[Ill flame]

JC’s reference to having the right defensive calls made in crucial situations make me hopeful that there will be a new defensive coordinator next year. On the other side of the ball, besides keeping Dickens on the mountain, IMHO, we need to have a QB that can create some big plays and not just manage the game.

I was actually thinking the opposite with the QB situation. We don't need a Malik Willis (although i'd love to have one) but just having a proper game manager QB that has minimal turnovers wouldve made a huge difference this year.

[WinterIsComing]

We lost seven games this season by 14 points or less. Let's say there is a return to the mean of close game outcomes and we win, being generous, four and lose three of those two-score games. Is an 8-4 record "good enough" with this Charmin soft schedule? No. Is that "good enough" at this university? Depends on the day. Is that "good enough" for the playoff? Nope. Now the hard questions; Is that "good enough" for this coaching staff? Is that "good enough" from this coaching staff?

Dickens goes back home to GA and transfers to Kennesaw State University I have no insight my gut says the poachers and a couple others: Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Miami, Pitt, Indiana, Colorado. All of those programs except Pitt will probably have new/new-ish QBs next year and will want the ability to establish a ground game if the passing attack falters.

[LU Armchair coach]

Why would any player like Dickens play for HCJC?

[Humble_Opinion]

Why would any player like Dickens play for HCJC?

Because LU is a run heavy offense with a proven ability to be one of the top rushing attacks in the country. I'm going to go out on a slight limb and say that if Dickens returns next year and stays healthy, he will surpass Cooley and could come close to being better than Rashad Jennings. He has some of the power and balance that Cooley had, but he's more agile and has a different gear than Cooley had. I hope LU offers him a good chance to stay. At the same time, given the choice between keeping Dickens and upgrading the OL, I'd choose the latter. We have to replace the tackle spots, and we also need a little more size on the interior. Good offensive linemen are getting harder to find. There's a reason most NFL teams draft RBs in the later rounds of the draft. While unproven (to some degree) I think LU has a bright future at RB with Fannin-Render and Coleman (assuming they both stay).

[Humble_Opinion]

I agree with you about the quarterback situation. We took a massive step backward going from high-level quarterbacks like Malik Willis and Kaidon Salter to Ethan Vasko. That’s a recruiting failure by this staff — they should have brought in a stronger quarterback option, especially knowing how critical that position is in Chadwell’s system.

After listening to Chadwell’s press conference, it does sound like staff changes are coming. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing an entirely new defensive scheme or system. At this point, they may need to replace the entire defensive staff and allow a new defensive coordinator to bring in his own assistants who fit the vision and philosophy of the new system.

We also have to be aggressive in the transfer portal and fully utilize NIL to bring in better talent. Other schools with far fewer resources are doing this successfully — there’s no reason Liberty shouldn’t be doing the same.

Personally, I think LU had one of the more talented rosters in the CUSA this year. RB (we ended the season very deep), WR (our production faltered due to QB), TE (lots of experience but under-utilized in the pass game). The main issue on Offense was QB, sprinkled in with a little bit of inconsistency at OL in pass blocking situations. Personally, I was pretty impressed by Merdinger's play last Saturday against KSU. He was a little shaky at first, but he got into a good rhythm and made some really nice throws - especially the deep shot he had to Mobley under duress. He also didn't force the ball anywhere and did a good job of utilizing his checkdowns, which Vasko struggled with all year. Defensively, we were good too. We had A LOT of depth at LB and our secondary was tops in the league. Where we lacked production was maybe the most important position group on that side of the ball... Defensive Line. We have struggled to generate any sort of pressure with our front 4 for three straight years now. If there's any position group coach that should be let go, it has to be Magee at the DL spot. In short, the most important positions that determine the overall success of a team's season are 1) QB 2) OL and 3) DL. We did poorly in 2 of the 3 and we paid the price. That's where the focus needs to be heading into the portal and offseason.

[olldflame]

Willie Korn has announced that he is "stepping away from football".

[LU Armchair coach]

????????

[olldflame]

Chadwell has made multiple mentions of "opportunities in the RB room" That could be the case even if Dickens returns, but it would seem to point to him leaving.

[ballah09]

How much does the school provide in NIL? Coastal fans said we paid Vasko 125k to come here. Hopefully we can offer a nice package to get Dickens back. Also I can see Williams transferring along with Blue especially with Coleman emerging.

[LU Armchair coach]

It’s pretty obvious LU got zero return on this investment—whether it was $125,000 or $25,000, LU basically got taken for a ride. But hey, at least it makes HCJC look like the genius he clearly thinks he is.

[broncosliberty]

I recommend watching the latest Flames Central podcast (link above). I thought they did an excellent job breaking down the season. However, because they are employees of the university, it really felt like they were preparing the fanbase for the reality that Jamey Chadwell is staying — at least for one more year — and that we just need to accept that.

With that said, I strongly believe that Ian McCaw needs to make a public statement about the state of Liberty football. He should be held accountable just as much as Chadwell. Our administration is investing real money and major resources, and we are not seeing the level of performance that should come with that investment. Fans, alumni, boosters, and sponsors are business-minded people — they expect real returns. If the financial support slows, McCaw will be forced to make a significant decision very quickly.

One idea I’d like to propose is unconventional, and I’m not sure it would ever happen — but in my opinion, it would be the best path forward. Recruiting is going to make or break the rebuild of this program. As the podcast mentioned, Liberty should be out-spending, out-recruiting, and out-developing every team in Conference USA. We should be the unquestioned leader of this conference and positioning ourselves for eventual Power 5 consideration.

So why not bring in someone like Hugh Freeze — or another proven elite recruiter — in a general manager or offensive play-calling role? Pairing Freeze’s recruiting and talent-evaluation strengths with Chadwell’s offensive system could elevate this program to the level we all expect. Maybe Freeze wouldn’t accept, but if not, there has to be someone out there with the same skill set who could fill that role.

Another concern I had came from Chadwell’s signing day press conference. He mentioned that he is considering promoting an offensive analyst to offensive coordinator. That comment worries me because it suggests he may be unwilling to bring in outside voices due to his loyalty to his existing staff. If he refuses to make real changes — especially on defense — then we may be having this same conversation next year about how Chadwell’s loyalty and pride ultimately became his downfall.

At the end of the day, I want Liberty football to thrive. We have the facilities, the budget, the fanbase, and the potential to be something special. But right now, serious leadership decisions need to be made to get this program moving in the right direction again.

[LU Armchair coach]

Honestly, you nailed it. And I completely agree with you on recruiting. If Liberty isn’t out-recruiting and out-developing everyone in C-USA, then something is fundamentally off. Your idea about bringing in a proven elite recruiter — whether that’s Freeze in a GM/play-caller hybrid or someone with a similar skill set — actually makes a lot of sense. If Chadwell can’t or won’t fix the talent pipeline himself, then pairing him with someone who can (Freeze) elevate that part of the operation might be the only way to jumpstart this rebuild.

What really worries me, though, is that same comment from his presser. Promoting an analyst to OC when the offense is already stale? If he’s unwilling to bring in fresh voices, especially on defense, he’s setting himself up for the exact same problems next year. Loyalty is great until it becomes self-sabotage.
At the end of the day, Liberty should be the clear powerhouse of this conference, and we absolutely have the resources to be one. But that only happens if leadership has the courage to make real, uncomfortable decisions. Right now, the fanbase isn’t asking for miracles — just competence, accountability, and a plan that matches the ambition of this program.

And you’re right: that starts with McCaw stepping up and addressing the state of Liberty football head-on.

[Humble_Opinion]

I don't know that the offense is stale. I think the execution has not been what is needed for it to succeed fully though. Part of that lack of execution is the talent (WR in 2024 and QB/OL in 2025). The other part to me is some poor decision making in the moment re: playcalling and game management. If we can get back to having the most physical OL in the conference like 2023, we can dominate this conference, as long as we have a competent QB that protects the ball and can complete 60% of his passes.

The idea of bringing HCHF in as a GM 1) would never happen and 2) would just lead to more problems for obvious reasons. I do think there needs to be a GM brought onboard, even if it's just a figurehead (like Tim Tebow ) to make a splash and have someone passionate about LU Football and the mission of the school and program to speak to recruits and their families.

On defense, I think the issues we have are a mix of scheme, playcalling and talent at DL. If there needs to be coaching changes made, for me, it would be on that side of the ball. The overall performance of that group has seen the most serious declines since HCHF left especially in the front 4. When you look at our stats for Sacks per Game from 2021 to 2025, it's quite alarming.

Year / Sacks per Gm / Rank
2021 / 3.1 / 11
2022 / 3.3 / 5
2023 / 1.8 / 90
2024 / 1.8 / 78
2025 / 1.2 / 120

That's a massive drop-off in production for a key statistic on defense and I don't know how you can't say it's not coaching/recruitment. There's no way we should be bottom feeders in FBS in this category for 3 straight years. I know some will say we lost TJ Bush and Jay Hardy. Those were significant losses, but I don't know that they would have been much better if they had stayed considering both were here in 2024 and we still sucked. For a defense that had as many returners this year as we had, it's unfortunate that they couldn't carry a little more water and I think the production up front is a big reason why.

[cruzan_flame13]

Might as well give Chad well at least another year; dont want to end up in a position like Penn State right now

[Purple Haize]

Might as well give Chad well at least another year; dont want to end up in a position like Penn State right now

Unpopular opinion, but I like what I’m hearing from Chadwell right now. It looks like he’s gonna ditch the CoCoordinator idea on offense and defense. He mentioned there’s going to be a big change on defense. He’s committed to getting bigger up front. I don’t like that he sounds like he’s given up on retaining certain players but that’s the reality.
I’m all for giving the guy a chance to right the ship. And it looks like he’s gonna attempt it

[broncosliberty]

With the news of JMU hiring Billy Napier and potentially positioning themselves for a College Football Playoff run/ Sunbelt Championship, James Franklin being hired at Virginia Tech, and Virginia possibly winning an ACC Championship tomorrow, it’s clear that next year is absolutely critical for Ian McCaw and Jamey Chadwell to get Liberty football back on track.

The landscape of football in Virginia is changing rapidly. Programs across the state are upgrading their coaching staffs, improving recruiting, and generating momentum. If Liberty fails to show major improvement and put together a winning season next year, we are at real risk of becoming one of the weakest FBS teams in Virginia. That would set us back tremendously — especially in recruiting, where perception and momentum matter just as much as facilities and resources.

Next year cannot be another step backward. The stakes are too high, and the competition around us is growing stronger by the day.

[Sly Fox]

Forgive me for asking, but why would Liberty's place in Virginia football matter? That Commonwealth-centric mindset is so 1990 when we were pining for the Big South. We have much larger concerns.

[broncosliberty]

Why would anyone not want Liberty to be the top program in Virginia? That should absolutely be one of our goals. We want to recruit nationally, but we also need to be able to pull high-level athletes from our own state. Being one of the weaker teams in Virginia would make that a lot harder.

On top of that, attracting fans and financial support from within Virginia is important. Boosters invest real money into this program, and they expect results. Local relevance matters — maybe it’s not the biggest issue we face, but it’s definitely a piece of the puzzle.

And you're right: this team has far more problems than just in-state perception. Poor recruiting, defensive failures, lack of staff changes, and questionable leadership decisions have all contributed to where we are now. Fixing Liberty football will require addressing all of these issues, not just one.

[jbock13]

Being the “best team in the state” doesn’t matter when most of your alumni are out of state.

Since I’m from Roanoke, it matters to me, but I realize it doesn’t matter to most of the fan base.

[LUOrange]

Top Dog in VA matters in many ways. But especially for recruiting & for putting local & regional butts in The Bill.

[Sly Fox]

I think we are hitting on some issues here. Recruiting essentially only HS kids from the Virginia to Georgia corridor is one of the limitations of the staff. The Peach State kids have been terrific. I love the random kid or two we get from Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. Back when our roster was strongest we were landing kids regularly from all across the nation. Yes, I recognize that HS recruiting is almost a waste of time in this new era of college football where most recruits never see the field for schools for which they were recruited.

Hopefully Coach Chadwell reaches beyond his circles of influence to get some staff with deeper connections in Florida, Texas and even Cali.

Now let's work that portal like we mean it.

[WinterIsComing]

Just finished reviewing Manson's outgoing players article. Yikes. I knew it was going to be ugly but it is nearly a complete roster turnover. On the bright side Ethan Vasko is staying put behind a up-and-down O-Line. Vasko better be no higher than a third string emergency backup or that will leave me questioning Chadwell all the more.

I wish Chadwell all the best. I hope this works. Go Flames. Rah rah.

Personally, my confidence level is basement level low after reading that exodus text. We might as well have brought in a new coach. The turnover level might have been the same or lower with the right hire. There's not enough money or good players willing to come to the caliber of program Liberty showed itself to be last year to make up for the losses. Guess we better hope to hit the lottery at several positions, especially QB, and that none of them get hurt. I do not understand what McCaw is doing. This makes no sense. Other than joining CUSA, keeping Chadwell (not the hiring of) is the only other decision McCaw has made that has left me seriously questioning his decision making.

[broncosliberty]

I think the future is going to get very interesting for Liberty and all Group of 5 programs. A lot of major college football coaches and analysts are already saying that putting Tulane and JMU into the College Football Playoff was a mistake. If those teams get blown out in the first round, that could actually hurt Liberty in the long run, because the committee may be more reluctant to put G5 teams in moving forward

But here’s the real problem: players like Dickens — and any other high-level talent we lose — are leaving because we simply cannot match the NIL spending power of the Power 5 conferences. This is the reality for every Group of 5 school. G5 programs have essentially become developmental feeder teams for the Power conferences. Unless something changes, we’re going to see elite G5 players leave every year.

On top of that, Liberty’s poor strength of schedule makes it almost impossible to qualify for the playoffs based on resume alone. That hurts us not only in rankings, but also in recruiting the transfer portal — players want exposure and a path to the postseason.

Honestly, I think the federal government is going to have to step in at some point. We need real guardrails in NIL to level the playing field and give Group of 5 teams an equal opportunity to compete for the playoffs. Without regulation, the gap between the Power 5 and the rest of college football will only grow wider.

Because of all this, Liberty must aggressively pursue a Power conference as soon as possible — similar to what SMU did by moving into the ACC. Liberty’s facilities, budget, coaching salaries, and administrative commitment are already comparable to programs like SMU. If Liberty wants long-term competitive stability, especially in recruiting and NIL, joining a Power conference like the ACC in the future needs to be a serious strategic goal.

[cruzan_flame13]

I think the future is going to get very interesting for Liberty and all Group of 5 programs. A lot of major college football coaches and analysts are already saying that putting Tulane and JMU into the College Football Playoff was a mistake. If those teams get blown out in the first round, that could actually hurt Liberty in the long run, because the committee may be more reluctant to put G5 teams in moving forward

But here’s the real problem: players like Dickens — and any other high-level talent we lose — are leaving because we simply cannot match the NIL spending power of the Power 5 conferences. This is the reality for every Group of 5 school. G5 programs have essentially become developmental feeder teams for the Power conferences. Unless something changes, we’re going to see elite G5 players leave every year.

On top of that, Liberty’s poor strength of schedule makes it almost impossible to qualify for the playoffs based on resume alone. That hurts us not only in rankings, but also in recruiting the transfer portal — players want exposure and a path to the postseason.

Honestly, I think the federal government is going to have to step in at some point. We need real guardrails in NIL to level the playing field and give Group of 5 teams an equal opportunity to compete for the playoffs. Without regulation, the gap between the Power 5 and the rest of college football will only grow wider.

Because of all this,

Liberty must aggressively pursue a Power conference as soon as possible — similar to what SMU did by moving into the ACC. Liberty’s facilities, budget, coaching salaries, and administrative commitment are already comparable to programs like SMU. If Liberty wants long-term competitive stability, especially in recruiting and NIL, joining a Power conference like the ACC in the future needs to be a serious strategic goal.

This, this is it. I thought being in CUSA isn't an issue for LU's future/long term? As I have been saying, college sports have changed tremendously and the way of doing things, mentioned a lot in these threads, are heavily out dated. Even looking at the previous era, one should study schools like TCU and UCF. They were spending like a power school while being situated in the group of five. Their success occurred mostly with spending (yes location and markets did help also). LU would have to literally do the same thing and it's even more of an opportunity to build a program than it was in 2008 or even 2016 for that matter. We already seeing Memphis, Tulane, BSU and others putting in a lot of money in their programs because deep down they know that G6 will be forgotten. Especially when the new tv deals come about years later; tv broadcasting will not be the same as we see Netflix, Apple, Amazon will be the new face for 'tv' deals. So will LU spend a lot of money to even be in talks with power conference commission? For starters, looking on academic evaluation/prestige, LU is ranked poorly (yes those rankings really means nothing in general but is taken as value). The school is still ranked as a R3 in the Carnegie Classification (mentioned in the Carnegie Classification thread), and most of the schools in power conferences are R1. That alone, LU would have to put millions in research and expand their graduate programs (which was part a proposed plan for the graduate campus in the previous master plan under JLF Jr [early 2010's]). So the ACC is already off the table, so the only option, if even possible, is theBig XII. That conference may be a little more linient to LU and have somewhat resemblance with religious based schools like TCU, Baylor and BYU. Academics prestigue still matters but also program prestigue (especially basketball). LU have far to go, especially if leadership continue in the direction that they're going right now. Even schools with a far less or endowment and athletic spending are doing better than us.

[cruzan_flame13]

I think the future is going to get very interesting for Liberty and all Group of 5 programs. A lot of major college football coaches and analysts are already saying that putting Tulane and JMU into the College Football Playoff was a mistake. If those teams get blown out in the first round, that could actually hurt Liberty in the long run, because the committee may be more reluctant to put G5 teams in moving forward

But here’s the real problem: players like Dickens — and any other high-level talent we lose — are leaving because we simply cannot match the NIL spending power of the Power 5 conferences. This is the reality for every Group of 5 school. G5 programs have essentially become developmental feeder teams for the Power conferences. Unless something changes, we’re going to see elite G5 players leave every year.

On top of that, Liberty’s poor strength of schedule makes it almost impossible to qualify for the playoffs based on resume alone. That hurts us not only in rankings, but also in recruiting the transfer portal — players want exposure and a path to the postseason.

Honestly, I think the federal government is going to have to step in at some point. We need real guardrails in NIL to level the playing field and give Group of 5 teams an equal opportunity to compete for the playoffs. Without regulation, the gap between the Power 5 and the rest of college football will only grow wider.

Because of all this, Liberty must aggressively pursue a Power conference as soon as possible — similar to what SMU did by moving into the ACC. Liberty’s facilities, budget, coaching salaries, and administrative commitment are already comparable to programs like SMU. If Liberty wants long-term competitive stability, especially in recruiting and NIL, joining a Power conference like the ACC in the future needs to be a serious strategic goal.

This, this is it. I thought being in CUSA isn't an issue for LU's future/long term? As I have been saying, college sports have changed tremendously with the way of doing things. What is casually mentioned in these threads, the way of just winning/steadily growing a program, are heavily out dated. Even looking at the previous era, one should study schools like TCU and UCF. They were spending like a power school while being situated in the group of five. Their success occurred mostly with spending (yes location and markets did help also). LU would have to literally do the same thing and it's even more of an opportunity to build a program than it was in 2008 or even 2016 for that matter. We're already seeing Memphis, Tulane, BSU and others putting in a lot of money in their programs because deep down they know that the G6 will be forgotten. Especially when the new tv deals come about years later; tv broadcasting will not be the same as we see Netflix, Apple, Amazon making 'big' moves while pushing their way to be the new faces for 'tv' deals (allegedly). So will LU spend a lot of money to even be in talks with power conference commissioners? For starters, looking on academic evaluation/prestige, LU is ranked poorly (yes those rankings really mean nothing in general but is taken as value). The school is still ranked as a R3 in the Carnegie Classification (mentioned in the Carnegie Classification thread), and most of the schools in power conferences are R1. That alone, LU would have to put millions in research and expand their graduate programs (which was part of a proposed plan for the graduate campus in the previous master plan under JLF Jr [early 2010's]). The ACC is already off the table, so the only option, if even possible, is the Big XII. That conference may be a little more linient to LU and the school have some resemblance with religious based schools like TCU, Baylor and BYU (travel partner with West Virginia anyone?...anyone? ). Academics prestigue still matters but also program prestigue (especially basketball). LU has far way to go, especially if leadership continue in the direction that they're going right now. Even schools with far less endowment and athletic spending are doing better than us.