It is a tough gig. I think they are cash strapped.

I'm a family friend of the Albin's, and I was just down in Charlotte this past weekend.

There are some things that I want to share and some I'm going to keep private.

In year one, it was more about setting the baseline and fixing major issues behind the scenes. The focus on football wasn't there. Charlotte was so bad academically that they nearly got a postseason ban and were put on probation. Akron got the ban last year, but Charlotte was the first team above the ban line. Coach Albin made academics his #1 priority.

Facilities-wise, the weight room was worse than Ohio's. They spent a lot of money this offseason to upgrade it. There are still facilities areas to improve on, like meeting rooms (currently none, and position groups squeeze into coaches' offices to meet), and other team spaces, including an indoor practice area, which will be addressed in the years ahead. The stadium is going through an expansion to add 3,000 new seats, suits and an expanded press box. Seats 15,000 now, but was about 50-60% full on the general public side when I was there, but the students showed out and filled up their side.

The other major issue is NIL. Charlotte is a major money hub, but the flow of funds isn't flowing yet. Trying to rebuild a program in the NIL era with limited funds is a challenge.

The team on the field is a night-and-day difference from year 1. The D, where former Ohio coach Nate Faanes is the DC and getting some love, as the D is the only area that the fanbase can see improvements in, and they are talking openly about it.

On the offensive side of the ball, that is the main issue; they can't move the ball and are throwing screen passes on every play. They average under 300 yards of total offence a game and 21 ppg. The fanbase has turned on Todd Fitch, their OC and QB coach, who was an offensive assistant at both OSU and LSU before joining Charlotte. Transfer portal and local incoming talent will help in the off-season, but long-term, a new play caller is what is needed. It will also take time to build up an competive team for the American, but 3-6 wins are possible in the next two years with a much improved team.

Expectations are very low, to the point that 1 win this season is considered success or progress this year, and improvements in the offseason and a change at OC are what they want in the short term. They want to see on field improvenment that can lead to 3-4 wins as they build up to 6-7 wins in a season.

A 6-7 season is the best season in the school's 15-year history,

A bowl game is considered the promised land and can lead to building a statue and a big celebration. They want to win with consistency and be a bowl team each year, which is the long-term outlook.

Coach Albin hasn't been able to win yet (0 FBS wins), and it mix reaction; a lot want the OC gone ASAP, with some also calling for coach to go as well. He signed a 5-year deal. The school is currently paying out remaining contracts for an FB coaching staff, an AD, and men's basketball coaches whom they all fired in the past year and a half. (worth $5 million in buyouts).

Sounds like a spot for Brian Smith might open up next year, then.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting to read. Hearing that behind the scenes stuff really just underscores how undesirable the job at Charlotte was. Pretty perplexing that he ended up there.

One of those things where a guy wanted to get out, took the first job available, and ended up there.

Can tell you from living down here the buzz isn't there for UNC-C. They're building the infrastructure to be good. The challenge they have is as Trevor said, build that baseline for the program, and then get to work. It doesn't help either when they're in the same circuit with programs that have either tasted big time football before or spend more than them. Lot of instability internally as well has hurt them.

Reminds of Akron. On paper, this looks like a situation that could be turned into a UC type situation. Large town. Close to other large towns/small cities. Great stadium. TV and radio market is there. Hundreds of thousands of people to market ticket sales to. The result? No one cares. Apathy. Pro teams and Power 6 teams have already had the market for years. No matter what you do, you'll probably never put a dent in it.

I'll save some space and not repost the full report (since I'm about to fill that space - lol). I'm not a friend of Albin's so I don't have insight as to promises, pledges, presumptions discussed over the dinner table with respect to his hiring or retention. My info is from the bleachers, tailgate city (they do have a strong tailgate at Charlotte), University City, Trade and Tryon, my backyard, etc. I also appreciate there is more ypu can not divulge.

Indeed huge roster turnover from year one - needed from talent and, apparently academic perspective (good to know). He also knows he needs to better tap into HS football in the Carolinas. He has talked a lot about that on local radio.

NIL is a tricky thing in Charlotte - a quick Look at Wikipedia tells one story as a money-hub, on the ground is very, very different. Yes you have some major hitters like Duke and BofA - but they will not open their wallets. The real opportunity are the other companies and financial boutiques - many run by grads of Carolina universities - but they are extremely provincial - a Chapel Hill grad would never give to Charlotte or App, etc. Charlotte is further challenged that it is still a young school. Many of their grads have not hit their financial path or peak yet. So NIL will take time. Many following the program also believe it will take a more dynamic personality than what Albin brings. Which is why they went the Biff route. (they appreciate it is not the role of the coach, but any route is hard of you're not winning - which is his role).

D may be improved - but is giving up close to 400 yards a game. But yes, the offense is horrific. You also have to pull the Citadel stats out - which leaves th 49ers, scoring 10 offensive points a game and gaining a little over 200 a game. Fitch is viewed as the likely fall guy, but mainly because fans know Albin is currently untouchable. Few see removing Fitch as the remedy, but the likely (and possibly only) play. As I said in an earlier post, Albin was perceived to be an offensive coach when brought in (their words not mine) - now fans are questioning his offensive chops. Also questioning whether he's an "NIL era" coach. Concerned he built Ohio teams by developing players over a few years -- "not the way this era functions." -- I'll defer to others on this board regarding that perspective.

The issue he faces is trajectory and, as BtoB mentioned - buzz. When every show on local sports radio dedicates a portion of their programing to "is Charlotte a loss cause and is Albin even the right guy" - as they did this past Tuesday, it indicates the temperature of the communities involved.

Again. I don't know what promises or pledges were made - nor what is spoken in the president's office. But he's losing the bleachers. As I've said before, if he can sneak a win out in October - that helps. They must, must, must give ECU a hell of a game or win :) I can't emphasize that enough. Then maybe they can even catch Navy looking ahead to Army. status quo the rest of the season and firing Fitch won't settle the natives.

Yes, Charlotte fans are a very forgiving bunch. They know they suck and always have. But they don't want to be a joke to their instate brethren. I'm hoping he somehow turns it around. I have more of a connection to the 49ers than anyone here. Just not seeing it.... yet. Circle that ECU game.

I actually went on their main board a month ago to tell them from my Ohio perspective that this isn't the case. Solich won this way. Albin had to turnover most of the staring lineup most years.

Timmy being employed still is insane. This might be the most undisciplined football team I’ve ever watched.

I’m on a cruise in the Caribbean and decided to try to watch a little football on my iPad this Saturday as this is an “at sea” day. Since our game is a 3:30 start, I tuned in the Charlotte-Memphis game. Well, this appears to be the end of the line for TA. The spark of life I saw in a recent close loss is gone. They are again looking like a very undisciplined, rag-tag football team. It seems hard to construct a scenario where Albin is back at UNCC next year. It’s now 38-8 in the 3rd Qt. And, as I type this UNCC fumbles a kickoff. This game could get completely ugly. It’s now 45-8 day 4:49 in 3rd Qt. Albin is a good coach, but I don’t think he’d going to have the time to prove it.

and it is Charlotte’s Homecoming.

Charlotte fan here. No doubt, biff and our previous AD left a mess, but the nil comment is not true. Albin had 4.3 mill for nil this year, which is more than all of our OOC opponents except for Ole miss.

I watched part of the game today.

Either Memphis is the best team in their conference or the C guys suck big time.

Kinda leaning toward the latter.

Memphis has only played one good team this year (Boise St.) and lost by 18.

I have nothing against "Tiger High" but they are not Ohio State or Alabama.

Epic faceplant by Albin.

Yall are not gonna make me feel bad for this dude LOL



They've got the worst offense in the conference AND the worst defense. To highlight, they've got the THIRD worst scoring defense in all of FBS. 7th most yards given up. They have the 7th worst offense in FBS.

1-1 vs the FCS. No FBS wins in two years and currently on a 14 game losing streak.

Yawn.



Can't wait til this is just a distant memory.


I'd rather talk about what a great job Spense is doing with that defense at New Mexico. 4th in country. Only loss came at Oklahoma 14-6.

50-10 loss on the road at North Texas today.

UNT had a 30 point 2nd quarter?

Is there a veterinarian in the house?

Temple opens as a 23.5 point favorite. Ouch!!

No way he survives 1-10, 0-11. Maybe back in the day but not the $ era. He can retire, take his nice pay check, and retire.

Former Bobcat S&C coach Jake Miller, who followed Albin to Charlotte, was let go today.

Albin has a meeting with the AD wednesday morning. told a local podcaster “he’s got the receipts”. i have no idea of the specific contexts or what he means but the podcaster also says Albin has said he’s been consistently outbid by other schools re NIL.

I don’t have the skinny on NIL specifics.

I don’t imagine things are going to get better for Charlotte in the AAC with JMU joining.

After reading this and Trevor's comments above I'm still baffled that the American even let Charlotte join the conference. I know their conference member targets (other than the military) are focused on big cities. Big cities = better recruits and more money, for the most part.

But man Charlotte was nowhere near what this conference should have been taking on. They weren't even close to ready. They have a standard for how much their teams should be spending on football and I gotta think that Charlotte isn't even close to that number.

Wouldn't be shocked to see them kick Charlotte out, actually. There isn't much precedent for that other than the Big East bagging Temple, but I could see it happen here.