Following the decision to move forward with head coach Sonny Cumbie, the Lincoln Parish Journal followed up with Athletics Director Ryan Ivey to ask some specifics on the direction of the program.
LPJ: What are the key components you look at when you make a decision to keep or relieve any coach of their duties? (maybe the 1000 foot view from Ryan Ivey’s desk)
Ryan Ivey: There are several metrics when we evaluate head coaches. Those are:
- Win and loss record (overall and conference)
-
- How did a team finish?
- Team statistical performances ranks within the conference and the NCAA
- Academic performance (team GPA, APR (academic progress rate) current and future projections))
- Any financial structure within the current contract
- Team culture/morale/internal functionality or dysfunctionality of the team
- Community/donor/supporter sentiment
LPJ: In this specific decision on Coach Cumbie’s future at Tech, what were the keys to the decision to move forward with him into 2025?
Ryan Ivey: In this specific situation, we weighed all of the evaluation criteria and felt as if we were better off to bring him back and look internally from a programmatic standpoint. As I mentioned previously, we want to ensure that we are looking specifically at the following:
- our offensive schematic and tactical approach;
- restructuring football personnel to maximize our ability to develop and grow student-athletes;
- off-season workouts grounded in competition, attention to detail, and discipline;
- reimagining roster management, focused on the ability to recruit and retain top talent; and
- strategic assessment of expenses to invest more in player acquisition and compensation.
LPJ: What type of player feedback did you receive on Coach Cumbie/staff? Was it solicited or unsolicited?
Ryan Ivey: I received both solicited and unsolicited feedback. Having had the opportunity to be at practice, at games, and in the locker room, I am able to observe and gather necessary feedback regarding the coaching staff. While players don’t get the final say in who is hired or retained, their feedback is valuable. Ultimately, they are why we do what we do. In speaking with them, and then with our staff and having a first-hand account of the culture of the team, it was obvious that they still support Coach Cumbie and his staff. I believe this was witnessed throughout the year as they continued to show tremendous amount of grit, perseverance, and resiliency.
LPJ: Did you provide specific metrics for him as far as wins/losses, bowl appearance, etc for 2025?
Ryan Ivey: Ultimately, we all know that we need our football team to have winning seasons and participate in and win bowl games. This program has commanded that and should do achieve nothing short moving forward. Coach Cumbie and I will continue to communicate on a regular basis as to the expectations and the standards of our program. We all know that we must get back to that point.
LPJ: What can Bulldog fans do to help the program move forward?
Ryan Ivey: Right now, the biggest thing our fans can do is still show up and support this program. I, along with everyone associated with our football, fully understand, and acknowledge their frustrations. It is going to take all of us working together to create an environment that will program long-term, sustainable success. The business of college athletics is not slowing down, and we must continue to evolve and strategically invest in the areas that can provide us with a competitive advantage. To do that, we need our fans to support and/or continue to support as they can. I never will ask anyone to go broke by helping us, but I believe there is strength in numbers.
