 is getting hit with any kind of sanctions. It's the wild west. The NCAA doesn't care about D2 schools unless it's suspending players.

So it's just a matter of what GV fans and administrators want. You want to keep leading the conference in graduation rates and losing to Ferris? Or do you wanna be middle-of-the-pack in graduation rates and beat Ferris? I would venture a guess that winning titles gets your school more positive publicity than a high graduation rate, but that's just a guess. Would be great to do both, but that's like asking Navy to win an FBS championship.

Well say what ya want but GVSU came within 3 points of doing that this year and the way they are loaded for next year it could happen...set your expectations high and see what might happen...ya never know. And Ottawa country should be coming in at the end of the month...thats gonna be interesting too!

[KleShreen]

Well thats your guy up north...so...if thats what you want, go for it. Philly would never allow it nor would the board..but..Ferris not only promotes it but enjoys the bad boy rep. Different strokes as they say. Be careful what you wish for.

My counter to this would be....we've been saying something to the effect of "be careful what you wish for" for a decade now in regards to TA. And nothing has happened. Nothing probably will happen. Nobody in D2 is getting hit with any kind of sanctions. It's the wild west. The NCAA doesn't care about D2 schools unless it's suspending players.

So it's just a matter of what GV fans and administrators want. You want to keep leading the conference in graduation rates and losing to Ferris? Or do you wanna be middle-of-the-pack in graduation rates and beat Ferris? I would venture a guess that winning titles gets your school more positive publicity than a high graduation rate, but that's just a guess. Would be great to do both, but that's like asking Navy to win an FBS championship.

[Wide_Right]

Embedded Tweet

This what happens with successful coaches.
VSU has lost at least 4 coaches I can think of. All the best to him.

[BeachinLaker]

Well thats your guy up north...so...if thats what you want, go for it. Philly would never allow it nor would the board..but..Ferris not only promotes it but enjoys the bad boy rep. Different strokes as they say. Be careful what you wish for.

He’s definitely not my guy. I’d never hire TA. No championship is worth the baggage he’d bring. I recommended Stuursma, but his baggage pales in comparison. But he does have the Gradygate issue. The way it shook out, old man Grady got the brunt of the blame. How much Stuursma knew or turned a blind eye to…I don’t know.

[Redwing]

So if you can get GVSU to add associate degree classes, wave admission on TIP students and have a grad rate of say 20-30% BUT win nattys your all in? Be last in the conference in ASR but win your all in? Thats my question...cause to me to use athletes to win championships then send 4 our of 5 into the world with no degree is not right...but that just me.

Nope, it's not just you. :-) But so many GV followers don't look at those aspects.

[MrsThortonMelon]

You’re right. It’s not. It’s no better than North Carolina creating fake degree programs just for athletes to keep them eligible.

Well thats your guy up north...so...if thats what you want, go for it. Philly would never allow it nor would the board..but..Ferris not only promotes it but enjoys the bad boy rep. Different strokes as they say. Be careful what you wish for.

[yote_7]

GV posters talking about D1, again, and Kleshreen waffles and suggests the possibility of GV looking into D1 scenario. Quite a contrast to his mocking and trying to shut down any past suggestions or
discussions about GV going to D1 (FCS). Sounds like a WTF moment, and quite the turnaround. Hmmmm

Excellent work patriot. Right-aligned text really makes the lefty-overlords squirm. Left-aligned text is all a ploy to indoctrinate us, always has been.

[BeachinLaker]

So if you can get GVSU to add associate degree classes, wave admission on TIP students and have a grad rate of say 20-30% BUT win nattys your all in? Be last in the conference in ASR but win your all in? Thats my question...cause to me to use athletes to win championships then send 4 our of 5 into the world with no degree is not right...but that just me.

You’re right. It’s not. It’s no better than North Carolina creating fake degree programs just for athletes to keep them eligible.

[MrsThortonMelon]

For a guy like Annese, yes. He had regular season and post season success at every stop he was at prior. But looking at Stuursma, he hasn’t had any post season success at Hope. Given that we need someone to get us over the hump, I don’t know.

To answer your question not knowing the candidate though, I’m ok with someone with a few questions and an edge, yes. Not one that’s going to get GV with infractions, but I’m tired of not winning Championships.

So if you can get GVSU to add associate degree classes, wave admission on TIP students and have a grad rate of say 20-30% BUT win nattys your all in? Be last in the conference in ASR but win your all in? Thats my question...cause to me to use athletes to win championships then send 4 our of 5 into the world with no degree is not right...but that just me.